Panasonic premieres Lumix DMC-FZ100 high-speed superzoom camera (1 Viewer)

[scodgerott]

Hi sean
I did use an earlier model FZ a few years ago and I do not think the focus and zoom speeds are much of an improvement if any on the FZ 100.
The model was probably an FZ 28 or above.

Hi Sean, I have both the FZ18 and FZ100 and think the FZ100 is a little faster in focusing, sometimes the focus is instantaneous and other times it hunts a little. I bought it because I think it should give me a better chance to get shots of birds that I would miss with the FZ18. I still think that, although the FZ18 would focus quite quickly sometimes as well, but it definitely has more shutter lag than the FZ100 and that alone can make a difference. Also, the burst rates are so much higher than the FZ18, that you should be able to get a quick shot or three off long before the FZ18 has sprung into action. Hope this helps.

 

[scodgerott]

yes, i think both those intelligent settings are best avoided. Glad you've managed to track down the culprit.

Are you shooting raw, or .jpg ? Personally, on .jpg settings, i set the noise to minus, as i dont like the camera controlling the de-noising as i have a much better de-noise program plug-in in my Adobe Cs4

Hi Musoman. I always shoot in jpg, but I hadn't thought of setting the noise reduction to a minus setting. I'll give it a go. I took some more shots today and I'm now convinced that turning off those settings has made a big difference. I am uploading a couple of images taken since turning off those "intelligence" settings. They may not be perfect images, but I am a lot happier with results.

 

[Winterdune]

Thanks Scodgerott. How is the electronic viewfinder on the 100 compared to the 18? Is it really a lot worse?
Sean

 

[Winterdune]

There are some good shots from the FZ100 on this French forum (if you use google Chrome it will automatically translate it for you):
http://panasonicfz.easyforum.fr/section-lumix-fz-f6/fz100-mes-photos-et-videos-t51630.htm
Sean

 

[pdwinter]

Thanks Scodgerott. How is the electronic viewfinder on the 100 compared to the 18? Is it really a lot worse?
Sean

I haven't found any difference. I was expecting it to be worse. Perhaps when I get some dragonflies to photograph I'll notice it!

 

[Craig S]

Had 4 hours at a marsh today to try out FZ100, it didn't do as well as I had hoped. It is not a camera for getting the birds who do not sit still long.
Things I had trouble with:
-OIS intermittently stops working.
-Diopter adjustment wheel very loose, have to adjust it every few hours.
-Images not as sharp as Canon XS with 250 IS lens
-In bright daylight the EVF is like looking at a silouette
-Quite often at long end of zoom if you take your finger off the shutter button the lens retracts slightly causing you to refocus and more often than not to search for the subject again.
-Low light performance not very good, images tend to be poor.
-Took me almost 5 minutes to get the camera to focus on a duck at about 50 yards. Camera would beep and display the infinity symbol constantly.
My wifes Canon XS outperforms the FZ100 in focus and image quality.
Attached are pictures of a hawk taken at about 30 feet, the Canon XS photo has been darkened a little and the FZ100 lightened a little. Both cameras in A mode. Although the FZ100 produced a larger photo the Canon photo is quite a bit sharper.
Also attached are pictures of a tree the blurry photo is taken in Manual mode, the clearer picture is in A mode. IS was turned on in both of these photo's and is supposed to work in manual mode. This has happened several times in the different modes I have used.

 

[Musoman]

-OIS intermittently stops working.

I can only go by my FZ18 but OIS mode 2 will do this, because as far as i know, OIS in mode 2 only comes in when you press the shutter button.

-Diopter adjustment wheel very loose, have to adjust it every few hours.

This could well be a manufacturing fault, and you may have to take the cam back to the shop. I'd least get them to look at it


-Images not as sharp as Canon XS with 250 IS lens

You're trying to compare the wrong cameras. A dedicated DSLR with a prime lens against a point & shoot is not a comparison.

-In bright daylight the EVF is like looking at a silouette

Maybe you had the light behind the subject ?

-Quite often at long end of zoom if you take your finger off the shutter button the lens retracts slightly causing you to refocus and more often than not to search for the subject again.

