[skyline889]

Unless you can find some killers deals, a DSLR for a $250 budget is not really a practical recommendation. The D40 body can be had for around $400 new these days but you still need to add a lens to that. To get a comparable zoom, you'd have to pick up a cheap 28-300 and decent megazooms like the Tamron 28-300 will still cost another $250 and not only will you have to MF the lens since most cheap teles don't have a built in focus motor but a lens like that won't be much better in terms of distortion or sharpness.

I still have my FZ5 and I believe DJ_Mocok had the FZ20 before he switched to a DSLR and you'd be surprised by some of the shots he took with it (Mine were simply ok

). The FZ5 I have is a great little camera and I heard that most of the problems I had with the FZ5 were remedied to some extent with the newer FZ8.

First off the glass on the FZ5 is pretty sharp and it's not that slow. Sure it's not as fast as my old D50 or EOS 20D but it doesn't leave me wanting for much except better noise performance and faster AF and this is of course negated by the fact that it's a 12x zoom that fits in my palm. The lens does hunt a bit in dim light and because of the tiny sensor, noise performance is mediocre at best (I don't shoot at anything over ISO 100 with this camera) but I found I could leave the ISO at 80 on the Panny and still shoot fine because with the OIS, I could just set the aperture to f/2.8 and handhold down to about 1/4-1/15 if I needed to, in daylight this is not an issue. Surprisingly enough, dof at f/2.8 wasn't bad at all either, though ideally f/5.6 would be best on this camera if you want more depth. On a side note, the viewfinder is also completely useless on this camera but the screen preview is decent enough, just something to keep in mind if you're used to shooting through a viewfinder.

This is just my opinion of course but to me, the megazooms offer an almost unbeatable price to performance ratio and should be more than what most consumers need for everyday use. If you were thinking about buying a new camera to start photography as a hobby then yes, I would pony up for a DSLR but I assume you're not so a megazoom P&S shoot like the Pannys or the Canons should suit your needs perfectly. If you do wanna try photography out though, I would try and scrape together the dough for a used D50 or if you want something compact, a used D40. Photography is a very fun hobby

 

[dj_mocok]

FZ20 is a great camera, I could do many many things with it. And what sets it apart from other megazoom cameras is it has constant f/2.8 regardless whether you are doing macro with it or zooming all the way to 12x.

Of course DSLR like D40 will beat it in terms of picture quality (but I'm not saying IQ from FZ20 is bad, but you're comparing it to a DSLR with much better sensor), but if you don't want to change lenses, I still think FZ20 is a great buy, even by today's standard.

If you could score new one or in excellent condition one from eBay , I highly suggest you to get it.

 

[spacecoyote]

After reading through this thread and researching the cameras I have now narrowed my choices and would like to get some advice. I am just starting out but have a lot of ideas of what I would like to do with one of these cameras. If all goes well I will invest in a DSLR after I have mastered one of these puppies. But for now I know I can do what needs to be done with one of the four below:

Canon G9
Canon S5IS
Panasonic FZ18
Panasonic FZ20

Could you guys help me get through the final four and decide a winner?

 

[Dorito123]

I say go for the G9, something like that will fit in your pocket and you will end up wanting to take it everywhere with you. Its been my experience that SLR sized cameras create a need to find a reason to not take them with. Alot of my best pictures were spontaneous. Then you can save for an SLR of your choosing instead of compromising on a super zoom. Many people, myself included have a small point and shoot to complement a larger rig. My smaller camera gets more use simply because its more convenient. If you were to get an SLR later on then what would you use your super zoom for? G9 has a veiwfinder that will be important in the bright sun and a nice hot shoe for a flash, and its compact, what more could you ask for? Also if its small it will fit your your wifes purse,,,LOL

 

[kodreaming]

I wanna get a G9 too.

Any place to get a used one ? (there should be some forums for camera like head-fi.org)

 

[PerformanceFirst]

Quote:

Originally Posted by spacecoyote /img/forum/go_quote.gif After reading through this thread and researching the cameras I have now narrowed my choices and would like to get some advice. I am just starting out but have a lot of ideas of what I would like to do with one of these cameras. If all goes well I will invest in a DSLR after I have mastered one of these puppies. But for now I know I can do what needs to be done with one of the four below: Canon G9 Canon S5IS Panasonic FZ18 Panasonic FZ20 Could you guys help me get through the final four and decide a winner?

My friend has the FZ20. It's a 3 year old camera now, and pretty noisy. He paid $500 for it originally though. I think digital cameras improve so quickly this one is out. As far as the G9 goes, the dpreview.com review says it's just a repackaged A- series camera, though much nicer subjectively. Personally I'd save my money and get the A650. I'd only splurge on the G9 if the form factor and build quality is worth it to you.

Canon PowerShot G9 Review: 20. Conclusion: Digital Photography Review