Panasonic FT1

[Franco]

On my last trip I borrowed my wife's Pana TZ11 and my mate was using his FT1(TS1), replaced now by the FT2.
As usual I ended up taking most shots at the wide end.
My mate Yair had fun playing with the long exposure on his (up to 60 sec) . Comparing the two I think that I would sacrifice the longer zoom for the waterproof/shockproof body of the FT1 taking advantage also of the better movie mode (AVI or AVCHD Lite) and still retaining the same wide angle (28mm)
Yair gets about 300 shots from one charge including some movie clips.
Some shots here (sorry about the subject, but we both like tents...)
The first three shots are by Yair Kellner and his FT1 the last is from the TZ11 (2008 , 10x , 28-280)

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/odds/FD_morn.jpg


http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Scarp%201/summitsite.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Scarp%201/moonNlights.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e389/Francophoto/Moment/Moment-2.jpg
Franco

[Wags]

you carried a glow in the dark clothesline?

[Franco]

you carried a glow in the dark clothesline?

Yes, doesn't everyone ?
There isn't much room inside those shelters for drying clothes and I hate banging my face on wet washing, hence the glow-in-the- night line.
Franco

[Franco]

I am considering the FT2 as a replacement for my Pentax Optio W1.
The Pana has a wider lens (28mm from 38mm) and the image quality is definitely better.
It also has several manual exposure overrides that the Pentax is lacking.
I need to see the AVCHD Lite movies , particularly to find out if my PC can handle them for editing. AVI files are very large.
Having spent years testing cameras, makes choosing one even more difficult because you know that there is always another model that has something you like.
So compromise is the name of the game.
I am keeping an eye on the EVIL types (large sensor, interchangeable lenses , no mirror) . The quality is pretty good but still think that in the end I would spend too much time and effort worrying
about getting it wet or dropping it.
For long walks , an extra battery and the charger (with a cut down power cord) would be about 3 oz , so you could take 5-600 pics and recharge every two weeks or so.
Of course one can always take fewer shots (as we did with film...) to avoid having thousands of pics at the end of the walk.
Franco

[bigcranky]

We have an Optio W2. It's fine, but I would appreciate a wider lens and optical image stabilization, both of which the Panasonic has. Seems like a nice camera.

But then I just got a set of m4/3 cameras, a GF1 with the 20/1.7 for myself, and a G-1 with the 14-45 for my wife (on a great price at Amazon.) Not quite as small as the little Panny, and not waterproof, but the image quality is outta sight.

[bigcranky]

Oh, and Franco, nice pix in the original post.

[Wags]

#1 and #3 are really cool pictures :D

[Franco]

My mate Yair used to guide in Nepal, so he still carries on the tradition of waking me up with a cup of hot water..
(he uses an MSR XGK EX , I used a sort of Caldera Cone Sidewinder)

So N1 is me at about 6 AM having a hot cup of coffee...
Peculiar that I am a Sony fan yet attracted by Pana now. The GF/GH system is what I was referring to above, hence my dilemma.
Re Video.. see this
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/GH1-hack.shtml (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/GH1-hack.shtml)
do keep in mind that a wrong step with firmware changes kills your camera
Franco

[bigcranky]

I am keeping an eye on the EVIL types (large sensor, interchangeable lenses , no mirror) . The quality is pretty good but still think that in the end I would spend too much time and effort worrying
about getting it wet or dropping it.


The quality from my GF1 is *really* good -- easily comparable to an APS-size sensor up to ISO 800 or 1600. I'm willing to put up with a lot to get that kind of image quality out of a tiny camera. (Well, tiny compared to what I use at work.)

The GF1 is the first digital camera that I've used that has been *fun*. It's a blast to shoot with. Kinda like using a CL with the Rokkor 40/2 -- it doesn't look like much but it is capable of great photos. "Size matters not" as Yoda might say.