Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

Since I find that deciding between the Pan Fz5 and the Canon S2 very
close and I have until the end of the year until I need to choose I am
wondering if Panasonic will release a Black FZ6 or FZ7 (6mp or 7mp)
offering with a larger swivel LCD, a 480x640 improved EVF, a movie mode
as good as the Canon S2, better noise processing at ISO200 and ISO400,
at the same size and weight as the FZ5 at a price that competes with the S2.

If the image quality and performance are at least as good as the FZ5
then I should have not trouble making up my mind. I think that
Panasonic will have this but I just cannot speculate as to when.

Any guesses out there?

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

On Tue, 23 Aug 2005 22:12:33 GMT, measekite <inkystinky@oem.com> wrote:
> Since I find that deciding between the Pan Fz5 and the Canon S2 very
> close and I have until the end of the year until I need to choose I am
> wondering if Panasonic will release a Black FZ6 or FZ7 (6mp or 7mp)
> offering with a larger swivel LCD, a 480x640 improved EVF, a movie mode
> as good as the Canon S2, better noise processing at ISO200 and ISO400,
> at the same size and weight as the FZ5 at a price that competes with the S2.
>
> If the image quality and performance are at least as good as the FZ5
> then I should have not trouble making up my mind. I think that
> Panasonic will have this but I just cannot speculate as to when.
>
> Any guesses out there?

Your predicted specs sound plausible, but if past history is any guide,
the FZ8 (assuming same pixel count as the FZ30) will be announced in
Feb, available in March or April. This gives 6 months to sell the
higher-end FZ30 before introducing a cheaper alternative.

My advice to you would be to pick one of the currently-available cameras
and just buy it. There will always be something better 6 months or
a year down the line. Which one depends on what features are most
important to you. Let me quote from the summary of the DPReview review
of the Sony H1, which sums up the strengths and weaknesses of the
different models:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonydsch1/page12.asp
"When compared with its competitors the H1 has to sit near the top of
the tree; especially if you are someone who likes to actually use the
many photographic controls offered by this type of camera. The Canon S2
IS (which is the most obvious direct competitor) has a smaller screen,
but one that offers swing 'n' tilt versatility, has a better movie mode
(in quality terms), but one that needs a lot of card space and restricts
clips to around 7 minutes. The S2 IS is also slightly better at shooting
moving subjects at the long end of the zoom (despite the H1 having
faster focusing overall). On the other hand I prefer the output of the
H1 - even at the default settings, and handling / control are much
better on the Sony. As our comparison tests show, there is very little
to choose between the two in terms of resolution, and both cameras
produce results that, viewed at 100%, look a little 'soft' (with too
much sharpening - especially the Sony).

The Panasonic FZ5 has very slightly better fine detail capture, less
'processed' looking results, suffers less from fringing (of any type),
is a lot, lot smaller and has a the biggest, brightest electronic
viewfinder of the three. It is also the fastest focusing of the trio (in
'High Speed' AF mode). But the FZ5 has an unimpressive movie mode,
slightly fiddly manual exposure control and very destructive noise
reduction at ISO 400."

-dms

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

The FZ5 and S2IS have the small 1/2.5" sensors. I don't think there would be
a very good idea to cram in more pixels on those. 1/1.8" sensors seem fine
with 7 Mpixels, but the cameras will grow if we want the 420 mm zoom.
Konica-Minolta Z6 is the first I saw with a the small 6Mpixel sensor, it has
limited it's ISO range to max 320, which should speak for something... We
will see when that one gets into the test labs.
/per

"measekite" <inkystinky@oem.com> skrev i meddelandet
news:lbNOe.261$MN5.0@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
> Since I find that deciding between the Pan Fz5 and the Canon S2 very close
> and I have until the end of the year until I need to choose I am wondering
> if Panasonic will release a Black FZ6 or FZ7 (6mp or 7mp) offering with a
> larger swivel LCD, a 480x640 improved EVF, a movie mode as good as the
> Canon S2, better noise processing at ISO200 and ISO400, at the same size
> and weight as the FZ5 at a price that competes with the S2.
>
> If the image quality and performance are at least as good as the FZ5 then
> I should have not trouble making up my mind. I think that Panasonic will
> have this but I just cannot speculate as to when.
>
> Any guesses out there?

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

I have seen nothing written that shows Panasonic is interested in a movie
mode competitive with the likes of Canon or Sony.

