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Photo Forum / Digital Photography / ZLR Cameras / June 2006Convert to the FZ30
I was a Leica M3 user, a Nikon Fm user, a (for Pete's sake) Koni-Omega user... now I have a Lumix FZ30....oh goodness me.... would some kind soul tell me where to buy the accessories, remote switch etc... and does the switch use a standard micro-jack which i could just cobble together myself. David > I was a Leica M3 user, a Nikon Fm user, a (for Pete's sake) Koni-Omega > user... now I have a Lumix FZ30....oh goodness me.... > > would some kind soul tell me where to buy the accessories, remote > switch etc... and does the switch use a standard micro-jack which i > could just cobble together myself. If you're in the US then try <http://www.panasonic.com>. They have online ordering and most of the accessories are in stock. No discounts though.  Signature--John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) So, now that you have the FZ30, how does it compare to your previous cameras? I'm just curious. Robert A. Cunningham > I was a Leica M3 user, a Nikon Fm user, a (for Pete's sake) Koni-Omega > user... now I have a Lumix FZ30....oh goodness me.... [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > David The FZ30 is a delight: I find myself taking it everywhere...used it to document taking a foreign body out of someone's^^^^^^^^^^^^ ...OOps did I mention i was a doctor?, I took it to my son's baseball game and was not in the slightest envious of the gentleman next to me with his Canon eos digital thingy and honking great zoom. I love my M3, the 50mm F/2 Summicron is sweet and I have taken the best handheld pictures of my life with this camera. The FM is a friend... I use a 35mm /2.8 PC Nikkor and a 105 /2.5 Nikkor I got on a Hurrell kick with the koni... couldn't justify a hasselblad with the koni at not very much money and i can get beautiful negs with deep shadow detail. I shall probably get a couple of cosina voigtlander wides for the M3... It's in really nice condition so I'm afraid to use it every day. I will have to evaluate the same picture taken with all cameras. When I go on vacation with my family, it's going to be the panasonic. The turning point for me was getting to meet Burt Bacharach only to find i was out of film. aaarrgh. next time I meet him.... The panasonic. David Thanks for the information. I appreciate it. Robert A. Cunningham > The FZ30 is a delight: I find myself taking it everywhere...used it to > document taking a foreign body out of someone's^^^^^^^^^^^^ ...OOps did [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > David I too am a Leica (M2 in my case) guy who bought a FZ 10 about a year ago. It has pros 'n cons. Pros: High ratio zoom lens, sharp optics, relative light and small in size and probably one of the best image stabilizers to be had. Cons: Lousy for wildlife photography, proprietary battery and some lens distortion at very wide/long focal lengths. Perhaps I should add "noise" to the mix. JT > The FZ30 is a delight: I find myself taking it everywhere...used it to > document taking a foreign body out of someone's^^^^^^^^^^^^ ...OOps did [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > David > Cons: Lousy for wildlife photography Could you expand on this please... SignatureFrank (Beware of spam trap - remove the negative) Too slow in response and less-than-accurate auto focus. Don't get me wrong, I like the camera (FZ 10) but the Leica M rangefinder is quick and deadly accurate. The rest depends on your "trigger" finger. Of course, the FZ 30 may have overcome some of these drawbacks but I'm not about to go our and get the latest version in order to "keep up with the Jones'." For wildlife photography, I'll just revert to the M2 with the 90MM and grab an image from a scanner. JT > > Cons: Lousy for wildlife photography > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Frank > (Beware of spam trap - remove the negative) > Of course, the FZ 30 may have overcome some of these drawbacks I'll know in around three weeks time as I'll be in Kenya with my FZ30. SignatureFrank (Beware of spam trap - remove the negative) > > Of course, the FZ 30 may have overcome some of these drawbacks > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Frank > (Beware of spam trap - remove the negative) Look forward to hearing of your results and adventures.. JT I've had a FZ-30 for about 10 months and use it almost exclusively for wildlife/nature photography. I am an armature when it comes to photography but very active outdoors. I've gotten some absolutely gorgeous photos from my kayak in constant movement. I've got a telephoto multiplier (Olympus 1.7X) that I use when I have to have a 750mm equal lens with mixed results. Overall the camera is fine for 90% of my shots as is. Love it! Al >> Of course, the FZ 30 may have overcome some of these drawbacks > > I'll know in around three weeks time as I'll be in Kenya with my FZ30. > Too slow in response and less-than-accurate auto focus. Interesting. I would have put "too short a lens" first on the list. I use an old Oly C700 with a long end equivalent to something like 380mm. For bird photography, I've wished for a lens two or three times that long. Shutter lag and autofocus accuracy are also problems, but the inability to get close enough is the killer for me. > Don't get me wrong, I like the camera (FZ 10) but the Leica M > rangefinder is quick and deadly accurate. The rest depends on your > "trigger" finger. The FZ10 has a really sweet manual focus compared to the menu-and- joystick contraption on my C700. What happens to the shutter lag if you turn off the autofocus and use that neat ring on the lens? I'm tempted to ask what happens if you switch to full-manual exposure, but I guess trading the auto-exposure lag for fiddling with the joystick might not work out well. > Of course, the FZ 30 may have overcome some of these drawbacks but I'm > not about to go our and get the latest version in order to "keep up > with the Jones'." The FZ30 doesn't appear to have improved shutter lag timings over the FZ20, but it does have convenient dedicated controls for aperture and shutter speed that might make full manual operation feasible. Dpreview doesn't appear to have a review of the FZ10, for some reason. > For wildlife photography, I'll just revert to the > M2 with the 90MM and grab an image from a scanner. Yeah, whatever works. I've got a friend who's dumped his digital gear and now uses only medium-format film and a high-end scanner. He's happy as a pig in mud. :-) Paul Allen > > Too slow in response and less-than-accurate auto focus. