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Would love feedback on bridge camera replacement
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Apr 16, 2019 14:09:43   #
neilds37 Loc: Port Angeles, WA
 
RosiArt wrote:
Yes, the Friedman book is excellent, but it has about 650 pages which are needed to explain all of the features of the truly brilliant RX10-4. He makes a point early on that there are so many ways to do things on this Sony, that it's best to learn 2 ways well and begin shooting and enjoying before trying to become knowledgeable and proficient in all of the ways.


I don't know if the Lumix has Live View, but I've found around 90% of my shooting is with BBF coupled with continuous focus and using the thumb wheel for shutter speed, the barrel ring for aperture and the Fn button for ISO to bring the exposure into rapid compliance for conditions. (Manual setting).

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Apr 16, 2019 14:18:22   #
bwana Loc: Bergen, Alberta, Canada
 
Robg wrote:
This forum was recommended to me by a friend, and it looks to me to be quite interesting and useful.

By way of introduction, my principal interest in photography is for travel, and especially nature photography. I started with a simple Brownie flash camera as a teenager, including making my own contact prints. My high school graduation present was a fixed lens 35mm Minolta and later in my twenties I set up a small darkroom and got my first SLR. Shifting to an SLR turns out to have been a mistake as I wasn't ready to deal with all of the lens swapping, the associated costs, nor the heavy equipment bag I had to lug around and my interest in photography waned. Contributing factors were that my career and bringing up three children ate up most of my time.

Six years ago I started to gradually retire after a long career in IT. With partial retirement came the opportunity to travel, an African safari motivated me to find a good camera and so was delighted to see that there were now so-called super zoom bridge cameras that eliminated many of the negatives (to me) of the SLR. Also, not having paid much attention to photography for several decades, I was amazed with many of the technological advancements such as AF, anti-shake, automatic HDR, automatic bracketing, burst shooting, having video capabilities in a still camera and the ability to simultaneously take stills while filming video. So I purchased a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200. What differentiated the FZ200 from the rest of the pack was the constant aperture of f2.8 throughout the entire 25-600mm range. Back in my SLR days having that kind of aperture at 600mm was unimaginable, and now I had it in a zoom!

For nature photography, the zoom, aperture and built-in anti-shake features enabled me to take some great wildlife photos on that African trip. There was no need for a tri-pod even at 600mm because the large aperture enabled fast shutter speeds and any remaining issues were usually compensated for by the anti-shake.

After 6 years I need to repair or replace the FZ200. The zoom lever that surrounds the shutter has stopped functioning, although I can use an alternate zoom lever/button on the lens barrel. However, I would prefer to use the one near the shutter. Also, I have the feeling that the AF is not working as well as when the camera was new. Maybe there is dust on the sensor or elsewhere inside the camera body?

So, I've narrowed it down to three choices - get the FZ200 repaired, purchase an FZ300, or purchase the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX10 IV. I recognize that the Sony is far, far more expensive than the other two options, but for now let's ignore that.

Given that the FZ300 market price is around $400, I'm not sure that repair, which I would expect to probably cost in the $100-200 range, is worth pursuing. Particularly because there are new features in the FZ300 (WiFi, improved AF, dust/water resistance) that have value to me. From specs and reviews, the Sony has a much larger sensor, 70% more pixels, and a wider range of video options. Negatives for the Sony are that it weighs 14 oz. more, and at 600mm it stops down to F4 (vs remaining at F2.8 for the FZ300). Clearly the biggest advantage in the Sony is in the sensor and the biggest disadvantage is probably the weight as I'll be wearing it around my neck for up to 10 hours a day.

I'd love to hear some opinions!

Here are some of my photos and feedback would be most welcome.

-Rob
This forum was recommended to me by a friend, and ... (show quote)

I own both the RX10 III & IV and love them! A shooting buddy of mine has a FZ300 and loves it. Hard decision...

But if you liked the FZ200 (and I had one prior to buying the RX10 III) you'd probably like the FZ300 since its operation/menu will be similar to the FZ200. The only difference between the two cameras that I'd notice is 4K video on the FZ300.

