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#1
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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. |
#2
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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 |
#3
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[David:]
I wonder how the contacts are made to the moving CCD? Flexible tape? Sliding contacts? http://www.minoltaphotoworld.com/cms...087573ab0.html |
#4
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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 |
#5
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[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. |
#6
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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 |
#7
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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 |
#8
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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 |
#9
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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 |
#10
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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 |
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