www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Hi all,

A friend of mine is thinking of upgrading her trusty Panasonic Lumix FZ38 to a FZ200. I think her close up lens (the DMW-LC55E) will still work with it but am I right in thinking that she will need to buy a different lens adapter tube? The one she currently has is the DMW-LA3E.

Also any thoughts on whether the FZ200 is worth spending the extra money on would be appreciated!

Thanks…
John W.

Hi John,
I use a FZ150 and am very happy with it because it is idiot-proof and forgiving. I only need to use about 2 different settings to cover anything I need to photograph.
I can't give you any technical banter but I can say that the swivelling screen is the best thing since sliced bread. It is perfect for ground-level and over-the-top butterfly (insect / plant) shots. I would recommend it soley for this feature.
A mate of mine has got the FZ200 and it is basically the same, just with a bit more zoom.
Good luck
Chris

I suppose that the first question is "why does she want to upgrade" Is there some aspect of the FZ38 that she finds unsatisfactory and, if so, what is it? Knowing this would help to decide if the FZ200 would provide a solution. Of course there is also the point that technology moves on, as well as the pleasure and inspiration to be found from a new piece of more capable kit.

The headline feature of the FZ200 is that it maintains a constant f/2.8 aperture across the whole zoom range, which could be very useful for subjects such as birds. Otherwise, the spec. is virtually the same as the FZ150, which is a little smaller and lighter, and quite a bit cheaper.

I was very sorry to lose my Lumix TZ5, when I dropped it in a stream, but its replacement, a TZ25, has proved to be very much better. I have much more confidence in the ability of this camera to capture a good photo in a very wide range of conditions. The point here is that the sensor in the TZ25 is the same as that used in both the FZ150 and FZ200 - not too many pixels for good noise performance but enough for sharp images.

Like the FZ200, my TZ25 has the HDR mode feature, which gives me very good results. In this mode, the camera takes up to three photos, in quick succession at different exposure settings, and then combines the 'best bits' of each, to give the optimum overall exposure in both shadows and highlights. I have found that this solves the problem of 'blown' highlights,which afflicts most compact cameras but, the flip side is that it can only be used for subjects that remain stationary throughout the three exposures.

Hope this helps.
Mike

p.s. the FZ200 needs the DMW-LA7 adapter for the same close up lens. This adapter accepts 55mm filters.

Hi Mike,
I believe the cost is coming down all the time. Down here my FZ150 cost me 499.00 Euros two years ago (for poor-old me, this was a very serious investment decision at the time), and my workmate bought a FZ200 very recently for 399.00 Euros. We are always overtaken by technology, but obliged to follow it otherwise you end up doing nothing.
If ever I change camera again, I'm afraid a swivelling screen would still remain priority (for BFs at least).
If I get into birding later, my priorities would no doubt change.
Chris

Thanks chaps for the replies, particularly to MikeOxon for answering the specific question about the extension tube.

My advice to my friend is to take a look at Sussex Kipper's photos - and not to bother getting a better camera until she can take equally good pictures! Same applies to me too, I also have an FZ38. It's easy to get a better camera, not so easy to improve your field craft and technique!

Cheers
John

John W wrote:It's easy to get a better camera, not so easy to improve your field craft and technique!

Cheers
John

Well said John. Very true.
Chris

I had an FZ38. I replaced with an FZ150. The ultimate quality of the photos admittedly is no better. But my goodness, the swivel screen makes all the difference to the ease of use. Never again will I buy a camera without a swivel screen (or at least, a tilting screen). The FZ200 is very much the same as the 150 with a wider aperture lens.

But why bother with all that expensive close up adapter? Just screw a close-up lens (ideally, an achromatic lens but a plano lens for a few quid is almost as good) directly into the filter thread. A close-up lens is no more, no less, than the equivalent reading glasses for humans. That Panasonic adapter is an costly way of achieving the same thing. If you want to do a really cheap experiment, buy a pair of reading glasses +2 diopter for a couple of quid and hold (fix) one lens in front of the camera's main lens.

