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General discussion

Panasonic Lumix FZ20

Jun 11, 2005 2:34PM PDT

I am in desperate need of some advice. I have been contemplating the purchase of the Panasonic Lumix FZ20. I initially was looking at the Minolta Dimage Z3, but heard bad things about it. I have heard some bad things about the Panasonic as well, but mostly good things. I am a bit cautious as Cnet only gives it a 6.9, but users give it a 8.6 rating. I am a web designer and I have always been into photography. I am starting an online portfolio website for amateur models. I would like a camera that shoots good portrait photography and produces good printed photos. The optical focus to me is an added benefit. Would you suggest this camera in terms of its functions, and price. Would I be happy with this camera? How does it work with continuous ligting? I am setting up a in-house studio in my home. Would this do the job, I am not seeking something that is professional grade, but next to it in terms of quality. And can anyone suggest good lighting equipment?

Discussion is locked

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Panasonic FZ20
Jun 12, 2005 12:00AM PDT

The people who have the FZ20 are generally pleased with the camera. If you have ever visited a Panasonic forum, it is more of a love fest that a gripe fest.

The FZ20 will take excellent portait shots.

I does seem unusual to choose a long lens camera for studio work. Portraits are usually rather limited in lens distance requirements. They generally are taken with a 2X to 3X zoom factor.

As far as Cnet camera rating system; I am often in disagreement with their ratings and always in diagreement with their rating system.

Go by the "user" rating.

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Panasonic Lumix FZ20
Jun 12, 2005 5:31PM PDT

You make a good point. The zoom capabilities of the camera is going to be an added feature for me. I am going to be using the camera for personal use as well as for taking portrait photography. The zoom capability is good for when I go to concerts and events where I may not be too close to the action. And I would like to know that it would also work good under low light situations.

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Panasonic FZ20
Jun 12, 2005 11:30PM PDT

"Camera for personal use as well as portrait photography."

That explains the need for the long lens.

The FZ20 is one of the better choices for concerts and events and low light situations.

The Leica lens is one of the few that does not lose light as you zoom out.

You do need to know about manually selecting shutter speeds, aperture settings (f-stops) and ISo settings.
Low light is not a point-and-shoot situation.

Here is a refresher course in basic exposure settings:

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

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ISO
Jun 13, 2005 7:03PM PDT

How exactly does the ISO work? The lower ISO is for situations with lots of light and the higher ISO is for low light situations? Is this correct?

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ISO settings
Jun 14, 2005 12:12AM PDT

Yes to your question.

When using a film camera, when you ran into a low light situation you could switch to a faster film.

The ISO setting is the digital equivalent of changing to a high speed film.

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So why not use high speed film all the time?

High speed film has more "grain" than normal speed film. This will show up in some photos. The higher the speed of the film, the greater the grain.

High ISO settings have the same problem. Since you are making the sensor more sensitive to light, you will induce noise into the photo. The higher the ISO setting, the greater amount of noise.

However, you can now find some very good noise removal software.

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ISO settings
Jun 14, 2005 6:18PM PDT

So...It is good to use low ISO settings? Except in low light situations, where the high ISO is good?

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FZ20 TTL?
Jun 14, 2005 10:30PM PDT

I'm wondering if the FZ20 will control exposure TTL when an external flash is used on the hot shoe?
Bob

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FZ20 TTL
Jun 15, 2005 2:00AM PDT

That is a very good question.

Panasonic only list one external flash unit for the FZ20.

And they provide absolutely no information about the flash unit.

http://tinyurl.com/a2olb

It appears that you will have to contact Panasonic directly to find out.

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auto
Jan 1, 2007 7:31PM PST

I would recommend to just putting it in auto, then the camera can decide for itself which is the best setting for each situation