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| FZ1000 hand held auto panorama stitched in camera. Thanks to the miracle of multi frame stitching software, cameras like the FZ1000 can make superwide photos. This one takes in about 170 degrees. You can see the result is quite good. The stitching software has somehow figured that there is only one speedboat in the right mid area. The sailboat further to the right has acquired two masts however. |
I think the future for enthusiast amateur photography lies with fixed zoom lens cameras (FZLC).
I presented the case for the FZLC in this post and briefly described some current FZLCs in this post.
I also take the view that if the camera is to differentiate itself from the smartphone as a worthwhile genre it should meet myrequirements for a ‘Proper Camera’.
This briefly means it should have a high quality zoom lens, built in EVF, fully articulated monitor, ergonomic handle and thumb support, full set of controls for the enthusiast user, fully auto mode for the snapshooter, very good picture quality, fast responsive performance and excellent ergonomics.
It is a camera which enthusiast/expert users be they amateurs or professionals will want to own and use.
I have no interest in any camera without a built in EVF so I will not consider any such models in this post. This is a personal preference of course, but it is well grounded in experience.
There are two main problems with cameras lacking an EVF.
The first is that the camera is very difficult to hold still with monitor view especially at the long end of a zoom range. The result is blurred pictures.
The second is that even the best monitors are very difficult to see in bright light. I live in Sydney Australia where bright sunlight prevails, making monitor view a frustrating exercise most of the time.
Preliminary Comment Let us assume for a moment that I am right about this and the FZLC is really going to be the main camera type for the enthusiast/expert photographer in the near future.
My thinking is that the manufacturer best poised for success would be the one already offering the best selection of highly capable FZLCs and a history of making good cameras of this type.
Let us see what is available by manufacturer in alphabetical order with my comments at the end of each group.
Please bear with me if I fail to mention your favourite camera or one about which you wanted to read. I will probably miss a few models and may be unclear about whether a particular model is still available.
Canon Incredibly Canon appears to have just one FZLC with a built in EVF, the SX60. I own and have reviewed the SX60 and while it is not a bad camera it is outperformed by offerings from other makers.
Canon is not engaging effectively with the FZLC genre. They continue to churn out basic snapshooter compacts and travel/super zooms without an EVF.
I guess as long as people buy these half baked cameras Canon (and Nikon) will make them.
But I have to believe Canon’s weak offering will damage their reputation particularly as other makers are offering much better products in this category.
Comment: Either I am completely wrong about the future success of the FZLC or the product development people at Canon have lost the plot altogether.
We shall see.
Fujifilm A few years ago Fuji had many models in the FZLC category with updates every year. But recently they appear to have directed most R&D into the X-System of MILCs.
There is the S1, a weather resistant DSLR style 50x superzoom with the ubiquitous 1/2.3” (7.6mm diagonal) 16 Mpx sensor, presumably the same or very similar to that in many current superzooms.
Reviews suggest the S1 has more digital noise than similar cameras from other makers.
At a lower price point there are the S9800 and S9900W with a smaller aperture lens and without the weather sealing.
The X30 is basically an X20 advanced compact with EVF in place of the X20’s OVF. The X-Trans sensor filter array is retained.
Reviews suggest picture quality is not up to the standard set by the Sony RX100 and Panasonic LX100.
Comment: Fujifilm’s current FZLC offerings appear a bit tokenistic to me. Like….Yeah we make one of those………….you can buy one if you want but we would rather you come see our X camera range and fabulous lenses……….
Leica rebadges Panasonic FZLCs. They are the same inside.
Nikon has the P7800 advanced compact which I bought last year and have reviewed. It has good picture quality and a good lens but tediously slow shot to shot times with RAW capture, a poor EVF and mediocre ergonomics.
The P610 is a DSLR style superzoom with the 7.6mm sensor and a very long, good quality zoom lens and quite good picture quality but no RAW capture.
The P900 which I have reviewed on this blog has been attracting a lot of attention lately, with reason.
It is basically a P610 with the longest zoom ever offered on a consumer camera spanning focal length equivalent 24-2000mm.
It works well for birds and small animals with better picture quality than most cameras with the small 7.6mm sensor. Like the P610 RAW is not available and overall performance is limited by the Expeed C2 processor.
Comment: Nikon has the technical capability to score big in the FZLC world. They just need to upgrade the processor in their premium Coolpix line, or launch a new premium FZLC line and get the performance and ergonomics working properly.
