Nikon 8800 vs. Panasonic FZ20?

It is time for me to upgrade from my beloved Oly D-490, because
something has frotzed in its power management system. I take a lot of
wildlife photos, so a good telephoto and a good macro are both quite
important.

I don't want a DSLR; apart from the fact that the cost of telephoto and
macro lenses would put me in the poorhouse, I hate lens switching. Back
when I was using my Canon AE-1, I lost far too many good insect shots
because of fumbling for the macro, and eventually just gave up lugging
the 10-lb. camera bag everywhere and bought the Oly.

Now I'm looking at the Nikon 8800 and the Panasonic FZ20, both of which
are worlds above my Oly. I don't think the FZ20's 12x zoom is a
significant advantage, since 12x with 5MP is about the same as 10x with
8MP. The Nikon costs more, but only $100 (if I buy it before 3/31).
Nikon is known for their macro ability, and it does seem to be possible
to get closer with the Nikon (3cm vs. 5cm). I like the FZ20's focus
ring, and I like that the aperture stays at 2.8 to the extreme of its
zoom...though I'm not quite sure _why_ I like that. I like the
Nikon's time-elapse mode, and might be one of the few people who would
actually use it with some regularity. I like the flip-out viewscreen on
the Nikon -- useful for bugs, again -- and it seems to have better
options in its movie mode. It gives me RAW if I feel I need it.

Both have image stabilization. Both have Lithium-ion batteries instead
of nice AAs. Both have hot-shoes for external flashes (my next
purchase).

So, they're pretty well balanced in my mind, and I feel I've gotten to
the limit of what I can learn online. I intend to toddle down to Best
Buy to try them both out, but if anyone here has personal experience
with comparing them (particularly their macro modes) I'd appreciate it.

----j7y

--
jere7my tho?rpe | "The land knows whom it sent out;
(440) 775-1522 | In the place of human beings
| Their ashes in urns
http://www.livejournal.com/~jere7my | Come back to each man's house."
--- Aeschylus, The Agamemnon

Although I'm a Nikon user...You can't beat the FZ20... I've used both.

--
_________________-
BOCH
________________
A+TECH
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"jere7my tho?rpe" wrote in message
...
It is time for me to upgrade from my beloved Oly D-490, because
something has frotzed in its power management system. I take a lot of
wildlife photos, so a good telephoto and a good macro are both quite
important.

I don't want a DSLR; apart from the fact that the cost of telephoto and
macro lenses would put me in the poorhouse, I hate lens switching. Back
when I was using my Canon AE-1, I lost far too many good insect shots
because of fumbling for the macro, and eventually just gave up lugging
the 10-lb. camera bag everywhere and bought the Oly.

Now I'm looking at the Nikon 8800 and the Panasonic FZ20, both of which
are worlds above my Oly. I don't think the FZ20's 12x zoom is a
significant advantage, since 12x with 5MP is about the same as 10x with
8MP. The Nikon costs more, but only $100 (if I buy it before 3/31).
Nikon is known for their macro ability, and it does seem to be possible
to get closer with the Nikon (3cm vs. 5cm). I like the FZ20's focus
ring, and I like that the aperture stays at 2.8 to the extreme of its
zoom...though I'm not quite sure _why_ I like that. I like the
Nikon's time-elapse mode, and might be one of the few people who would
actually use it with some regularity. I like the flip-out viewscreen on
the Nikon -- useful for bugs, again -- and it seems to have better
options in its movie mode. It gives me RAW if I feel I need it.

Both have image stabilization. Both have Lithium-ion batteries instead
of nice AAs. Both have hot-shoes for external flashes (my next
purchase).

So, they're pretty well balanced in my mind, and I feel I've gotten to
the limit of what I can learn online. I intend to toddle down to Best
Buy to try them both out, but if anyone here has personal experience
with comparing them (particularly their macro modes) I'd appreciate it.

----j7y

--
jere7my tho?rpe | "The land knows whom it sent out;
(440) 775-1522 | In the place of human beings
| Their ashes in urns
http://www.livejournal.com/~jere7my | Come back to each man's house."
--- Aeschylus, The Agamemnon

jere7my tho?rpe wrote:
[]
So, they're pretty well balanced in my mind, and I feel I've gotten to
the limit of what I can learn online. I intend to toddle down to Best
Buy to try them both out, but if anyone here has personal experience
with comparing them (particularly their macro modes) I'd appreciate
it.

My wife's feeling on the FZ20, having just used one intensively for the
last three weeks, is that she missed the swivel finder more than she
imagined she would. If you can get the two at about the same price, that
might swing you towards the 8800, although the lens does have a smaller
maximum aperture. When we were buying there was a 2:1 price difference.
The 8800 has higher resolution moves as well, if that's important to you.
I haven't used the 8800 so I can't comment on marco modes.

Cheers,
David