FZ 30 and fujifilm S9500

[socrates]

Having read the dpreview on FZ 30 it doesn't such a worth while investment. Perhaps better to get the fujilim 9500, Only problem the 9500 does not have IS (although it has a supposedly good ISO 1600) and there doesn't seem to be much independent reviews on it. Any thoughts on this? Maybe should even consider the canon S2 ... comments please

[unseen]

*shrug* You don't really know what people use cameras for right?

It's obvious enough you're not one to appreciate photo quality. You're one of those who don't take photos, read different technical reviews by people who are not photographers but wonderful scientists.

You don't understand why some SLR lens cost $2500 and others cost $300 for the same range.
Comparing panasonic's Leica 420mm F2.8 - F3.7 vs Fuji's generic 300mm that is only F2.8 - F4.9. Nevermind the fact that Leica's sharpness won't be matched at all by the Fuji cheapo lens.

Reach wise, photo quality wise, let's just say, there's no fight.
At ISO 1600 the photo quality isn't as good as FZ20's ISO400. I suppose the ISO800 does make up for the loss of almost 1 entire stop of light caused by inferior lens. But that's not going to make up for the 3 stops of gain provided by the IS.


Given a fixed lighting condition,
With FZ30, ISO 200, 300mm, say I can handhold and take nicely exposed a sharp shot at 1/75s.
Fujifilm 9500 needs to be set to ISO1600 to handhold the same shot at 1/300s.
Comparable? absolutely not. ISO1600 vs ISO 200? don't make me laugh. And if I don't need a zoom lens, I wouldn't consider either camera.

Canon S2? certainly worth considering. After all, it's a canon. Of course, with this toy, to change settings, I need to navigate like 3 menus before I can affect change of Aperture and Shutter speed etc. It took me more than 6 hours of figuring b4 I can change it. Ok maybe I suck. guess using simple cameras like D100/D70/D70s/350D/20D spoilt me. I could change settings just like that. I'm not enough of a geek to play wif the S2. Haf to stick with auto mode If I wanna take my photos without 20s pause in between. Of course, nevermind the fact that Lumix has got a better image stabilizer. And the ability to focus in lowlight condition is better (at least for FZ5) AND much faster. And that S2 gives very soft images.

Oh.. if you're buying a camera to take 640x480 movies...
I won't be so foolish as to announce it here. I'd go quietly and get myself a cheaper camcorder that can recorder longer movies.

Noise is an issue that is a problem with the Lumix series. However, don't ignore all the other features and their usefulness. Every camera got it's pros and cons. Consider what features you need. Do note though, after 180mm, with out IS, the camera is as good as frucked in daily uses. and that no one would shoot ISO1600 unless they really need it, just like no one would hit ISO400 for the lumix unless they got a very good reason to.

For example, capturing a sharp shot of the moment, no matter how grainy or noisy, is going to be much better than capturing a blur shot of the moment which people wouldn't take a 2nd look. A picture speaks a thousand words, no matter how noisy. However if you cannot get the picture at all, you can't even get any words out.

[poh6702]

For the same range of camera (you can't compare a $100 cam with $10,000 DSLR), no one camera that is definitely better than the others. Each has its own strenght that fits the users' need.

I was once considering either the Fuji S9500 or Pana FZ30, but bought the Fuji because it was available during comex.

Fuji is $200 (20%) cheaper.
Fuji is wider at 28mm; I take more indoor family photos, wide is more important.
For Nature and bird shooters, the IS and F3.7 at tele for FZ-30 is definitely a big plus.
Fuji is lighter. It can be a minus to others because they will feel that it is on cheap plustic.
I live Panasonic's Leica lense and IS, but I love Fuji's lower noice at ISO1600.

Most importantly, I am able to play with the S9500 now whereas the Panasonic lover still waiting for the cam to arrive.

Therefore, it is pointless to compare which is better, we should ask "which one is more suitable for me? I like to use the camera for ......"

