Comparison S100 v. Pana. DMC-FZ50: Price issues aside, which would you choose &amp; why?
1691038
Michael, I own a Panasonic DMC-FZ30. If I had the money I would switch to this S100 for one main reason, that being low light capability. The 30 is limited to ISO 400, I see the 50 can go all the way up to 1600 so that may do the trick. Other than that I'm quite happy with the 30. I've had it three years, taken 1000's of photos of which I'm pretty happy. However the low light limits me quite often. The 30/50 have sensors much smaller than the s100. I think Fuji would have been better off with the large sensor they used but with 8 megapixels which would have improved photo quality, especially at the higher ISOs. The megapixel race is one of the biggest problems in the digital camera arena today. There again the 50 and S100 aren't that far apart in the megapixel race but look at the size of the Fjui sensor - wow! I would enjoy the 2 1/2 inch LCD over the 30/50's 2". I wouldn't miss the rotating feature on the Panasonic as I mostly use it in vertical modes and the Fuji provides that. Another thing I'd want is better video. Even though the three cameras have the same specs I'm disappointed with the Panasonic results. The video from my 30 aren't as good as my wife's Sony W50 point-and-shoot. I guess I'd have to hold them in my hand to compare the Fuji 100 vs the Panasonic 50. My conclusion for you? If I had the 50 in hand already I wouldn't be looking to upgrade. The Panasonic is bound to have more noise due to the smaller sensor. The Fuji looks like it has less noise but there are rampant complaints about purple fringing although most say it only shows up on hard contrast shots. The Panasonic is better at purple fringing but worse on noise - choose your weakness. Battery life is awesome on my 30 and it is indicated to be lower on the S100. Are these differences worth the difference in price (50=$579 S100=$655 9/19/08 on Amazon). If it was me purchasing today I'd go for the S100. What did you decide?
1407636
Better yet, if you swing it, get a used S95 or an S100. Any issue with the S100 return it and get a new one. A slightly larger camera (and better camera) is the Panasonic LX5. Great lens, larger sensor, better video (even if it's not 1080).
1435064
If someone can answer definitively, please do. My guess would be that you won't see much of a difference between the two in an S100. But like I said, that's a total guess.
955465
Greetings, I have both cameras, they are actually both GREAT! Some random thoughts: I like the ZS3 25mm wide views. The Sony's battery last longer. I like the SD card of the Pana. The Pana is thinner and a bit easier to carry. This is VERY subjective - the Sony video is slightly sharper. Small sound of the motor when zooming the pana video. Both cameras have tac sharp pictures. It's a hard one because both are so good.
1358219
I have been going back and forth with the same question. I have read all the reviews and opinions I can find on both. After going to the local store and playing with the TZ5 and the 100 (since the 110 is not out yet) I did not find many major difference from the point of view of a novice user. The two main difference I noted were 1) the TZ5 is more compact and I really liked that, however 2) when I zoomed in with the canon on a small sign the image was crystal clear, when I did the same with the TZ% the same sign was very blurry, not even close to readable. This decided it for me. I went with canon. I have been going back and forth with the same question. I have read all the reviews and opinions I can find on both. After going to the local store and playing with the TZ5 and the 100 (since the 110 is not out yet) I did not find many major difference from the point of view of a novice user. The two main difference I noted were 1) the TZ5 is more compact and I really liked that, however 2) when I zoomed in with the canon on a small sign the image was crystal clear, when I did the same with the TZ% the same sign was very blurry, not even close to readable. This decided it for me. I went... » Read More I have been going back and forth with the same question. I have read all the reviews and opinions I can find on both. After going to the local store and playing with the TZ5 and the 100 (since the 110 is not out yet) I did not find many major difference from the point of view of a novice user. The two main difference I noted were 1) the TZ5 is more compact and I really liked that, however 2) when I zoomed in with the canon on a small sign the image was crystal clear, when I did the same with the TZ% the same sign was very blurry, not even close to readable. This decided it for me. I went with canon. « Show Less
1222639
I can't give you a comparison of them. I can tell you the S1000 is an awesom bridge camera. You can have full manual control or just use auto. The zoom is great both optical and digital. I highly recommend the S1000. Other revues I've read say shooting video you can hear the lens motor when zooming and ths is true. However you can remove the sound when editing the project.
2197786
I'm a bit of a lens snob too, being a contax shooter. I bought the Lumix fz50 for my wife and it arrived yesterday, and let me tell you, it is fantastic; best digital camera I've ever held. We considered the nikon d80, but my wife preferred the LCD preview on the Lumix, and although it is easy to use, the manual options are versatile. FZ50 is not lighter than the nikon, but on the other hand, it has a 420mm Leica lens, so it does the job of two lenses. The price is incredibly low, I think because once you get out of the 300 dollar range, people think they need skip over to a DSLR. They're wrong! Lumix provides all you need with a Leica lens.
1455354
I think you should get the Panasonic TZ5 (or TZ4 if you don't care about HD video). The TZ's will jump to an Optical 16.7x@ 3MEGAPIXELS, and will be in the $200- 230 area vs. the much more expensive 12x...I have both the TZ5 and SX110. They are both GREAT cameras. The TZ5 is lighter and smaller, and you can take video with optical vs digital zoom (clearer video). I bought the SX 110 , because there is a CHDK modification available for it (Google CHDK). You can do timelapse, RAW format, extend the shutter speed to 64 seconds....but if you are using the camera for the day, I would go with the TZ4 or 5, but you better hurry- all of these cameras are discontinued!
