01-23-2012, 03:47 PM
So I had been thinking of replacing my old Canon A700 p&s and then the SX 40 eruption occurred so I went to check out these "bridge" type cameras. While the SX 40 is nice I noticed right away it doesn't have RAW capability and then there were suggestions about the Lumix FZ150 which I checked out. Very good reviews but they have been back ordered everywhere and then I saw prices getting very high. I was then looking on dpreview and learned the -150 is the update to the -100. As I checked the specs it looks like the main difference is that the -150 has a 12mp sensor to the -100's 14mp chip and not much else is different.
If you forumistas have been following the SX 40 saga and those that know some digital photo stuff then you know that more megapixels aren't necessarily better but the -100 has the same noise reduction engine as the -150 and being older it was cheaper and I found an open box -100 for $350. Plus, I use Photoshop extensively and know how to adjust for noise.
I haven't gotten all the tests done I want to but I'm starting to think I could replace my old Rebel XTi as my backup camera. "Sacrilege!" you
scream. Well, think about it... The XTi is older technology, and the noise reduction isn't as advanced and I could sell the XTi for more than I could get for the A700 (which I'll probably sell anyway). I have a longer focal range with the -100 with (600mm), Leica glass, vibration control, and full 1080p video with stereo sound recording. The work I do is catalog work and most of the images are no larger than an inch or two with the exception that sometimes I shoot some packaging pix but I used to use the Rebel as my primary camera for all this work anyway. My primary is now a 5D Mk. II.
So as some proof I present two test pix. One is the FZ-100 and the other is from the Rebel XTi shot with (my favorite lens) a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8. Sorry that the subject is bit dusty. Both were shot in RAW and of course they had to be downrezzed for the forum but other than that there were no adjustments to the images. Can you tell which is which?
A:
B:
If you forumistas have been following the SX 40 saga and those that know some digital photo stuff then you know that more megapixels aren't necessarily better but the -100 has the same noise reduction engine as the -150 and being older it was cheaper and I found an open box -100 for $350. Plus, I use Photoshop extensively and know how to adjust for noise.
I haven't gotten all the tests done I want to but I'm starting to think I could replace my old Rebel XTi as my backup camera. "Sacrilege!" you
scream. Well, think about it... The XTi is older technology, and the noise reduction isn't as advanced and I could sell the XTi for more than I could get for the A700 (which I'll probably sell anyway). I have a longer focal range with the -100 with (600mm), Leica glass, vibration control, and full 1080p video with stereo sound recording. The work I do is catalog work and most of the images are no larger than an inch or two with the exception that sometimes I shoot some packaging pix but I used to use the Rebel as my primary camera for all this work anyway. My primary is now a 5D Mk. II.
So as some proof I present two test pix. One is the FZ-100 and the other is from the Rebel XTi shot with (my favorite lens) a Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8. Sorry that the subject is bit dusty. Both were shot in RAW and of course they had to be downrezzed for the forum but other than that there were no adjustments to the images. Can you tell which is which?
A:
B:
