Camera Labs

Hi,

I'm a newbie and just jumped into digital photography and I have bought FZ8 camera and really like it only to discover that manual controls are not driven by focus ring but instead is driven by joystick which I think is not flexible at all. I'm thinking of returning the FZ8 to get FZ50 which has all I can think of with regard to manual focus and zoom. I may use the built in scene modes to begin with but in the long run, manual operations (zoom and focus) are the way to go to get complete control on the output. I'm also carefully reading the noise issues above ISO200 with FZ8 and FZ50 cameras and also read that by setting the NR to Low, some of the Venus Engine III havoc can be reduced. The only thing that is holding off my purchase of FZ50 is the small 2.0'' LCD. Do you guys think that 2.0'' is way too small to see thru it?

Here are my questions:

1. Is there a super zoom camera that is similar in specs as FZ50 (OIS, optical zoom, RAW, 2.5'' LCD etc) apart from FZ8?

2. I don't want to jump into the DSLR market as it is way too tedious to change lens, dust issues etc.

3. I also wanted to get 28mm or less on the wide angle along with ultra macro mode on the telephoto side (will Rayonex help)?

4. Finally, if I set the aspect ratio to 16:9 on the FZ50 and attach the Rayonex or Panasonic Wide Angle converter (DMW-LW55), does it give me anamorphic like view? What I really want is very similar to Panasonic ?TZ3 (http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panas ... ge3c.shtml) and the following paragraph specifies:

"Normally if you are using a camera with a 4:3 shaped sensor and switch to a wider aspect ratio, the camera would simply crop strips from the top and bottom, thereby both reducing the resolution and the angle of view. Not so with the TZ3 which maintains its 7.2 Megapixel resolution on both the 4:3 and 3:2 aspect images and its angle of view on 4:3, 3:2 and wide 16:9 images."

Is TZ3 delivering anamorphic like view?

Finally, what are the required or the most recommended accessories for FZ50 and what is the difference between Telephoto lens (DMW-LT55) vs Close Up lens (DMW-LC55) and what is the best one for FZ50? Is there a alternative (cheaper and great quality) from third party products?

I have also posted the same question in the Panasonic thread. I thought that this thread is very active than the Panasonic thread.


Appreciate feedback.

Rgds.

From what I know, the FZ50 is the only (current) superzoom that has both optical image stabilization and zoom/focus rings. There are a couple of Fujis with zoom/focus rings but they don't have optical image stabilization. Then there are the Sony DSC-Hx, Canon Sx and the Olympus SP-550 that have stabilization but no zoom/focus rings...

Darrin

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Nikon D40 | Nikkor 18-55 VR | Nikkor 55-200 VR | Voigtländer Ultron 40mm SL-II | Nikon Speedlight SB-400