Would you Pros recommend this as a step in the right direction?

[Vish]

I’ve had a small interest in photography for many years but never really made anything more it. My budget is far too small for a DSLR so this is the closest I can get and at just over £200, it’s a good price for me.


Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28.

10.1MP
1/2.33" sensor size
35mm Equiv.: 27-486mm
F2.8 - F4.4
RAW format
Flash
1280x720 pixels 30fps video

Full Spec (scroll down)

I would love to buy a DSLR but I need a long focal length on it, as I’m off to Silverstone and the 114mm (35mm equivalent) of my old Canon A80 just couldn’t cut it. Therefore I’d rather sacrifice some quality than shell out hundreds more on a DSLR and tele lens. All review I have read so far say there is minimal purple fringing at full zoom.

I’m still at uni so don’t want to spend loads and am thinking this should suffice to meet my needs for the F1 and motorsport photos etc and for general photography. HD video is a nice bonus. And the image stabilisation seems amazing!

What do you guys think?

 

[andywright182]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EOS-300D-Camera-EF-S-18-55mm-Lens-Extras_W0QQitemZ180322315767QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN?hash=item180322315767&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1300|66%3A2|65%3A12|39%3A1|240%3A1318

Invest in an older DSLR and then rent the glass you need for the silverstone weekend from here:

http://www.lensesforhire.co.uk/canon-ef-100-400mm-f45-56-l-is-usm-11-p.asp

only £38 to borrow a canon 'L' lens for 3 days which will give you over 500mm zoom when you factor in the crop factor.

Then as you get better and start saving upgrade the body

 

[Ian]

I think you might kick yourself if you're considering getting into photography a bit. I had a bridge camera for a while and, as good as they are, I felt a bit limited after only a year of use.

If you have £200 to spend, like Andy says get yourself a slightly older SLR, or even something like a D40 and rent some glass. There are plenty of bargains to be had.

Just my thoughts!

 

[GaryS]

I agree with the above, especially if you are planning on shooting motorsport.

 

[Vish]

Never knew you could hire lenses! Thanks Andy.

I'm just a bit sceptical about buying electronics second hand (esp from ebay) incase a function or more may not work. Are there any good camera forums so I can search their classifieds as well?

Would the Panasonic not be good for motorsport?

Have seen this near me, might try and check it out: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EOS-300D-Digital-SLR-Camera-in-GREAT-Condition_W0QQitemZ110340986105QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN?hash=item110340986105&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A7%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

Am I right in thinking, despite the Canon 300D being older, being an SLR it will produce superior quality to the Panasonic DMC-FZ28? Even as the Canon is 6MP compared to the Pana 10MP (I know megapixels are not the be all and end all of cameras, but wasn't sure if such a difference in MP would make a difference in quality) Or is like comparing a camera phone 5MP to a digital camera 3MP - The 3MP will always win.

Thanks so far guys!

 

[andywright182]

Unless you will be printing out larger than A4 size then the extra Mp wont be that much of use. The biggest factor is the lens. An average body with an amazing lens is better than an amazing body with an average lens.

It does depend what you want however. if you want the ease of live view, slightly better looks and ease of use then the bridge camera is a must. If you are serious about photography and are willing to spend the time (and money) learning then an SLR is the way to go.

If you are sceptical about ebay try these people:

http://www.lcegroup.co.uk/SHdetails.asp?Item=5040

They can send equipment out I believe and it is all inspected before being sold on

 

[Vish]

Thanks andy.

At this point in my life I'm not totally serious about photography, ease of use is a must as I learn to use all the adjustments. Part of the reason I got my Canon A80 a few years ago was the fact it had a full manual mode, which I have had some fun with. So would like a good auto mode, and then I can make adjustments as I go on to experiment and learn.

I definitely will want an SLR one day, but not until I will have the time to use it fully and have the funds to do so. But I will definitely search for second hands to see what my budget can get me, seems to be some good prices for good kit. Will keep an eye on Icegroup too.

