Pinching pennies...

Im wavering on whether or not to go DSLR or purchasing the G9 or the lumix fz-50 from Panasonic.
With the "Economic Stimulas" check in hand, I can pretty well blow it on the XSI and some good glass, but Im a penny pincher and dont want to spend that kind of money. I like the images that Ive seen from the G9, but I like the ability the Panny has to reach further out.

But if I get the panny, I cant use it for my canoe/kayak float trips, because I want to get a water proof housing.

Whatcha think?

JD

it depends on where u're coming from. I've known lots of friends who come from a P&S background and went straight to a DSLR thinking it was the be all and end all of cameras. The thing is, a DSLR is a lot more user dependent and you will initially really miss those clean sharp pictures that your compact can produce. Kit up with the right lens and a good understanding of the functions and exposure characteristics of your DSLR u will get unbeatable pictures. But i think you will find the right lens for it will not be one lens but a collection, and will cost a pretty penny. My suggestion therefore is to seriously consider your prosumers like the g9 and lumix or even a fuji one. They might just offer u all u need.

If you really want a SLR at the G9 price, the xt has come down in price. ive seen it at 499 kit lens, and as low as 350 body only. with the body that low, and your budget in range of an xsi. You can afford a lens or two.And if your looking for a lens, (im not expert here i maybe wrong) with the reach of the g9 or pan can cost you.
The g9 does have a telephoto "lens" that can attach to it, but you can use the underwater houseing with it attached.
You may also want to look into the s5 is, with 12x zoom, and alot of features of the g9.

The reason I got out of DSLR's for now is cost. I just do not have the money to invest in decent glass. You also have to think about what you will take with you. A great camera does you no good if it is at home in a bag. The two biggest reasons I decided to go G9 only was that I knew I would take it places I would not take my 20D and cost of lenses.

Having said that, I do plan on getting back into DSLR's eventually when I will be in the position to invest a little in lenses.

I frequently took my G3 out in my kayak, or canoe, and this summer plan to take my G9 into the BWCA for a week of wilderness paddling. I always keep the camera in a small waterproof box ( like a small pelican case ), and have it within easy reach. My uses may differ from yours, but so far I've found that when conditions are good for taking photos, water on the camera is not a threat, and when water is in the air, be it rain, or spray, I'm not taking pictures anyway. This will be my first wilderness type trip with a digital, so I'm hoping I have enough batteries to get me through the week...no recharging out there!

Mike

I just went through the same thing, I sold my XTi and all things with it but my 420ex, I bought the Panny FZ50 and I could not be happier, I like it alot better than the Xti, it does everything that the Xti did plus more and its the only thing I have to carry, to get a dslr that will do what the fz50 can do would cost you around 5,000, and the panny would still have a advantage, flip screen, and a hell of a movie mode

jon1996 wrote in post #5503207
I just went through the same thing, I sold my XTi and all things with it but my 420ex, I bought the Panny FZ50 and I could not be happier, I like it alot better than the Xti, it does everything that the Xti did plus more and its the only thing I have to carry, to get a dslr that will do what the fz50 can do would cost you around 5,000, and the panny would still have a advantage, flip screen, and a hell of a movie mode

To be fair, your Panasonic, while a good camera cannot compete with a DSLR in many areas. It will not have the noise performance of the XTi nor the burst mode capabilities. Also, while the Panny does have a wide focal range, you cannot compete with the choices of lenses available to DSLRs. They are sharper and faster than any P&S.

None of that is a knock on the FZ50, it is a fine camera. Let's just not go overboard. I do agree though, that for the vast majority of people, myself included, a good compact camera is better to have than a DSLR, at least at first.

I do want to get more into my photography, but Im not sure I want to buy a dslr right now. Im weighing what I actually do right now and need vs what I eventually want.
I want a more serious camera, but I dont want to deal with multiple lenses.
An earlier poster pointed me to the canon s-5 is, but I dont like dealing with AA batts. (my kids are battery hounds, and they tend to walk off) I like having dedicated li ion batts.
I bought my wife the 750 canon compact, but its not filling the void between just making snapshots and actually taking pictures.

