how good IS the FZ20?

[tchuanye]

Well taken Squirl! Regardless of which camera!

My reason for choosing #2 as Pana is due to the yellow hue. Its very apparent in my macros, hence I always tend to set some blue in the FZ settings. and further add more blue in colour balance during post processing.

[corcoj]

I like #2 best also. Remarkable definition; looks like a tiny insect on the branch.

[squirl033]

corcoj wrote:

I like #2 best also. Remarkable definition; looks like a tiny insect on the branch.

actually, it's just a bit of fluff from the cattail, but you're right- the FZ20 is capable ofamazing detail and clarity. and this was taken with a TCON-14B converter attached! in fairness to the Canon, i'm still only on the first few rungs of the learning ladder, and with a bit of tweaking (i experimented after i posted these pics), i was able to make the 30D shot every bit as sharp as the Panny one, in spite of muchduller light. nonetheless,the fact that the FZ20 can take shots that compare so favorably with a DSLR is impressive, to say the least. i don't for a minute regret buying a DSLR... it opens up a whole new world in many ways... but comparisons like this show better than any words why the FZ20 will stay in my kit for a long time to come!

[HarjTT]

Squirl

I thought I'd posted a reply - dang I must have miss hit the send button. I thought No.2 was the FZ shot like Hiroshi and the others. To my eyes it just seemd to shout I'm a FLUZI shot ! I remember seeing a post some time back of a shot from a KMD7 and an FZ20 and the FZ20 shot was just tack sharp while the KMD7 was pretty soft, although it showed hardly any noise at all. Its pretty amazing how good the Panaleica lens on the FZ's are, and how much better they can be compared to std kit lenses. Another example I saw was of the LC1/D2 beign compared to a SONY R1 with ath cracking Carl Zeiss Lens - the D2/LC1 being over 2 years old and with a 5MP 2/3 Sensor was more than holding its own against the R1, a 10MP APS-C cam. The reviewer basically put it all down to the quality and the ability of the summircron lens to resolve detail and that it if it was paired up with a newer sensor would be even better. Now that just tells you of the quality of the optics we get with our FZ's!

Also Squirl, I think once you get used to the 30D it'll be producing some cracking shots and having that extra versatility of the DLSR, esp in low light, high ISO will be.

Thanks for sharing mate.

:|

HarjTT

[squirl033]

hey, HarjTT... yeah, these comparisons definitely make the point. i don't have a "kit lens" for my 30D... i only have 2 lenses at this point - a Tamron SP 24-135 f3.5-5.6 (equivalent to a 38-215mm) for my "GP" lens, and a Sigma EX 80-400 f4.5-5.6 OS (equivalent to a 128-640mm) zoom for long-distance work. neither one is, perhaps, quite on a par with the Canon "L" lenses, but then, the Tamron was less than half the price of the 24-105L, and the Sigma was $400 less than its counterpart, the 100-400L. i wanted decent optics - after using the FZ, i knew a kit lens would never do it for me - but i didn't have a small fortune to spend, so i had to make some compromises. the only thing i know i'll miss is OIS on the Tamron... but then, i learned photography without OIS, and with much less capable equipment, so i expect i can manage the short shots without it... :G

as for getting used to the 30D, i've been working with it as much as i can this past weekend, and am beginning to feel a little more at home with it. i've seen the results others get with the 20D, and i know the 30D will do the same, and that's my inspiration... i'm sure in a few months, oncei've figured out all the settings properly,i'll be getting much better shots, and i'll start seeing that stunning image quality i know the Canons can produce.

the main thing i wanted to do with these comparisons was to show everyone - myself included - howthe FZ compares to a DSLR. i think a lot of folks were surprised, and a lot of others probably just nodded and said, "i knew it all along!" in any case, it was an interesting exercise, and reinforced my feeling that the FZ will be part of my kit for a long time to come...

[Macnite]

Excellent pics Squirl, the main subjects are sharp and in focusbut not the cattail of the 30D. How can you have a perfectly sharp main subject (the bird)and notthe cattail? Does anyone has an explanation??

[Tazzie]

Macnite, a dslr often calls for more sharpening in post processing would be a guess.

[squirl033]

in this case, i think it's simply a DOF issue. the cattail was leaning toward me, so the bird was closer than the reed. at f5.6, the lens i was using was wide open, which makes for a softer image, and the DOF from a DSLR is pretty shallow compared to the FZ's anyway. with more light, and a smaller aperture, say f11 or higher, the image would have been sharper, and the cattail more in focus.

[Macnite]

Thanks Tazzie and Squirl, it makes sense now.

Squirl, I have another question for you. I'm about to buy atele-extender, in your opinion which one is better for the FZ30, the tcon-14B or the tcon-17?

[squirl033]

i'd go with the TCON-17. it doesn't require a step ring like the TCON-14B would (it has 62mm rear threads), and by all accounts, the TCON-17 works wonderfully with the '30's optics. but the TCON-14B is the hands down winner for the FZ20; for some reason, itsseems towork better on that model than anything else.