Jack

I'm also a Panasonic Lumix FZ150 user and would question the need for any extension tube or close-up lens, the macro mode on most Panasonic Lumix cameras are more than enough for butterfly, dragonfly or general insect and plant photography. With hand held macro photography the overiding requisite is a rock steady hand or use a tripod with camera cable release, a monopod is also favoured among many butterfly enthusiasts to assist with steadying.

Save the expense of attachments and just concentrate on getting plenty of (close-up) practice in with whatever camera is used.

Bill

I'm also a Panasonic Lumix FZ150 user and would question the need for any extension tube or close-up lens, the macro mode on most Panasonic Lumix cameras are more than enough for butterfly, dragonfly or general insect and plant photography

That is true provided you are able to get very close to your subject. Macro mode only really works when the lens is at wide angle. A close-up lens enables telephoto to be used yet still fill the frame as required. So with a close-up lens attached, it is possible to work at distances of as great as say 50 to 60 cms: that is not possible in macro mode alone when you have to be very close.

Jack

Jack Harrison wrote:Macro mode only really works when the lens is at wide angle. A close-up lens enables telephoto to be used yet still fill the frame as required.

Jack makes a very good point. I can't speak for the FZ150 or 200 but my TZ25 has a tele-macro mode, as well as the standard macro. At its longest focal length, it can focus down to 1m, which is not bad for a 384mm (35mm equiv) focal length. It might be worth checking if the FZ-series cameras have a similar capability.

Mike

It might be worth checking if the FZ-series cameras have a similar capability.

My FZ150 will focus down to 1 metre at full telephoto (equiv 600 mms). This gives adequate size images for butterflies of say Specked Wood size and larger. So I only need to use a close-up on smaller butterflies such as the blues if I wish to fill the frame. I might in fact leave the lens on (a +2 achromatic) and if I want to photograph a larger butterfly then I don't use full zoom. This way, I am prepared for that unexpected Monarch or Short-tailed Blue (still waiting for them here on Mull; but I did see a pair of soaring Sea Eagles today)

Jack

Jack Harrison wrote:My FZ150 will focus down to 1 metre at full telephoto (equiv 600 mms).

More often than not the butterfly photographed at this range will provide a more than reasonable quality image and still allow you that bit of distance. The more glass you place in front of the superb Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens that the FZ150 sports, the more you detract from the 'best image quality' possible. I've even removed the protective Hoya UV filter (quality Japanese glass!) in the quest for top image quality, but on a personal level I'm still at the mercy of camera shake and tripods are a real pain to lug around, having said that, I always use Anti-Shake even when the FZ150 is on a monopod (bit different to using a tripod when most camera manuals tell you to turn Anti-Shake off). The big plus with the FZ150/200 is iA Intelligent Auto, this is almost fool proof...and I like fool proof iA saves all the messin' around with camera settings while in the meantime the insect fly's to the next county

Regards lens adapters/converters and close-up lens the FZ150 uses the following:- DMW-LA5, DMW-LT55 and DMW-LT55 respectively, should anyone wonder. The FZ200 has slightly different models. This means that owners of the FZ150 such as Jack and myself would need to invest in new adapters etc, if we wished to 'upgrade' from the FZ150 to the current Panasonic Lumix bridge camera 'flagship' model FZ200. The camera companies certainly know all about squeezing the last few coppers out of a poor photo enthusiast don't they

Bill

owners of the FZ150 such as Jack and myself would need to invest in new adapters etc

I tried to explain before that you DO NOT NEED ADAPTERS. They are Panasonic's expensive way of screwing more money out of people who do not understand O-level physics.

I now pull out from this debate.

Jack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xgSldVjwvM

Jack

Jack Harrison wrote:I tried to explain before that you DO NOT NEED ADAPTERS. They are Panasonic's expensive way of screwing more money out of people who do not understand O-level physics.

For close up lens - probably not. However, those can also be used for some teleconverter setups, which can be so heavy that I wouldn't predict much of a lifetime for the lens, if the converter was fixed to the filter threads.