I like the FZ-20 output a lot, but I wish the ergonomics had been designed by Pentax instead of Panasonic. The handgrip is too small for my hands and the controls and menu systems are awkward (to me, but this is my first digicam (and zoom lens, for that matter). EVF just isn't a good substitute for an optical viewfinder). The LCD screen on the back of the camera is good, but you have to look at it dead on to get a good sense of how well exposed the image will be and it's not always that easy to see it in bright sunlight (which is pretty damn bright and pretty common here in San Antonio).
However, the lens, the optical image stabilization, the color sensitivity of the chip, and the lack of shutter lag are good enough to overcome the body's chunky shortcomings. Manual focusing works well—the center of image shows up a highly magnified portion of the shot allowing you to fine tune the focus pretty well. The menu system for controlling the electronic functions of the camera (WB, exposure compensation, metering style, and autofocus pattern) is clunky, but it works.
I paid $600 for mine, but the online price has come down quite a bit since then. The lowest I've seen so far is $520. SD memory cards are getting really cheap, too.
Dan
On Oct 12, 2004, at 10:55 PM, Mark Erickson wrote:
The FZ-3 has been reviewed by Digital Photography Review(tm) and by the Digital Camera Resource page:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz3/
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz3-review/index.shtml
The FZ-20 has been reviewed by the Digital Camera Resource page and Steve's
Digicams:
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz20-review/ index.shtml
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/fz20.html
All of these reviews have original-size JPEG images available for your
perusal. On the Digital Camera Resource Page you can compare images that
were taken at the same time with the FZ-3, FZ-20, and Canon EOS-20D. My
impression is that the Panasonic/Leica lens is amazingly good, and Panasonic
didn't screw up the images with bad post-processing. As expected, the small
imager yields more shadow noise than the EOS-20D. Chromatic aberration and
purple fringing is noticably absent.
Let's face facts. The FZ-20 lens goes from 36mm to 432mm equivalent 35mm
focal lengths, and it maintains F2.8 throughout the range. Add image
stabilization and a pretty good manual focus capability (I played with one
in a store and found it amazingly easy to use) and you have a camera that
gives capabilities unmatched by any digital SLR. As I see it, its main
weakness is shadow and high ISO noise that is unavoidable with a small
sensor.
With the addition of the (not cheap) wide-angle converter, I wouldn't
hesitate to use one as my primary travel camera. I can't imagine a better
safari camera for an amateur (i.e., not willing to lug a 20D or F100 and
300mm F2.8 lens around) photographer. In fact, as I write this my mom is on
safari in South Africa with her FZ-1 (the predecessor to the FZ-3). I'm
looking forward to the pics!
--Mark
