FZ30 review

Panasonic is thinking, "How can we cram this consumer junk with
features, have a huge
zoom, and yet keep the price around $500?"
"Easy! A cheap, out of date and TINY sensor!!!"

Don Wiss skrev:

On 22 Aug 2005 02:16:40 -0700, "Jan B=F6hme" wrote:

(In addition, there is the extra advantage of being able to protect
your LCD screen by turning it inwards when you don't need it - which is
most of the time, really. Also this feature is enabled by a bottom
hinging.)

This is the one I consider important.

That one, as a desired feature by itself, is a double-edged sword,
though. On one hand, a flip-and-twist LCD can be turned inwards,
protecting the screen. On the other, the flip-and-twist mechanism
itself is liable to breaking. Essentially, you protect the LCD from one
type of damage by introducing entirely new risks of damage.

The bottom line isn't altogether obvious.

Jan B=F6hme

"Jan Böhme" wrote in message oups.com...

Don Wiss skrev:

On 22 Aug 2005 02:16:40 -0700, "Jan Böhme" wrote:

(In addition, there is the extra advantage of being able to protect
your LCD screen by turning it inwards when you don't need it - which is
most of the time, really. Also this feature is enabled by a bottom
hinging.)

This is the one I consider important.

That one, as a desired feature by itself, is a double-edged sword,
though. On one hand, a flip-and-twist LCD can be turned inwards,
protecting the screen. On the other, the flip-and-twist mechanism
itself is liable to breaking. Essentially, you protect the LCD from one
type of damage by introducing entirely new risks of damage.

The bottom line isn't altogether obvious.

Jan Böhme

I don't know about Panasonic's implementation of twist and
swivel, but Canon's is *very* sturdy. I've never heard of
anyone breaking off one of their LCDs. And the benefits of
a twist and swivel LCD far outweigh its disadvantages.. E.g.
it's invaluable for over-the-head shots, candid people shots
(you can frame images with the camera sitting on your lap)
etc etc.

Tom S skrev:
"Jan B=F6hme" wrote in message news:1124792845.739775.2=
...
Don Wiss skrev:
On 22 Aug 2005 02:16:40 -0700, "Jan B=F6hme" wrote:

(In addition, there is the extra advantage of being able to protect
your LCD screen by turning it inwards when you don't need it

This is the one I consider important.

On one hand, a flip-and-twist LCD can be turned inwards,
protecting the screen. On the other, the flip-and-twist mechanism
itself is liable to breaking. Essentially, you protect the LCD from
one type of damage by introducing entirely new risks of damage.

I don't know about Panasonic's implementation of twist and
swivel, but Canon's is *very* sturdy. I've never heard of
anyone breaking off one of their LCDs. And the benefits of
a twist and swivel LCD far outweigh its disadvantages.. E.g.
it's invaluable for over-the-head shots, candid people shots
(you can frame images with the camera sitting on your lap)
etc etc.

Yes, I agree completely. You mention points 1 and 4 in my list earlier
in the thread, but there are three others there.

The only point of my previous post was to point out to someone who
apparently was interested in a tilt-and-swicel LCD _primarily_ as a
protection device, that this particular concept had an upside and a
downside, at least in theory.

Jan B=F6hme

On 22 Aug 2005 02:41:58 -0700, "Jan Böhme" wrote:

NewsDroid wrote:

Siiiigh! Does this mean I have to wait for the FZ40?

Now that they've fixed essentially
all the other user's complaints about the FZ20, what else is there to
fix, really?

Shutter lag.

"NewsDroid" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"David J Taylor"

wrote:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/pa...ew/index.shtml

I just read the review and NNGGGAAAAAAAA!!!! How could Panasonic make
such a mistake? They've mounted the flip & swivel viewfinder with its
hinge at the bottom fer crissake!!

That surprised me too. But there must have been a design or engineering
reason for it, as surely Panasonic is aware of the more usual arrangement.



Flip & swivel viewfinders are a very useful extra, with three particular
uses: photos above your head, from waist-level and from in front of the
camera. The Canon S2 IS for example works beautifully in all these
situations. Especially in the latter, where the remote or delayed
shutter allows you to pose in your own photos, as seen from the
viewfinder swung to the side.

So why the hell did Panasonic put the hinge at the bottom, directly in
line with the tripod socket*, blocking any view of the flipped screen
from the front?

Siiiigh! Does this mean I have to wait for the FZ40?

While the FZ30 design is slightly unfortunate in this respect, it's not in
any way a deal breaker for me. Only very rarely do I need to see the LCD
from the front, and on those occasions I have other cameras that will do
that.

The FZ30 looks very tempting.

N.

David J Taylor wrote:
wrote:
[]
Well, I was far less disappointed in the swivel LCD than I was in the
image quality of the samples. The reviewer's notes also talk about
this -- just as I had suspected, this camera is too noisy.

Darn...I was really looking forward to this camera. From a form &
function perspective, it seems near perfect. I can't buy a camera
that is going to deliver sub-par performance, however. I don't buy
the argument that when printing 4x6 photos, the noise isn't an issue.
Who can tell ahead of time which photo you might want to enlarge to
8x10?

Guess I have to keep looking :-(

Chris, have you actually printed any of the samples at 10 x 8 inches?

David

Honestly, no. I'm going by the quote from the guy who runs the review
website:

"I printed out some of the test photos that I took at ISO 400 and they
made very acceptable 4 x 6 inch prints. At 8.5 x 11 the noise was quite
noticeable, but after a trip through NeatImage the print was greatly
improved and most people won't even notice it."

I've had similar experience (actually printing) from cheaper "noisy"
P&S cameras...the noise at even ISO 200 is distracting (to me).

Granted, 90% of the time worrying about enlarging an ISO 400 print to
8x10 will not be a problem. However, I know there will be times when
I'm on vacation, at an indoor location, or it's getting a bit dark
outside and I don't want to use the flash...I'll get that great
photo...my wife will ask me to enlarge it so she can put it out on the
sofa table...it'll come out "grainy" and then she'll say "so, why did
you buy that $700 camera?"

My next camera is going to be a tool that can be used for more than
sunny outdoor shots or ideal lighting conditions indoors. So, I guess
I'm back to figuring out which dSLR and which lens(es) will be optimal
for my needs / budget...

-Chris

wrote:
[]
My next camera is going to be a tool that can be used for more than
sunny outdoor shots or ideal lighting conditions indoors. So, I guess
I'm back to figuring out which dSLR and which lens(es) will be optimal
for my needs / budget...

If noise in low-light conditions is that critically important to you,
sadly a DSLR with some super-fast non-zoom lenses may be your only
(expensive) route. But I would suggest to anyone who is critical of any
image samples to actually print them rather than just looking on the
monitor. Having said that, my FZ5 is fixed at ISO 100 precisely to keep
the noise down.....

Cheers,
David