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > times that long. Shutter lag and autofocus accuracy are also problems, > but the inability to get close enough is the killer for me. The FZ 10's 12x zoom fully extended is (I believe) over 400 MM. At that focal length, there is some chromatic abberration that is annoying. The problem is when shooting long, the auto focus can lock onto an object such as a tree limb that is in the path thus blowing sharp focus on the target. > > Don't get me wrong, I like the camera (FZ 10) but the Leica M > > rangefinder is quick and deadly accurate. The rest depends on your [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > but I guess trading the auto-exposure lag for fiddling with the joystick > might not work out well. I did try manual focus when I first got the camera about a year ago. I found it cumbersome with the digital viewfinder even with the center focusing aid. I don't remember if it had an effect on shutter lag though. > > Of course, the FZ 30 may have overcome some of these drawbacks but I'm > > not about to go our and get the latest version in order to "keep up [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > shutter speed that might make full manual operation feasible. Dpreview > doesn't appear to have a review of the FZ10, for some reason. Panasonic just is not accepted by the mainstream consumers as a valid digital device. Some might call it snobish. I call it misguided. > > For wildlife photography, I'll just revert to the > > M2 with the 90MM and grab an image from a scanner. > > Yeah, whatever works. I've got a friend who's dumped his digital gear > and now uses only medium-format film and a high-end scanner. He's > happy as a pig in mud. :-) Yup... Even a Leica M with fine grain film will far exceed the resolution offered by any digital camera. Yet, the digital sure is handy as a point 'n shoot device for a lot of tasks. But, for fine arts photography, I will revert to the M2 in a flash.. I purchased a Firewire scanner back in 2000 that still fills my reflective scanning needs. For slides, I simply bought two (plus one for spare parts) old Polaroid 35 MM scanners on ebay. I can scan a slide high resolution in just over 45 seconds including any alterations in PhotoShop. Don't call me cheap... I'm just frugal! <G> JT > > > Too slow in response and less-than-accurate auto focus. > > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > problems, but the inability to get close enough is the killer for > > me. > The FZ 10's 12x zoom fully extended is (I believe) over 400 MM. At > that focal length, there is some chromatic abberration that is > annoying. The problem is when shooting long, the auto focus can lock > onto an object such as a tree limb that is in the path thus blowing > sharp focus on the target. Dpreview's writeup on the FZ20 mentions a little CA at the long end of the telephoto with wide apertures. Stopping down a bit would fix it, but I generally need all the speed I can get at the long end of the lens. <sigh> My C700 often locks focus on something not in the subject plane, and I can't tell it's happening because of the low resolution of the EVF and the LCD. I'd expect the FZ30 to be somewhat better in that regard because it's got about 1.4x the linear pixel resolution on both the EVF and the 2" screen. (Not more accurate autofocus, but more obvious when it's messing up.) > > > Don't get me wrong, I like the camera (FZ 10) but the Leica M > > > rangefinder is quick and deadly accurate. The rest depends on [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > exposure, but I guess trading the auto-exposure lag for fiddling > > with the joystick might not work out well. > I did try manual focus when I first got the camera about a year ago. > I found it cumbersome with the digital viewfinder even with the center > focusing aid. I don't remember if it had an effect on shutter lag > though. Hmmm... I borrowed an FZ10 a year or so ago and found its manual focus to be delightful. Almost as nice as the split-prism focuser on my old OM-2n. (But I also remember my wife fidgeting at having to sit still while I fiddled with focus and exposure on that camera. :-) ) > > > Of course, the FZ 30 may have overcome some of these drawbacks > > > but I'm not about to go our and get the latest version in order [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > feasible. Dpreview doesn't appear to have a review of the FZ10, > > for some reason. > Panasonic just is not accepted by the mainstream consumers as a valid > digital device. Some might call it snobish. I call it misguided. I don't think Dpreview has that problem. They've generally liked the FZ series. I'm pretty sure they had an FZ10 review at one time, but something's happened to it. Funny, since the review of my long-obsolete C700 is still in their archives. > > > For wildlife photography, I'll just revert to the > > > M2 with the 90MM and grab an image from a scanner. [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > Don't call me cheap... I'm just frugal! You may call me cheap. I have yet to dive into the