876663
Brad - I don't think you can go wrong with either camera. Add to for your consideration the Sony HX5 - it's on a par with these two.I looked long and hard at all 3 of these, researching specs and comments, as well as trying them out in camera stores, etc. I finally chose the S8100, although only coming out in September the amount of reviews is sparse - but even compared to the S8000 earlier model the improved S8100 proves to be a great camera. One thing I really like is the heft and feel of the camera, as well as the professional and high quality look and detail of the camera. It's a joy to take photos with this camera. The photos from it are stunning. Brad - I don't think you can go wrong with either camera. Add to for your consideration the Sony HX5 - it's on a par with these two.I looked long and hard at all 3 of these, researching specs and comments, as well as trying them out in camera stores, etc. I finally chose the S8100, although only coming out in September the amount of reviews is sparse - but even compared to the S8000 earlier model the improved S8100 proves to be a great camera. One thing I really like is the heft and feel of the camera, as well as the professional and high quality look and detail of the camera.... » Read More Brad - I don't think you can go wrong with either camera. Add to for your consideration the Sony HX5 - it's on a par with these two.I looked long and hard at all 3 of these, researching specs and comments, as well as trying them out in camera stores, etc. I finally chose the S8100, although only coming out in September the amount of reviews is sparse - but even compared to the S8000 earlier model the improved S8100 proves to be a great camera. One thing I really like is the heft and feel of the camera, as well as the professional and high quality look and detail of the camera. It's a joy to take photos with this camera. The photos from it are stunning. « Show Less
333325
I keep looking to see if there is a press release on an update to the FZ100, but so far nothing. I expected it to be updated on the 21 July, as Panasonic have released new FZ series cameras on that date each year. The FZ100 and FZ40/45 were both released on that date last year, however on the 21st they only released an updated version of the FZ40/45 namely the FZ47/48. No mention of the FZ100, or as I have seen speculated elsewhere could be called the FZ150 or FZ200. If the store you looked at showed the model as discontinued, it may indicate something is about to happen, but not just yet.
1002182
These two cameras are both good at what they do but are different in the needs they are designed to address. Your needs (atleast mine) would direct me towards one or the other. You say absolutely nothing about your needs or intended uses so there little else I could add. The zoom range, video resulotion, flexibility, and size differetiate the two. The S95 has a marginal image quality and low light advantage at the expense of lower video resolution and a much shorter telephoto.
883521
I've never owned a Panny FZ70, but I did own a Panny FZ40 and I will say the FZ40 is a fine camera with excellent image quality. That being said, I love the image quality on the X-S1 and overall I think it is a better camera. I don't know about anybody else, but I had a problem with dust and dirt getting inside of the FZ40 camera's lens and it made the camera unusable. The X-S1 is an amazing camera and it is built very solid with many metal fittings instead of plastic pieces that you find on a lot of cameras. I love the manual zoom as well, it's got a pro-camera feel about it, I wouldn't trade my X-S1 camera for any other out there. The filter size is 62mm which I highly recommend getting to protect your lens. I bought a Fujicon clear UV filter lens and a Sigma polarized lens as well for bright sunlight days. I couldn't be happier with my X-S1 camera.
907594
I think this is a timly update from panasonic now, I have FZ28 its a nice camera, with these few addons i am sure FZ-35 will be a best seller, recording in Stereo with MP4 for small size was desperately needed. when you buy, dont forget to buy 8Gb Class-6 memory card with a Tripod and Camera Case. these are must have., enjoy
688325
The FZ8 can also allow you to shoot in Manual Mode...IMHO only 2 big differences between both of them 1.18X Optical Zoom 2.Poor image quality than FZ8.The reason is the Image sensor is nearly the same as in FZ8 but in FZ18 it has the responsibility of capturing 18X zoom images instead of 12X. 3.For above features and some more the price difference between both is nearly $100.00. The Lumix FZ50 too is based on 12X lens core but it atleast has a DSLR like look and feel and it has the real Manual mode. The manual mode in FZ8 and FZ18 is a still controlled by the motor which pushes the lens forward or backward. In FZ50 there is a DSLR like "ring" option which you can use in Movie Mode for true zooming while shooting. If you really wanna advanced camera in the Panasonic Lumix family then FZ50 or even the out of production FZ30 is a great and worthy upgrade. Last week I bought a Lumix FZ8 after researching the net for 1 month.Panasonic has fundamentally erred in introducing a new featureless model in FZ18.
1940849
I think both are great cameras...Canon seems to perform a little better, but the difference is very slight, this, according to the reviews I read...I think the bottom line is; Canon performs a little better, the LCD screen can be moved, and it has a hot shoe for a better flash unit, but Panasonic has RAW format and HD video, and also, the zoom can be used with the video format, something most cameras don't have...I guess since both are equally good, you should buy the one you feel more comfortable with, or you like the most...you can't go wrong with either one...Good luck!!
1023637
I have been going back and forth with the same question. I have read all the reviews and opinions I can find on both. After going to the local store and playing with the TZ5 and the 100 (since the 110 is not out yet) I did not find many major difference from the point of view of a novice user. The two main difference I noted were 1) the TZ5 is more compact and I really liked that, however 2) when I zoomed in with the canon on a small sign the image was crystal clear, when I did the same with the TZ% the same sign was very blurry, not even close to readable. This decided it for me. I went with canon.
108518
DO NOT BY THE FUJIFILM!! I did and it's ABSOLUTE CRAP. I get better photos from my old Fujifilm A500, the point & shoot Fuji A500 takes better photos. Light/color and White Balance are crap in the S1000fd. I take photos for my Etsy shop with my Fuji A5oo, it surpasses the S1000fd, which is quite surprising!