kmancpbh
01-07-2006, 09:41 AM
Okay, from my desire to have a camera that allows me to capture good shots from landscapes to telephot shots.....AND provide the flexability for more ambient light shooting or dark light photographs, I have narrowed it down to the following two setups:
OPTION ONE
Estimated Cost: $779.85
35mm Equivalent Range: 23mm-420mm
Panasonic DMC-FZ30
Sunpak 383 Flash
Raynox 6060 0.66x Wide Angle Adapter
OPTION TWO
Estimated Cost: $869.90
35mm Equivalent Range: 27mm-450mm
Nikon D-50 Kit w/18mm-55mm Nikor Lens
Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 APO DG
I'm guessing that the Leica glass on the FZ-30 is more sharp at telephoto than the Sigma Lens. I would be using a tripod, if needed, and I'm hoping that the higher ISO capabilities of the D-50 can somewhat mitigate the loss of the IS afforded by the Panasonic.
As mentioned in other posts by me, I was concerned with the noise in FZ-30 prints I made at 8x10 (although I loved the detail and sharpness in the images). I need more flexability than having to shoot only at 80 or 100 ISO and needing sunlight. Which is why many people have recommended the Sunpak Flash, but that makes the price get into near dSLR range for the FZ30 setup.
My real question is how much worse will image quality be using the kit lens and the Sigma combination compared to digicams like the FZ30 (not compared to higher end lenses on higher end dSLRs)?
I'm hoping the lenses will give good photo sharpness and enable occassional prints up to 8x10 or slighly larger. While not an expert, my eye is somewhat fickle...which is why the noise is an issue with me.
Will I see too much image softness, lack of sharpness, vignetting, etc when using the proposed Nikon set-up as compared to the optics of the DMC-FZ30?
Or does the Nikon set-up offer much more variety with regards to shooting in variable lighting conditions to justify the price step up?
This is my absolute max spending threshhold. My feeling is the D-50 has all of the control and a solid sensor that I could use for a couple of years while I slowly upgrade the lenses (that 50mm 1.8 Nikon being the first purchase)....where I would have to buy a whole new digicam if Panasonic made a less noisy Lumix megazoom. In the long run, the dSLR route may be less expensive.
Sorry for the rambling, but this digital dummy is looking for more insight into a flexible setup that can handle a variety of shot types and lighting conditions while providing image quality that will be pleasing in moderate sized 8x10 or 11x13 enlargements. Thanks for your thoughts and help! --K
OPTION ONE
Estimated Cost: $779.85
35mm Equivalent Range: 23mm-420mm
Panasonic DMC-FZ30
Sunpak 383 Flash
Raynox 6060 0.66x Wide Angle Adapter
OPTION TWO
Estimated Cost: $869.90
35mm Equivalent Range: 27mm-450mm
Nikon D-50 Kit w/18mm-55mm Nikor Lens
Sigma 70-300 f/4-5.6 APO DG
I'm guessing that the Leica glass on the FZ-30 is more sharp at telephoto than the Sigma Lens. I would be using a tripod, if needed, and I'm hoping that the higher ISO capabilities of the D-50 can somewhat mitigate the loss of the IS afforded by the Panasonic.
As mentioned in other posts by me, I was concerned with the noise in FZ-30 prints I made at 8x10 (although I loved the detail and sharpness in the images). I need more flexability than having to shoot only at 80 or 100 ISO and needing sunlight. Which is why many people have recommended the Sunpak Flash, but that makes the price get into near dSLR range for the FZ30 setup.
My real question is how much worse will image quality be using the kit lens and the Sigma combination compared to digicams like the FZ30 (not compared to higher end lenses on higher end dSLRs)?
I'm hoping the lenses will give good photo sharpness and enable occassional prints up to 8x10 or slighly larger. While not an expert, my eye is somewhat fickle...which is why the noise is an issue with me.
Will I see too much image softness, lack of sharpness, vignetting, etc when using the proposed Nikon set-up as compared to the optics of the DMC-FZ30?
Or does the Nikon set-up offer much more variety with regards to shooting in variable lighting conditions to justify the price step up?
This is my absolute max spending threshhold. My feeling is the D-50 has all of the control and a solid sensor that I could use for a couple of years while I slowly upgrade the lenses (that 50mm 1.8 Nikon being the first purchase)....where I would have to buy a whole new digicam if Panasonic made a less noisy Lumix megazoom. In the long run, the dSLR route may be less expensive.
Sorry for the rambling, but this digital dummy is looking for more insight into a flexible setup that can handle a variety of shot types and lighting conditions while providing image quality that will be pleasing in moderate sized 8x10 or 11x13 enlargements. Thanks for your thoughts and help! --K