Panasonic DMC FZ50

[Pete]

Dan

I presume you are referring to the Extended Optical Zoom?

what you have to do is reduce the picture size.

The default on the FZ50 is 10.1 MP aspect ratio 4:3 that gives 12x

if I dropped the MP's to 8MP the zoom goes from to 13.4. Reducing the MP to 3 would give 21.4. This only works for JPEGS not RAW (I think).

well that as I understand it!

I'd be interested to know what the downside is image wise is it problem if not printing?

[matt_xyz]

I think you need to read the manual Dan

There are 3 ways to extend the zoom beyond 12x (420mm) on the FZ30/50;

(i) switch digital zoom on via the menu. There is a distinct loss of quality so it's not worth doing. Keep digital zoom switched off.

(ii) select the 'extended optical zoom' as Pete mentions above. Again this is done via the menu. You lose resolution but gain focal length. It is equivalent to cropping in Photoshop but it can be helpful to do it 'in camera' as it can make exposure and spot focusing easier.

(iii) buy an add-on teleconverter such as the TCON17.

Other than that, just keep it at 12x zoom which is equivalent to 420mm. This is still a pretty good focal length, but for small birds you will need to be fairly close to them.

For good macro you will need a close-up lens. The standard macro capability on the FZ30 isn't great.

Matt

[Pete]

Originally Posted by matt_xyz

I think you need to read the manual Dan

There are 3 ways to extend the zoom beyond 12x (420mm) on the FZ30/50;

(i) switch digital zoom on via the menu. There is a distinct loss of quality so it's not worth doing. Keep digital zoom switched off.

(ii) select the 'extended optical zoom' as Pete mentions above. Again this is done via the menu. You lose resolution but gain focal length. It is equivalent to cropping in Photoshop but it can be helpful to do it 'in camera' as it can make exposure and spot focusing easier.

(iii) buy an add-on teleconverter such as the TCON17.

Other than that, just keep it at 12x zoom which is equivalent to 420mm. This is still a pretty good focal length, but for small birds you will need to be fairly close to them.

For good macro you will need a close-up lens. The standard macro capability on the FZ30 isn't great.

Matt

Matt why did you choose Olympus TCON over the Panasonic one.....

Dan - yes read the manual. I've had the camera two days..... oh and I happen to have the manual on me

[matt_xyz]

Originally Posted by Pete

Matt why did you choose Olympus TCON over the Panasonic one.....

From what I remember, the Panasonic TC is expensive and hard to get hold of. But the TCON17 is far and away the most popular choice for the FZ cameras judging by the Panasonic forum at Digital Camera Reviews and News: Digital Photography Review: Forums, Glossary, FAQ. So I went on their recommendation. You might also want to have a look at the following test. The results look fairly similar:

CK's Digital Camera Page

(click on FZ30 and then teleconverter comparisons)

Matt

[Dan Salter]

Cheers guys i shall read the manual and purchase the macro converter doobrie wotsit.

unfortunately i dont have time for manual reading at the minute as i have an ecology exam on wed and a botany exam on thurs!....nice welcome back to uni/college after the christmas holiday?

Dan

[Ambriel]

Fingers crossed for the exam for you.

I'm into major 'plausible justification' mode here now, for the FZ50. It's helped by the fact that I can recover the VAT portion of the selling price.

Unfortunately I shall have to sell my trusty little Nikon in order to ffset the cost of the new camera. I ordered a new battery cover from Nikon this morning to help bolster it's value, but what is a used E4300 worth these days?

[Dan Salter]

My old camera but cant remember if it was my canon eos or my nikon fm3A? had a "Depth of field preview" button? which was great
Is there any such function on my fz30?

[Ambriel]

OK well I've bittern the bullet and ordered the FZ50 from PurelyGadgets.co.uk

I went for a black one (rather than silver) and bundled it with a 1GB memory card.

Delivery is 2-5 days so it'll be interesting to see how long it takes them to get it to us, out here in the wilds of Scotland.

[Marvellous]

Looking forward to seeing the results

Mick

[Ambriel]

The new camera arrived today after a bit of a stock cock-up at the suppliers. To be fair that's only 7 days since ordering it which isn't bad, given the problems we have getting deliveries out here in the middle of nowhere.

Haven't had a chance to use it yet but I'm planning on skiving off to the beach tomorrow so fingers crossed for good weather...