Fuji FinePix S5100 (S5500) or Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3

[inet-projects]

Hi Guys and Girls,

I need Guidance, I have sifted the Web and Magazines, I live in an area of Natural Beauty, We have an abundence of Wildlife, plus awsome Landscape, In the winter theres Sking, Snowboarding etc and also I want to use the Camera for family shots as My boy grows, Portrait etc.

I would normally print a std 7*5 print, the ocassonal 10*8, and that once in a lifetime shot that comes out (once every 6 months) a poster print.

In the past I have bought a Canon, and they have both failed after being just out of Warrenty so no more Canon.

I might like to enter the odd compitition.

Which would you buy ?

Fuji FinePix S5100 (S5500) or Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3

Is there a better one in this Group ?

I could perhaps stretch the budget to a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 but if I do that I need to know why ?

Thanks

Dave

[Jayde]

inet-projects
hiya :)
youre right in looking at the PANA FZ3 review 3mp... its exc choice
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz3/
55mm lens does take other lens but not as good as FZ15 < 62mm :)
or A BETTER ONE :D
pana FZ15 4 mp.. v sharp
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004...s/fz15_pg2.html
it has a flash but no hot shoe.. so jus needs a addon slave flash like vivitar df200, the camera triggers it..
+you can add xtra lens later.. zoom w/angle or macro.. on 62mm lens
avail soon on amazon !

they both have latest technology, auto focus in low light.. great Leica lens.. long 432mm zoom, and antishake.. for action shots both good in low-light conditions has 2 night modes..
theres a FZ20 model with 5mp, with same spec.. dearer tho..
we think the FZ15 is sharper they crammed too many pixels on the z20..

comparisons posted here
http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=928

http://panasonic.co.jp/pavc/global/lumix/index.html
the FZ10 shooting manual gives a good indication of all FZ range features.

Fuji`s dont compare, no antishake and their lens makes soft images..

whatever you decide buy a uv filter to protect the lens..

[Treasuredude]

A once in a lifetime shot every six months.... that's pretty good. :D

I just ordered the FZ3. It's lighter to carry around and the pictures I've seen look great.

[John_Reed]

I could perhaps stretch the budget to a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 but if I do that I need to know why ?Others have already recommended the FZ3, a great camera. I'd say, comparing to the Fuji s5100, the main difference you'd see would be in getting real use of the longer end of the camera's zoom range at moderate light levels. The image stabilizer lets one shoot handheld photos at shutter speeds much slower than 1/(focal length), a "rule of thumb" that would inherently limit the s5100, not having a stabilizer. If you don't mind carrying a tripod around for a lot of your shots, that point might not matter. I hate tripods, myself! :(

As for why you'd want to put out more bucks for an FZ20, a few reasons I can think of:

1) It has expandability that the FZ3 lacks. It has a hot shoe for external flash; it has a set of threads on the lens barrel that make it easier to mount third-party adapters for wideangle, closeup, and telephoto lenses made by Panasonic or third parties, compared to the FZ3's "bayonet mount" plastic adapter.

2) It has manual focusing, implemented with a big, intuitive ring concentric with the lens, unlike the type where you fiddle with the rocker switch to achieve focus. Incidentally, it also has more "zoom reach" than either one of the mentioned cameras, out to 432mm, compared to 420mm for the FZ3, and 380mm for the s5100.

3) For the "once in a lifetime" shot, it has more pixels than either the s5100 or FZ3, giving you a better chance of making that larger-than-life poster, not to mention giving you more cropping room for ordinary shots.

It's interesting you mention "once in a lifetime" shots; before I started with digital, these lifetimes were fairly long, maybe a "once" every year or two. Nowadays, I routinely discard shots from my FZ10 I'd have died for 10 years ago! The bar has been raised!

[inet-projects]

Hi Guys,

I think from what has been said so far I will order the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ3.

I thank you all for the Input, can you confirm that I need a 55mm UV filter for the Lens, and I will not need a adapter, also can you surgest a good quality company say Hoy ???. Im in Germany so its difficult asking the shop guys here, as they tend just to plonk the most expensive on the counter.

As I am buying the camerea via a web site can anyone confirm that you can change the language on the camera display ?