If we're just talking Bridge cameras at the moment, do you think the Panasonic is a good one to go for? I can only see the nearest Bridge competition being Canons' Powershot SX1 IS and Powershot SX10 IS which are around £400 and £250 respectively.

Also so SLRs have an auto mode for quick point and shoot as well?

 

[drhowser]

http://www.gumtree.com/london/83/33850983.html

if this is genuine, it could be a bargain. i'm guessing the lens is 18-200 not 18-20.
i'm sure you could get a decent price for whichever body you didn't want to keep.

 

[Vish]

Rather not have to sell anything on afterwards but good prices.

Am definitely going to look into more info on the Canon 300D and Nikon D40 though and see if any second hand bargains before making a choice between SLR and Bridge.

 

[Jungle_Jim]

get a canon 10d over a 300d mate it was release at the same time as a pro camera rather than a budget one and retailed for over £1800, ive had mine four years and still get good images out of it. the other advantage with it being a pro range camera is that it has a magnesium body rather than plastic so the build quality is great

 

[aliengravy]

get a canon 10d over a 300d mate it was release at the same time as a pro camera rather than a budget one and retailed for over £1800, ive had mine four years and still get good images out of it. the other advantage with it being a pro range camera is that it has a magnesium body rather than plastic so the build quality is great

GET A NIKON OVER ANY CANNON :rasp:

 

[JJ!]

Don't bother with a bridge when you can afford an SLR, it would be the worst move you could make TBH!!

It will just not cut it for motorsport when it comes to moving objects and focus speeds.

 

[GeordieClioDriver]

I have the canon 300d and love it. It's my first SLR and it's really easy to use.

The lenses available for it fairly cheap too. I just bought a sigma 70-300mm lens for under £100.

 

[Mike@MJCycles.com]

350d, is the only begginer camera worth buying, for that money, if your going to be serious about this, then dont bother getting a fancy point and shoot get your a self a fully manual DSLR youll soon get bored of the limitations of a digital camera and wish you got ur self a DSLR, so why wait, why dont you just jump straight in to it?

 

[JJ!]

^^ disagree, the D40 is a great and very popular SLR for that money.

 

[UncleGrumpy]

Nothing at all wrong with the 300d, only downsides I can see are that its a little sluggish in its operation and can only buffer 4 shots, i've had one for ages, its now a backup to a 30d and has never let me down. As much as i'm a canon head i'd say that if you can get a d40 for similar money i'd go for that - much much better camera all round. Not long after I got the 300d the missus bought a d70, had I had chance to play with that before I went Canon i'd have definately bought the same as she did - just feels/operates a thousand times better than the 300. That said though the Canon will still produce quality images for sure. These were all taken with a 300d - admitedly with over a grands worth of L series glass but you get the idea.


linky

 

[Vish]

Thanks guys, now I'm even more confused.

I like the bridge camera as for now and the next few years, it'll be all in one cost for me to learn on and I can get an SLR in a few years and be able to buy good kit once I'm earning properly.

But I'd love it to be SLR quality but unless I can get good second hand prices I wont be able afford one. Student, part time job and running my 172 amongst other things I want to buy means I really only want to spend about £200ish on the camera (and lens if SLR) itself and then buy memory, good case/bag and maybe an extra battery.

63/500 some great shots there!

 

[drhowser]

if you can stretch to this, i think it would be a good buy.

the other thing to consider it the cost of film and developing compared to digital.
i'm sure over a year you will save with a dslr.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Nikon-D40-Dig...14&_trkparms=72:1690|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318

edit* although i have just looked at the camera you were looking at to begin with, and realised what i just said there..........

 

[Jungle_Jim]

just get a 10D already lol you wont be disappointed especially if its your first dslr, you should be able to pick one up for under £200, and they look, feel (magnesium body, chunkier size) and are better made than the small plastic bodied 300/350/400 range.
i study photography at uni and i have had my 10d for four years now and at the moment i still feel there is no particular need to upgrade as it still does everything i need it too. value for money wise these days its a a steal being able to pic up £1800 worth of kit for the price of a point and shoot

theres one on ebay only £80 at the moment:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Canon-EOS-10D-Digital-Camera-Battery-Grip-BG-ED3_W0QQitemZ140297050516QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN?hash=item140297050516&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1690%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318#ebayphotohosting

a review with sample pics can be found here
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos10d/

 

[Vish]

Cheers guys.

