Is it worth it to get the FZ5 at this time?

[darel]

hi everyone,
okay, i do understand that now, the fz5 has been in the market for quite a while now, however the price hasn't seemed to have fallen. based on some browsing around the forum, i realise that the camera can be obtained at 600+ from retailers. therefore, could i ask if this price has fallen over time, or has this remained stable so far, and this brings me to the question as stated in the topic, would it be worth for me to purchase this now. thanks

 

[roadrunner_552]

it had maintain quite sometime already around $600 plus. U got to explain what u want fz5 for? so that all the bros here can gauge for u.

For me i bought fz5 because i want to learn full manual control, light weight and compact.

 

[darel]

it had maintain quite sometime already around $600 plus. U got to explain what u want fz5 for? so that all the bros here can gauge for u.

For me i bought fz5 because i want to learn full manual control, light weight and compact.

oh thanks. hmm, as with you, i'm looking for a camera that would give me more control i suppose. i'm just a student and DSLRs are way above my budget, so this model appears to be one which balances the two rather well. and of course, the zoom is really appealing.

 

[roadrunner_552]

yeah fz5 can give u full control esp in your aperture n shutter speed. yeah the zoom is good, cam small n light. Since dslr out of your budget, u can choose fz5 to start with. A good cam with great zoom. Hope to see you join the lumix family soon

 

[Hexlord]

I love the design of the FZ5. It's small, compact, and can take great pictures. (Tested out recently at a recent PLUG outing at Mt Faber and Labrador Park)

Do consider the camera!

 

[elphin]

the fz5 has been in the market for quite a while now, however the price hasn't seemed to have fallen. based on some browsing around the forum, i realise that the camera can be obtained at 600+ from retailers. therefore, could i ask if this price has fallen over time, or has this remained stable so far, and this brings me to the question as stated in the topic,

The stable pricing for this cam is probably a good indication of how popular this cam is.
Always a demand for it, no real need for retailers to cheapen the cam.
Hasn't dropped much for a few months now, only thing is more freebies being thrown in.

would it be worth for me to purchase this now. thanks

You could always wait for the next compact UZ from Panasonic but you can't be sure WHEN it'll actually come out. Why dally anymore, better off actually taking photos when you have the time/enthusiasm. You also don't know if the newer model will be THAT much better than the current one or whether the improvements are actually stuff that you need.

Main thing you should probably be considering is if you want to buy it from the shops or gettin it 2nd hand.

 

[huggable]

Similar to computers, the price of the current model won't drop until a new model comes out. So far I feel the FZ5 is worth the $$ invested! :thumbsup:

 

[Hexlord]

Well, elphin is right on the matter of getting the camera now if you can afford it

Basically, cameras are a tool for creating memories, so earlier the better lar, don't dally! XD

 

[dominator]

Don't wait for price to drop, most likely it won't.

Just look at FZ3....see if you can find one out there, had seen one few months ago and the price was still at $600+.

The moment FZ5 came out FZ3 seems to disappear!
If you are not high iso user, this is one camera you won't regret buying for.

 

[tao]

For the size of the FZ5, no other 12X zoom cameras come close, even though it has been around for quite a while.

 

[roadrunner_552]

ya fz5 is good. whaha. wont regret it.

 

[michhy]

its out for quite some time now, Panasonic will probably roll an upgraded model early next year. Why dont you wait in Buy&Sell page and fetch a cheap one?

 

[dominator]

ya only in buy and sell then can get cheap one.

till now i think i sold mine the cheapest with freebies!!

but ok la....sell cheap cheap, new owner also happy!

 

[elphin]

Hehe Darel,
It'd be great if you could get an fz5 from friendly folk like Dominator in the clubsnap marketplace

 

[darel]

well thanks a lot for all the replies. it feels good to get so many replies. based on this all, i guess it is a good choice to get the fz5. well the fact that an upgrade might be released does make me want to reconsider this, so i'd like to ask how it was like with the fz30 before it was released, and how many signs there were before the model entered the market to replace the fz20.

and among the ultrazoom cams, i do believe that the fz5 is the best, based on a host of comparisons which i've found online, but i haven't exactly tried any out. however, i still do feel that the fz5 is the best, especially with rave reviews around.

and dominator, could i ask how much you sold yours? i did a search in the buy and sell, and most appeared to have gone for 500-600, which is close to the price of a new one. i suppose those that were sold at that amount could possibly have been bought at the retail price or something, hence the high price. so basically, i do hope that i can get one from any bro who got it for 600+, and get it for as low a price as possible.

 

[commander]

i bought my FZ 5 in mid july at $700. threw in second batt, 256 mb, screen protector and a simple tripod.

considering all the fun moments i had with this camera, i never regretted paying that price for it.

so if u ask me is it worth to get the camera now, i would ask u back "why not?".

 

[darel]

ah i see. well in that case, i doubt this could be a bad buy in any possible way. so the main issue at would have to be that of getting one at a reasonable price. maybe i should start posting a wtb in the buy/sell soon.

 

[raptor84]

Any major noise issues with the cam? I;ve tried the fz 20 and at 200 iso the noise quite jia lat :O

Also this one got no manual focus isit? can you chose your own af point though?

 

[huggable]

Not considered major issues, but more like features that FZ5 does not have:
1) manual focus
2) hotshoe

 

[Swordwindsg]

hmm...i shd be getg the FZ5 very soon too...for me newbie, so manual focus & hotshoe R not tt important to me, at least for now!

juz sm last min qns, is the noise level for the FZ5 reali tt high? juz wanna listen to sm feedback frm owners of it as the "debate" has been quite controversial... and wad R the recommended filters to own for this cam for normal day-to-day shooting? i suppose i ll go for more landscape shooting of both day and night...

thks in advance!