Jac747

I'm interested in buying one of these for an upcoming trip to the mid-east since I cannot carry a heavy camera with extra lenses, etc. The two I've been reading about are the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 and the Nikon Coolpix S8000. It sounds like the Nikon is better for all light situations but the Panasonic has a stronger zoom. Both have wide angle capability which is important-never use the video however. Any recommendations? I would like to get good photos of the desert and Petra but am I dreaming that one of these will do the trick? Thanks.

Efrem

You may want a lot of zoom for Petra. You can get more zoom than either of these (though the camera won't fit into your pocket): Panasonic goes to 18x with the FZ35, Nikon goes to 26x with the P100. Maybe this is "megazoom," not "superzoom," but I've never found this distinction especially clear. (A quick Google search suggests that I'm not alone in this.)

Reviewers tend to find Canon or Panasonic the way to go at the high end of the P&S category. They don't think the quality of Nikon's excellent DSLRs makes it down to their Coolpix line. There are lots of delighted P100 users, of course, but most never did a serious comparative test versus its competitors. That said, for most of us it will take fine pictures.

Thalassa

I believe people overestimate the need for the telephoto end of P&S cameras. While is is nice to be able to shoot some distant details, very often the images with the most impact are shot with a wide angle lens.

The need for a long telephoto is further reduced because of the high pixel count of modern cameras: you can bring stuff quite a bit closer by simply cropping the image.

The super or mega zooms are miniature marvels of technology, but they are by necessity compromises. In order to get a huge zoom range into a small, light, and affordable package, the sensor has to be relatively small. While they still have high resolution, the image quality of these sensors is simply no match for larger sensors.

So, my recommendation would be to look for a camera with a large sensor and fast lens. I normally shoot a DSLR (a Nikon D300) but I am quite happy with our second camera, which is a Canon S90. It has a 3.8x (28 - 105 mm equivalent ) zoom lens, a fantastic 2.0 maximum aperture (only at the wide end, though) and plenty of manual controls. It also shoots raw which gives more post-processing headroom than JPEG. Another option could be a Panasonic Lumix LX3.

If you are OK with paying a bit more, you might also want to look at the new interchangeable lense Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5. They feature a DSLR-size sensor, interchangeable lenses, and a very small form factor.

Cheers,
T.

slawecki

we have a panasonic fz35. it is a 12.1 mpixel with an 18x zoom. we frequently use it at max zoom, and max rez. my favorite feature is that it really works well as a point and shoot. turn it on, zoom it, and shoot. had an olympus prior to this one, and never could figure out how to run it.

this camera is very light, but does not fit in a pocket.

this is maxed out:

http://slawecki.com/bluebirds/#single:P1010973.JPG
http://slawecki.com/Jerry%20Files/#single:P8010210.JPG

closeups are ok, long range has loss. we have a canon x1t, or some such, with a sigma 50-500 or some such zoom. the photos on that thing are much sharper. it is definitely not a pocket model.

Jac747

Thanks for your replies. I am going to check out the Panasonic DMC-ZS5 and Canon SX210 IS today.

vash

I'm thinking about getting the Panasonic ZS7 myself. I like the build-in GPS.

dosto

I have the ZS7 and find it perfect for hiking and outdoors.

I also have the Lumix LX3 which I don't use as much as it does not readily fit in a pocket. I also have the Canon s90 - nice but shorter zoom and developed dust spots on sensor. These cameras are better in low light than the ZS7, mostly noticeable if you view images at 100%, but no P&S looks good when pixel peeping.

The GPS is useful mainly for geotagging but only updates every 5 minutes and drains the battery faster.

I like the HD video - sharp but one has to pan very slowly to avoid jerkiness in the video especially if zoomed in.

So on this current trip, the default camera has been the ZS7, then my dSLRs if I don't have to walk more than a few hundred metres (back problem).

vash

How long will the battery last with/without GPS?

Thanks.

glennaa11

I am currently trying to decide between the ZS7 and the Sony HX5V. I am leaning towards the Sony due to the CMOS sensor, isweep panorama shooting, and a couple of other features. Both have the GPS capability which is why I am considering the two of them.

Dugernaut

I have the ZS5 and love it. I'm more impressed with the wide angle capabilities than the zoom.

I agree with Thalassa's point about the need for extreme zoom.

Jac747

I did buy the ZS5 but haven't had a chance to really test it out yet-glad it gets good reviews here too.

dosto

I haven't bothered to quantitate it but I would guess the battery lasts half as long with GPS on than without.

afterglow

I'm a Canon and Panasonic diehard but FWIW, the guys at dpreview.com are recommending either the Casio FH100 or Samsung HZ35W....

Compact Super Zoom review