[comfortablynumb]

Hi,

I'm planning to buy a prosumer camera soon, and wanted to get the advice/opinions of the photography buffs here.

I have narrowed down my choices to Panasonic DMC-FZ28 and Olympus SP-565UZ. The FZ28 has slightly more positive reviews and ratings on the net, while the SP-565 is cheaper [not by much - $30] and comes with an international warranty.

Some questions that I had were:
1. Which brand has a better presence w.r.t atfer sales service in India [I am located in Pune]?
2. I'll be using it mostly outdoors. Which is more robust [i.e better able to withstand hot and dusty environs]?
3. I am an amateur, so the frequency of use won't be much; say, once a month or so. But when I do use it, I'd like to experiment a bit with the manual settings. Which is better for this purpose?

Photography Gurus, could you please help me in making my decision? Any other inputs that you may have are welcome! :-)

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
Vikram

[kalpeshc]

Why is a Canon S5 or SX10 (or is it SX1) not on your list?

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by kalpeshc

Why is a Canon S5 or SX10 (or is it SX1) not on your list?

The S5 IS is not available with any online retailers in the US any more, and the SX10 is way above my budget. The cheapest deal for the SX10 is for $380; if I buy a few accessories it goes up to $410. I can get either the DMC-FZ28 & SP-565, along with the accessories, for a max of $325.

Cheers,
Vikram

[rajismine]

FZ28 is way better than SP565UZ. infact FZ28 performs a little better than even the SP590UZ.

Buy either a SX10 IS or a FZ28. The street price in US could be around $$350 but FZ28 is definitely cheaper

[kalpeshc]

I don't know about Pannys but Canon's compact cameras have extremely sturdy build quality and the placement of the dials/buttons and the menu interface is extremely convenient. I've used an older model of a Panny super zoom (10x) and the buttons and the interface left a lot to be desired.

[deetee]

For anyone buying an ultra zoom , I strongly urge you to consider the entry level dSLR models.You will never go wrong with a dSLR decision.

You can get 17x zoom range(28-480mm) by spending another Rs.7000 on top of the dSLR price . dSLRPicture quality and usability will be manytimes better than any compact or ultra zoom.
Canon EOS 1000D can be bought for as low as 28.5k with bill and 2yrs warranty.Nikon d40 comes for as low as 22K in grey and 27k with b/warranty.

[tsk1979]

7000rs? I guess it will be atleast 70000rs to cover this humongous zoom range with good lenses.
The cheapest good zoom which takes to 480mm(35mm equiv) is the 70-300IS from canon and costs 25000rs.
So DSLR+70-300 == 1100$
Prosumer 28-500zoom == 400$
700$ is a lot of money, esp in these times!

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by deetee

For anyone buying an ultra zoom , I strongly urge you to consider the entry level dSLR models.You will never go wrong with a dSLR decision.

You can get 17x zoom range(28-480mm) by spending another Rs.7000 on top of the dSLR price . dSLRPicture quality and usability will be manytimes better than any compact or ultra zoom.
Canon EOS 1000D can be bought for as low as 28.5k with bill and 2yrs warranty.Nikon d40 comes for as low as 22K in grey and 27k with b/warranty.

From where did you get these prices? I checked the Canon and Nikon India websites just 5 minutes ago, and these are the recommended prices:
Canon EOS 1000D: INR 34,995.00, Nikon D40: INR 31,990
I don't think any bricks & mortar retailer in India will reduce 7.5K and 10K for the EOS1000D and D40 respectively.

Anyway, thanks a lot everyone, for your replies to my post. I've ordered [through a relative in the US] the Panasonic DMC-FZ28 along with a LowePro camera bag, Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 card and a Tiffen 46 mm UV + Protective filter for a total of $340. I should be getting my hands on it in 2-3 weeks. Hope to enjoy taking lots of pics, and will definitely update this thread with my experience!

Cheers!
Vikram

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

I've ordered [through a relative in the US] the Panasonic DMC-FZ28

I have heard this line from many members about different products. Could you explain how this thing works. I will be very happy to call my relatives for my future needs, in case if it sounds safe and economical. Do they receive the courier locally and send it to you by another courier or bring it with them when they travel to India ? Please throw some light, thanks.

[deetee]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

7000rs? I guess it will be atleast 70000rs to cover this humongous zoom range with good lenses.
The cheapest good zoom which takes to 480mm(35mm equiv) is the

I was refering to non-IS zoom.Canon EF 75-300(non USM) costs about 7K and can give you effective focal length of 480mm.
Not every newbie DSLR/Prosumer user frequently zooms beyond 200mm,IMHO.
So, for the beginner non-IS at 7K should be good enough.
And if one is desparate for absolute quality,I agree that lots of money has to be put in.
But then,a prosumer cam might not satisfy the quality seeker.

