Lumix FZ1000

[Brian Arnold]

Hello - I am Brian Arnold and I live in Swanage. I am new to the UK Butterflies website, but not new to butterflies. I have been chasing butterflies for 50 years and have a large collection of photographs. In the past I used an SLR (back in the days of film cameras), and now use a Canon G12 compact camera. I also do a lot of general photography and don't want to carry around a heavy SLR plus lenses, so am considering a bridge camera. Does anyone have experience and/or opinions of the Lumix FZ1000 please - it looks quite impressive but I would not want to buy one without getting some feedback from butterfly enthusiasts who have used it. I know a couple of people who use the FZ38 for butterfly photography and they get good results. I have no idea how this camera would compare with the current models - the FZ200 and FZ1000.

[Jack Harrison]

The Lumix FZ series are good and if you don't want a heavy DSLR (and nor do I) then the FZ250, etc are all fine. You wouldn't go wrong with the FZ1000 (but you pocket might)
Do consider whether you want a flexi-angle screen. Not everyone does but for me, it is an absolute must. I have a FZ150 and now at 3+ years old, is the longest I have kept any model of digital camera before yearning for a replacement: that says something about Panasonic Lumix.

Jack
snapperjack.co.uk http://www.weatherjackwx.co.uk/snapper/ ... -home.html

[John W]

Hello Brian,

Just to say that most people who use a Panasonic Lumix FZ38/150/200 etc also attach the Panasonic "close up lens" LC55E to their camera, with a suitable Panasonic lens adapter tube. The close-up lens costs about £50 and the adapter tubes about £20 to £25 (different ones according to which make of camera you have).

Cheers
John

[celery]

Brian - it's not right on topic but there's an existing thread here that discusses the FZ200 and bridge cameras in general viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7825&hilit=fz200
It has quite a few photos - so you can see the type and quality of shots that you can expect to achieve.

As for the FZ1000 I haven't been tempted to dabble because it's bigger and heavier than the FZ200 - which is already quite hard to hold steady for extended periods - and unlike the earlier Lumix models there is no provision to attach a close-up lens.

[Jack Harrison]

and unlike the earlier Lumix models there is no provision to attach a close-up lens.

I have tried to explain this before many times. Think of a close ujp lens as human reading glasses. You do not need to go to the expense of the special Panasonic close up lens and attachment. Just screw in a simple close up lens (+1 or +2) or for slightly better optical quality, an achcromatic lens such as this.

achro.jpg (9 KiB) Viewed 1312 times

This is optically exactly the same as the dedicated Panasonic lens (+ adaptor)

Jack

[Chris Jackson]

Hi Jack,
So what you're holding there will fit directly on my FZ150 with no other accessory or adapter ?

Chris

[Jack Harrison]

So what you're holding there will fit directly on my FZ150 with no other accessory or adapter ?

Indeed it does. 52 mm thread. You might have trouble sourcing. I got two at £12 each a few years ago when I came across them. Cheaper plano lenses are almost as good but don't have the same colour correction.

Examples taken using FZ150 + that achromatic lens:

http://www.weatherjackwx.co.uk/snapper/ ... kipper.jpg

http://www.weatherjackwx.co.uk/snapper/ ... kipper.jpg

Not I hasten to add in the same locality (that would have been impressive!)

Jack

[Chris Jackson]

Nice clear photos indeed Jack.

Chris

[MikeOxon]

So what you're holding there will fit directly on my FZ150 with no other accessory or adapter ?

Indeed it does. 52 mm thread.

and I do the same with my FZ200. I find that +1 dioptre is the most useful in the field. They are often available in sets of three or four different powers.

See viewtopic.php?f=29&t=7459&start=60#p85032 for loads of 'techie' detail

[peterc]

Maybe this one is for you, Mike.

On a previous thread, a monopod was talked about as a useful accessory. I have a tripod but if I can do almost as well with a monopod then I might try using that instead.

I have a Lumix FZ200 plus close-up lens. Now in which circumstances is a monopod be most useful, e.g. long distance or close-up?

ATB

Peter

[Jack Harrison]

Mike:

I find that +1 dioptre is the most useful in the field. They are often available in sets of three or four different powers.

I would agree that a +1 dioptre is ideal but I have never been able to source a +1 achromat. In practice, plano (meniscus) lenses - +1, +2, (but I wouldn't go higher than that due to aberrations) are probably adequate despite not being colour corrected for chromatic aberration. The fall off in resolution towards the edges is slightly more pronounced with a simple lense.

I too have a set of planos but rarely use as the achromat is the choice.

Mike. How about one of your excellent diagrams to explain?

jack

[celery]

Jack - I didn't say it was impossible to attach a macro lens to the FZ1000 - I said that Panasonic make no provision for it.

