That's how much money I have in my paypal account at the moment to spend on a new camera.
I was just checking to see if anyone had a good camera they were selling around these parts. I think it would be neat to buy someones old camera off of here. So...if anyone has anything decent and wants to see it go into good hands let me know.
I can get a Panasonic FZ20 new on ebay for around $380 shipped, so if I can't find anything soon I'm just going to get that.
I love my Panasonic (I have an FZ-4), the zoom range is great and the IS really helps a lot. It does have it's downsides though. For starters, the min aperature is f/8.0 and the max shutter speed is 8 seconds. Also, when you raise the ISO beyond whatever the minimum for the FZ-20 is (my min is ISO64), you start to get a lot of noise. But if you keep the ISO down as low as possible, it works great. I have owned two digital cameras so far and they have both been Panasonics. They make great stuff but I think it's nearly time for me to upgrade to the dSLR range as the Panasonic just isn't doing everything I want it to anymore. Just my opinion, if you have any questions, feel free to PM me. I also have a bunch of shots taken with my FZ-4 on my website (link is in my profile) if you care to look.
My suggestion, don't let it burn a hole in your pocket so fast. This is an investment that you will have for a long while, so don't grab the first thing that looks good in your price range. Buying one brand of camera will lead you to buying same brand accessories, and that will lead you into staying with that brand for sake of already investing so much into it. Or it will eventually lead you into selling that stuff for something else.
Do your reasearch and check out sales, etc, to find something that you are more apt to like. It's tough when you have the bug and want to upgrade, just don't settle for one brand just because it's in your price range right now. Good luck!
Kiwipix has a fz20 and swears by it .. I have an fz30 and love using it as well ... I think go for what you think is really worth it ... but do good reseearch first. When I was looking I checked out multiple types including DSLRs .. and found that the FZ30 is lighter and easier for me to use (I hve ms so weight and energy use of myself are important factors) ... Since getting the FZ20 Kiwipix has had a most awesome time with shooting everywhere ... and he uses the full range of f stops etc. ...I will get him to come on line and discuss when he returns from Auckland today.
Oh...I've been doing research for a long time now. So far I've owned a Minolta, Canon, and Nikon and I've loved them all and taken great pictures with them all. I've been looking around for a long time just taking my time...and I'm pretty sure the FZ20 will work good for me for now. It's what I want...a fixed lense camera with a good range and good glass. I'm not a pro photographer by any means....so really, I don't need to sink a whole lot of money into my setup at this point in time. As my skills progress and I get more paying gigs I'll upgrade my equipment then.
I think I'll be happy with my choice... And really...I'm just glad to be replacing my nikon, lol...
to go into the DSLR madness is going to cost a lot more than $400..
there is one camera that I want that isn't a real DSLR but a great option for those not willing to spend $1000+ for a camera + $many+++ for lenses and acessories.
the new samsung 815 camera has everything you need :)
I got 30 pounds of L lenses, a canon 5D and 1V and I still want the samsung :)
Sorry, I didn't know you had done all the research already. I wasn't trying to sound demeaning in any way. :-) Then go for it. I think it's amazing what you've been able to capture with your Nikon, and with this camera you will undoubtedly be able to do more. Best of luck with your purchase, and show us some pics when you get it!
I have a Minolta DiMAGE A1, a telephoto, and a Minolta 3600 HS wirelss flash all in excellent condition that I would consider letting go of for your price. I have begun this post several times and killed each one of them. I love this camera, but since I moved to another camera this has just been sitting there waiting for a good home. This was my first digital camera and I am very fond of it. It is kind of sad to offer it, but I hate to have it being unused.
Pristine condition Panasonic FZ5 (black) for $250 OBO.
I also have the Oly .7x wide angle attachment that works best w/ that camera ~$100 new throw in for an extra $50.
FZ5 is basically a little brother of the FZ-20 w/o manual focus.
//www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmcfz5.asp
FZ20 is a great camera, I got excellent results with the FZ10.
I upgraded to a DSLR because I wanted to do more gig photography, and I wanted to go professional. Otherwise, I would quite happily still be using an FZ10. The colour reproduction is excellent and it works very well for landscape photography. For shooting people, it's nicer to have the much faster focusing of a DSLR, especially in a studio.
And yeah, even ISO1600 on my Minolta gives less noise than ISO100 on the Panasonic.
I did a fair bit of research as well. Having used an S2 for a while, I'd recommend the FZ20 if you can get it for around the same price. 380 dollars is a pretty good magic number.
Most people agree that the FZ20 beats the FZ30 in many major respects.
Not the least of which is a better pixel pitch (FZ30 has smaller pixels than the FZ20, which causes more noise and more diffraction issues which will greatly soften images beyond F/5.6, possibly noticeable even at F/5.0) and better glass on the FZ20. It's also smaller (although not exactly pocketable.
It easily beats the Samsung 815 model (big honkin zoom range with NO IS! and loads of other really important features simply missing)
Buy an extra battery for it and maybe a polarizer if you can.
Remember that all of the big zoom cameras are VERY specific to good light conditions. I've had a good close look at some pictures of bright skies taken at ISO 50 at 1/1000 and there is noise present that will take away just a little bit of smoothness in the sky.
Having that manual focus ring is definitely a major issue as well. If I could trade straight across, I probably would. The only reason that I didn't get the FZ20 was that I did not properly esteem the constant aperture f/2.8 and manual focus ring. The S2 is a long way off of terrible though and I'm planning on only using it as a backup camera and for the movie mode now and again, so the regret is minimal for me.
If your budget really is that tight, I wouldn't worry about anything else. You will be happy with your decision. Going DSLR via the 300D plus kit plus 70-300 Sigma is still going to set you back a fair bit more any way you slice it.
