Fanofjets From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 1895 posts, RR: 3 Posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 2912 times:
I am looking for a reliable, quality digital camera with good zoom capability, but do not have the budget for one of the big SLRs. I am not a professional photographer but a knowledgable amateur (I played with shutter speeds and aperture settings on my old film SLR). Two cameras that have garnered good ratings are the Canon PowerShot S2 IS and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 (with the Leica lens); both have 12x optical zoom and 5 MP, probably more than sufficient for my needs. Has anyone here used either camera? What are your recommendations? Thanks so much for your help!
The aeroplane has unveiled for us the true face of the earth. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Thom@s From Norway, joined Oct 2000, 11949 posts, RR: 50 Reply 1, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 1 day 13 hours ago) and read 2846 times:
I purchased a Panasonic FZ-20 in January, and have not regretted that investment. The Leica lens is great, and the 5MP is a nice step up from the 3,2 I had previously. Captures the colors and the mood in the image very well I think.
The FZ 20 works very well. Even when taking photos of moving objects (like aircraft) on full tele, 12x zoom, the images come out nice and sharp. (Provided the light conditions are ok) Much thanks to the built in image stabilizer. In the example below I was quite far away from the runway, but still managed to get a pretty nice "closeup" of the plane as it passed by.
Jorge1812 From Germany, joined Apr 2004, 3141 posts, RR: 9 Reply 2, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 2837 times:
I'm using the Olympus C-750 with 10x optical zoom and 4MP. Newer models with more MP might be available. It's a good camera but a bit too slow for aviation photography. Needs lot's of practicing before getting propper shots of flying aircraft.
Vbonina From United States of America, joined Mar 2005, 11 posts, RR: 0 Reply 3, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 1 day 12 hours ago) and read 2831 times:
If you're going to go with a 12x zoom, you really need IS. (Image Stabilization)
The Panasonic FZ-20 has it. My son owns one and believe me you will be amazed the quality of high zoom photos.
Good Luck
Vince
I use a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5, and I am very pleased with it. Very pleased. I got it about 2 months ago. The Zoom is terrific, all the manual settings you can use are fantastic, and there are plenty of adjustments and options you can use (like setting the White Balance) when taking Photographs. The pre-programmed modes (for example "snow mode" are very good, and there are plenty of different modes to pick to take you pictures with, like "shutter-priority"). The Panasonic FZ5 has the Image Stabilization, which is brilliant!
If you have any more questions, please ask!
Now I have the Camera, I recommend reading all the reviews online, especially This one. As they are all (most of them) very good, reliable reviews on the Camera. For help From a Spotters point of view though, I'm sure we can all help!
I recommend this Camera entirely,and, here you can find my best Photo's I have taken with the Camera, after about 2 months with it, and a tiny bit of editing.
By the way, the FZ20 is similar to the FZ5, there are lots of comparisons online between the two, and I am sure you can compare the Two on the Panasonic Website, to see which one suits your needs. For starters, the FZ5 is smaller, and does not have a "Hot Shoe". Both the FZ5 and the FZ20 have Image Stabilization, 12x Zoom and 5 Mega-Pixels.
AC_B777 From Canada, joined Aug 2000, 784 posts, RR: 13 Reply 7, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 2725 times:
I own the Panasonic DMC FZ15 which is one step down from the FZ20, and I love it.
The main difference between the FZ15 and the FZ20 is 1MP. the 15 is 4MP and the 20 is 5MP.
The zoom range is awesome along with the Image Stabilization. The Leica is nice as well.
I could'nt afford the extra $200CAD for the FZ20 so I bought the FZ15, and I have been pleased with it.
In life, some days you are the bug..... some days you are the windshield!
Fanofjets From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 1895 posts, RR: 3 Reply 8, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 20 hours ago) and read 2674 times:
Hey, thanks guys. I really appreciate your help. Seems as if the Panasonic and Leica duo have some happy fans. I am glad to know that there is a decent digitial camera for aviation photography without having to spend a fortune on a digital SLR (as much as I'd like to own one). I'm going to purchase one of the LUMIX DMCs - I just have to see which one I can afford. At the very least the FZ5 should serve very well. I would also like to thank everyone for the helpful links and reviews; I plan to read each one.
By the way, great shots - though the credit goes to the photographers more than the camera
The aeroplane has unveiled for us the true face of the earth. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Thom@s From Norway, joined Oct 2000, 11949 posts, RR: 50 Reply 9, posted (7 years 11 months 2 weeks 15 hours ago) and read 2664 times:
I paid around £530 for my FZ 20. (Bought it over the counter at a nearby store in order to get it quickly and safely)
But you can find the FZ20 on nomatica.com for a more reasonable price. This one starts off at £340. http://www.nomatica.co.uk/photo/dmcfz20sEN.htm
Shipping will cost some extra though, but I still believe it is a nice price all together.
Just a tip.
Thom@s
"If guns don't kill people, people kill people - does that mean toasters don't toast toast, toast toast toast?"
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From United States of America, joined Apr 2000, 1895 posts, 
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