Prosumers... FZ50 or S9600??

[bister]

i guess it's really to difficult to decide between the two....
if OIS aside, which one are u more inclined to??

LOL... i also have this problem, difficulties in deciding FZ50 or S9600 but...
to me the main concern is MegaOIS of FZ50 comparing with great night photos produced by S9600... both have theirs pros and cons but rather i was quite disappointed with the level of noise produced by FZ-series... when compared to Fuji especially anything more the ISO200...
thats why the question i'm asking myself... is Image Stabiliser really that IMPORTANT? haha

 

[Clockunder]

use it and you know... especially at the tele end.
@ 300mm the fuji might need a 1/300s shutter to get sharp shot (going by 1/focal length rule) while the pana might only need 1/40s to get the same image (not as good for moving object tho)

At 300mm on the 35mm equivalent format, the Fujifilm is only about 66mm in actual focal length. Can shoot at 1/100 or at even at 1/60 with sharp images comfortably unless you have unsteady hands.

For the Pana FZ50, the actual focal length is only 72mm when at 432mm on the 35mm equivalent format. That is why you can comfortably shoot at 1/40 with OIS on.

 

[li0nheart07]

i definately would incline to S9600 due to it's great control in noise level for night photography

 

[Clockunder]

The focal length reported in the EXIF was 145mm (which should be about 220mm on the 35mm equivalent format) for the first picture and 45.2mm (should be about 270mm on the 35mm equivalent format) for the 2nd picture quoted below.

Don't know why the discrepancies between what is claimed and the EXIF.

the extra 100mm can really make quite a difference..

as u can see.. tis is taken wif a 70-200 on a 350D. focal length abt. 320mm..

tis is taken wif e S2 IS.. focal length 432mm.

dere is a more up-close and personal look to e S2 shot IMO..

 

[Clockunder]

Different people shoot different things and therefore have different needs.

If you're concerned with handshake blur but not with noise, then the Pana FZ50 is probably the better choice with its image stabiliser. The downside is that its noise is quite horrible at above ISO 200. It is suitable for both beginners as well as experienced photographers.

The Fujifilm S9600 is slightly more for sophisticated photographers who already know that they are willing to forgo image stabiliser for much better high ISO performance in Fujifilm's Super CCD. Good high ISO performance is essential for indoor and low light outdoor events where there is a need to avoid too much motion blur with the use of a very high ISO (800 and above) to achieve a higher shutter speed.

 

[bister]

does the aperture size difference (when at full zoom) between these two camera matters very much??

 

[Clockunder]

does the aperture size difference (when at full zoom) between these two camera matters very much??

F/3.7 is about 3/4 stop bigger/faster than F/4.9 and therefore allows more light in and enable a 3/4 stop faster shutter speed to be used.

Whether this is important very much depends on the light condition and what you want to shoot.

 

[bister]

under what kind of circumstances will it make a difference? pardon my ignorance... i'm trying to pick up knowledge along the way...

thanks!

F/3.7 is about 3/4 stop bigger/faster than F/4.9 and therefore allows more light in and enable a 3/4 stop faster shutter speed to be used.

Whether this is important very much depends on the light condition and what you want to shoot.

 

[daden]

I'll go for LUMIX... daytime the LEICA glass never failed me btw, I use FZ 20 till now and still satisfied till now. If u dun wanna upgrade to the DSLR world, go for LUMIX - some more FZ 50 got ttl hot shoe now...
my 0.02 cents

 

[bister]

what about low light pictures from the set? how is it?

I'll go for LUMIX... daytime the LEICA glass never failed me btw, I use FZ 20 till now and still satisfied till now. If u dun wanna upgrade to the DSLR world, go for LUMIX - some more FZ 50 got ttl hot shoe now...
my 0.02 cents

 

[bister]

btw, some updates to the S9600 price... just called this morning to check out the price... $790 for S960 w/o memory. includes a free camera bag.