Olympus has the Stylus 1, now in 1S version. This is styled like Olympus micro 4/3 cameras and carries a 10x zoom lens. The sensor is the 1/1.7” (9.3mm diagonal) type which should give better picture quality than superzooms with the smaller sensor but reviews suggest that expectation might not be met in practice.
With its constant f2.8 lens and comprehensive control layout the Stylus 1 should be a category killer but my reading of reviews would indicate that is not the case.
Comment: Maybe this camera would be revitalised with a better sensor. The specification is certainly interesting.
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| FZ1000. This picture was made hand held from the same position as the panorama above. This time I used i-Zoom for a focal length equivalent of 800mm which is double the maximum optical zoom of the FZ1000. The result is quite acceptable for a small print. |
Panasonic has the largest and most diverse offering of FZLCs with built in EVF, not surprising as they have been making cameras like this for quite a while.
The FZ1000 has been extensively reviewed on this blog. It is the most versatile camera I have ever used and is the main source of my belief in the future of the FZLC genre.
The LX100 is probably the best advanced compact ever made, also extensively reviewed on this blog.
The FZ200 is a DSLR style superzoom which has been on the market for a couple of years with rumors of a replacement due sometime soon.
The TZ70 is the latest iteration of Panasonic’s popular travel zoom genre, also reviewed on this blog.
The FZ70 is similar in style to the FZ200 but with a longer zoom of smaller aperture. I have not reviewed this camera but it has attracted less enthusiasm on user forums than the FZ200.
The LF1 is an advanced compact with the 9.3mm sensor, 7.1x zoom and a built in EVF. Reviews indicate the EVF is not very good. This camera has also attracted little interest on user forums, usually a sign that it does not appeal much to enthusiast photographers.
Comment: Roll on, Panasonic, keep up the good work.
Ricoh/Pentax Do they still make cameras ?
Samsung has the very strange WB2200F which looks like a pro level DSLR with built in vertical grip but uses the standard 7.6mm superzoom sensor.
The WB1100F appears to be the same or similar but without the vertical grip.
Comment: Like Fujifilm, Samsung seems to think the future lies with APS-C MILCs. Samsung’s camera energy appears to be invested in the NX1 and lenses right now. I think Samsung and Fujifilm are heading in the wrong direction with both MILCs and the APS-C sensor size.
But, I could be entirely wrong about that. We shall see.
Sony has been one of the drivers of innovation in the FZLC genre and is probably the source of sensors for most current models from other brands.
The original RX100 was the first model to fit the 1” (15.9mm diagonal) sensor into a truly pocketable camera capable of good picture quality suitable for publication and substantial enlargement. This camera gained much well deserved praise. It has been followed up by the Mk2 and now Mk3 version which has a built in EVF although it has to be popped up from its hiding place for use.
Sony then put the same sensor into the RX10, a DSLR style camera with 8.3x constant f2.8 zoom.
There are the HX400 with 63x zoom and HX400V with 50x zoom, both with a 7.6mm sensor. I know little about these cameras as they lack RAW capability so are not of much interest to me. They were announced in February 2014 and have not since been updated.
The HX90V is a recently announced compact 30x superzoom which is even smaller than Panasonic’s TZ70. It has a built in EVF but like that on the RX100(3) it must be popped up for use. I have not yet seen reviews of this camera.
I find I need to use great care if I am to hold the TZ70 still enough for sharp pictures at the long end of the zoom range. The HX90V is even smaller with a vestigial handle and will presumably be even more challenging to hold steady. It will need a super effective image stabiliser.
It seems this year Sony is preferencing small size over SLR form in its approach to the FZLC.
Comment: Sony has the technological capability to do pretty much anything they want. Sony’s problem with cameras has been a lack of direction and purpose revealed as multiple new models and types of camera with no continuity of lineage.
For instance there is no follow up model to the RX10 in sight. Why ?? They have the sensor, they have the capability, they have the target set by the FZ1000, what’s up ??
Verdict If this was a horse race which it is, kind of, well it’s a race of some sort and if I was a betting type person which I am not but anyway…………I would put my money on Panasonic.
Come to think of it I do put most of my money on Panasonic so I hope that particular horse comes home a winner.
I rather wish the product development people at Sony would get their act together and settle on a coherent product development strategy with a vision for the future as well as the latest enthusiasm.
That would put the sensor maker and the camera maker in the same tent which surely must be a good thing.
As usual…..we shall see………….
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