I'm trying to choose between this & Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5. Advice?
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Also not familiar with the FT5. I did a lot of research before I bought the Olympus. I have been very happy with this camera. We have taken it to the Caribbean twice and used it extensively in fresh and salt water without any leakage of water. The pictures are great, and the modes available for underwater and beach scenes are amazing and far better than other more expensive cameras that I have. I have also used the camera in extreme cold while skiing and have had great success with no problems with either video or still pictures. One of the best purchases I have ever made. Sorry I can't help with the direct comparison to the Panasonic. Also not familiar with the FT5. I did a lot of research before I bought the Olympus. I have been very happy with this camera. We have taken it to the Caribbean twice and used it extensively in fresh and salt water without any leakage of water. The pictures are great, and the modes available for underwater and beach scenes are amazing and far better than other more expensive cameras that I have. I have also used the camera in extreme cold while skiing and have had great success with no problems with either video or still pictures. One of the best purchases I have ever made. Sorry I can't... » Read More Also not familiar with the FT5. I did a lot of research before I bought the Olympus. I have been very happy with this camera. We have taken it to the Caribbean twice and used it extensively in fresh and salt water without any leakage of water. The pictures are great, and the modes available for underwater and beach scenes are amazing and far better than other more expensive cameras that I have. I have also used the camera in extreme cold while skiing and have had great success with no problems with either video or still pictures. One of the best purchases I have ever made. Sorry I can't help with the direct comparison to the Panasonic. « Show Less
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I was looking at the Panasonic, and a couple others, as well. For what I was going to use it for, the Olympus won out. I've not been disappointed. This camera takes wonderful pictures, on land and underwater, and it's 'bulletproof'.
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Hi there, I have had no experience with the Panasonic camera, but I will say I do like my Olympus Stylus. I find it very easy to use and with enough options for taking pictures I can do most everything I need. I find it very simple to download pictures and have found they are great quality. Would I buy this camera again, most definitely!!! Only thing I would like to have had was the ability of wireless download or sharing, but for the price and quality I like this.
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I am in the same boat as you. My camera needs are the same as yours and I have been researching these two cameras as well as the Panasonic DMC-FZ8. Right now I am leaning towards the Panasonic. The Panasonic requires a battery pack instead of AA batteries but Amazon offers the battery packs for $15 - $20. In addition the Panasonic is about $50 cheaper than the Sony and the Canon. My old Olympus has problems with severe shutter lag and poor quality pics on indoor & low light situations.
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Sorry yes I meant FZ35 Panasonic, right, thanks for your advise I will follow your recomendations, I am getting the camara this week but I am a newie and I will take any advise to do things right. I am reading a book about digital photographic because I want to do the best I can with it. I read in others forum that people use also son type of camara filters to change colors when taking pictures. Did you any idea, let me know everything I will need for your experience to take the maximun from my camara. Thanks. Ed
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I purchased both these cameras at the same time, the sony at my local best buy and a panasonic on amazon. They are pretty close to the same, the sony has a little more true color indoors but the panasonic has more vibrant colors outdoor. The sony looks a little more washed out outside. I was impressed with both cameras low light recording. The image stabilizer worked a little better on the sony I thought, the problem I have with the panasonic is that it almost tries to overcorrect the shake. It seemed any time I used the touch screen while recording (ie...zooming) I notice a slight jump in the picture. I think with a little practice I can eliminate this by how hard I tap the screen, but it's touchy. I didn't seem to have that problem with the sony. The panasonic gets a little warm in your hand, but considering I use it in a hockey arena it doubles as a hand warmer! The panasonic comes with a video light and a hotshoe and u have more manual settings. The software that comes with both is crap, plan on buying third party editing software no matter wich way u go. Is the difference worth the $70 more I paid for the sony? probably not, I can buy an extra battery and SD card for the pan. If you could find them for about the same price though, I would go for the sony.
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Hey Julie- I too had this same question so I went out and purchased the Lumix DMC-TZ5. I found the camera to be very good in the zoom department and video was nice as well. The reason I returned this camera was because of the picture quality. Panasonic seems to me, to have yellow pictures. Even though there is IS, I still had many shots that turned out to be blurry. I owned a Pansasonic in the past and had the same issues on that camera. I now own the Olympus Stylus 1010 for about 2 weeks. I had a mid-size camera for years and loved it but wanted a pocket size camera that would do justice. I am very picky and have bought and returned 4 different point and shoot cameras. The Olympus 1010 is the first camera that I have fell in love with. Very fast, very small, and the image quality is awesome! I have a very difficult shooting base but this camera far exceeds any other camera I have purchased or spent many hours playing with. I am so very satisfied with my purchase and Olympus really has come through with this camera. Hope this helps!
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Thanks for your advice. Aperture would normally win with me also, but there's also the price difference to consider. I'm considering the Canon 10-22 mm, too, which is about the same price as the Tokina 11-16; that has the additional advantage of being much lighter, too. I'm really finding it very hard to make up my mind.