[runes]

Originally Posted by unseen *shrug* You don't really know what people use cameras for right? It's obvious enough you're not one to appreciate photo quality. You're one of those who don't take photos, read different technical reviews by people who are not photographers but wonderful scientists. You don't understand why some SLR lens cost $2500 and others cost $300 for the same range. Comparing panasonic's Leica 420mm F2.8 - F3.7 vs Fuji's generic 300mm that is only F2.8 - F4.9. Nevermind the fact that Leica's sharpness won't be matched at all by the Fuji cheapo lens. Reach wise, photo quality wise, let's just say, there's no fight. At ISO 1600 the photo quality isn't as good as FZ20's ISO400. I suppose the ISO800 does make up for the loss of almost 1 entire stop of light caused by inferior lens. But that's not going to make up for the 3 stops of gain provided by the IS. Given a fixed lighting condition, With FZ30, ISO 200, 300mm, say I can handhold and take nicely exposed a sharp shot at 1/75s. Fujifilm 9500 needs to be set to ISO1600 to handhold the same shot at 1/300s. Comparable? absolutely not. ISO1600 vs ISO 200? don't make me laugh. And if I don't need a zoom lens, I wouldn't consider either camera. Canon S2? certainly worth considering. After all, it's a canon. Of course, with this toy, to change settings, I need to navigate like 3 menus before I can affect change of Aperture and Shutter speed etc. It took me more than 6 hours of figuring b4 I can change it. Ok maybe I suck. guess using simple cameras like D100/D70/D70s/350D/20D spoilt me. I could change settings just like that. I'm not enough of a geek to play wif the S2. Haf to stick with auto mode If I wanna take my photos without 20s pause in between. Of course, nevermind the fact that Lumix has got a better image stabilizer. And the ability to focus in lowlight condition is better (at least for FZ5) AND much faster. And that S2 gives very soft images. Oh.. if you're buying a camera to take 640x480 movies... I won't be so foolish as to announce it here. I'd go quietly and get myself a cheaper camcorder that can recorder longer movies. Noise is an issue that is a problem with the Lumix series. However, don't ignore all the other features and their usefulness. Every camera got it's pros and cons. Consider what features you need. Do note though, after 180mm, with out IS, the camera is as good as frucked in daily uses. and that no one would shoot ISO1600 unless they really need it, just like no one would hit ISO400 for the lumix unless they got a very good reason to. For example, capturing a sharp shot of the moment, no matter how grainy or noisy, is going to be much better than capturing a blur shot of the moment which people wouldn't take a 2nd look. A picture speaks a thousand words, no matter how noisy. However if you cannot get the picture at all, you can't even get any words out.

Relax... many of us are in the forums to share, advice....ask for help. Obviously he needs some help.

[eow]

either way they are not too far off from one another
i still prefer the older fz cams
s9500 at 28mm it still not wide enough for some
fz30 at 35mm take two steps backward...u will get yr equivalent of the 28mm
for indoor shot especially if u are taking group's shot the minimum recommended f stop is at f5.6...from there..it the control of the shutter speed whoever can go lower without handshake will have the advantage....for action shot especially indoor...forget abt either both at f3.7 and f4.9 coupled with the pathetic built-in flash..u be lucky if u can get any decent action shot 5 metres away

....the reason why the older fz series make head turns during it debut years ago is it constant f2.8 throughout the zoom range....some may argue the difference of half a stop won't make much diff....trust me there will be a situation whereby u wish u had that little bit of extra

[tchuanye]

There is some comparison here:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...ssage=15080534

Its 9000 in US?
But up to you to see the discussion details....

[lightning69]

Originally Posted by eow either way they are not too far off from one another i still prefer the older fz cams s9500 at 28mm it still not wide enough for some fz30 at 35mm take two steps backward...u will get yr equivalent of the 28mm :

28mm not wide enough..but do your FZ got it? Take a few steps back & u will get yr equivalent of the 28mm...maybe you may need to knock down a few wall too. I know you Fz fanboy love your FZ but lets face it, the wider the better!!