Panasonic Lumix vs Kodak vs Anything Else, $500 range, at least 10x Zoom

I'm thinking about switching from film to digital. I have a Pentax *ist 35mm
right now, with a Sigma 35-300mm lens, which I think is just great, but I
may want the flexibility of digital.

I'm looking at the Lumix FZ20 or the Kodak EasyShare DX7500. Any thoughts on
one vs. the other? The one thing about the Kodak is that if I register by
Jan 31, they'll send me a 1 GB SD card.

I also saw the Nikon CoolPix, but I think the optical zoom is only 8X.

Does anybody know if any of these cameras have a "databack" (i.e., can they
print the date on photos)? I've looked at the specs, but I swear I can't see
anything.

Thx.

-Rich

We just bought an FZ15, and the performance at 12x zoom is stunning.
Ergonomics, lens performance and even macro are great.
The handbook describes how to do the date on the photo, though we have
not tried that function,
DonB

We just bought an FZ15, and the performance at 12x zoom is stunning.
Ergonomics, lens performance and even macro are great.
The handbook describes how to do the date on the photo, though we have
not tried that function,
DonB

Why not just buy a *ist DS body to use with the Pentax lens, they cost a bit
more but it will blow you away with how good they are.

"Rich Belthoff" wrote in message
om...
I'm thinking about switching from film to digital. I have a Pentax *ist
35mm right now, with a Sigma 35-300mm lens, which I think is just great,
but I may want the flexibility of digital.

I'm looking at the Lumix FZ20 or the Kodak EasyShare DX7500. Any thoughts
on one vs. the other? The one thing about the Kodak is that if I register
by Jan 31, they'll send me a 1 GB SD card.

I also saw the Nikon CoolPix, but I think the optical zoom is only 8X.

Does anybody know if any of these cameras have a "databack" (i.e., can
they print the date on photos)? I've looked at the specs, but I swear I
can't see anything.

Thx.

-Rich

Why not just buy a *ist DS body to use with the Pentax lens, they cost a bit
more but it will blow you away with how good they are.

"Rich Belthoff" wrote in message
om...
I'm thinking about switching from film to digital. I have a Pentax *ist
35mm right now, with a Sigma 35-300mm lens, which I think is just great,
but I may want the flexibility of digital.

I'm looking at the Lumix FZ20 or the Kodak EasyShare DX7500. Any thoughts
on one vs. the other? The one thing about the Kodak is that if I register
by Jan 31, they'll send me a 1 GB SD card.

I also saw the Nikon CoolPix, but I think the optical zoom is only 8X.

Does anybody know if any of these cameras have a "databack" (i.e., can
they print the date on photos)? I've looked at the specs, but I swear I
can't see anything.

Thx.

-Rich

Don't overlook the FZ3 which is much cheaper ($390), lighter, and smaller
than the other FZs. I really like this camera.

Bob M

"Rich Belthoff" wrote in message
om...
I'm thinking about switching from film to digital. I have a Pentax *ist
35mm
right now, with a Sigma 35-300mm lens, which I think is just great, but I
may want the flexibility of digital.

I'm looking at the Lumix FZ20 or the Kodak EasyShare DX7500. Any thoughts
on
one vs. the other? The one thing about the Kodak is that if I register by
Jan 31, they'll send me a 1 GB SD card.

I also saw the Nikon CoolPix, but I think the optical zoom is only 8X.

Does anybody know if any of these cameras have a "databack" (i.e., can
they
print the date on photos)? I've looked at the specs, but I swear I can't
see
anything.

Thx.

-Rich

Konica-Minolta Dimage Z3 - my choice - a bit pricey here in Bulgaria -
I got it for $600 with a 512MB card, but a person with a credit card
can find it in the $350-400 range. 12x optical, 4x digital, Antishake
balance for those teleshots. I am really impressed with this camera.
Also has the data imprint option, which you mentioned.

"Rich Belthoff" wrote in message om...
I'm thinking about switching from film to digital. I have a Pentax *ist 35mm
right now, with a Sigma 35-300mm lens, which I think is just great, but I
may want the flexibility of digital.

I'm looking at the Lumix FZ20 or the Kodak EasyShare DX7500. Any thoughts on
one vs. the other? The one thing about the Kodak is that if I register by
Jan 31, they'll send me a 1 GB SD card.

I also saw the Nikon CoolPix, but I think the optical zoom is only 8X.

I got the FZ20 3 wks. ago and am very happy with it. The deciding factor for me
was the image stabilization, something the Kodak models lack. At long zoom
ranges it makes an enoumous difference in usability.

Does anybody know if any of these cameras have a "databack" (i.e., can they
print the date on photos)? I've looked at the specs, but I swear I can't see
anything.

The FZ20 has a date print option that is activated if printing directly from the
camera to a pictbridge enabled printer. It will not stamp a date on the image file
itself like the Sony's and other brands do. The date, time, F-stop and other
data are automatically stored in the image files as exif information.

"Rich Belthoff" wrote in message om...
I'm thinking about switching from film to digital. I have a Pentax *ist 35mm
right now, with a Sigma 35-300mm lens, which I think is just great, but I
may want the flexibility of digital.

I'm looking at the Lumix FZ20 or the Kodak EasyShare DX7500. Any thoughts on
one vs. the other? The one thing about the Kodak is that if I register by
Jan 31, they'll send me a 1 GB SD card.

I also saw the Nikon CoolPix, but I think the optical zoom is only 8X.

I got the FZ20 3 wks. ago and am very happy with it. The deciding factor for me
was the image stabilization, something the Kodak models lack. At long zoom
ranges it makes an enoumous difference in usability.

Does anybody know if any of these cameras have a "databack" (i.e., can they
print the date on photos)? I've looked at the specs, but I swear I can't see
anything.

The FZ20 has a date print option that is activated if printing directly from the
camera to a pictbridge enabled printer. It will not stamp a date on the image file
itself like the Sony's and other brands do. The date, time, F-stop and other
data are automatically stored in the image files as exif information.

"Rich Belthoff" wrote in message
om...
I'm thinking about switching from film to digital. I have a Pentax *ist
35mm right now, with a Sigma 35-300mm lens, which I think is just great,
but I may want the flexibility of digital.


You should try to stretch it and get a Pentax *ist DSLR body. Digicams like
the ones you mentioned don't come close to DSLR performance, especially
in terms of speed, noise and color accuracy.