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Best Birding Super Zoom point and shoot (1 Viewer)

nancylewis123

Active member
I currently use a Nikon D300 with a 300mm f/2.4 lens and 2x teleconverter. I am very happy with my rig for birding by car and hiking. However, I can't take my rig when I go birding by kayak. Also, bicycling with my rig on my back is getting to be a bit much. So...I am looking for the best birding super zoom on the market. I am willing to pay the price, but I know nothing about the offerings in the point and shoot camera market. The Canon Powershot S5-IS looks interesting as does the newly introduced Samsung HZ35W with Schneider glass. I have borrowed a Panasonic DMC FZ20 and a FZ30. The amount of digital noise is not acceptable and the autofocus is so slow, the bird is halfway to Alaska before the shutter releases. I welcome your suggestions and experience.
 
Canon S5 has been discontinued for several years. It has been replaced by the SX20 and SX1. I use the SX1 and am fairly happy with the quality for still if I can get within 20m. Video works much better at longer distances.

When looking for a superzoom you should choose one that has a lens with a 35mm effective focal length of ~500mm or more. Canon sx1/sx20 and Panasonic FX35 are the birders favorites here. Neither are fast focusing when compared to a dslr but the SX1 has a dslr-like continuos shooting speed of 4.5fps. Both will fail if you get them wet.

good luck,
Rick
 
I really like my FZ18, it´s a very popular camera here on BF. I don´t know if the FZ28/FZ38(35) is an upgrade from the FZ18, but all these Panasonic superzooms will do the job for you for sure. You can check my gallery for samples.
 
I really like my FZ18, it´s a very popular camera here on BF. I don´t know if the FZ28/FZ38(35) is an upgrade from the FZ18, but all these Panasonic superzooms will do the job for you for sure. You can check my gallery for samples.

I also use the FZ18. Other threads indicate that newer versions have better IQ at higher iso but poorer view finder (no superzoom is going to provide high iso performance like your SLR). If you consider the Panas, there are several threads in the Panasonic section. One BF member insists that the somewhat larger Fuji s100fs (now superseded by the S200EXR?) is a better bridge camera.

Niels
 
Some swear by the FZ50. Fast and long lens. Just not very wide. Poor video. Fz38/35 has it all - F4.4 lens, wide and long end and HD video. The Canon models have slow lenses (5.6). The Panny is sharp throughout its range so shooting F4.4 with its feather weight is a dream. Fuji has too much color fringing which I don't recall that they have fixed in the current version. FZ35/38 - as said, poor viewfinder, relatively long shutter lag but those things can be dealt with with practice.
 
I am guessing that your set is to heavey having a 300 2.8 lens ? Have you looked at the 300mm F4 ? Much lighter and smaller.
300 F4, 1440g.
300 F2.8, 2900g
 
I have borrowed a Panasonic DMC FZ20 and a FZ30. The amount of digital noise is not acceptable and the autofocus is so slow, the bird is halfway to Alaska before the shutter releases.

I use the FZ18 and like it. However, I suspect pretty much all the superzooms out there are going to seem to have slow focus and noise that you consider "not acceptable" compared to your dslr. I find flight shots and fast moving birds are quite difficult and getting quality shots with low noise is really possible only in good light when the iso is 100-200.

Best,
Jim
 
I use the FZ18 and like it. However, I suspect pretty much all the superzooms out there are going to seem to have slow focus and noise that you consider "not acceptable" compared to your dslr. I find flight shots and fast moving birds are quite difficult and getting quality shots with low noise is really possible only in good light when the iso is 100-200.

Best,
Jim

Obviously it depends on what noise levels you can live with. I've attached two images, first at ISO 800 - second at ISO 500. Both images have just been cropped and resized, no noise reduction or sharpening applied. TBF, I would usually sharpen the image after resizing for the Web and I would also decrease in-camera noise reduction to -1 or -2 (these are some of the first pictures I took with the FZ28, so I used the default settings)

As for focus speed; the High Speed Auto Focus on the FZ28 (no experience of FZ18 or 38) is close to DSLR speed in good light (based on timings reported for reviews), but it's not consistently so (although apparently this has been improved on the FZ38).

Focus speed and noise go downhill in bad light, but then plenty of people don't bother taking pictures with a DSLR in bad light (or so I keep reading on this and other forums).

EDIT: so not to give a false impression; I should have added that, as with all of my pictures of birds in my garden, both pictures were taken through double glazed windows.
 

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If you want samples from FZ18, here are a few too.
 

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I want to thank everyone for their thoughtful replies and suggestions. I clearly am going to have to rethink the Panasonic FZ series. Some of the images submitted as examples from this series of cameras are excellent and and way beyond acceptable. I think it comes down to deciding whether I would rather have a very good point and shoot vs totally miss out on some great bird images because I don' t have my SLR with me. Thank you all again. Nancy
 
A new guy here, so hope this question's not too obvious, but the Panasonic FZ40 is much less expensive but seems to have a higher zoom and more megapixels than the FZ18. Why do so many prefer the FZ18? Thanks!
 
A new guy here, so hope this question's not too obvious, but the Panasonic FZ40 is much less expensive but seems to have a higher zoom and more megapixels than the FZ18. Why do so many prefer the FZ18? Thanks!

The FZ18 is an old model no longer sold. It's discussed here simply because it's the camera many of us own. (Though it does have an EVF that is better than many later models).

Best,
Jim
 
The FZ28 and FZ38 are incrementally better than the 18 and in the same family. There is a new model in the family out (FZ-48?) but it's a bit early to tell and early returns may not be too promising. An FZ38 is an exceptional value and has all the good aspects of the 18 and 28.
 
I am guessing that your set is to heavey having a 300 2.8 lens ? Have you looked at the 300mm F4 ? Much lighter and smaller.
300 F4, 1440g.
300 F2.8, 2900g

I second this. You might want consider the 300mm f4 before dropping all the way down to a point-&-shoot (though admittedly at 3+lbs the f4 isn't exactly a lightweight either)
 
Except the large EVF of the FZ18.

Right - I'll never understand that one. How much of a cost cutting move could that be? Other things compensate for me (a good EVF is still an EVF...) but that was a bummer. Personally I'd get the current model with a warranty rather than roll the dice on a used one.
 
The FZ28 and FZ38 are incrementally better than the 18 and in the same family. There is a new model in the family out (FZ-48?) but it's a bit early to tell and early returns may not be too promising. An FZ38 is an exceptional value and has all the good aspects of the 18 and 28.

Except the large EVF of the FZ18.

The EVF of the FZ38 is certainly pretty poor - I don't use it on mine. Haven't tried using the camera for birds in flight to see if that's possible but it's pretty good for snaps of stuff that's not moving about too much and nice for videos.too.
 

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