C

"measekite" <inkystinky@oem.com> wrote in message
news:lbNOe.261$MN5.0@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
> Since I find that deciding between the Pan Fz5 and the Canon S2 very close
> and I have until the end of the year until I need to choose I am wondering
> if Panasonic will release a Black FZ6 or FZ7 (6mp or 7mp) offering with a
> larger swivel LCD, a 480x640 improved EVF, a movie mode as good as the
> Canon S2, better noise processing at ISO200 and ISO400, at the same size
> and weight as the FZ5 at a price that competes with the S2.
>
> If the image quality and performance are at least as good as the FZ5 then
> I should have not trouble making up my mind. I think that Panasonic will
> have this but I just cannot speculate as to when.
>
> Any guesses out there?

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

I share your dilemma, but with a couple of twists:

1) I couldn't care less about the movie mode. I have thousands of
pictures from my Panasonic FZ1, but fewer than a dozen movie clips.

2) Kodak's newly announced 8 mp cameras -- particularly the P880, which
starts with a 24mm (equiv.) wide-angle -- have the specs that make me
think twice. The P850 has a 12x zoom, like the S2 and FZ5. Both have
hot shoes, 2.5-inch LCDs, and 1/1.8 sensors. I need to see the reviews
before I plunk down dollars for either, but on paper they are
impressive.

3) Canon should have made the S2 in a black-body version, like my old
G2. The silver-bodied one just looks garish in my hand.

-Cardamon Dave

measekite wrote:
> Since I find that deciding between the Pan Fz5 and the Canon S2 very
> close and I have until the end of the year until I need to choose I am
> wondering if Panasonic will release a Black FZ6 or FZ7 (6mp or 7mp)
>

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

"per" <nospam@nospam.com> writes:

> The FZ5 and S2IS have the small 1/2.5" sensors. I don't think there would be
> a very good idea to cram in more pixels on those. 1/1.8" sensors seem fine
> with 7 Mpixels, but the cameras will grow if we want the 420 mm zoom.

What I want to know is who is responsible for the abomination of
specifying sensors as fractions with decimal fraction denominators.
Argh!

1/2.5 = 0.40
1/1.8 = 0.56

-Dave

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

On Wed, 24 Aug 2005 09:40:14 -0400, Dave Sill
<dave@sill.org> wrote:

>"per" <nospam@nospam.com> writes:
>
>> The FZ5 and S2IS have the small 1/2.5" sensors. I don't think there would be
>> a very good idea to cram in more pixels on those. 1/1.8" sensors seem fine
>> with 7 Mpixels, but the cameras will grow if we want the 420 mm zoom.
>
>What I want to know is who is responsible for the abomination of
>specifying sensors as fractions with decimal fraction denominators.
>Argh!

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/Gl [...] zes_01.htm

>1/2.5 = 0.40
>1/1.8 = 0.56

Now you see there was no point in doing the math ;-)

--
Regards

John Bean

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

Cordovero wrote:
> I have seen nothing written that shows Panasonic is interested in a
> movie mode competitive with the likes of Canon or Sony.

The Panasonic FZ30 has 30fps 640 x 480 movies.
Isn't that the same as the Canon and Sony?

David

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

I stand corrected! I hadn't read that. Must have missed that part of the
review,

C

"David J Taylor"
<david-taylor@blueyonder.co.not-this-bit.nor-this-part.uk.invalid> wrote in
message news:7j%Oe.95361$G8.6927@text.news.blueyonder.co.uk...
> Cordovero wrote:
>> I have seen nothing written that shows Panasonic is interested in a
>> movie mode competitive with the likes of Canon or Sony.
>
> The Panasonic FZ30 has 30fps 640 x 480 movies.
> Isn't that the same as the Canon and Sony?
>
> David
>

Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital.zlr (More info?)

"measekite" <inkystinky@oem.com> wrote in message
news:lbNOe.261$MN5.0@newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
> Since I find that deciding between the Pan Fz5 and the Canon S2 very
> close and I have until the end of the year until I need to choose I am
> wondering if Panasonic will release a Black FZ6 or FZ7 (6mp or 7mp)
> offering with a larger swivel LCD, a 480x640 improved EVF, a movie mode
> as good as the Canon S2, better noise processing at ISO200 and ISO400,
> at the same size and weight as the FZ5 at a price that competes with the
S2.
>
> If the image quality and performance are at least as good as the FZ5
> then I should have not trouble making up my mind. I think that
> Panasonic will have this but I just cannot speculate as to when.
>
> Any guesses out there?

You have to ask yourself what pictures you're missing out on by waiting.

I've got an FZ20 and could've waited for the FZ5 or FZ30 but have shot
thousands of pictures in the meantime. It will be a while before I upgrade
and the camera has to be special like the FZ20 is.

But to directly answer your question, Panasonic will roll out a new ZLR
every year with a lower cost version 6 months after. Just do some research
on dpreview for past announcement dates. This will happen until the market
no longer accepts them but Panasonic has a good thing going with this niche
of the market. This product cycle will continue as long as its profitable. I
can't wait for the FZ50.