purchase of a scanner. :-) Paul Allen > > > > Too slow in response and less-than-accurate auto focus. > > > [quoted text clipped - 43 lines] > OM-2n. (But I also remember my wife fidgeting at having to sit still > while I fiddled with focus and exposure on that camera. :-) ) I'm just used to the M rangefinder and never really liked the focusing attributes of most SLR's. I sorta wish that Leica would make a digital M camera that works exactly like a manual system except that it has a digital full frame sensor. Wow! That would take it to 20 to 30 megapixles which would approach that of film resolution... > > > > Of course, the FZ 30 may have overcome some of these drawbacks > > > > but I'm not about to go our and get the latest version in order [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > something's happened to it. Funny, since the review of my long-obsolete > C700 is still in their archives. I still have (and use) my old Olympus D460 point 'n shoot that I purchased back in 2002. Perfect for snapshots. I use the long life batteries that you only have to change about every eighteen months. > > > > For wildlife photography, I'll just revert to the > > > > M2 with the 90MM and grab an image from a scanner. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Paul Allen If you're interested in 35MM slides (or have a sizable collection as I do), and your computer has a SCSI interface, you can get a Polaroid PrintScan 35 for under $50 on ebay. Very simple to use and the results are pretty good. JT >> > > > Too slow in response and less-than-accurate auto focus. >> > > [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > digital full frame sensor. Wow! That would take it to 20 to 30 > megapixles which would approach that of film resolution... Unlikely until new sensor technology is developed. Canon's full frame DSLRs only go to 16.7, and you pay more than 6000 bucks for one of those. Making a full-frame digital M that will work with the existing lenses is a tall order apparently. >> > > > Of course, the FZ 30 may have overcome some of these drawbacks >> > > > but I'm not about to go our and get the latest version in order [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > > JT Signature--John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) snip > > I'm just used to the M rangefinder and never really liked the focusing > > attributes of most SLR's. I sorta wish that Leica would make a digital [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > Making a full-frame digital M that will work with the existing lenses is a > tall order apparently. I'm sure it is. Still, one can dream. After all, Kodachrome 25 is long gone and in the old days was my mainstay for serious work. But in retrospect, who would have dreamed of computers zipping along at better than 2 Ghz with four gigs of memory high gigabyte capacity hard drives? JT (Who started out with a C-64 and thinks that it might be time for a belt of Pinch..) > snip > [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > (Who started out with a C-64 and thinks that it might be time for a belt > of Pinch..) The first time I bought a 1 GB SD card I sat there chuckling at the thing for about 20 minutes. I remember when several large mainframe shops put together wouldn't have had that kind of capacity. Signature--John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) > The first time I bought a 1 GB SD card I sat there chuckling at the thing > for about 20 minutes. I remember when several large mainframe shops put > together wouldn't have had that kind of capacity. My "chuckle moment" was when I attended a vintage computer festival a couple weeks back and trained my lens on a (still) fully operational IBM System/3. The whole exhibitiion required multiple phased 30 Amp power outlets specially setup in the exhibit area, and the system featured two 70MB Hard drive packs... gigantic monstrosities, each with two platters that were 10 inches in diameter. It was also clear that head crashes were potentially dangerous, as a service tag was affixed to each pack where a technician could mark its status: Operational, Refurbished, Needs Service, or "Unsafe to Operate." :) I gleefully took photos of it with my Panasonic FZ-30, of which the OIS logic alone probably had many times greater processing power than its subject, all running on 3.3V of battery power and storing to a solid state postage-stamp sized 1GB SD card. I haven't gotten around to posting the images; I'll do so this weekend and pass along the link. Of course in 20 years time, I could be exhibiting this same camera to some gawking techie who will holographically image it with his 10-terapixel analyzer, running on a 5-year hydrogen fuel cell and storing to a petabyte neural net. ;) SignatureE-mail fudged to thwart spammers. Transpose the c's and a's in my e-mail address to reply. Make sure read and consult with members of http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1033 >I was a Leica M3 user, a Nikon Fm user, a (for Pete's sake) Koni-Omega > user... now I have a Lumix FZ30....oh goodness me.... [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > David > I was a Leica M3 user, a Nikon Fm user, a (for Pete's sake) Koni-Omega > user... now I have a Lumix FZ30....oh goodness me.... > > would some kind soul tell me where to buy the accessories, remote > switch etc... and does the switch use a standard micro-jack which i > could just cobble together myself. Easiest place is <http://www.panasonic.com>. In the US they take direct orders--not sure what they do elsewhere. The shutter control seems to use a standard stereo mini-plug so you should be able to cobble one up, remmber that you need both half and full press implemented. Signature--John to email, dial "usenet" and validate (was jclarke at eye bee em dot net) |
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