I'm going to weigh up the pros and cons, still a bit put off by weight and size of slr and lens atm, and can get the Pana Lumix DMC-FZ28 with a 2 year warranty for under £220 (warranty is important to me as have had a lot of bad luck with things goin wrong over the years). But something about the SLR really attracting me, esp if I can get a good body and lens for around £200.

Do SLRs have good auto modes? I know the objective of them is to be able to adjust and fine tune to your satisfaction but until I learn more, I'll need an auto mode for when it goes wrong!

 

[Ian]

Yep they do pal. I'd seriously advise going for an SLR if you can. They have everything a bridge model has and offer a lot more options on top of that.

If you go for a low to mid SLR (which at that price range it most probably will be) then you will soon forget about the difference in size and weight, it isn't noticeably different. Obviously once you start adding battery grips, flashes and huge lenses then that will change, but that wouldn't be for a while!

 

[daviebroon]

i can't comment on whether DSLR's are the only way to go, meaning you should never buy bridge or you wont be our friends... , as every man child and spanner on this site will tell you....

but i have an FX18 (FZ28'S predecessor)... and i absolutely love it. Fantastic camera all round. Bit of noise at high ISO due to small sensor, but never noticable. The FZ18 has taught me so much from a camera. I am now confident enough to spend money/pick up a DSLR and get some good advantage to it... but i dont want to. The FZ18 is very rebust, has a great feel and is very forgiving. I personally dont want to carry a hold-all just for my camera, and a bridge is perfect for me. Im sure i'll have a DSLR eventually, but right now this works for me... and i get some great pics. The auto mode itself for when you want to be lazy is just brilliant. Oh noes... burn me... i mentioned auto mode!

I for 1 can easily recommend the FZ.

 

[ukaskew]

£200? Do it, you won't regret it.

Realistically, a DSLR will be a whole lot more expensive. If you want roughly the same range with autofocus, you are easily saying hello to double that £200 and long term it will cost a whole lot more.

As a learning tool that Panasonic is unbeatable imo, my first camera was an FZ10, then I had an FZ20 and I wouldn't change those few years for anything, learned all the techniques with them, and when I had reached the limits of it in terms of motorsport photography, I then upgraded to a DSLR and hit the ground running.

Here are a few shots from my FZ10 days, I was pretty clueless as these are literally my first ever motorsport shots, but it's just to give you an idea...

 

[Vish]

£200? Do it, you won't regret it.

Do you mean FZ28: Do it?

I am serously tempted, its the closest thing to SLR but with no inconvenience I have found. I would love the extra quality of the DSLR but I probably wouldn't be able to extract it or a while. Forgotten so much of the stuff I used to know, that I'm pretty much a novice all over again. And of course depends on what I can find second hand.

Those pics look good too. It'd be a big step up from what I have now.

i can't comment on whether DSLR's are the only way to go, meaning you should never buy bridge or you wont be our friends... , as every man child and spanner on this site will tell you....

but i have an FX18 (FZ28'S predecessor)... and i absolutely love it. Fantastic camera all round. Bit of noise at high ISO due to small sensor, but never noticable. The FZ18 has taught me so much from a camera. I am now confident enough to spend money/pick up a DSLR and get some good advantage to it... but i dont want to. The FZ18 is very rebust, has a great feel and is very forgiving. I personally dont want to carry a hold-all just for my camera, and a bridge is perfect for me. Im sure i'll have a DSLR eventually, but right now this works for me... and i get some great pics. The auto mode itself for when you want to be lazy is just brilliant. Oh noes... burn me... i mentioned auto mode!

I for 1 can easily recommend the FZ.

Thanks mate, good little review there. I will definitely need auto mode to get me started and I know on my lazy days I wont want to fiddling with everything to get a good pic.

