FZ 30 must haves

[Boddie]

I have just persuaded my old chap to get an FZ30, as the price was a very attractive 360 Boys and I was very impressed with the arguments some of the members put forward for owning this camera (and I saw some of their pics too - outstanding)

He was always a keen SLR photographer and has a good eye for images but is a bit of a technophobe, although he does assure me that he feels he will really get into this new hobby. He also bought my old queen a nice Exilim.

I would like to help him develop his hobby further by getting him some extras, so I thought I would ask the other members, with this model, what they feel was their best buy and why?

I can see him getting into landscapes, insects and maybe to a lesser extent birds.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks

Andrew

[Gill Catton]

Well I love my macro snap ons!!!
The Raynox DCR250 or 150 they take a bit of getting used to because you hardley need move to mess up the focus and they produce a frame of black at the edge of the shot - but this is easily cropped out on the PC, but when they work they're ace - and they're very light and not too expensive at like £30-40 a pop.

[matt_xyz]

Yes the DCR150 is a useful macro lens, although as Gill says it is very tricky to use. The 250 is probably a bit too strong for regular use.

The other essential for wildlife shots is an Olympus TCON17 teleconverter which extends the zoom by a factor of 1.7 (so max zoom goes from 420mm to 714mm). This is obviously useful for birds and other wildlife.

Other than that you could maybe think about an external flash gun (Sunpak 383 is a good one), but this may not be required.

Matt

[Boddie]

Cool

Thanks guys. Thats given me some food for thought. Maybe we can even get some of his images on here

[MartynA]

When I first got the FZ30 I went a bit overboard with 'bits'...of them all the most used have been
1. Polarising Filter
2. Close-up lenses (i bought a set of 5)
3. External flash

I also bought a 2.2x teleconvertor but the number of times I've used it wouldn't justify having it at all. The camera lens is such high quality it's a shame to put anything in front of it really.

If he likes tinkering with gadgets, wants something out of the ordinary and has time on his hands he might like to play around with a red dot rifle sight which quite a few users have tried fitting to the camera to help with birds in flight shots (yes, I've got one of those too!! - never yet used!!!)


Martyn

[Boddie]

To be fair Martyn I am not sure what he will be into. He received it today and seemed well chuffed. He is going away for a few days and will study the manual. He is a very technical bloke and I am really thinking of gifts for his birthday, christmas etc. I am not sure he will be into birding, moreso plants and insects but primarily landscapes and buildings.

Some of his SLR pics are a different standard so I think he will get well into it

[carlj]

How about a nice tripod/monopod - yes the IS is good, but the extra support will come in handy for added sharpness. And a case too.

[Fourwings]

I'd certainly get him the DCR150 close-up adapter lens.

I was out with Matt_xyz on Sunday and was very impressed with both the simplicity of the lens and the superb quality images it can produce.

The FZ 30 fitted with this is a seriously good bit of macro gear.

[Boddie]

He mentioned a case actually and the monopd sounds like a good idea - it'll double up as a walking stick.

He He

[Boddie]

Originally Posted by Fourwings

I'd certainly get him the DCR150 close-up adapter lens.

I was out with Matt_xyz on Sunday and was very impressed with both the simplicity of the lens and the superb quality images it can produce.

The FZ 30 fitted with this is a seriously good bit of macro gear.

Yep I have seen some of his images. Different grade.

It seems not so dear either. Less than 30 Boys. Bargain