Panasonic FZ150

[yachtsman1]

Just bought one to suplement my D90, mainly for it's video & usability. Anyone else got one?
Regards Eric

[Stu B]

Cant say I have Eric...Maybe you could try a little review. When you get aquainted with it.

[John]

Try the ADAPS Links page - lots of places to look for reviews about any camera. ePHOTOzine, DP Review, etc.

There are also dedicated forums for most marques. AP has a Panasonic section, for example.

From what I can see, Panasonic compacts have a pretty good reputation and the results from people who post images of ePHOTOzine are very encouraging.

[yachtsman1]

Hi John & Stuart.
I wasn't looking for reviews, just interested to find if anyone in the forum had one. The reviews on Youtube are very enthusiastic especially the US ones. However what persuaded me to get one was it's video performance. Some of you will know that Pictures to Exe now has the facility to add video clips, which didn't interest me initially. However after seeing a show posted by one of the members using a D700 still & video clips, I did some checking around & decided the FZ150 would suit both purposes. What finally persuaded me were the video tutorials on Youtube produced by fellow Brit Graham Houghton who really gets into the camera & talks our language. If anyone is interested they are available on http://www.youtube.com/user/ghough12?ob ... sults_main
Scroll partway down the page to the FZ150 section & there are around 10 videos, 7 of them tutorials on the FZ150.

We are off to Salford Quays Monday for a couple of days, mainly to take pictures (don't tell my wife, she thinks she will shop til she drops) I'm taking the D90 as well as I don't think I will be sufficiently proficient with the Panasonic by the time we go, Margaret will have her D40 so between us we should get something, although the weather report looks grim. Incidentally, it would appear that Saturday was the best day for the Whitby Goth weekend, there are some pictures posted on Flickr from my ex clubs group, no sign of rain just the Yorkshire fret.
Thanks for the interest.
Regards Eric

[PhilipHowe]

Eric,

United are playing their last home game against Swansea on Sunday, 4pm kick off.
A lot of fans, myself included, walk back over the Lowry Bridge after the match. I've always thought it would be good to take a photo looking side on to the bridge while loads of people are on there, using a slow shutter speed to blur everything. I might be wrong, but if you are there anyway and can get a good side on shot, might be worth it....

[yachtsman1]

Hi Philip
We don't get there until Monday lunch time, but as it's Bank Holiday, if the weather is any good I'll have a look.
Regards Eric.

[yachtsman1]

Cant say I have Eric...Maybe you could try a little review. When you get aquainted with it.

Hi Stuart
I've now had the camera a couple of months shot around 1000 pictures & 30 video clips. IMO the results are superb when the camera is set on it's "Intellegent Auto" mode. So much so I have rarely used any of the other settings. So apart from my own failings in technique & operation I would certaily endorse it as an alternative to a full blown DSLR.

On the down side, the optical viewfinder use has been modified by me by the addition of some foam rubber to prevent it scratching my specs. Also the video cannot be activated with the wired remote, only the dedicated button, which is recessed slightly below the top plate & hard to find when concentrating on the viewfinder, it is also close to the "Burst Shot" activation button. However, there is an excellent series of videos on Youtube by Graham Houghton on how best to use the camera, last week I was alerted to a new video where he details how to modify video buttons in general as well as the FZ150 by simply sticking a 6mm stick on jewel on the button which makes it easy to find. Finally, the battery consumption is higher than on my D90.

I also believe the camera came out top of an AP review of bridge cameras recently.

You can see an AV show made from stills & video from the camera of our visit to Media City Salford Quays on Youtube. Obviously the quality is degraded slightly by the various Pictures to Exe & YT conversion processes but will give you some idea of the camera's capabilitys.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Sd3PTiR ... ture=g-upl .
Regards Eric

[Stu B]

Nice bit of AV Eric.. It is certainly difficult to find a new angle of photography for the Lowry area. I was interested to see the video quality of the Bridge unit. Very impressive it was. Shame you didnt include some early evening shots, which is when I feel the Quays area really comes alive. Liked the Dragon's Den angle, and you had me questioning. Where Corrie was made. So certainly thought provoking.. Well done.

[yachtsman1]

Nice bit of AV Eric.. It is certainly difficult to find a new angle of photography for the Lowry area. I was interested to see the video quality of the Bridge unit. Very impressive it was. Shame you didnt include some early evening shots, which is when I feel the Quays area really comes alive. Liked the Dragon's Den angle, and you had me questioning. Where Corrie was made. So certainly thought provoking.. Well done.

Hi Stuart
I made 3 AV's from our visit, one was a combo of the Imperial War Museum & The Lowry theatre complex. This contains some evening shots, unfortunately it is only on Mediafire so you would have to download it. (67MB) If you want to the link is http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?9td1e9lbsdvx6kb
I will eventually put them on Youtube or flickr if you want to wait, have to be careful not to exceed my BT download limit.
Regards Eric.