 

[blueskye168]

I'll go for LUMIX... daytime the LEICA glass never failed me btw, I use FZ 20 till now and still satisfied till now. If u dun wanna upgrade to the DSLR world, go for LUMIX - some more FZ 50 got ttl hot shoe now...
my 0.02 cents

Yes, exactly, that's right:thumbsup:
I've just done some test shot(just to check on 'NOISE' indoor natural window-film diffuse light only) on ISO ranging 100 to 800 + NR set to "LOW" & also another group 100 to 800 + NR set to the "Default=Standard" & got the photos back in 5R+4R with instruction to the lab to leave everything "N"=No Adustment. To my surprise:bigeyes: was the sharpness, contrast & colours, really thanks to LEICA Lens.:thumbsup:

 

[Hexlord]

I am inclined to agree with daden and FZEOS.

... but $790 for a S9600???

 

[stk]

hi stk, i think i'd still like the idea of having manual barrel rings...
and the S3IS is a 6MP camera rite? from a newbie point of view, when i think about it... if i use the s9600 to take a full zoom picture, and then crop it a bit to "zoom" in, will i be able to get a similar "zoom" level as the s3is? or will i be able to get something near that kind of zoom?

thanks!

If u have used a SLR before.. then you'd probably miss the manual barrel zoom if u do not have it..

"True" resolution wise, I do not think there is a GREAT difference between the 3 cams even though the S3IS is "only" 6mp. Sure u can crop pics from the S9600 to look better.. and as long as u retain 3mp or more of data, it will still print out fine at 4R/5R/6R..

Each of these cams have their pros and cons.. it will be dependant on your priorities to see which is the best suited for u..

 

[bister]

ya... but the price is b4 gst...

I am inclined to agree with daden and FZEOS.

... but $790 for a S9600???

 

[Clockunder]

under what kind of circumstances will it make a difference? pardon my ignorance... i'm trying to pick up knowledge along the way...

thanks!

All you need to do is read up on the relationship between aperture, shutter speed and ISO.

This is quite a useful site for starter. http://www.photoxels.com/digital-photography-tutorials.html

 

[Clockunder]

Each of these cams have their pros and cons.. it will be dependant on your priorities to see which is the best suited for u..

I agree with stk on the above.

You really need to know what your needs are.

Price is also a factor.

 

[your18]

hi everyone,
i'm new to the photography world, had tried both the Panasonic FZ50 and Fujifilm S9600.. but can't seem to be able to choose between the two.

are the following specs important factors to be considered? in which circumstances that they'll be used?


___________FZ50__________|_________S9600___________

Shutter Speed
_____60secs - 1/2000______|_______30secs - 1/4000_____

ISO
_____80 - 3200___________|__________80 - 1600________

Lens
___________Leica_________|_________Fujinon?___________
__35 - 420 mm equiv (12x)__|____28-300mm equiv___(10x)__
_____F2.8 - F3.7__________|_________F2.8-4.9___________


any advises? all comments are welcomed.
thanks all!

Have u checked out Fuji S6500fd yet?

 

[ExplorerZ]

At 300mm on the 35mm equivalent format, the Fujifilm is only about 66mm in actual focal length. Can shoot at 1/100 or at even at 1/60 with sharp images comfortably unless you have unsteady hands.

For the Pana FZ50, the actual focal length is only 72mm when at 432mm on the 35mm equivalent format. That is why you can comfortably shoot at 1/40 with OIS on.

when did i ever say i can't shoot at 1/40? :dunno:

anyway if you have tried shooting with any of the fz at 12x zoom without stabiliser, it is very very hard to even get sharp image @ 1/72s. so my guess is that the 1/focal length rule apply on 35mm equiv. in this case fz will be arond 1/420 @ 12x zoom

 

[bister]

haven't had a try on this camera yet.. was wondering, i really dun know whether i should go for 6Mp or 9/10Mp, i dun know whether i'm too kiasu, i always think that 9Mp is much better to aim for? is it true?

Have u checked out Fuji S6500fd yet?