Rainforest performance
Hi Scodgerott,
I haven't really tested it fairly under those conditions yet. One of the problems I ran into initially is that the camera is so light and small and point-and-shoot-ish that I was tempted into using it as I would a point-and-shoot and not as a camera with a 600mm zoom. While it is undoubtedly easier to steady than a similar DSLR setup because of its weight, it's still not so easy that you can hand hold it at full zoom and in low light without shaking so much that the image is fuzzed. On a tripod, you might be able to achieve results that are the equal of its high light performance, but I don't really know yet.
In Singapore I came closest to testing the idea by bracing myself against a tree for some drongo shots (attached) that were not uber-crisp, but were much closer than I ever would have gotten with a full sized setup (shooting at 1/100th, ISO 400, full zoom). So I think there's potential, but it's not magic.
I also included a little spiderhunter that was shot unbraced, hand held, 1/15th, full zoom, ISO 400, in the understory. It may be a better example of the potential, as those circumstances would produce something like impressionist painting with a DSLR, but came close to actually coming out with the FZ200.
Oh, and I almost forgot- the 2nd hummer is a white-crested coquette, endemic to Panama and Costa Rica. Although I don't think coquettes are the strangest hummers in existence, they're definitely in the running. The frilly sideburns are odd enough, but the forehead plumes (the white crest; it sticks straight up when he wants it to) are downright weird.
Brilliant shots Randy. They are as good as any I've seen of hummingbirds. The third one is a stunner and the second one is the strangest hummer I've ever seen. Did you have any situations where the light was very low and if so, how did the camera handle that? When I had my FZ150 I took it to a rainforest area and it really struggled, that's one of the reasons I got the FZ200, but haven't tried it out in a similar situation as yet.
Hi Scodgerott,
I haven't really tested it fairly under those conditions yet. One of the problems I ran into initially is that the camera is so light and small and point-and-shoot-ish that I was tempted into using it as I would a point-and-shoot and not as a camera with a 600mm zoom. While it is undoubtedly easier to steady than a similar DSLR setup because of its weight, it's still not so easy that you can hand hold it at full zoom and in low light without shaking so much that the image is fuzzed. On a tripod, you might be able to achieve results that are the equal of its high light performance, but I don't really know yet.
In Singapore I came closest to testing the idea by bracing myself against a tree for some drongo shots (attached) that were not uber-crisp, but were much closer than I ever would have gotten with a full sized setup (shooting at 1/100th, ISO 400, full zoom). So I think there's potential, but it's not magic.
I also included a little spiderhunter that was shot unbraced, hand held, 1/15th, full zoom, ISO 400, in the understory. It may be a better example of the potential, as those circumstances would produce something like impressionist painting with a DSLR, but came close to actually coming out with the FZ200.
Oh, and I almost forgot- the 2nd hummer is a white-crested coquette, endemic to Panama and Costa Rica. Although I don't think coquettes are the strangest hummers in existence, they're definitely in the running. The frilly sideburns are odd enough, but the forehead plumes (the white crest; it sticks straight up when he wants it to) are downright weird.
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