Re: How to tell a rank amateur from a seasoned one, or a pro

On Thu, 8 Jul 2010 11:50:56 -0400, in
<g7qdnUKqyat0bqjRnZ2dnUVZ_gidnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Neil Harrington"
<nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"John Navas" <spamfilter1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:69ma36hta1238ihmca4mfj16lrd6ffn5iv@xxxxxxxxxx
On Thu, 8 Jul 2010 00:05:46 -0400, in

<hrudnW_5HOM_06jRnZ2dnUVZ_rqdnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Neil Harrington"
<nobody@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Absolutely. I have several, like them very much as intriguing instruments
and marvels of design, but seldom actually use them.

Painfully obvious from the off-the-mark criticisms of them.
Yet you presume to judge them even though your not familiar with them.

I admire them, especially the FZ35, as marvels of camera engineering. That
type of camera has certain shortcomings, compared to DSLRs, that are not
Panasonic's fault.

Again, that's a matter of your own personal skill and style, not the
equipment, and, "It's a poor workman who blames his tools."

To claim (as a couple
here do) that they are in any way equal to DSLRs is just plain
nonsensical.

I'm certainly not saying that. What I am saying is that they are better
tools for the kind of photography I do, as they are. dSLR cameras are
better suited of certain other kinds of photography. "Different strokes
for different folks." (How many times must I repeat it before you get
it?)

You repeat it often but never illustrate it with an example. I am curious to
know what "kind of photography" the tiny-sensor superzoom is a "better tool
for."

The kind of photography I do, where a single, easy to handle, superzoom
meets my needs in ways no dSLR I know of can. I've posted many
specifics here, and if you haven't seen them, then "Google is your
friend." For example, when I'm shooting racing on the water, the
handling advantages of the superzoom, the ability to easily protect it
from the environment when not actually shooting, and the lack of need to
change lenses, are overwhelming advantages that have allowed me to
consistently get better images than dSLR pros working the same events. A
case in point is the image I posted here recently of the start of the
Clipper Round the World race.

Yet the FZ35 ranks higher in image quality than the FZ28, just as the
FZ28 ranks higher than prior generations with less megapixels. In other
words, that claim is patent nonsense.

Yet Panasonic is somewhat notorious for high noise levels at higher ISOs.
It isn't a problem for me because I never use the FZ35 at anything but its
lowest ISO.

Used properly, the FZ28 does quite well up to ISO 400. I don't need to
use higher ISO than that, so more is irrelevant to me. I likewise
didn't use high ISO with film, almost never shooting higher than ISO
400, and never found that to be an issue for the kind of photography
I do. Likewise for a great many others, many pros included.

When I may have to do with less light, I always bring a DSLR
which is inherently far more capable for that sort of thing.

Less light doesn't necessarily mean high ISO. I've taken lots of great
low light images with Panasonic superzooms.

They are mostly marketed to photographers making the transition from the
lesser compacts. They might be lacking a feature such as RAW capture,
and emphasize shooting "scene-program/modes." The experienced/talented
photographer, who buys one, and uses the user controls rather than the
"scene-program/modes" is the exception rather than the rule. For the
most part they will be using all that potential as a DSLR looking,
scene-mode, point and shoot camera, regardless of the capability of the camera.

They are handy when one needs a compact camera with a wide range of focal
lengths without carrying anything beside the camera itself, and THERE WILL
BE PLENTY OF LIGHT. I took my FZ35 to Florida this last winter, just a few
days' trip and traveling very light. It was the only time in I've taken a
trip without an SLR of some kind in at least the last 40 years. I wanted to
get some shots of pelicans and other sea birds, and with the strong Florida
sun I think it would've been ideal for that. But in the event I was occupied
with other things and didn't get to do any of that anyway.

Offensive put-downs from dSLR fans threatened by them. Shame on you.
Are you really that insecure?

How is anything I said an "offensive put-down"? I just said I took the FZ35
because I thought it would be ideal for that situation. That's an "offensive
put-down"?

With the plural "put-downs" I was referring both to the derogatory
comments by Duck and to your shouting of "THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF LIGHT"
when you simply don't know how to use your FZ35 effectively.

I think you are getting paranoid about this whole business, John.

You admit to not even being familiar with cameras you own, much less to
have any experience with my camera, yet you presume to judge it. I'm
willing to admit when I lack the experience to judge -- why won't you?
I can only assume you have some need to justify your own choices.

--
John

Buying a dSLR doesn't make you a photographer,
it makes you a dSLR owner.
"The single most important component of a camera
is the twelve inches behind it." -Ansel Adams
.

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