High-end digicam Panasonic DMC-FZ20K $300 Amazon.com

[slashbinslashbash]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002R2838/

Strangely enough, the camera by itself is $299.94, but the cost is lowered to $298.93 when you choose the combo with the Panasonic 256MB SD card. So the net cost of the 256MB SD card is -$1.01.

This is an amazing camera with 5.0MP and an incredible 12x zoom (36-432mm 35mm equiv) Leica Image Stabilized lens with f/2.8 over its entire zoom range. Reviews:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz20-review/index.shtml
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz20/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/FZ20/FZ20A.HTM
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/fz20.html

This camera has been replaced by the DMC-FZ30 (basically the same camera with 8MP) which is why it's selling for half its MSRP. This deal was posted a while ago, but the thread was locked due to the referrer URL. It was hot then but it's (somewhat) hotter now with the 256MB SD card. 256MB isn't great (you want at least 1GB with this camera), but it's a lot better than the crappy 16MB starter card that comes with the camera normally.

I was considering the Pentax *ist, but I honestly think this is a better deal for my needs. I already have several Canon EOS lenses and will get a Canon DSLR one day, but that day will only come when I feel comfortable spending over $1500 on a camera and lenses. For now, $300 for near-DSLR quality is more within my comfort range. Plus, as far as I can google, image stabilization isn't even available with the Pentax lenses. I know this can be somewhat compensated with bigger apertures (and thus shorter exposure times), but much better than f/2.8 will start to get awfully expensive, especially over the range 36 to 432mm. Lastly, I have taken several hundred shots with my dad's DMC-FZ5 (little brother to the FZ20) and I really like the Panasonic UI and build quality.

I also bought this LowePro bag (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00004TX6Z/) on clearance for $15.94. It looks like it ought to easily hold the FZ20 and accessories.

 

[ondarkness]

It's a great deal.
I was about to go for it, but chose the costco FZ7 instead.

 

[gcy]

I have the FZ15, the 4.0MP version and it's a great camera.
:beer:

 

[knightc2]

Nice find! This appears to be a great camera. It is a little large, but the fast shot to shot times, the 12x zoom and the image stabilization make up for that. May have to run this by the wife ans see what she says. I am still using my old 2.0MP no zoom Fuji that I bout like 5 years ago. Might be time for an upgrade...

 

[warm san francisco night]

ditto on the fz15. lovin' the 12x lense

 

[LurkingInNC]

Wish I could afford this...

If I could, my only niggling regret would be that it comes with a proprietary Rechargeable Li-ion battery. Don't know much about the battery; maybe (probably?) it's better than rechargable Nimh AAs, but for convenience I'd still prefer the AAs. I've already got a Maha Nimh setup, and would hate the idea of having to shell out $50 for a second battery.

Still, jealous of those of you who are getting in on this!

 

[slashbinslashbash]

I got mine today (Amazon offered a free 3-month trial of Amazon Prime which bumped me up to 2-day shipping, and it shipped from Tulsa OK which is quite close to Fort Worth TX) and I have to say I am kind of surprised at how big it is. I guess I am used to my dad's FZ5. It really feels substantial in my hands. It's almost the same size as my Canon EOS Rebel 2000 (film camera) -- just about a half-inch narrower, but every bit as deep and tall. The lens (when the camera is turned off) sticks out about as much as a 50mm prime lens would on the Rebel. Also, although I don't have a way to measure it exactly, the Panasonic feels heavier than the Rebel 2000 with its 28-90 kit lens attached. Also I'm glad that I have a smaller digicam (Nikon Coolpix 3500) for pocket snapshot use.

The LowePro case that I linked is a perfect fit for the Panny with more than enough room to carry an extra battery, charger, etc.

One thing that you might be wary of is that there is a notice in the Panasonic docs that this camera only supports up to 1GB SD cards. I bought a 1GB SanDisk Ultra II with mine. But it seems as though [link=[url="http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=45893&forum_id=23"]http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=45893&forum_id=23[/url]]some people[/link] out there on the internets don't have trouble with 2GB cards. Anyway, use higher capacity cards at your own risk.

Lastly, note that the 256MB card included in the combo should hold about 100 high-quality JPEGs from this camera, which really should be enough for most people.

 

[rochlin]

dpreview.com says the lens is great, but the pics tend to be "grainy" or noisey. Probably due to the small-ish sensor. Even at relatively low ISOs, the noise is clearly visible.
dpreview review