A2 vs. FZ20
 

As I see it there are 4 important differences between these two cameras.

1) 8 mp vs. 5 mp
2) GT lenses vs. Leica lenses
3) manual zoom vs. power zoom
4) 7X optical zoom vs. 12X optical zoom

I enjoy taking pictures of landscapes and wildlife. I want to be able to
produce quality 11x14 prints. I am concerned about the positioning of the
FZ20 zoom control. Which one and why? I am assuming that I will either use
a wide angle extension on the FZ20 or a telephoto on the A2.

Bill H. wrote:
As I see it there are 4 important differences between these two
cameras.
1) 8 mp vs. 5 mp
2) GT lenses vs. Leica lenses
3) manual zoom vs. power zoom
4) 7X optical zoom vs. 12X optical zoom

I enjoy taking pictures of landscapes and wildlife. I want to be
able to produce quality 11x14 prints. I am concerned about the
positioning of the FZ20 zoom control. Which one and why? I am
assuming that I will either use a wide angle extension on the FZ20 or
a telephoto on the A2.

I have compared these two cameras directly, and if you are using JPEG the
quality on the A2 is worse than the FZ20. Perhaps if you use raw the
quality is OK, but I have neither the time nor the memory card capacity
for that. [I haven't printed images of that size from either camera].

Yes, the A2's zoom and EVF are nicer. The FZ20 manual focus is great.
But if you /need/ 432mm tele then only the FZ20 will do. If you /need/
28mm wide then only the A2 will do. (Personally, I avoid bulky add-on
lenses). Having handled both cameras, I think I prefer the FZ20. Both do
have good points and drawbacks. I'd suggest you try and get to a good
camera shop to see how you like the handling on each.

[Are there any reports about the comparitive life of the A2's move the CCD
anti-shake versus the FZ20's in-lens-shift-the-elements? I wonder how the
contacts are made to the moving CCD? Flexible tape? Sliding contacts?
What's the life?]

Cheers,
David

[David:]
I wonder how the contacts are made to
the moving CCD? Flexible tape? Sliding
contacts?

http://www.minoltaphotoworld.com/cms...087573ab0.html

J.S.Pitanga wrote:
[David:]
I wonder how the contacts are made to
the moving CCD? Flexible tape? Sliding
contacts?

http://www.minoltaphotoworld.com/cms...087573ab0.html

Username/password required.

As you obviously do have access, what is the answer to my question? The
only article I've seen discusses the optical sensing and piezo-electric
drive, not how the power and signals are coupled to the sensor.

David

[David:]
I wonder how the contacts are made
to the moving CCD? Flexible tape?
Sliding contacts?

[J.S.Pitanga:]
http://www.minoltaphotoworld.com/cms...087573ab0.html

[David:]
Username/password required.

As you obviously do have access, what is the
answer to my question? The only article I've
seen discusses the optical sensing and
piezo-electric drive, not how the power and
signals are coupled to the sensor.

It is beyond me to discuss this technical subject. The text found in the
above linked page is pasted below, hope it is useful. If you still want to
see the descriptive diagrams and pictures, the registering process is
painless and does not require owning a Konica or Minolta product.

J.S.Pitanga

=============================

Structure of the Anti-Shake-system

The movement of the camera is acquired with the help of two
gyroscope-sensors.

It is not only necessary to detect the angle of movement, but also the
speed of it. The signal generated by the sensors measuring the angle of
the camera is passed on to a microprocessor. The microprocessor is getting
additional data about the position of the CCD-mount from a
position-sensor. The data is passed on to the Anti-Shake processor, that
calculates the exact movement that is necessary to compensate for the
camera shake.

The whole process is happening several times in an exposure time of 1/60
seconds.

The CCD-mount is moved by piezo-motors, that have been developed
especially for the Anti-Shake-System.

The engine

The CCD-mount has to be moved extremely fast and precisely to be able to
counteract the camera movement. Regular electro-motors would be much too
slow for this task, furthermore they would be too large and inaccurate.
For that reason, for Anti-Shake the SIDM (Smooth Impact Drive Mechanism)
has been developed. The SIDM uses a piezo-element that is, despite its
extreme compact size, able to move the CCD mount fast and accurately.

The working-principle of piezo-elements is known from electronic lighters.
If a piezo-element is exposed to pressure, a voltage arises. Electronic
lighters use this voltage to generate the lighting spark.

But the effect can also be used the other way round:
If a voltage is applied to a piezo-element, it expands. If the voltage is
withdrawn, it contracts to its normal size. The CCD-mount is shifted by
expanding piezo-elements. If the piezo-element is contracting, the
CCD-mount stops moving. To move the CCD-mount in the opposite direction,
another piezo-element is necessary. This mechanism makes extreme and
accurate shifting of the CCD-mount to the correct position feasible.

