Recommend me a SuperZoom

[B15TT0]

Hi,

I'm fed up carting my Olympus DSLR around as a) i'm not good enough to make use of all the features and b) with lenses etc it's not exactly compact.

So... I've read about these superzooms and I quite fancy one. I want it for holiday photos mainly but ideally with the ability to play around a bit too and keep practising photography. I'm off to the Japanese GP later this year so the zoom will be very useful!

Has anyone tried one and if so, are they any good?

[andy-xr]

B15TT0 said:

Hi,

I'm fed up carting my Olympus DSLR around as a) i'm not good enough to make use of all the features and b) with lenses etc it's not exactly compact.

So... I've read about these superzooms and I quite fancy one. I want it for holiday photos mainly but ideally with the ability to play around a bit too and keep practising photography. I'm off to the Japanese GP later this year so the zoom will be very useful!

Has anyone tried one and if so, are they any good?

The ones I've tried were utter ste to be honest

[Simpo Two]

Ta-da: www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q109superzoomgroup/

[Lord Pikey]

I have the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ27 (or 8 i forget)

I think it is a fantastic camera for the money. Its low light performance does let it down a bit but apart from that i can find no faults.

My camera geek friend rates it over his 400D for most daily use and practicality

If you want to see an example of some shots taken with it have a look on the motor museum albums in my photobucket account

http://s151.photobucket.com/albums/s121/kieranpage...

Any questions just ask.

[andy-xr]

Might have misread the OP there....

I thought it was about 12-70000mm superzoom lenses, sorry!

[B15TT0]

andy-xr said:

Might have misread the OP there....

I thought it was about 12-70000mm superzoom lenses, sorry!

I'm glad you re-posted. I've been sat here wondering if they are actually all dreadful!!

Thanks for the replies so far.

Front runners seems to be the Canon SX10 and the Panasonic Lumix FZ28. Any experience of using either for action photos (Goodwood FOS / Circuit racing) etc?

[Lord Pikey]

B15TT0 said:

andy-xr said:

Might have misread the OP there....

I thought it was about 12-70000mm superzoom lenses, sorry!

I'm glad you re-posted. I've been sat here wondering if they are actually all dreadful!!

Thanks for the replies so far.

Front runners seems to be the Canon SX10 and the Panasonic Lumix FZ28. Any experience of using either for action photos (Goodwood FOS / Circuit racing) etc?

Yup, Not many but there is a LeMans section on the photobucket link, towards the end of the album

[B15TT0]

Lord Pikey said:

B15TT0 said:

andy-xr said:

Might have misread the OP there....

I thought it was about 12-70000mm superzoom lenses, sorry!

I'm glad you re-posted. I've been sat here wondering if they are actually all dreadful!!

Thanks for the replies so far.

Front runners seems to be the Canon SX10 and the Panasonic Lumix FZ28. Any experience of using either for action photos (Goodwood FOS / Circuit racing) etc?

Yup, Not many but there is a LeMans section on the photobucket link, towards the end of the album

Thanks.

Hmmm... hard to tell though as the quality on photobucket is pretty poor which I imagine isn't helped by the upload size limit.

Can you `track` the cars like you can with a DSLR once it's in focus and get an instant snap when you hit the button?

[Furyous]

Do bridge cameras not have shutter lag you can measure in weeks ?

Or have they improved lately ?

[Lord Pikey]

They are still no where near the league of proper DSLR's but they are getting better.

As for the panning question. I have never tried, but i did a couple of years back with a friends DMC-12 and the shots came out pretty good.

[B15TT0]

Lord Pikey said:

They are still no where near the league of proper DSLR's but they are getting better.

As for the panning question. I have never tried, but i did a couple of years back with a friends DMC-12 and the shots came out pretty good.

Thanks. I think I might give the Panasonic a go...

[Rob13]

Trouble with bridge cams is that when you take the photo, you see the shutter through the viewfinder/screen in that it temporarily goes black, making it difficult to pan for shots. You do have to practice to get it right and your success rate will be less than it would with a DSLR. Its the reason I'm thinking of getting rid of my FZ7 for a 450D

[B15TT0]

Rob13 said:

Trouble with bridge cams is that when you take the photo, you see the shutter through the viewfinder/screen in that it temporarily goes black, making it difficult to pan for shots. You do have to practice to get it right and your success rate will be less than it would with a DSLR. Its the reason I'm thinking of getting rid of my FZ7 for a 450D

Yeah, i was worrying about that and got the DSLR out the bag to have a play (been a while). Think I'll take it next week in France and concentrate on trying to use it properly and maybe sign up for a photography course when i'm back before heading off to the F1 in Japan.

[lowdrag]

Seems the Panasonic TZ7 gets very good reviews. Worth a look perhaps? 25/300mm lens which is brilliant wide angle and a decent length zoom too.