Superzoom For Nature/Birding (1 Viewer)

My current setup is a Nikon D50 w/80-400VR for mainly birding and was looking to upgrade my setup. Any thoughts on getting a superzoom such as the "PANASONIC DMC-FZ1000 20MP". Would this be comparble to what I currently have or maybe even a little better in overall image quality. Thanks for any info, much appreciated.

Take a look at this thread: http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=285035

I have no personal experience, so cannot help directly. I think the sensor will be smaller than in your nikon, but a fair bit newer; therefore, I am not prepared to guess which of the two actually will do better in low light.

Niels

JTF said:

My current setup is a Nikon D50 w/80-400VR for mainly birding and was looking to upgrade my setup. Any thoughts on getting a superzoom such as the "PANASONIC DMC-FZ1000 20MP". Would this be comparble to what I currently have or maybe even a little better in overall image quality. Thanks for any info, much appreciated.

Click to expand...

The NikonD50 was a very well regarded camera when launched in 2005.
It has a CCD sensor, 6 megs, about 4x the area of the 20 meg CMOS sensor in the Panasonic FZ 1000, so each Nikon pixel gets 12x the light of a Panasonic pixel. Your Nikon setup is pretty good, imho. Getting much better than what you have will not be cheap.
I'd expect the Panasonic to be more handy, but not better in overall image quality. Note also that it is claimed that the CCD gives a more 'natural' picture than the CMOS. That is beyond my paygrade to assess.

Info on the Nikon is here: http://www.dpreview.com/products/nikon/slrs/nikon_d50/specifications
Same for the Panasonic: http://www.dpreview.com/products/panasonic/compacts/panasonic_dmcfz1000

Here are a few photos with the Lumix FZ 1000. The distance was only a few meters to the birds. (Crop from 400mm KB). Shots with my Nikon D7100 are of course better. But the camera is lightweight, and is excellent for video.
KW

Sorry for my english

The logical upgrade on a D50 with the 80-400mm zoom is to the next generation of Nikon cameras and sensors. Both the D90 and the D300s can be bought used for a similar cost to a new Panasonic Superzoom. The 12 mp sensors are a significant improvement on the D50. You may even be fortunate to find one of the more recent Nikons on offer.
If you’re concerned about the weight of a DSLR and long lens its worth investing in a decent camera strap. The Optech strap sling, a system extension strap and a lens loop will allow the camera to be carried down by your hip. The difference this makes is unbelievable in 20 years of photography on a value for money level its probably the best investment I’ve made. The width and construction of the strap makes the camera far more comfortable and easy to carry.
The Panasonic is a good superzoom however in common with all Superzoom they are a downgrade on a DSLR. Unless you prefer shooting short videos instead of high quality still shots I’d upgrade to the next generation of DSLR and a decent camera strap instead.