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General discussion

Fuji Finepix S5500 or Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20

Apr 27, 2005 7:20PM PDT

Hi

I was originally planning to purchase a Fuji Finepix S5500 simply for general use and good value for money but when a friend pointed out the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20 i had to look twice. Besides the cost factor (S5500 AU$539) and (DMC-FZ20 AU$899) i dont know which one to go for! Please help if you recommend either camera and whether i should spend more money on the Panasonic or not. I have heard both are great cameras and your help would be much appreciated!! The S5500 may be all that i need but in comparison:

FUJI S5500 has 4 MP and 10x Optical zoom wheras the
PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-FZ20 has 5MP and 12 x optical zoom.
Its a hard choice and for all those that can help, please do!


Thanks
Daniel White

Discussion is locked

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Fujifilm S5500 and Panasonic FZ20
Apr 27, 2005 11:51PM PDT

The Panasonic cameras have image stabilization which increases the cost. A worthwhile feature.

The Fujifilm S5500 takes very sharp photos and can serve you well.

Lower cost versions of the Panasonic are now hitting the stores in the USA.

FZ4 (4 megapixel) 12X
FZ5 (5 megapixel) 12X
Both have image stabilization.

See if they have showed up in the land down under.

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fuji finepix S5500
May 18, 2005 7:44PM PDT

hi all.
ive recently purchased a fuji finepix S5500.
the camera is the best ive used up to date but i guess if youve been used to the max speillman throw aways for years i guess an upgrade like this would be like going from a mini to a ferrari.
my problem is not with the camera but the manual that comes with it.
ive noticed on some of the cameras functions theres numbers at the bottom of the screen that go up and down and some allow you to change them but what are they for and what do they do. they are like a numerate spirit level and the manual doesnt explain what the numbers are or how to use them.
i wanted a digital camera simply to get real close up shots of nature and was recomended the fine pix but its got so many toys on it i dont know where to start. is there a web site that shows you how to use certain cameras or am i in for a long haul as its gonna take years to learn all the facilities that this camera holds.

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Fujifilm S5500
May 19, 2005 12:02AM PDT

You have joined the world of manual controls.

And you are right, it will take some time to fully understand all the functions. But first it is necessary to understand why you want to use the functions.

You can not sit down with the manual and understand it all. So start with one function at a time.

Start with exposure:
Whenever you get ready to take a photo, the camera will automatically choose a shutter speed and a aperture setting. What it chooses depends upon the amount of light available.

But if you have a boy riding by on his bicycle, the camera may choose a shutter speed that is too low and when you review the photo, parts of the boy are blurred. You need a faster shutter speed.

Switch the camera to "shutter priority" mode and manually set the shutter to something like 1/250th of a second. The camera will automatically adjust the aperture to a lower number thereby providing more light (with faster shutter speeds, you need more light).Now try your photo again and notice the improvement.

Here is a link that is good for learning about exposure: Shutter, aperture, and ISO settings:

http://www.pbase.com/otfchallenge/the_basics

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Panasonic Z20 OR Z 5
May 19, 2005 4:06AM PDT

Buy a Panasonic Z 20 if you can deal with a larger camera or Z 5 if you want a small camera. The difference between both is Z 20 has a manual focus ring and Z 5 doesn't. I recently bought Z 5 and it is excellent! 5 stars to it.

Don't buy Fuji 5500 in this modern world of Image stabilization. You will regret within 6 months when most of the cameras offer Image stabilization "standard".

If you can wait for one more month, go for Canon IS S 2.