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It's really a matter of personal preference and what you plan to do with it. Both are great cameras and I'm sure you will be happy with either. After doing an exhaustive amount of research I selected the T5i because I plan on shooting stills and videos. The Canon out performs Nikon slightly in the video category, while Nikon has a slight advantage in low light shooting stills. If you do decide to go with the T5i I strongly recommend that you seek out "camerarec toby" on you tube. He has fantastic tips and training videos on the T5i that are free and yet invaluable. That being said I firmly believe that either camera will amaze you with their features and abilities. It's really a matter of personal preference and what you plan to do with it. Both are great cameras and I'm sure you will be happy with either. After doing an exhaustive amount of research I selected the T5i because I plan on shooting stills and videos. The Canon out performs Nikon slightly in the video category, while Nikon has a slight advantage in low light shooting stills. If you do decide to go with the T5i I strongly recommend that you seek out "camerarec toby" on you tube. He has fantastic tips and training videos on the T5i that are free and yet invaluable. That being said... » Read More It's really a matter of personal preference and what you plan to do with it. Both are great cameras and I'm sure you will be happy with either. After doing an exhaustive amount of research I selected the T5i because I plan on shooting stills and videos. The Canon out performs Nikon slightly in the video category, while Nikon has a slight advantage in low light shooting stills. If you do decide to go with the T5i I strongly recommend that you seek out "camerarec toby" on you tube. He has fantastic tips and training videos on the T5i that are free and yet invaluable. That being said I firmly believe that either camera will amaze you with their features and abilities. « Show Less
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Download the manual here: http://www.camerauserguide.net/panasonic-lumix-dmc-lf1-camera-users-manual-guide-owners-instruction/18260Take a look at this review of the LF1, it help me decide to buy it, I found it by chance, hope you like it. http://www.theinspiredeye.net/panasonic-dmc-lf1-camera-review-an-amazing-pocket-multi-tool/#more-2506
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See my review "Assembling a Compact System". For low-light photography you need a camera with 1) a lens with a wide aperture, and 2) good image stabilization, and 3) good quality photos even at higher ISO settings. The 20mm f1.7 lens which comes as a kit with this camera is an excellent low-light lens, the Summilux 25mm f1.4 is even better. Compared to a zoom with a maximum aperture of F4, the 25mm f1.4 lets in 3 times as much light. But, you'll almost certainly also need a semi-telephoto, and the only appropriate semi-telephoto available for the Lumix is a Nocticron 45.2mm f1.2 (a superb low-light lens), which costs $1600 by itself. Do NOT buy a zoom lens if you want low-light capabilities. Lumix cameras have both in-body stabilization and in-lens stabilization---and will choose which is best for the situation, which is very much a plus. The Lumix has very good ISO performance, which is a plus. One solution to low-light is high-power flash. You can buy such flash units for this camera, but they are expensive and bigger than the camera. My suggestion is a Nikon DSLR (some models are cheaper than the Lumix). There is a wide range of appropriate low-light Nikon lenses available, and a wide range of flash systems available---and the sensors are larger, implying possible better ISO performance (but that probably depends on the particular model). Whatever camera you buy, I also strongly suggest considering a monopod, which can greatly extend your low-light capabilities. The Lumix is a great compact camera with impressive low-light capabilities (when matched with appropriate lenses). But if you do not specifically need a very compact camera, the Lumix is not the best choice for the kind of photography you describe.
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Hi Ginett.The camera is pretty light, but does have a little bit of a "solid" feel to it. If weight is a concern, you could also consider a Panasonic model, which I bought for my wife to keep in her purse. It is a little smaller and lighter but includes a wide angle lens, long lasting battery and a (slightly less powerful, but still very adequate) 10X Zoom. This one is a Panasonic Lumix Model DMC-ZS02. It has most of the features of the larger one and costs around $50 less. Either camera will easily fit in a shirt pocket. Hope this helps.
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I now have the MarkIV and love it. There's nothing to compare to it to anywhere. I was goofing off with it today at ISO 10,000. Yes, the only drawback is not using the 10-22 wide angle and a few efs lenses.Wouldn't mind having the FF 5DMKII also! I was just looking at some ISO comparisons. Almost as good as the MKIV. DPreview has some comparisons. If you want full frame go with the 5D, if you want fast FPS and more length to your lenses go with the MKIV. They are both excellent. The MKIV is a heavier camera.
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This was my fourth digital still camera in just over two years and I did not get interested in the ART of picture-taking until I got my hands on the Lumix DMC-FZ30, which preceded this Lumix DMC model. These Lumix DMCs have lots of user-friendly settings to play around with or you can just point-and-shoot in auto and get nice results. Battery power outdoes the FZ30 and images can be enlarged to 11"x14" with clearer, sharper results. As for the actual cost, those add-on extras you're going to want, sooner or later, are going to add more than a few dollars to the camera's cost.
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yep. I am going to amend my advice and recommend the Tokina 11-16 2.8. This gets excellent reviews and is faster than the others for low light shooting such as UW. I shot with the 10-24 such subjects as a gilded church. It came out spectacular. All in all, if money is not an issue, it is a tossup between the nikon and tokina. I switched to fx format and now use the nikon 12-24. It's a monster. BTW, another great option for the Nikon DX is the great 18-200 zoom.
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I am torn between these exact same two camcorders also. Looking forward to your follow-up post!
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I agree, also consider the Pentax K20D, as well as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1.
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blanchedebeaulieu, The FH20 is a much newer camera with more developed technology. The number of megapixels has little to do with the quality of the camera or the pictures from the camera. The size (and quality) of the sensor are far more important and I believe each of these cameras has the same sensor. With the FH20 you'd be getting a newer camera, with greater zoom, new instead of refurbished and for less money. While I think each of the cameras would prove satisfactory to you, I don't think there is really any doubt- go with the FH20. Also, I haven't read anywhere of anyone complaining about a Panasonic lens, whether it's licensed from Leica or not. I'd put more faith in the Amazon guarantee and Panasonic warranty than the label on the lens (For what it's worth, I often buy refurbished- computers, ipods, ipod speakers- and the only time I've had a problem was with a refurbished camera. Sure, it's a small sample size, but I wouldn't recommend refurbished in this category). Hope my experience helps you.
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Have you made a decision? I'm in the same boat. Got a bunch of Sony DVs but the camera is huge. Time to move to HD. I like the Canon HF M40 because its got alot of the same optics as the G10 at half the price. The Pan has a much better range on the wide end, so I'm torn. Not sure if the Pan features are as good as the Canon otherwise.