Operational range of Anti-Shake

The operational range of conventional image stabilisation systems is
located in a frequency-range between 1 and 15 Hz (oscillation). It is
mainly dimensioned for large focal lengths, because in this case only
small movements have to be compensated for. When having to deal with
slower and larger movements, for example 1 to 2 Hz, the reaction time of
this systems is comparatively high.

The Anti-Shake-system is able to work fast and effectively starting with a
frequency of approximately 0,5 Hz, because it is able to move the CCD in
relatively large distances. Thus the Konica Minolta is also suitable when
using short focal lengths.

J.S.Pitanga wrote:
[]
It is beyond me to discuss this technical subject. The text found in
the above linked page is pasted below, hope it is useful.

Thanks for that text, but it doesn't actually discuss how the connections
to the moving element are made (this will affect system reliability).

Cheers,
David

In article ,
"David J Taylor" wrote:
Yes, the A2's zoom and EVF are nicer. The FZ20 manual focus is great.
But if you /need/ 432mm tele then only the FZ20 will do. If you /need/
28mm wide then only the A2 will do. (Personally, I avoid bulky add-on
lenses). Having handled both cameras, I think I prefer the FZ20. Both do
have good points and drawbacks. I'd suggest you try and get to a good
camera shop to see how you like the handling on each.

Being from the old school, I am still using manual focus on my slr. I have never
had an autofocus camera to use, and I wonder how accurate they are. Is there any
reason to use manual focus on the FZ20 (the camera I am currently looking at)?

How easy is it to focus manually on the FZ20? I have read that there are
difficulties in low light, but I am not sure what "low light" means. Are we
talking about in a deep forest, inside a house, late afternoon, or moonlight?

I notice that the FZ20's longest shutter speed is 8 seconds. Is this a handicap
in low light conditions?

How does it cope in difficult situations like sunsets?

Thanks for any help.

David

David Morrison wrote:
[]
Being from the old school, I am still using manual focus on my slr. I
have never had an autofocus camera to use, and I wonder how accurate
they are. Is there any reason to use manual focus on the FZ20 (the
camera I am currently looking at)?

Most auto-focus cameras today are excellent at focussing. There are some
situations which can cause problems - such as low lighting - and many
cameras have a "focus-assist" light to help in such circumstances. You
may want to be sure that your camera has focussed on your subject - if the
subject is off-centre you may want to centre the subject, focus
(half-press the shutter) and then recompose with the shutter still
half-pressed. That situation is one where manual focus might be useful,
as it the occasion where you want to pre-focus to avoid any time delay in
taking your picture caused by auto-focus.

How easy is it to focus manually on the FZ20? I have read that there
are difficulties in low light, but I am not sure what "low light"
means. Are we talking about in a deep forest, inside a house, late
afternoon, or moonlight?

Very easy - flick a switch and turn a ring. Dark areas might include the
dark areas inside a house, possibly moonlight. I've jsut tried this, and
finding a lighter area of the subject is OK for focussing in dark areas
inside a house.

I notice that the FZ20's longest shutter speed is 8 seconds. Is this
a handicap in low light conditions?

How does it cope in difficult situations like sunsets?

Thanks for any help.

David

I can't comment on your last two points - we haven't had the camera long
enough!

Cheers,
David

In article ,
"David J Taylor" wrote:
How easy is it to focus manually on the FZ20? I have read that there
are difficulties in low light, but I am not sure what "low light"
means. Are we talking about in a deep forest, inside a house, late
afternoon, or moonlight?

Very easy - flick a switch and turn a ring. Dark areas might include the
dark areas inside a house, possibly moonlight. I've jsut tried this, and
finding a lighter area of the subject is OK for focussing in dark areas
inside a house.

I presume that manual focussing is done by getting the image as sharp as
possible, ie, there is nothing to help do this like the split image in an SLR?

Is the viewfinder good enough for this sort of focussing, or do you have to use
the LCD?

Thanks for your comments.

David

David Morrison wrote:
In article ,
"David J Taylor" wrote:
How easy is it to focus manually on the FZ20? I have read that there
are difficulties in low light, but I am not sure what "low light"
means. Are we talking about in a deep forest, inside a house, late
afternoon, or moonlight?

Very easy - flick a switch and turn a ring. Dark areas might
include the dark areas inside a house, possibly moonlight. I've
jsut tried this, and finding a lighter area of the subject is OK for
focussing in dark areas inside a house.

I presume that manual focussing is done by getting the image as sharp
as possible, ie, there is nothing to help do this like the split
image in an SLR?

Correct.

Is the viewfinder good enough for this sort of focussing, or do you
have to use the LCD?

Thanks for your comments.

David

Either the EVF or the LCD is fine for manual focussing.

David