If you trawl the internet you'll find very few images taken with the FZ1000 and an additional close-up lens. Most reviewers/owners/commentators seem to think that the camera macro settings with no additional lens are sufficient for butterflies - I'll leave that to personal taste, but to me they don't achieve sufficient detail to see individual scales, compound eyes, features on the antennae, etc.

It's really the use of the large 62mm barrel that makes it difficult. I've culled this next bit from the 'Camera Ergonomics' blog (http://cameraergonomics.blogspot.co.uk/) as the guy seems to know a whole lot more about it than I do.

"Technically the close up lens probably offers the best close up performance of all the options covered in this post. It provides the smallest angle of view, a useful working distance and good optics while retaining OIS, AE and AF.

But I hate it. This is the ergonomics blog and the ergonomics of using one of the available good quality close up lenses are dreadful. I have a B+W slimline protect filter on the FZ1000 with no front thread. There are currently no 62mm double element CU lenses available new and the (very) old Nikon ones available second hand are often exorbitantly priced.

So to use the 58mm Canon 500D I have to remove the front filter from the FZ1000, put it in a clamshell container, take out the 500D, dig the 62-58mm step down ring from my bag, attach it to the 500D then finally attach the step down with 500D affixed onto the front of the FZ1000. The whole process is much worse than changing lenses. Every time I do this I drop at least one of the (fairly expensive) bits and the whole process is so time consuming it is hardly worth while. In addition I have to carry an oversized bag to contain the accessory bits and pieces."

This is why I've steered clear of the FZ1000 so far. If you've got a more elegant solution that makes the use of a close-up lens easier on the FZ1000 I could yet be persuaded. Go for it!

[MikeOxon]

I have a Lumix FZ200 plus close-up lens. Now in which circumstances is a monopod be most useful, e.g. long distance or close-up?

I find that the steadying effect of a monopod is always useful, when composing a shot in the viewfinder.

It is especially useful for close-up work, because it helps maintain sharp focus, by reducing forwards and backwards wobble, as well as side to side.

For distant shots, it's only really necessary when using long focal lengths (large amount of zoom), when it reduces camera shake.

Mike

[peterc]

I have a Lumix FZ200 plus close-up lens. Now in which circumstances is a monopod be most useful, e.g. long distance or close-up?

I find that the steadying effect of a monopod is always useful, when composing a shot in the viewfinder.

It is especially useful for close-up work, because it helps maintain sharp focus, by reducing forwards and backwards wobble, as well as side to side.

For distant shots, it's only really necessary when using long focal lengths (large amount of zoom), when it reduces camera shake.

Mike

Thank you, Mike. That makes a lot of sense.

ATB

Peter

[MikeOxon]

I would agree that a +1 dioptre is ideal but I have never been able to source a +1 achromat. In practice, plano (meniscus) lenses - +1, +2, (but I wouldn't go higher than that due to aberrations) are probably adequate despite not being colour corrected for chromatic aberration. The fall off in resolution towards the edges is slightly more pronounced with a simple lens

As you know, Jack, I always like [del] playing [/del] doing experiments, so here are some photos of a sheet of metric (1cm squares) graphpaper taken with my FZ200, first with the unaided lens (full zoom = 108mm f.l.) and then with +1 and +2 meniscus supplementaries (Hoya brand). I used an aperture of f/8 throughout. For the unaided lens, I set the camera (focal plane) at 110cm from the graph paper, where the whole image covers an 8cm x 6cm are of the paper. With +1 supp., I could move in to 73cm and with the +2 to 59cm, filling the frames with smaller areas of the paper.

The images are reduced for the web but convey the information on the originals quite well.

I've enlarged small sections in the centre of each image and near the bottom-right corner to exaggerate the lens aberrations. It would be interesting to see simlar results for an achromatic +2 diotre, such as the Panasonic close-up adapter.

Mike

[Brian Arnold]

Hello to all of you who have posted a reply to my questions re the Lumix FZ1000.

Thank you - I am most grateful for your opinions. It has given me a lot to think about and made me think twice about the FZ1000, although I am still considering both the FZ200 and FZ1000. From your comments and some example pictures it does look as if I could get better detailed photos of butterflies with an FZ200 that I get with my Canon G12, so I am now going to research all the details I can find, and download an FZ200 manual to look at all the options etc.

On a different subject - what a dreadful Spring this is - all I have seen in my garden so far this year is a single Brimstone and a couple of Small Tortoiseshells.

Regards, Brian Arnold

[Jack Harrison]

Mike.

I have two of those Sigma +2 achromatic lenses so could lend you one to continue your experiments. PM or email with your address if interested.

What shall we say? £1 per day hire rate? (Just return postage of course)

Actually, my measurements suggest that the nominal +2.00 achromat is actually about +1.75 dioptres.

Jack