Hi,
First post here so please be gentle and i will try to keep it brief and to the point!
Looking to replace a 6yr old Canon IXUS500 and my 6yr old Sony HC40E DV tape camcorder with a digital camera that will cover both bases.
It will be used for family shots inside and out mainly but if capable be used for such things as air displays, country shows, wildlife etc and i would also like AVCHD lite capability at least.
It will need to have decent performance in auto mode as I will be using it this way at least to begin with (may play with any manual settings if i have time at a later date) but more importantly the wife will be expecting to just be able to pick it up, switch on and fire away.
Had a play with my Fathers TZ7 and i am impressed but having now also seen the FZ38/45 I am thinking should i get one of those instead but its mainly the size that has me undecided....would the FZ's in a tight fitting compact case fit in a normal sized coat pocket? Or would i need to go for the TZ7/10 to ensure this?
I have a circa £250 budget and have seen the camera's mentioned above at;
TZ7 - £150 ish 2nd hand (no warranty)
TZ10 - £200 inc £30 cashback offer (3yr Panny warranty)
FZ38 - £200 with 12 months warranty (ebay, refurbished but apparently means may just have had its box opened!)
FZ45 - £270 with 3yr Panny warranty
Anyone been in the same boat recently, thinking FZ rather than TZ but worried about the size?
Or should i be looking at another brand altogether?
First post here so please be gentle and i will try to keep it brief and to the point!
Looking to replace a 6yr old Canon IXUS500 and my 6yr old Sony HC40E DV tape camcorder with a digital camera that will cover both bases.
It will be used for family shots inside and out mainly but if capable be used for such things as air displays, country shows, wildlife etc and i would also like AVCHD lite capability at least.
It will need to have decent performance in auto mode as I will be using it this way at least to begin with (may play with any manual settings if i have time at a later date) but more importantly the wife will be expecting to just be able to pick it up, switch on and fire away.
Had a play with my Fathers TZ7 and i am impressed but having now also seen the FZ38/45 I am thinking should i get one of those instead but its mainly the size that has me undecided....would the FZ's in a tight fitting compact case fit in a normal sized coat pocket? Or would i need to go for the TZ7/10 to ensure this?
I have a circa £250 budget and have seen the camera's mentioned above at;
TZ7 - £150 ish 2nd hand (no warranty)
TZ10 - £200 inc £30 cashback offer (3yr Panny warranty)
FZ38 - £200 with 12 months warranty (ebay, refurbished but apparently means may just have had its box opened!)
FZ45 - £270 with 3yr Panny warranty
Anyone been in the same boat recently, thinking FZ rather than TZ but worried about the size?
Or should i be looking at another brand altogether?