Mine does this , so i dont take my finger off. Sorted

-Low light performance not very good, images tend to be poor.


Not many cameras are brilliant in low light, but remember, its still a point and shoot. Maybe you're expecting this camera to perform miracles. It wont

-Took me almost 5 minutes to get the camera to focus on a duck at about 50 yards. Camera would beep and display the infinity symbol constantly.


Perhaps there wasnt enough contrast around your subject. I've had this problem with a £700 Sigma. If the contrast is poor, this is what happens.

My wifes Canon XS outperforms the FZ100 in focus and image quality.

It should.

Attached are pictures of a hawk taken at about 30 feet, the Canon XS photo has been darkened a little and the FZ100 lightened a little. Both cameras in A mode. Although the FZ100 produced a larger photo the Canon photo is quite a bit sharper.
Also attached are pictures of a tree the blurry photo is taken in Manual mode, the clearer picture is in A mode. IS was turned on in both of these photo's and is supposed to work in manual mode. This has happened several times in the different modes I have used.

What aperture did you set on the FZ 100 ? What ISO ? Which OIS mode ? Did you use Tele Macro AF ? Was the lens at full tele ? Did you hand hold the shots ?

I think perhaps you need to play with the camera settings more, rather than just taking a few shots and posting that its not doing its job. It takes a while to get used to any cameras oddball idiosyncracies, so it maybe that your being a bit impatient ?

 

[Musoman]

:king::king::king:


I was just thinking to myself that it would be a good idea for us to meet up with my 18 and your 100 and go out on a shoot and see whats going on..till i saw where you live B

 

[Craig S]

Thanks for the pointers Musoman.
I gave up an E510 for this camera, it was well worn and needed repair.
I was looking at over $2,000 dollars for new DSLR system. Then I saw this and decided to try it out. Today was the first day I got to try it out in full daylight. I tried the EVF pointing every which way from the sun, tried some of the manual settings and got little improvement. I thought this camera might out perform my damaged E510, it did in some ways but it was lacking in others. All my shots were hand held as were the Canon XS. The Canon XS is quite dated and I thought this camera might come close to matching it. I was mistaken to think a high end P&S camera could match even a dated DSLR.
Most of your responses are probably quite accurate other than the IS2 only working when the shutter is activated. I took the picture and the IS didn't activate. Large trees don't move that much even in the heavy wind we had that day and I'm certain I wasn't shaking that much. I have noticed this in other modes that I've used so I am guessing it is a fault in the camera.
I also find operating the FZ100 to be a little more frustrating than the Canon.
Not trying to knock you or the camera. it is just that the camera is not living up to my expectations, I can get better results with a Canon XS with a 250mm lens than I can with the FZ100 at about the same price.
Have trialled this camera for a week and I am less than satisfied. I will likely return it and put out the money for a DSLR.

 

[scodgerott]

I haven't found any difference. I was expecting it to be worse. Perhaps when I get some dragonflies to photograph I'll notice it!

Its hard to explain, but I the viewing area through the FZ18 is bigger, but other than that there's not much difference in quality. You still get a matrix effect on both. When I say bigger, I don't mean that you see more of the subject you are trying to shoot, as both give 100% view, but its like looking at a small screen compared to an even smaller one. I hope that helps and not confuses.

 

[Musoman]

Thanks for the pointers Musoman.
I gave up an E510 for this camera, it was well worn and needed repair.
I was looking at over $2,000 dollars for new DSLR system. Then I saw this and decided to try it out. Today was the first day I got to try it out in full daylight. I tried the EVF pointing every which way from the sun, tried some of the manual settings and got little improvement. I thought this camera might out perform my damaged E510, it did in some ways but it was lacking in others. All my shots were hand held as were the Canon XS. The Canon XS is quite dated and I thought this camera might come close to matching it. I was mistaken to think a high end P&S camera could match even a dated DSLR.
Most of your responses are probably quite accurate other than the IS2 only working when the shutter is activated. I took the picture and the IS didn't activate. Large trees don't move that much even in the heavy wind we had that day and I'm certain I wasn't shaking that much. I have noticed this in other modes that I've used so I am guessing it is a fault in the camera.
I also find operating the FZ100 to be a little more frustrating than the Canon.
Not trying to knock you or the camera. it is just that the camera is not living up to my expectations, I can get better results with a Canon XS with a 250mm lens than I can with the FZ100 at about the same price.
Have trialled this camera for a week and I am less than satisfied. I will likely return it and put out the money for a DSLR.

