Camera advice

canny · #1 (**permalink**) 31-12-2006, 10:45 AM

I am looking to by a new camera. Budget up to £250. Need 12x, mostly for mammal & bird pics.
My husband has Fugi finpix s5500 & it is great but as I say I want 12x. I also want to take shots in the evenings so will encounter low light. I have considered Panasonic FZ5 & 7 also FZ30. I am now looking at Sony DSC H2. It gets terrific 5 star reviews on the amazon website.
Has anyone any experience of the Sony DSC series. Any help would be most welcome as I am bogged down with making a decision.

Boddie · #2 (**permalink**) 31-12-2006, 10:49 AM

FZ30 if you can get it within your budget. I think some of the shots that guys from this site have taken with this camera are fantastic.

Fourwings · #3 (**permalink**) 31-12-2006, 10:54 AM

Yep, I agree with Boddie, if you can find an FZ30 for that price then snap it up.

eeyore · #4 (**permalink**) 31-12-2006, 10:59 AM

although there arent that many fz30s left now as it was superceded by the fz50 which has had mixed reviews.

I used to have an early sony dsc and didnt like it at all - i found it heavy , noisy (image noise that is), and slow to focus on the correct thing - of course they may have improved since then.

another possibility would be the fuji 7000 which might be a tad over your budget or the KM Z5 which is no longer being made but is still available in some stores (digital depot had some last time i looked)

Digital dedpot are also good for recondintioned gear and frequently have earlier slrs and bridge cameras available at knocked down prices.

canny · #5 (**permalink**) 31-12-2006, 03:23 PM

It looks like FZ30 would be about £400 whereas Sony H2 is £215 & H5 £256.
Bit of difference there and I don't know if it would be worth the extra.
Gets more confusing don't it?

bob hastie · #6 (**permalink**) 31-12-2006, 03:39 PM

The Canon s3 sits nicely in your budget and is a great little camera
Bob
Bob and Bert's photos

matt_xyz · #7 (**permalink**) 31-12-2006, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by canny

It looks like FZ30 would be about £400 whereas Sony H2 is £215 & H5 £256.
Bit of difference there and I don't know if it would be worth the extra.
Gets more confusing don't it?

you can get the FZ30 for around £350 but the next model down, the FZ7, is around £200 and is also an excellent camera. For wildlife I think it has the edge on the opposition.

Matt

eeyore · #8 (**permalink**) 31-12-2006, 09:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

you can get the FZ30 for around £350 but the next model down, the FZ7, is around £200 and is also an excellent camera. For wildlife I think it has the edge on the opposition.

Matt

the best price i can find for the FZ7 is here Panasonic DMC FZ7 they have it for £189 which is a pretty keen price - I tend to agree with matt that it is the best you can do inside your budget - the cheapest fz30 i could find was camera box who had it at £329 with the fz50 at £349