Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ20

nilagin

nilagin

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Hi I'm new to the forum and a novice as far as photography goes. I have a passion for motorsport and used to use a couple of compact 35mm cameras with zooms up to 120mm to capture some fairly reasonable shots. In recent years I have progressed onto digital cameras, but in the early days struggled in the time lag before the picture would be taken resulting in an empty track. My latest camera is a Nikon Coolpix 5200 and with it's continuous shooting mode my results have improved. But the 3x zoom lens is not enough for some tracks so I was thinking about getting a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ5 with a 12 x zoom which in 35mm camera terms is equivalent to 432mm. Jessops currently have the DMC FZ20 in their sale at £200. Is this camera user friendly and easy to use and will it give me the results I require. My avatoir was taken with the Nikon and has been cropped slightly to bring the cars in a little closer, with the Panasonic I'd get the closeness I require. But I've read a few reviews on google that were in favour of the camera but others were not. But a magazine I bought earlier in the year when looking at the FZ5 gave the FZ20 a 91% rating. But there were concerns about noise. What is this "noise".
Sorry for the lengthy post but any advice would be very much appreciated.
Thanks, nilagin.
 
Hi and welcome,

first of all , noise is like grain on film, the sensor gets a bit bitty with the detail , this is the simplest way i know how to explain it,but to be honest , for a starter camera it wont bother you too much,

if you want it exclusivly for motorsport i would go for a camera with minimal shutter lag, however i am not upto date with such models,

i do know the Lumix uses Leica optics, that speaks for its self with regard to quality, and for the money you wont beat it at the moment,
however i would imaging the camera will be discontinued very soon, and its new model time in about 8 weeks ,

someone else might have better info on the Lumix

MyPix

ps, always buy the best you can with your money at any one time, it WILL reward you with quality and features
 
Hi

I found a review of it here for you

they also had a full indepth review of the FZ30, which adds a few extras, RAW on it's own is worth the step up i think, you'll save a great deal more shots with it. :smilenod:

From what I read about it, the noise was only an issue in low(ish) light, probably not much of a problem on the side of a track. There are software packages which will help with image noise too, but you need to ask yourself how much time you want to spend post processing the images.
 
This is noise...

noise.jpg


Showing the result after using noise reduction software.
 
FZ20 is a great camera, but they are hard to get at the £200 price now.

As I said in my reply to your thread in the welcome section, I had an FZ20 and used it a lot for motorsport. If you want samples, please ask.

And noise is the digital equivalent to film grain. And yes, the FZ20 like a lot of bridge cameras does suffer from it.
 
Hi Joe,
thanks for your reply to my posts. I'd be interested to see samples of your motorsport photos from this camera. How easy is this camera to use for this. Is there a lot of set up needed to use the camera for this or is it just a case of selecting sport mode and continuous shoot like I do with my Nikon. Having had automatic focus cameras in the past be it 35mm film or digital shutter speed etc. is all a bit much for me at the moment. I have a couple of Jessops stores near me and both have the camera on display but I'm unsure how long the sale will last so if the camera will suit my needs (cost ease of use and performance) I may need to act fast so as not to miss out.
Neil:thumb: :thumb:
 
Firstly Hi.

Although compacts have come a long way & in a majority of cases take shots as good as DSLR's for most (not I said most not all ;) ), when you get down to dedicated use such as sport then Digital SLR's have the advantage. Have you considered a S/H Canon 300D or similar. Would others say a Sigma 70-300mm APO is comaparable to the top end compact lenses ? These are under £119 new from here
 
Hi Dave,
I realise that an SLR with a suitable lens would be better for me but to be honest I don't really have the cash spare to consider one of these. My photography of motorsport is purely a hobby, although I have managed to sell a few of my old 90's BTCC photo's on ebay. It is more a case of photo's for memories. My two sons (8 & 14) use my other cameras too, so it would not really be a case of part exchange any of my other cameras. I like the idea of the large zoom lengths available on the Panasonics DMC 5 or 20. I was seriously considering the FZ5 but waiting for the price to come down a bit more but if I can get a FZ20 for £200, I need to know is this camera just as good and give me good photos' without too much messing around. I have a Fuji Finepix with 3MP resolution and 6 x zoom but no continuous shooting so it is difficult ( for me anyway) to get a good shot of a car without it having disappeared from view due to lag. Also the 6x zoom is still not enough for some tracks where a good clear vantage point is too far from the cars.
 
You could always sell your soul ;) Fair point re budget. Did some of the Minolta Z3/5's have 10x optical ?
 
Great action shots Joe, that is the sort of thing I'm after. How easy is it to take photos like that with the camera is there much set up needed or just select the continuous/sport mode and click away.
 
Would I not be able to take a series of photos as a car comes towards me and pan round as it goes past and away from me. I took a series of photos at Goodwood Festival of speed this year of a Focus WRC heading up the hill and then performing a handbrake turn onto the grass and then back onto the hill again with my Nikon. The photo's came out well but I would have preferred them to have been closer. I know panning is a case of practice makes perfect but if I can take a series of photos it also gives you a chance of catching the unexpected especially in motorsport.
 
Think I'll have to try one out in Jessops and see what I get. Thanks for your help.
 
Unfortunately, there's a reason for SLR type cameras - they offer the flexibility and quality you're after: larger memory buffers for continuous shooting and no shutter lag - interchangeable lenses for different subjects.

It's all about how much you want to do this and how much you're prepared to spend/sacrifice in order to get the results you want.
How dedicated to photography are you?
I went without a car for years so I could afford the cameras I wanted. It's only now that my car fetish is catching up with my finances - or is that meant to be the other way round?

You have to sit down and decide what it is you really want - is photography going to be the mainstay of your life?
 
I'm not into photography enough to warrant investing into an SLR. Plus I don't want to be carrying around various lenses as add ons I need a camera which can point and shoot with minimal fuss or set up but with a good zoom like the FZ20. My old compact film cameras which zoom to 120mm were ok for cars where you can get close to the action like inside Druids hairpin at Brands Hatch, but other circuits are not quite so accomodating and a better zoom is needed.
Just been to one of my local Jessops stores and they sold their last one this morning. Because of the speed at which they sold them they doubt they will get anymore. Have to try another first thing in the morning.:(
 
Jessops in Walsall had some for £200 on Boxing Day, I know cos my lad bought a Panasonic there that day and was looking at them (He bought an FX9)

Jessops Walsall....

Tel: 0845 4587310
Fax: 0192 2723329

Jessops will get stuff from other branches for you - give it a go.

Sooner ot later you'll want a DSLR - it's inevitable, but at 200 quid this is a bargain and it's not as though you'll lose a fortune on it.
 
Jessops in maidstone had them advertised in the window so iassume they had some in stock, they also sell online
 
Lakeside in Essex and Romford stores have both sold out. Lakeside reckon that because of the speed that they sold them they won't be getting anymore, Romford however reckon they will be getting another delivery around Wednesday. I've looked at Jessops on line but they don't even list the FZ20 for some reason. It's a shame the salesman in the Romford store wasn't slightly dislexic he nearly picked up a box with the FZ30 in. 8MP that would be so much better. Roll on Wednesday.
 
Hope you find one.

I have an FZ30 and it's a good camera.

I think for motorsport it may be a bit underspecced. no real continuous AF and the focusing can be a bit slow on the 20 at full zoom, but it does have the advantage of being F2.8 at the tele end.

Only real way you'll find out is to try one alas.

BTW alot of the images in mny gallery were shot with a FZ30!
 
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