How do pics look on full zoom on the FZ18? Still nice and clear in top resolution?

 

[daviebroon]

ace! Full zoom (x18 optical) is brilliant. It automatically goes to macro mode on anything >x12, so its crystal clear.

i will post some pics up when i get back home tonight for ya.

Seriously good camera mate. Don't let the DSLR sausage jockeys on here force you down a route you don't to take just yet.

ukaskew knows his stuff... listen to him

 

[Ian]

Lol @ Sausage jockey. I aint saying it just because I have an SLR, I came from a bridge camera and just don't think it will perform too well for motorsport.

Admittedly Chris knows a helluva lot more about photography than myself, so I'd go with his opinion over mine. Also like you say if you're not ready for an SLR don't do it, but I think people get put off by the 'whole new level of photography' marketing that makes the SLRs seem alien to the average camera user. I went into Jessops just before Christmas and felt so intimidated holding a D60 and yet now I'm using my 450d on full manual quite happily.

Tbh honest you won't go far wrong whichever you choose pal, so trust your instinct.

 

[daviebroon]

^^ i know exactly what you mean mate, i felt the exact same when i was looking at cameras for myself. But i also found people like jessops dont actually know what they are talking about (my opinion)


Here's a few pics from my FZ18. I only have a few as its all i have on my photobucket account. If there is anything specific you wanna see, let me know and i'll post em up.. i photograph everything lol

BTW... i am not a pro by any means... by FAR in fact, as you can see below

 

[Vish]

Lol @ Sausage jockey. I aint saying it just because I have an SLR, I came from a bridge camera and just don't think it will perform too well for motorsport.

Admittedly Chris knows a helluva lot more about photography than myself, so I'd go with his opinion over mine. Also like you say if you're not ready for an SLR don't do it, but I think people get put off by the 'whole new level of photography' marketing that makes the SLRs seem alien to the average camera user. I went into Jessops just before Christmas and felt so intimidated holding a D60 and yet now I'm using my 450d on full manual quite happily.

Tbh honest you won't go far wrong whichever you choose pal, so trust your instinct.

Is Chris ukaskew?

Only guaranteed motorsport pics are Silverstone as the cars are massively different looking, and I wish I had taken more pics everytime I go. Going up on friday just for pics. Will be trying to make some trackdays as a spectator just to get pics as well. And then photo everything else I get the chance too lol want some fancy shots of my 172.

I always go in and have a look at Jessops but didn't know a whole lot about cameras so it was always quick, will go and have a better look next week. My instinct is saying FZ28, can't really nail why exactly, but that's my hunch, and I always hate not taking my hunch (Damn not buying Barclays shares a few days ago! lol)

^^ i know exactly what you mean mate, i felt the exact same when i was looking at cameras for myself. But i also found people like jessops dont actually know what they are talking about (my opinion)


Here's a few pics from my FZ18. I only have a few as its all i have on my photobucket account. If there is anything specific you wanna see, let me know and i'll post em up.. i photograph everything lol

BTW... i am not a pro by any means... by FAR in fact, as you can see below

That photo is great! Love that! The others are good too. If you really are "not a pro by any means... by FAR in fact", then the camera must be amazing for a non-SLR! lol

Thanks for the photo mate, would it be possible to send me a full res pic (preferably on a high zoom) of the single seater if you have one. If not the highest res and most zoom of another car, so I can view it in its actual size to see the quality please. I'll PM my email if that's easier?

Have you ever though you wished the FZ18 did anything better? Or ever disappointed with it at times?

Thanks again guys!

 

[daviebroon]

^^ no problem mate, i'll sort something out for you. I'm a busy man so might take a while

Will upload in full res a couple of single seater pics... got 000000's lol. Do you want it in RAW or JPG?

 

[Vish]

^^ no problem mate, i'll sort something out for you. I'm a busy man so might take a while

Will upload in full res a couple of single seater pics... got 000000's lol. Do you want it in RAW or JPG?

One of each would be great please, if its not too much trouble mate.

Anytime you're free is fine, I'm in no hurry. Cheers