is the fz30 worth the money? would you guys consider it a DSLR? lastly, are there any reatail stores (bestbuy, circuity city, etc..) that i can purchase this camera? i have been to bestbuy, but they didnt have it in stock. help please! THANKS!
To follow up on Genece, it is a great camera, especially with all the features and the ultrazoom. And I would say it is worth the price.
However, it still isn't a DSLR. You just have to remember that getting a DSLR to have the zoom range that the FZ30 has will require you to buy some expensive lens that will push you well above the price of the FZ30. Although, that could be looked at as an investment as one would assume that once you have a good base of lens, you would only have to replace the camera bodies as technology improves.
I just had a play around with a Canon DSLR that one of my in-law's has. Now not speaking specifically on the Canon brand (as I like seeing multiple cameras first), the DSLR was awesome in that it was very quick, and it gave very clean photos. He also had a very nice lens that covered from 100-400 mm (similar to the FZ series), and it was awesome. My next camera will most definitely be a DSLR, although I remain happy with my FZ15 right now, and for the money, I couldn't be happier. In other words, I won't be hurrying to DSLR, and I am even hopeful that the FZ series will improve to be comparable to DSLR's moreso in the future.
Vann's - www.vanns.com. In stock for $559.99 - FREE shipping and NO sales tax.
You might want to consider the Panasonic FZ-20, it is considered by some to be a better value at $389.88.
Enjoy your new camera, whatever you buy!
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the DMC-FZ30, or any other fixed lens non TTL digicam are not dSLRs.
Among several key factors that differentiate a dSLR from a digicam are the quality of the sensor. Assuming lenses of equal quality, many people don't realize that more megapixels don't always equate to better photo quality. It's the quality and size of the megapixels themselves (photosuites) that really make a difference.
dSLRs usually have sensors that are substantially larger than a digicam. This is why the picture from a 5 or 6 megapixel dSLR will often look better than the same picture taken from an 8 megapixel digicam- particularly as ISO speeds increase. All those megapixels get "crammed" onto a small sensor in a digicam and help to create the noise associated with many 8MP digicams. The Sony DSC-R1 is the first digicam to have a large dSLR type sensor in it, I believe, and all indications are that that camera produces very sharp and noise free images over a much broader range of ISO speeds than current digicams. Price however is quite steep for this camera.
That doesn't mean that you can't get pleasing pictures out of a camera like the FZ-30 however! In the end, the digicams like the superzoom cams offer the ability to capture many types of moments not possible without spending many times more money for a dSLR and lenses that not only give you the same zoom range, but also offer the same glass quality of something like the Leica lens on the LUMIX models. The question is how much flexibility are you willing to sacrifice for sharper pictures with less noise? There is no correct answer for this. For most people, the simple economics of being able to capture a broad spectrum of pictures without breaking their wallet balances out the noise associated with all superzoom digicams.
the DMC-FZ30, or any other fixed lens non TTL digicam are not dSLRs.
Among several key factors that differentiate a dSLR from a digicam are the quality of the sensor. Assuming lenses of equal quality, many people don't realize that more megapixels don't always equate to better photo quality. It's the quality and size of the megapixels themselves (photosuites) that really make a difference.
dSLRs usually have sensors that are substantially larger than a digicam. This is why the picture from a 5 or 6 megapixel dSLR will often look better than the same picture taken from an 8 megapixel digicam- particularly as ISO speeds increase. All those megapixels get "crammed" onto a small sensor in a digicam and help to create the noise associated with many 8MP digicams. The Sony DSC-R1 is the first digicam to have a large dSLR type sensor in it, I believe, and all indications are that that camera produces very sharp and noise free images over a much broader range of ISO speeds than current digicams. Price however is quite steep for this camera.
That doesn't mean that you can't get pleasing pictures out of a camera like the FZ-30 however! In the end, the digicams like the superzoom cams offer the ability to capture many types of moments not possible without spending many times more money for a dSLR and lenses that not only give you the same zoom range, but also offer the same glass quality of something like the Leica lens on the LUMIX models. The question is how much flexibility are you willing to sacrifice for sharper pictures with less noise? There is no correct answer for this. For most people, the simple economics of being able to capture a broad spectrum of pictures without breaking their wallet balances out the noise associated with all superzoom digicams.
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In the end, the digicams like the superzoom cams offer the ability to capture many types of moments not possible without spending many times more money for a dSLR and lenses that not only give you the same zoom range, but also offer the same glass quality of something like the Leica lens on the LUMIX models. The question is how much flexibility are you willing to sacrifice for sharper pictures with less noise? There is no correct answer for this. For most people, the simple economics of being able to capture a broad spectrum of pictures without breaking their wallet balances out the noise associated with all superzoom digicams.
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