However, there is BIG difference between a 1/2.3-inch and 1 inch sensor. Of course a 1/2.3-inch allows Panasonic to offer a full f/2.8 throughout their zoom range versus f/2.8-f/4 on the RX10 III & IV. BUT the difference in image quality and 12MPixel vs. 20MPixel on the RX10 III & IV is significant! When I moved from the FZ200 (which has the same sensor and lens as the FZ300) to the RX10 III I noticed a REAL difference in image quality. In my opinion, the RX10 III or IV is well worth the difference in price.

As for the noticeable difference between the RX10 III & IV, the IV has super fast autofocus. The III has Sony's Camera Apps which are missing from the IV; sadly!

Good luck in your decision process.

bwa

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Apr 16, 2019 14:50:28   #
James56 Loc: Nashville, Tennessee
 
I owned both the Sony RX10M3 and recently upgraded to the RX10M4. I must tell you, the autofocus...it's lightning fast. The Sony menu system for me is a dream. I love that have so much customization available if I so choose. The Zeiss lens is sharp throughout the range is why the camera cost so much and weights so much. There's a lot of glass (yes real glass) packed into it. Zeiss didn't cut any corners at getting superb performance out of that lens. I've seen very little chromatic aberration (purple fringes) from it. I enjoy using it every outing. It's so simple to use. I shoot in full Manual mode. I use the Fn button on back with gives me access to all the parameters I need to make exposure adjustments on the fly: ISO, white balance, shooting mode, HDR or not and many more. Here's a couple shots I took last night at sunset of our neighborhood squirrel. He's friendly and it's a joy having him around. So glad I own this great all in one camera. I was about 10 feet distant on the first shot, 20 feet on the second shot. Your also welcome to check out other RX10M3 images by clicking the link in my signature line below labeled "Portfolio". Those are taken in just about every kind of lighting imaginable.
DSC01363-01 by James Frazier, on Flickr

DSC01372-01 by James Frazier, on Flickr

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Apr 16, 2019 15:02:45   #
Oly Guy
 
Sony Rx 100-300.00 used it's amazing-then if you like it get the later model-mainly for more zoom-large sensor sharp photos-its always in my pocket when traveling. have lots of SLR cameras which I use also.

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Apr 16, 2019 15:41:17   #
RolandDieter
 
Right now you can get the FZ300 for $395, so repairing the older FZ200 with fewer features doesn't make sense to me. Regarding the Sony RX10iv, you seemed very happy with the FZ200, so why spend the extra grand? However, if you want to blow some up to hang on the wall, the Sony images will "pop" much better. gtilford's comment regarding the g85 ... it is a micro 4/3 system camera, so you would need several lenses, and have to change them, to get the zoom range of the FZ300. That gear will weigh you down more than the RX10.

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Apr 16, 2019 16:39:17   #
gtilford Loc: Woodstock, Ontario, Canada
 
RolandDieter wrote:
Right now you can get the FZ300 for $395, so repairing the older FZ200 with fewer features doesn't make sense to me. Regarding the Sony RX10iv, you seemed very happy with the FZ200, so why spend the extra grand? However, if you want to blow some up to hang on the wall, the Sony images will "pop" much better. gtilford's comment regarding the g85 ... it is a micro 4/3 system camera, so you would need several lenses, and have to change them, to get the zoom range of the FZ300. That gear will weigh you down more than the RX10.
Right now you can get the FZ300 for $395, so repai... (show quote)


My comment about the g85 was only to mention the reason that I no longer shoot the fz300 was because I moved up to the g85. Otherwise I would still shoot the fz300 in good light it is a fantastic piece of kit

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Apr 16, 2019 17:52:03   #
hookedupin2005 Loc: Northwestern New Mexico
 
Robg wrote:
Yep, the KISS principle is certainly germane here. Particularly because the user interface to digital camera software is so extensive, I don't want to riak losing shots because I'm still trying to set up my camera.

Thank you for the reminder. I saw some of your posts, and was impressed by your large cat shots - very nice.


