Panasonic FZ28 vs Canon DSLR

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Dave Simmonite

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Dave
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Greetings everyone ..

Here I go with my first post here ..

So .. I am currently using a Panasonic FZ28 with an Olympus 1.7x teleconverter which is a great camera/lens for general mucking around .. I am taking an increasing interest in taking wildlife shots which will be mostly birds.. I regularly met up with a few guys who take some 'cracking' bird in flight shots with DSLR cameras and 'long lenses' .. having attempted this myself I suddenly realised that I had next to no chance with my current setup due to the slow AF speed which I have ..

This had lead me to wanting to progress into the world of the DSLR and take my photography to the next level ..

Having done a bit of fishing around I have had some advice regarding this but am still left scratching my head to some extents .. I would really like to buy the right gear the first time as opposed to having to do it all again in a years time ..

Body:

So .. I am advised that I need to get a camera with a fast AF (obviously) and was told to look for a Canon 50D as this is a good start. I am reluctant to buy used as I wont know how good the body is and would prefer new if possible. It appears that a 50D is now no longer although still available in some places .. Any other suggestions here would be welcome but as I want to photograph birds in flight I would appreciate advice based on this please ..

Lenses:

Open to suggestions here really .. My current setup gives me a very generous 826mm focal length and so I would obviously like to try to get a reasonable focal length if possible be it with a standalone lens or one with a teleconverter attached ..

One issue would be weight .. i walk a long way and having felt at the weight of some setups I was quite alarmed at just how much they weighed !! I did have my hands on a Canon 550D and a Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 L IS USM Lens which was quite manageable but was then informed that the AF on a 550D isn't as good as a 50D.

Basically I am looking fo a good DSLR setup whereby I am happy to spend say, £650 on a body (ish) and then a grand or so on a long lens to suit .. I have chosen Canon as they seem to be the 'weapon of choice' for all of the photographers I know .. Usage would be medium to long distance shots of wildlife and of birds in flight ..

My initial quandry was whether or not the amount of improvement I would get by moving form a FZ28 to a DSLR was worth the amount it was going to cost me !!

Any help here would be very much appreciated.

Thanks for reading..

Dave
 
Welcome Dave :)

Short answer to your question, is a Canon 60D and 100-400L. It will push your budget a bit, not massively, but that's tough if you want decent kit and you are attempting to enter right at the most expensive end in terms of subject.

The long answer will take several pages, but if you can live with the budget, that's what you'll end up with.

PS Get the camera with the 18-55 kit lens. It's more money, but a actually very cheap for a decent little walkabout zoom. It will blitz your Pano, primarily because the sensor is many times larger in terms of area. Best prices here http://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk/cat1.html
 
HoppyUK said:
Short answer to your question, is a Canon 60D and 100-400L. It will push your budget a bit, not massively, but that's tough if you want decent kit and you are attempting to enter right at the most expensive end in terms of subject.
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I've not taken photos of birds in flight, but I thought the consensus was 7D rather than the 60D as the focus system was significantly better for moving objects. I know that's even more money, but spending ~1700 compared to ~2000. BTW, if you're OK with US imports, you can get a cheaper deal through PMing kerso on here. UK invoice, so covered by UK warranty (other people on here have used it evidently).
 
Can't help on the long zoom, but i've recently moved from the FZ28 to a Nikon D3100 and the difference in quality is utterly stunning. (to my untrained eye!) :thumbs:
 
I moved from a Panasonic FZ28 to a Nikon DSLR. My reasons?

Like you, the autofocus on the FZ28 is fine for most pictures, but if anything is moving about walking pace it is too slow. I also wanted a better frames per second rate than the FZ28 could manage. As a bridging camera it is a brilliant piece of kit and capable of some outstanding pictures for what it is - and as you said, the focal range and zoom is unbelievable!

I finally settled on a Nikon D90 - as this was what suited me best. (I went with Nikon rather than Canon as I have friends with Nikon's so there is lens compatibility for me). Quick AF, and 4.5 fps is more than enough for anything I need. The move from the FZ28 is a big one, and it is a steep learning curve - the FZ28 has a very good iA setting, and also the menu can be used to set it up for just about any type of shot needed. A DSLR is much more manual than that.

I have found that Canon seems to be more commonly used than Nikon, but if you haven't got a tie to either yet, try both out to see which you prefer.
 
arad85 said:
I've not taken photos of birds in flight, but I thought the consensus was 7D rather than the 60D as the focus system was significantly better for moving objects. I know that's even more money, but spending ~1700 compared to ~2000. BTW, if you're OK with US imports, you can get a cheaper deal through PMing kerso on here. UK invoice, so covered by UK warranty (other people on here have used it evidently).
Click to expand...

I said 60D as the OP used 50D as a reference, and it's at least as good as that. 7D even better, but it's nearly £400 more.

Kerso is a good idea :thumbs:
 
Dave Simmonite said:
My initial quandry was whether or not the amount of improvement I would get by moving form a FZ28 to a DSLR was worth the amount it was going to cost me !!
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Yes :D

I went from the FZ28 to the 7D.

I love my FZ28 and I was using it just the other day for a bit of fun.

As has been said, the FZ28 is a great vamera, but as you say it starts to get a little slow and the viewfinder is very small too.

I think whether you go 550D, 50D, 60D or 7D or any other Canon D's for that matter, you will enjoy the speed and the viewfinder as well as the handling :)
 
I have the 100-400, I tend to find for bird shots I am often at 400mm, and wanting more. You can use hides etc to get closer, but generally the longer the better.

The 100-400 is a great all round wildlife lens, for pure birding, I think a lot of people seem to use the 400mm f5.6 prime.

I know you don't want to buy used, but you could pick up a 1d MKii in your budget. I've never owned one, it would be heavier than a 50d, I think the controls are bit harder to get to grips with, but the AF on the 1series bodies is meant to be amazing, if that is the main thing you are aiming for. If you buy used and don't like, you would probably be able to sell again for nearly the same price, which would not be the same buying new.
 
and I meant to mention, have a look in the Bird section, I think Artyman on here uses either a 50-500 or a 150-500 Sigma that seems to work well, not sure for birds in flight though.
 
My son went from the fz28 to a pentax dslr... whatever you get I'm sure you'll love!
 
I also have an FZ38 which is great for what it is/costs, but the difference between it and my DSLR's is like night and day. Speed, AF, IQ, low light usability etc.,

As the OP has said consider a 1D Mark II, you can pick up a battered one for £400 ish pounds now. Mint ones are around £600. The AF is excellent. In fact personally the only downside for me is that the file size is a bit small if you are going to be cropping heavily.

Alternatively an excellent second hand 7D can be had for around £800. In fact a second hand 7D and 100-400L or 400 F5.6 would most likely still fall within your budget.

Simon.
 
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