Canon sx60 vs Panasonic FZ82 (1 Viewer)

[ClarkWGriswold]

I've just found out that my insurance company are sending me Argos vouchers rather than an SX60. Now the selection at Argos is pretty poor but both Canon and Panasonic are available for the same price.

Has anyone compared both. I'm coming from an SX50 so am familiar and happy with Canon controls/ features. Has anyone compared both? The Panny is the newer design and initially I was a little concerned by the jumpy max zoom over on the SX60 thread. Results certainly seem to have improved with familiarity though. Have they improved the IS?

I'd appreciate any thoughts on these 2 cameras in particular.

Cheers,

Rich

 

[scotview]

Hi,

I have the FZ82. Initially I wasn't happy with the auto focus.

The camera has a function called "post focus". The camera takes approximately 30 shots at 4K, effectively a very short video clip of about one second duration. Each frame has a different focus point, from front to back. You then choose the frame with the best focus and create an 8mega pixel jpeg.

I have been using this functionality regularly for record shots. See typical photo from the FZ82 using post focus, terns in flight.

I do find however that the camera is quite poor in auto focus for stills and 4K video. Additionally, for birding, you need a high shutter speed and this can be a problem with high ISO giving grainy photos on the small sensor. I'm not sure if the SX60 would be any better in this respect.

Please do not consider the above as a recommendation to buy on my part.

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

Thanks Scotview. I was hoping for feedback from someone with real hands on experience. As it's fairly new there's not many reviews available.

I gues the small sensor is an issue with all of them but unless you drop some serious coin on an FZ1000/ new Sony, I guess that's what you have to live with.

May I ask why you chose it over the SX60? My choice is mainly limited by having to use Argos.

Have you fiddled with settings for stills?

Impressive shot of the Terns by the way. Dont think I'd have got that with the SX50:t:

Rich

 

[scotview]

Hi Rich,

I have generally gone for Panasonic for the video quality. I like to capture stills from video. The downside is you need a high powered laptop to handle the 4K video stream.

I also have the Panasonic G7 (M43) and the latest firmware upgrade now has "post focus" also.

I cannot comment on the Canon, so don't feel I can really guide you in your choice.

Maybe the Canon is better for stills and auto focus. The Panasonic is maybe better for 4K video and the post focus functionality.

Incidentally, I owned the FZ1000, it was a great camera but the limited reach was very frustrating for birding. I traded it in for the G7.

Difficult choice.

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

Thanks again Scotview. Video is not a priority for me so maybe I'll stick with Canon. Will give it some more thought before the vouchers arrive.

Rich

 

[Paul Jarvis]

I chose the sx60 based on some key features for my needs. I didn't need 4K because my soft can't handle it and would mean additional costs. Another one is the folding screen which is so useful not to mention the zoom. 16 mp is enough for what I want and the video is more than capable at 1080 60p.

 

[Paul Jarvis]

Should have also mentioned the ergonomic handling as is fits nice in the hand with the bigger grip.

 

[ClarkWGriswold]

Cheers Paul. Thanks to Scotview's honest appraisal I stuck with Canon. Primarily for the same reasons as yourself though I never used the fold out screen on the SX50.

Rich