I agree 100% with PixelStan... Go with the FZ300. B&H has it for under $400.00. I'm even interested!
Love the images, especially #7 & 8. Hope to see more from your new FZ300 soon.
Welcome to the forum.

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Apr 16, 2019 19:41:39   #
DeanS Loc: Capital City area of North Carolina
 
Welcome. Some very nice shots.

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Apr 16, 2019 19:45:33   #
LeeK Loc: Washington State
 
Welcome. Really enjoyed your pictures, particularly of the animals in pairs - nice composition, interaction, etc. and the sun setting (?). I'm recently retired as well and have always enjoyed taking photos but I am definitely a beginner and my technical expertise is minimal compared to others on this forum.

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Apr 16, 2019 20:47:50   #
azted Loc: Las Vegas, NV.
 
I have respect for both brands of cameras that you are looking at. However, going on a trip as far away as Africa (which I recently did) is an extreme experience at this stage of life. If you have the time to learn the camera, the Sony RX-10 iv is the ideal product. I own the original, and it is hard to beat the glass on it. If you do not have time to practice with the camera, then get the Panasonic, since you are familiar with it's menu. But don't let the negative posts about Sony's menu put you off. The menu is very easy to learn, but it is extensive so that you can really control your equipment!

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Apr 16, 2019 22:07:52   #
RolandDieter
 
I have nothing against the Panasonic m4/3 system; in fact, this is my primary tool. My comments regarding the g85 were only in reference to the initial question of repairing the FZ200 or buying a FZ300 or getting the Sony RX10iv.

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Apr 17, 2019 16:38:42   #
Robg
 
neilds37 wrote:
The auto-track feature for BIF is amazing. Lock on, and just keep the bird in the viewfinder while you click away.


I'd forgotten about that feature, although saw a YouTube demo of it, and was amazed. Particularly because losing focus has been an occasional problem for me with the FZ200.

Thanks for the reminder!

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Apr 17, 2019 16:43:41   #
Robg
 
Scruples wrote:
Second, beautiful captures. But a light critique. Crop the big cats. I like them relaxed(!) and I really don't need to see the ground they are laying on.

Third, I hope I didn't offend you.


No offense taken! I can always use constructive criticism.

FYI, there is a reason they look so relaxed. This shot was about 5 minutes after they finished mating. I've thought about photo-shopping a cigarette into their mouths, but probably only us old-timers would get it.

Your familiarity point is well taken.

Thanks!

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Apr 17, 2019 16:55:35   #
Robg
 
DeeRock wrote:
I'm new to the forum and completely new to photography. I did purchase a Sony RX10 Mark 4 and am learning to use it.
Any constructive help is welcome.


Nice shots and thanks for joining in. I have one suggestion. In most of your pictures you have the subject in the center. I used to do that, but got a suggestion from some National Geographic pros to use the rule of thirds. Most cameras will, in fact, make that easy by adding a grid to the display, or EVF, that divides the picture into three vertical and three horizontal slices. In your case, try placing your grandson or the bird in the left or right third so that they are looking or running towards the remaining 2/3 of the image.

Frequently it will generate more interest in the sense of "what are they looking at?" or "what is he running to". You can also apply that rule when cropping.

Remember it's not a hard fixed rule. Sometimes centering the subject is best.

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Apr 17, 2019 17:07:20   #
Robg
 
PHRubin wrote:
In additiion, if you were satisfied with the 1/2.3" sensor, you might consider the Lumix DC-ZS70 which zooms 24-720mm, and has 21MP for only $347.99. This model is pocketable and has a viewfinder!


Incredible what those two pack into such a small and lightweight camera.

One of the features that I felt made a big difference for me with the FZ-200 is the constant F2.8 aperture, even at full zoom. That allowed me to take fully zoomed photos without a tripod because of the faster shutter speeds that I could use because of all of the light coming through the lens.

I'm afraid to give that up with either of these two. But once I get past this decision, I might reconsider one of them for a second camera for when I have to travel really light.

Thanks for the suggestion!

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