Best non DSLR camera for spotting...

[mc1081]

Hi i live in El Salvador Central America and i need your help, i want a new camera for spotting, i need it for december an that´s the reason i can´t get a DSLR (not enought $$$) my options are:

Canon S5 IS
Canon S3 IS
Panasonic FZ8
Panasonic FZ18

The best choice for me?

Thank´s.

Sorry for my english.

[adam613]

I have the Canon S3 and it's a great camera for spotting if you set your expectations in the right place. You aren't going to get a.net-quality pictures out of it on a regular basis, but you can get some very nice shots for about 1/10 of what you'd spend on a DSLR. The S5 may be a better value depending on the price difference; The S5 has an 8 megapixel sensor, and the S3 has 6 MP.

I'm starting to outgrow the S3 and have my eye on the Panasonic FZ50 (which is 10 MP and can output RAW images, but costs twice as much) or the FZ18.

[kc2aqg]

Can I ask why you are not considering Sony? I have the DSC-H5 which is the 7.2MP point and shoot. It also has the "Carl Zeiss" 12X lens, which has done very well for me while spotting. Many different modes for different types of shooting, takes excellent and extremely detailed pics as well as great MPEG movies. Overall, it's a great camera to use, but I think it's great for spotting as well.

[G-BOAD]

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30. I really like it. It has 8 megapixes, and 12X (420mm) zoom, with a twist style "lens". Its kind of like an SLR, but the lens is mounted to the camera. I think it costs around $450-$500. You can also go for the 10.1 megapixel FZ50, which cost around $650.
It also takes videos in the quicktime format.
Here are my photos as an example:
http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=22174
(all were taken with the FZ30, except for the Eva Air Cargo MD-11)

I think the FZ8 would be a lot like mine, but if you want to zoom in you will need to pull the thing next to the shutter, and personaly, i hate that.

Hope I could help

[stuart schechter]

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30. I really like it. It has 8 megapixes, and 12X (420mm) zoom, with a twist style "lens". Its kind of like an SLR, but the lens is mounted to the camera. I think it costs around $450-$500. You can also go for the 10.1 megapixel FZ50, which cost around $650.
It also takes videos in the quicktime format.
Here are my photos as an example:
http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=22174
(all were taken with the FZ30, except for the Eva Air Cargo MD-11)

I think the FZ8 would be a lot like mine, but if you want to zoom in you will need to pull the thing next to the shutter, and personaly, i hate that.

Hope I could help


Those kinds of cameras are called SLR-Like.

[adam613]

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30. I really like it. It has 8 megapixes, and 12X (420mm) zoom, with a twist style "lens". Its kind of like an SLR, but the lens is mounted to the camera. I think it costs around $450-$500. You can also go for the 10.1 megapixel FZ50, which cost around $650.
It also takes videos in the quicktime format.
Here are my photos as an example:
http://www.jetphotos.net/showphotos.php?userid=22174
(all were taken with the FZ30, except for the Eva Air Cargo MD-11)

I think the FZ8 would be a lot like mine, but if you want to zoom in you will need to pull the thing next to the shutter, and personaly, i hate that.

Hope I could help

B&H has the FZ50 for $465.95. It's pretty much an SLR with a fixed lens. From what I've read, it's great at ISO 100, but at higher ISOs you get noisy pictures. For plane spotting, that's fine, because you can shoot anything at ISO 100.

I played around with the FZ50 and the FZ18 at B&H last night. I have to say, I prefer the FZ18; it has a much more modern interface and generally feels like better construction. Also, the lens has 18x zoom as opposed to 12x. The FZ50 has a larger (and higher resolution sensor), but I'm not sure how either lens would perform in the field. The FZ50 has manual zoom and focus, which is nice for spotting since you leave the focus at infinity all of the time.

As Andy pointed out, there are a couple of Sony models that are appropriate (he has one of them). Other than that the viewfinder is HUGE, I don't know much about these. They appear comparable to the Canon models, except I've gotten the impression that his lens is better than mine. Which is part of the reason I'm looking into upgrading :)

The problem you're going to run into with Sony (as well as the Canon S3/S5, and the FujiFilm S8000FD, which I recently discovered and haven't had a chance to look at yet) is that the sensor is small, which leads to noise. The Panasonic models have bigger sensors, which cuts down on noise.

[Derf]

For plane spotting, that's fine, because you can shoot anything at ISO 100.

lolol You have never shot with me!!!! :wink:

[adam613]

For plane spotting, that's fine, because you can shoot anything at ISO 100.

lolol You have never shot with me!!!! :wink:

Haha...is there some secret I'm missing?? I get enough noise at ISO 100, thank you very much :)

[Derf]

I am a night guy...I sometimes shoot 1600 iso with the exposure comp down -2. ..... Not a fan, but sometimes you got to do, what you got to do!

When I shoot at night and I need a 10 minute exposure, I will settle for 400 iso at 2.5 minutes. When the night is upon me, I become a camera *****! :borat:

If you ever need some noise, I have an extra bag just in case!!! :lol: :wink: http://www.longislandwallpapers.com/photos/211304500-L.jpg


Sorry about taking this thread way off topic, Did not mean to be an attention ***** as well! I wish I had something constructive to add.... Nothing more to see here people... Move it along! :wink:

[adam613]

Ha, I forgot you started the HDR thread. I'd love to mess with that stuff some day...That's part of the reason I want a camera that can shoot in RAW :)

[lijk604]

Ha, I forgot you started the HDR thread. I'd love to mess with that stuff some day...That's part of the reason I want a camera that can shoot in RAW :)

You don't need RAW to make HDR photos. JPEG files work fine. What you need is a camera that can either Auto-bracket photos (AEB) or one that gives you the ability to shoot BULB mode and have a remote shutter release. Then you can time your exposures.

[adam613]

Ha, I forgot you started the HDR thread. I'd love to mess with that stuff some day...That's part of the reason I want a camera that can shoot in RAW :)

You don't need RAW to make HDR photos. JPEG files work fine. What you need is a camera that can either Auto-bracket photos (AEB) or one that gives you the ability to shoot BULB mode and have a remote shutter release. Then you can time your exposures.

Yeah, I'm reading about that now, actually. I'll give it a shot one of these days :)

[adam613]

So I got my used Panasonic FZ50 for $350 over the weekend, and I really like it so far.

See my pictures in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8891&start=15 (http://www.nycaviation.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8891&start=15)

The manual zoom makes a big difference in spotting; it's much easier to zoom accurately and quickly than it was with the S3's electronic zoom.

I'll write a full review when I've had some more experience with the camera.