Need help on a camera choice

Sanjuro

Hi, not sure if I'm in the right section or not. I have a bit of a quandry over two cameras. I'm stuck between the Panasonic DMC FZ38 and the Canon G11 (or maybe the Powershot SX1 IS). I'm not looking for anything too technical as I'm just upgrading from a really small compact point and shoot, but want something a bit more involved. I've used the G11 and found it to be pretty good, but I've been reading really good things about the FZ38. Also, it's a little cheaper, and that'd be a bonus.

Does anyone know anything about these cameras and would be willing to share their wisdom? Thanks in advance!

dinneenp

I have the Panny FZ28.
I like it a lot- has great zoom, macro etc. all in one lens. I'd recommend it no problem.
The G11 has a lot shorter reach but better quality pics.
Depends on what you want out of it.

CabanSail

I use the Canon G9 as my "take everywhere" camera. I chose this over the G10 but I have heard really good things about the G11.

I am not familiar with the Panasonic model.

katiemaloe

The G11 is a crackin camera though you can still get the G10, which will be cheaper and has more pixels. You should have a look at the Canon S90. It is a simpler version of the G11 and has a beautiful f2 lens. The Canon SX200 is a very good choice too.... lots of zoom, full manual and auto control and nicely built too. And pretty cheap compared to the others!

Panasonic have a gorgeous LX3 which is very similar to the G10/G11. Really nice f2 lens on this one too, and a very solid little camera.

The other Canon you mentioned uses AA batteries which I wouldn't recommend. They chew power and don't come with rechargables. The SX200 would be a far superior camera.

Hope this helps! www.dpreview.com is a great site for in depth reviews on all cameras.

beans

In researching the G10, I came across an assertion that the extra pixels were counter-productive in terms of noise for the size of the sensor. The lower pixel-count in the G11 seems to be in an attempt to address this.

I find the G10 pretty noisy over ISO400, and find the on-board flash either a little too bright or too dim for some situations, depending on the output you set it to - aside from that, it's great. Kind of wish I'd held out for the 11 though. Seems to be a good performer in low-light situations, which appeals

CabanSail

beans wrote: »

In researching the G10, I came across an assertion that the extra pixels were counter-productive in terms of noise for the size of the sensor. The lower pixel-count in the G11 seems to be in an attempt to address this.

I find the G10 pretty noisy over ISO400, and find the on-board flash either a little too bright or too dim for some situations, depending on the output you set it to - aside from that, it's great. Kind of wish I'd held out for the 11 though. Seems to be a good performer in low-light situations, which appeals

These are the reasons I bought the G9 rather than the G10 at the time. Then again sensor of this size are going to struggle with noise.

dinneenp

I bought the S90 yesterday (in the USA for €270, a friend lives there).

Decided that speed, low light performance is good to have. I have my hybrid camera for zoom so decided to go for the opposite and pocketable.

denat

dinneenp wrote: »

I bought the S90 yesterday (in the USA for €270, a friend lives there).

Decided that speed, low light performance is good to have. I have my hybrid camera for zoom so decided to go for the opposite and pocketable.

That's a great price for the S90 - well done.

I was leaning towards Pana LX3 until nilhg, on this forum, suggested Olympus E420 (thanks nilhg, for that). Having done more research I'm being increasingly drawn to the Oly E620 albeit at a less than bargain price - E420 still seems wonderful value.

It's all about a balance between portability and image quality, I suppose, but how to decide on a limited budget?

kumate_champ07

denat wrote: »

That's a great price for the S90 - well done.

I was leaning towards Pana LX3 until nilhg, on this forum, suggested Olympus E420 (thanks nilhg, for that). Having done more research I'm being increasingly drawn to the Oly E620 albeit at a less than bargain price - E420 still seems wonderful value.

It's all about a balance between portability and image quality, I suppose, but how to decide on a limited budget?

I'd go with the e420!

Dools2007

Hi,

Sorry to hijack the thread but am thinking of purchasing the Panasonic DMC-FZ38 to replace my current Canon Ixus 50.

Realistically, I am looking for a camera with better image quality than my existing point and shoot which will allow me at the same time to learn some more about the manual settings on the camera.

Looking at it on Camerabox for £259 (approx €300 delivered)

Any thoughts / help appreciated.

http://www.camerabox.co.uk/product1.asp?ProductName=Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-FZ38-Black&ProductID=9286