Fair play Craig , its your cash so if it aint living up to your expectations, and they're happy refund you, then i agree - get your money back

 

[scodgerott]

Had 4 hours at a marsh today to try out FZ100, it didn't do as well as I had hoped. It is not a camera for getting the birds who do not sit still long.
Things I had trouble with:
-OIS intermittently stops working.
-Diopter adjustment wheel very loose, have to adjust it every few hours.
-Images not as sharp as Canon XS with 250 IS lens
-In bright daylight the EVF is like looking at a silouette
-Quite often at long end of zoom if you take your finger off the shutter button the lens retracts slightly causing you to refocus and more often than not to search for the subject again.
-Low light performance not very good, images tend to be poor.
-Took me almost 5 minutes to get the camera to focus on a duck at about 50 yards. Camera would beep and display the infinity symbol constantly.
My wifes Canon XS outperforms the FZ100 in focus and image quality.
Attached are pictures of a hawk taken at about 30 feet, the Canon XS photo has been darkened a little and the FZ100 lightened a little. Both cameras in A mode. Although the FZ100 produced a larger photo the Canon photo is quite a bit sharper.
Also attached are pictures of a tree the blurry photo is taken in Manual mode, the clearer picture is in A mode. IS was turned on in both of these photo's and is supposed to work in manual mode. This has happened several times in the different modes I have used.

Hi Craig, I can't comment on all your comparisons, but I suspect in the situation with the tree is that it could be a result of too slow a shutter speed. IS will only work up to a point. I am generally happy with my camera with the exception of the manual focus mechanism, which I find a bit frustrating. I don't have a DSLR, so I can't compare it to that, but I have to say, that with my FZ18 I got some pretty sharp shots and I expect this camera to be at least as good. I hope this camera should be better than the FZ18 is in getting shots of birds that may have disappeared before the 18 has sprung into action. With regards to focusing, some times the AF snaps into focus instantly and other times it does hunt. I usually leave the camera in manual focus, hit the focus button on the lens barrel and if it doesn't focus then start fiddling with the manual adjustments. Its the way I operated the FZ18 and found it the best way to use the camera. If you leave the camera on autofocus and it doesn't focus, then you have to flick it back to manual and then start adjusting, by keeping it in manual you cut out one step in the process and save a small amount of time, which may make the difference between getting a shot or missing a shot.

 

[Steven Astley]

Hi Craig. The first problem is you should be shooting in auto mode as your settings are way off. The camera will be able to assess the scene much better.

Looking at the exif data are you sure the tree wasn't taken in aperture priority and the hawk in manual mode.

Looking at the hawk, it needs light as its perched above you

you have used digital zoom which degrades image
f8 gives way too small aperture to let enough light in, the f number shoud be smaller
the shutter speed is too fast for letting light in aswell
and given the complete lack of light entering system you would have needed a higher iso.

The tree
again the aperture is too small forcing a slow shutter speed which is causing blurring.

 

[Craig S]

Thanks for responding Steve
The blurred tree was taken in Manual, I then switched to A mode.
This blurring occured a number of times on that outing while in manual mode.
The hawk was in A mode as I didn't try manual again until later in the day.
It was a bright sunny day. The hawk was much darker I lightened it a bit in photoshop.
I must say the OIS is very effective on the FZ100, much better than the E510.
Another problem this camera seems to have is that it does not always wake from sleep mode, I have to cycle the camera off and on to get it to work again.
Thanks for your advice, I'll probably try it again tomorrow and pay more attention to the settings.

