trenchdigger
Dec 29, 2004, 7:41 PM
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Registered: Mar 9, 2003
Posts: 1447
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Well, I cracked and couldn't turn down a sweet deal on the digital camera I wanted - the Panasonic FZ3 - and got myself a little $317 (after rebate and tax!) Christmas present.
Let me preface this review with a little background. I've been shooting with a Canon AE-1 and T-70 body with a few lenses (19-35mm Vivitar, 35-105mm Canon, 70-222mm Soligor) for the past few years and I love that thing. But there are times when I just can't lug around 5+ pounds of glass and metal in case a shot presents itself. So I wanted a digital camera. After a little research, there were some features I knew I would like in the camera:
- Long zoom (at least 6x, preferably 10x)
- Image Stabilizer
- Little lag time
- Manual controls (A,S,M modes)
- Quality optics
- Fast burst mode
- At least 3 mp
- Manual focus
- Hot shoe
Now I knew I probably wouldn't be able to get all of these in a compact digital, but I figured I could satisfy most of them.
One of the first cameras I found was the Panasonic FZ20. It's got all of those features and more. But it's just too dang big for what I really wanted. Plus it had a $550 price tag and I figured I could give up some features for a lower price.
Then I found the FZ3. No manual focus and no hot shoe, but it satisifies all the other requirements. Those that stood out most included:
- 3.2mp
- 12x optical (35-420mm equivalent), image stabilized zoom (made by Leica!)
- Constant F/2.8 throughout the zoom range
- 4 frames/second for up to 7 frames in burst mode
- 2.2 frames/second 'til the card is full
- Included lens hood and 55mm filter adaptor
- Very fast operation with minimal lag times
Though I haven't had the chance to shoot any climbing with it yet, I'm very impressed with the camera so far. It handles well, the zoom is beautiful and practically stepless. Focus is fairly quick unless the scene is dimly lit and low in contrast. My only complaint is some bad purple fringing at max zoom and max aperture. I have found though that stopping down even just half a stop makes a big difference in reducing aberration.
Here's a few shots I took at the beach the other day. No post-processing other than resizing and a light application of the unsharp mask.
Feel free to ask any questions about this camera. Also check out http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz3/for a professional in-depth review of this camera.
~Adam~
http://leonadivide.com/adam/egret/002.jpg
http://leonadivide.com/adam/egret/004.jpg
http://leonadivide.com/adam/egret/005.jpg
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