Best mega-zoom camera for sports?

[Nate8833]

Hello,

I'm deciding between a Sony H2, a Panasonic FZ7, or FZ20. I'm definitely willing to listen to other suggestions, too. I initially liked the idea of the Sony H5, but the buttons on the back felt so cluttered due to the huge LCD. I kept hitting the menu button before taking a picture! The Panasonics definitely felt better in the hand, but I think I was more pleased with Sony's output. Plus, it seems much easier to get a telephoto add-on for the Sony. Thanks!

[ryanbrancel]

Welcome to the forums Nate! I'm sure they will be some users to chime in on this, however I'd recommend searching through previous threads as this has been a common topic lately (i.e. best ultra-zoom camera, which mega-zoom to get) and you may not get as much feedback since it's been somewhat beaten :-). Once you've narrowed down to a few models make sure to peruse the other manufacturer forums or do a search for the model number to find threads where that model is mentioned.

That's an interesting observation about the H2 vs H5. There are several good ultra-zooms out there, I'm currently enjoying the TZ-1 and would recommend that model (however no telephoto add-on). I believe the FZ30 would be recommended over the FZ20 due to the significant improvements made, unless the price difference is substantial.

[timmciglobal]

S3 IS is also quite nice with the best stabilizer of the 3.

Tim

[Nate8833]

This is a great site. The forums are helpful and the reviews are very complete.

I'm basically trying to decide which "flaw" bothers me the least...Sony's purple fringing problem or Panasonics' noise. I'm going to print out a few of the reviewer's pictures from each camera this weekend to take a closer look. On the computer screen the purple fringing on the Sony sure seems to be a problem, but it might not look the same on a 8 X 10 print. Thanks again!