 

[Craig S]

Fz100

Went out again yesterday, not a lot of birds around but I managed a few shots. Results were better. I turned sleep mode off. I had to adjust the diopter twice in an hour. If I decide to keep the camera I will likely try putting a piece of tape over it.
Still figuring things out. Realize now that I'm used to looking at the back of my camera for the settings info and not in the viewfinder.
The Blue Jay is about 15' away. I am aiming between the two branches.
Woodpecker is abut 15' away as well.
I've noticed that at 28x zoom the camera records it as being 799mm.
I'm still waiting for the TCON 17 to arrive and the adapter tube, hope they arrive before the end of September.
Still have 3 weeks to trial the camera and I can get half the cost of the FZ100 back if I trade it in within a year.
I think I need to get used to the camera, it is different in many ways from a DSLR, but having seen some samples of what it can do I'm quite certain it is a very capable camera, but not suited to everyone.
Here's a few samples;
Edit: Just looked at the posted pictures they suffered from a loss of sharpness with the resize and upload.


.

 

[Musoman]

Craig - i think you're getting there, learning more and more with this cam, and it would be a shame to give up until you've mastered it a bit more. That would be a better time to say you keep it or return it.

I've messed about a little ( if you dont mind ) in software to try and bring out the birds a bit more and subdue some of high bright spots in the backgrounds. Some of this will be personal depending on what the photographer likes, but i've checked a small amount of noise too

If you click on your Hummer and leave it viewable on your browser and then click my hummer, you can easily flick between the 2 and see the differences. Same with the Downy WP

 

[Craig S]

Thanks for taking the time to fix them up musoman. The originals looked quite a bit better than what I posted.
Your work on the hummingbird shows definite improvement. The woody was not that good even in the original but there is an improvement over what I posted.
I think it will just take some time and more photo ops to get it right. Had to do the same with other camera I have owned.
I think I'm going to keep the camera, I have a year to make up my mind then can trade it off if I want and not lose to much money.
Thanks again for everyones help and comments.

 

[Musoman]

I'm glad you're ok with the changes Craig. It was more to do with seeing if post processing is partly responsible for you not getting the best out of the camera, and thinking you might get rid of it based on the photos so far.

I'm never happy with any out of cam photos, so i always do PP work on my own. Habit i guess

 

[Musoman]

Hi Musoman. I always shoot in jpg, but I hadn't thought of setting the noise reduction to a minus setting. I'll give it a go. I took some more shots today and I'm now convinced that turning off those settings has made a big difference. I am uploading a couple of images taken since turning off those "intelligence" settings. They may not be perfect images, but I am a lot happier with results.

I forgot to answer you scod - i think i agree with you. A little bit steadier on the shot ( try bracing yourself / arm / cam if possible ) will improve things.
I'm sure everyone's aware that OIS isnt a miracle worker, so i give it all the help i can, especially at full tele

Had a mess about - its a bad habit - of that lovely little bird you shot. Its a wee bit out of focus, and i'm wondering if the cam AF has locked onto the tree more ?

Anyways, just played about with this in Adobe. Some of the end results are personal and may not be to everyone's taste, but i ' think ' there's a bit of improvement here.

Lovely bird, and not one i've seen before, as i live in the UK

 

[scodgerott]

I forgot to answer you scod - i think i agree with you. A little bit steadier on the shot ( try bracing yourself / arm / cam if possible ) will improve things.
I'm sure everyone's aware that OIS isnt a miracle worker, so i give it all the help i can, especially at full tele

Had a mess about - its a bad habit - of that lovely little bird you shot. Its a wee bit out of focus, and i'm wondering if the cam AF has locked onto the tree more ?

Anyways, just played about with this in Adobe. Some of the end results are personal and may not be to everyone's taste, but i ' think ' there's a bit of improvement here.

Lovely bird, and not one i've seen before, as i live in the UK

Thanks Musoman, I can definitely see a difference between the two pics. Its possible the cam did lock onto the tree, I took it in a hurry and got the shot just before the bird flew. By the way, the bird in question is a Butcher Bird. Its a good looking bird with a lovely song, but has the nasty habit of taking chicks out of the nest and skewering them onto a thorn so it can then rip them apart. Its well named. Despite this rather nasty habit, it is a popular bird and well liked by birders in general.