FZ100 return it for a Pen E-PL1? it is better?

[sebek]

I bought an FZ100 and it's really not good in low light. In 1080p you have some jitter when moving the camera. I have been reading how great the Pen E-PL1 is in low light and ISO. How is the 720p video on this camera? Would it be much better than the FZ100? Is it true the image stabilizer doesn't work in video mode and there is only 7min limit? I want great photos with very good video for under $500 and it seems the PL1 is best in my range.

[FiveO]

Bridge cameras like the FZ100 have a very small sensor and lack bright lenses as well, so it's expected that they will perform poorly in low light. The E-PL1 will do much, much better in low light but keep in mind that these 2 cameras are entirely different in every possible way and each offers its own advantages.

[sebek]

Since I'm mainly interested in great hd video but still want to get good-great low light in photos, when shooting video in great light, will the E-PL1 be much better than the FZ100?

[shoturtle]

With the kit lens the video is pretty good, but you would be better off getting a msc lens if video is what you are after with the epl-1. The 14-150mm MSC would AF better then the kit lens for video shoot. And make much less noise for the internal mic to pick up. The epl-1 does produce nice video at 720p imho.

On the photography side, the epl-1 will produce much better image quality the the FZ without a second thought.

[sebek]

Thanks. I was also fascinated reading the Sony A33/55 review and saw some vimeo videos of this camera and they are stunning! the continuous AF is awesome! How come on dpreview, when you look at the last page where you have the green bars for each option in the camera, when I add the Oly E-PL1 the Movie/video mode shows exactly the same no these two cameras? it would seem the Sony has much better video quality than the Olympus.

[shoturtle]

The Sony A33/55 are good camera, but video is not as demanding as photos. So it is hard to see a huge difference in video. But the sony is the better Video camera as a tool, it shoots 1080p. But they have a over heating issue when the temperature gets warm. The camera will shut down if you use the IS system when shooting at 80 to 90 Degrees after 6-8 min.

[Tullio]

Originally Posted by sebek

... How come on dpreview, when you look at the last page where you have the green bars for each option in the camera, when I add the Oly E-PL1 the Movie/video mode shows exactly the same no these two cameras? it would seem the Sony has much better video quality than the Olympus.

dpreview offers very thorough and useful reviews but they are not 100% consistent (and accurate) at all times. Over the years, I caught many mistakes on their site, which I have reported back. Some times, I fail to understand some of their ratings and final recommendations. They just don't sum up. So, like with anything else, I take the reviews with a grain of salt. Real life experience can, in many cases, be a lot more significant that the results of programs that measure this and that. If you like what you see, why should you care what the review says?

[sebek]

I just want to make sure that the Pen E-PL1 is better in low light/indoors than the FZ100 when it comes to photos and videos as I don't want to return another camera. I know I'm sacrificing quicker AF and zoom anything else?

[FiveO]

Originally Posted by sebek

I just want to make sure that the Pen E-PL1 is better in low light/indoors than the FZ100 when it comes to photos and videos as I don't want to return another camera.

You don't have to look any further than the specs to see that low light performance for the E-PL1 will be leaps and bounds above the FZ100. The sensor size is more than double and the lens is brighter.

[Tullio]

The EPL1 is a good high ISO performer, which means that you'll be able to have more shutter speed by increasing the ISO. That in turn will significantly reduce motion blur. You just need to make sure you set the WB accordingly. The EPL1 struggles when dealing with tungsten light.