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

From where did you get these prices? I checked the Canon and Nikon India websites just 5 minutes ago, and these are the recommended prices:
Canon EOS 1000D: INR 34,995.00, Nikon D40: INR 31,990
I don't think any bricks & mortar retailer in India will reduce 7.5K and 10K for the EOS1000D and D40 respectively.

Well , the prices on website are only recommended/suggested/maximum retail prices.
Even in non-photography stores, you can negotiate the prices.
Atleast in Hyderabad, there are a few brick and mortar stores which retail the cameras at prices I mentioned,albeit after proper negotiation.
And not all cameras are discounted with such heavy gap.
For sony cameras , at most get a thousand or two is discounted on MRP.
Canon and Nikon prints inflated MRPs and the stores can sell them at any price lower as long as they find it profitable.

[tsk1979]

Ummm, have you used the Canon 75-300 lens?
If I had to go birding, I would anyday dump my 350D + 75-300 and borrow somebodys 18x-20x prosumer.
The Prosumer may not give better image quality than a DSLR always, but as far as this lens is concerned, you will not lose anything by choosing a prosumer.

[comfortablynumb]

Originally Posted by shajufx

I have heard this line from many members about different products. Could you explain how this thing works. I will be very happy to call my relatives for my future needs, in case if it sounds safe and economical. Do they receive the courier locally and send it to you by another courier or bring it with them when they travel to India ? Please throw some light, thanks.

Shajufx,

My sister ordered the camera & accessories for me. They will be delivered to her home in the US and she'll bring them with her to India in a couple of weeks.

If I'd bought these same items in Pune, it would have cost me close to 24K. By buying them in the US, I saved almost 7K; it may not be much for a lot of people, but to me it's a substantial amount.

Hope this helps!

Cheers,
Vikram

[deetee]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Ummm, have you used the Canon 75-300 lens?
If I had to go birding, I would anyday dump my 350D + 75-300 and borrow somebodys 18x-20x prosumer.
The Prosumer may not give better image quality than a DSLR always, but as far as this lens is concerned, you will not lose anything by choosing a prosumer.

Honestly I hadn't used any tele zoom till now. Because mostly am into lanscape shooting only.
But ,prosumers doesn't offer precise control of zoom,correct if am wrong.
P&S and prosumers have their own advantages(size and all in one aspects).
But their I.Q. could compete with SLRs only under good lighting.
Moreover, no prosumer can give a shallow depth of field for birding.

[tsk1979]

I own this lens. This lens is just like a budget zoom. i.e not upto the mark. Thats why its so cheap(7000rs) and so popular.
The problem with this lens is the sweet spot, which lies at F10. When you stop down to F10, you get slow shutter speeds.
This means using ISO1600 or so.
On the other hand, in prosumers, you can have F4-F5 at full extension. So you can easily make do with ISO-100, and the IS also gives you two stop benefit.
So unless you are using a tripod, or some sort of monopod, you will need high ISO.

Now if only this lens gave good results at F5.6 also, then it would be awesome.
But then this lens would cost 15000rs, and not 7000rs.

I have done pixel peeping on shots from Prosumer cams, and unless you cross ISO200, there is not much gain in the image quality unless you are using a tack sharp L lens.

Infact many people think that they will buy a DSLR and shoot with kit lens and suddenly their shots will be sharper and better.
Unfortunately the opposite happens. the Auto mode shots actually are dull and lifeless compared to P&S which pop.
Only after extensively tweaking in camera settings, you can get those results.

Of course, if you go into niche segment like long exposures, or high ISO photography, the DSLR wins hands down, but for run of the mill daytime landscape photography, a P&S will give the DSLR a run for its money

[shajufx]

Originally Posted by comfortablynumb

They will be delivered to her home in the US and she'll bring them with her to India in a couple of weeks.

Great, exactly what I imagined. Now, let me ask you one more question. Gadgets bought from US has no warranty in India (specially cameras that has US warranty), although you save 7k to 10k model to model. Dont you get the same saving when you buy it from the grey market here ? I bought my canon IXY800 IS from grey (original with a note- 'not to be sold outside Japan') for 13k including 1 GB card and a pouch ( beginning of 2007 ) which was selling at the dealer for 23k without card nor pouch. This month I got my Nikon D60 + 18-55 VR lens with Lowepro bag, LCD protector, 4 GB card all for 29700. Same thing is sold at the dealer for 38k+ (Pixetra price with 12.5% vat) but a kit of 2 GB card and cheap Nikon bag.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Of course, if you go into niche segment like long exposures, or high ISO photography, the DSLR wins hands down, but for run of the mill daytime landscape photography, a P&S will give the DSLR a run for its money

Do we have any Nikkor/Sigma/Tamron/Tokina reliable lense within a budget for birding ? My budget is max US$500 as of now. Its for a D60.