A new friend.

Gidday Silver

NONE of those cameras will give you the flexibility that the FZ200 will, or anywhere near it. They are pretty much all fine cameras, but none of them have an optically fast lens at the telephoto end of their zoom range; nor do they have anything like the maximum EFL of the FZ200.

When I wrote " ... I think ... " upthread, I was merely being polite. The FZ200 will slaughter your FE240 in every respect. It also slaughters pretty well all its modern competition.

Having a constant aperture f/2.8 super zoom Panny-Leica lens is something that no one else even offers in this kind of zoom range (effective FL of 25-600 mm). While I don't have any experience with this particular camera, I do have with its older siblings (ancestors?), the FZ20, FZ30 and FZ50. All of them were capable of producing stunning images. Some of the very best bird shots I have ever seen were taken with a Panny FZ50 ...
 
uuummmmm....EFL???
See...now I don't know what I want!:lol::lol::lol:
Anyway..off to Sydney next Mon and will call into the photo shops and have a touchy/feely/playey thing.
You have probably swayed me to the FZ200 and I have lots of time.
 
"EFL" = Effective Focal Length. The angle of view that the lens has when compared to a 35 mm film camera lens of a given focal length.

Therefore, the EFL of 25 to 600 mm of the FZ200 is the focal length of the lens that you would need on a 35 mm camera to obtain the same size image frame.

The actual FL of the lens on the FZ200 is 4.5 to 108 mm. Because the sensor is approximately 1/5.55 times smaller in the diagonal measurement than 35 mm film, this 5.55 is the multiplier or "crop" factor of this camera.

Multiplying the actual focal length of the lens by this "crop factor" gives you the focal length in 35 mm camera terms. This merely serves as a common basis for comparison of lenses. It is far easier to get one's mind around this than comparing the actual angle of view of a lens, expressed in degrees!

Thus, multiplying the widest angle of the lens of the FZ200, 4.5 mm, by the crop factor of 5.55 gives you the widest angle the lens can be in terms of a lens on a 35 mm camera - 25 mm. This is a pretty good wide angle lens.

Ditto for the longest FL, 108 mm. Multiply by the crop factor of 5.55 gives you the narrowest angle of view the lens can have in 35 mm terms - 600 mm. This is a very long telephoto lens.
 
Yes.

Completely leaving aside better dynamic range in the image, and far less chromatic aberration, the bird would have occupied roughly this proportion of the frame.

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I would think that it would also have better metering and exposure, and also have been sharper.

BTW, I am not meaning to be rude about your shot. After all, far better to have it than not ... :).
 
I was up in Bega today but the Fletchers store didn't have the FZ200..or much else for that matter. Same with Betta Electrical. Hopefully i'll have better luck in Sydney.
 
Gidday Silver

I am sure that you will have more luck in Sydney, mate ... :iconwink:.

Just remember, whatever you decide on has to suit you, not me, or anyone else!

Good hunting :).
 
I got a reply from Panasonic but of course they were pleading ignorance of any upgrades due. They said they were not aware of the 2014 camera range.
Bit of a joke really but it doesn't matter. There will be an upgrade so I will just wait and keep checking.
 
Gidday Silver

New models are usually announced at the PMA shows (normally January), but more so at Photokina (normally around September).

However, this is honoured as often in the breach as the observance ...

IME, NO camera company ever leaks anything, ever!
 
After a visit to a couple of Harvey Norman stores, JB HiFi (who only had 3 in Australia), Myer and a Domayne store I finally got my hands on what must be the only FZ200 in the eastern suburbs of Sydney.
It was at a HN near Botany in Sydney.
They had 1 only. Have sold 4 since it was released and their cost price was $554. The one they had in stock had been there since Nov 2012. I'm only putting that in because the guy showed me on the computer.
It was in the 1/2 yearly clearance for $548 which is the cheapest I have seen it from an Australian based retailer. It looks good and feels comfortable.
I offered him $500 but he said he couldn't do it. He was very helpful and searched around trying to find a cheaper price from an Australian retailer but couldn't.
Even though it was the best price I have seen I did not buy it yet because I figure an update won't be far away and I am happy to pay more for the latest version. It's been around for at least 13 months...probably closer to 15 so it's not far away.
There are always sales and I will be patient.
 
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