JD

Cashmonee wrote in post #5505093
To be fair, your Panasonic, while a good camera cannot compete with a DSLR in many areas. It will not have the noise performance of the XTi nor the burst mode capabilities. Also, while the Panny does have a wide focal range, you cannot compete with the choices of lenses available to DSLRs. They are sharper and faster than any P&S.

None of that is a knock on the FZ50, it is a fine camera. Let's just not go overboard. I do agree though, that for the vast majority of people, myself included, a good compact camera is better to have than a DSLR, at least at first.

I agree on the noise part vs the xti theres no comparision, But the FZ50 will do 3FPS as with the xti, but it will start to lag after about 12 frames, where the xti would not, I had both and I did try the FZ50 last night

On the lens comparision it is a Lecia F2.8-F3.7 Thats a pretty fast lens and the optics are very good, How much would a Canon 400 F4 cost? plus a 70-300, plus a 28-105 to cover the FZ50 range, and each of them would have to be IS,

I am not trying to start a flame war, I am still a canon fan, but theres not much that can compete with the Panny FZ50, I read alot of comparisions and I tried the S5 and it just was not on par with the rest, I do miss the ISO performance of the Rebel but I can live with that, I am happy and I am taking pictures again like I used to, Photography is fun again,

My advice to anyone debating a SLR I highly recommend you find a good higher end P&S to go with, SLR is not for everyone, Editing sucks having to do each picture,

jon1996 wrote in post #5506342
I agree on the noise part vs the xti theres no comparision, But the FZ50 will do 3FPS as with the xti, but it will start to lag after about 12 frames, where the xti would not, I had both and I did try the FZ50 last night

On the lens comparision it is a Lecia F2.8-F3.7 Thats a pretty fast lens and the optics are very good, How much would a Canon 400 F4 cost? plus a 70-300, plus a 28-105 to cover the FZ50 range, and each of them would have to be IS,

I am not trying to start a flame war, I am still a canon fan, but theres not much that can compete with the Panny FZ50, I read alot of comparisions and I tried the S5 and it just was not on par with the rest, I do miss the ISO performance of the Rebel but I can live with that, I am happy and I am taking pictures again like I used to, Photography is fun again,

My advice to anyone debating a SLR I highly recommend you find a good higher end P&S to go with, SLR is not for everyone, Editing sucks having to do each picture,

I agree that SLR is not for everyone, but I can't agree that you will get anywhere near the performance of even a low-end SLR such as the Rebels with any point and shoot. You are correct that the lenses can be expensive, but all of them would be leaps and bounds above any p&s. Things like sharpness, color, depth of field, speed, auto-focus speed, distortion, etc, cannot be matched in a small p&s lens with a tiny sensor.

I am not knocking p&s at all. In fact, I did the same thing you did with my 20D. Sold it and got a G9 because I did not want to invest in lenses at this point and did not carry it enough. However, I don't think my G9 truly competes with the 20D or even the XT I had before it. And it is not meant to.

jon1996 wrote in post #5506342
I agree on the noise part vs the xti theres no comparision, But the FZ50 will do 3FPS as with the xti, but it will start to lag after about 12 frames, where the xti would not, I had both and I did try the FZ50 last night

On the lens comparision it is a Lecia F2.8-F3.7 Thats a pretty fast lens and the optics are very good, How much would a Canon 400 F4 cost? plus a 70-300, plus a 28-105 to cover the FZ50 range, and each of them would have to be IS,

I am not trying to start a flame war, I am still a canon fan, but theres not much that can compete with the Panny FZ50, I read alot of comparisions and I tried the S5 and it just was not on par with the rest, I do miss the ISO performance of the Rebel but I can live with that, I am happy and I am taking pictures again like I used to, Photography is fun again,

My advice to anyone debating a SLR I highly recommend you find a good higher end P&S to go with, SLR is not for everyone, Editing sucks having to do each picture,

Why do you have to edit anymore or less with a P&S vs. a DSLR? Unless, you're shooting RAW, which is available in SLR's and P&S's alike, I can't see a reason for more or less PP from one type of camera to the next. It's all about the individual's likes/dislikes. The performance...no comparison. Glad to hear you're enjoying photography again! I went through the same thing recently and got out of that rut. Good to hear! --Joe