anyone using the pana DMC-FZ200 for weddings?

[Clive McLaughlin]

I wonder if anyone could help me - With the Fz200's sensor size, can I expect much DOF at 2.8? Or very little?

At the moment I've got my 550D with a crappy 18-35mm f3.5 lens on it, mostly on a steadycam.

I'd love to have a fair bit of reach so I could crop in on faces during service and speeches.

I'm thinking that the FZ200 at its widest (25mm) could be handy on my steadycam because of the autofocus. But will it look 'too video'? I could just buy it and sell it again but just thought I'd see what people thought.

I've found them online for £335. Good luck finding anything like that zoom range to go on my 550D for that price.

[Roger Gunkel]

I've used the FZ200 at a couple of weddings now and am still learning about it, but it has been brilliant for long distance discrete filming. I am not a great lover of shallow DOF, but have been able to get some useful closeups with blurred out background with careful use of the telephoto and aperture settings.

More care needs to be taken with focus than with my Panasonic video cams, but it is less critical on focus than my Canon DSLR. It also works well on my lightweight steadycam, being heavier than the video cams which are a bit too light for it.

I'd be interested in where you found the camera at £335 as I am thinking of getting another.

Roger

[Clive McLaughlin]

Ha! Roger, the source I found only has four left and I'm still debating it. In the meantime, I don't want him to sell out. They are 'Manufacturer Refurbs' though.
You don't have any example of the footage online? Especially steady cam shots? No worries if not!

[Jeff Harper]

Overall, you can expect video-like footage from the FZ200. I love mine as Roger does, for it's zoom. It is a fabulous camera for what it does.

The bokeh that you get from the camera, when you can get it, is not particularly soft or pleasing to the eye. For me the primary use of the camera is as a video camera. As Roger says, using zoom and aperture controls you can squeeze some more blur in your background, but the opportunities when filming under the gun are relatively few for me, so I go with it as-is most time.

[Bill Bruner]

Here is a manufacturer refurbished Panasonic FZ200 for £335 from Vennal Cameras LTD via eBay with 12 month Panasonic warranty (5 available as of this post).

But why buy a refurb when you can get a new one with a manufacturer's warranty shipped from London for 10 quid more? (10 available as of this post) :)

Cheers,

Bill
Hybrid Camera Revolution

[Clive McLaughlin]

Those are the sources I've been eyeing up.
Is the warranty on a refurb not the same as brand new?

[Dave Blackhurst]

I'd say if you can get close to the subject and with some distance to the background (as already stated, playing with the zoom and keeping it wide open). you'll get a usable "effect".

[Roger Gunkel]

I don't post online usually, because if it is a wedding I give them the copyright and at the moment, other footage with the Lumix is still experimenting with different settings and not really worth uploading. My steadycam footage is still in it's early days so I wouldn't want to embarass myself, but the camera sits on it comfortably and is easy to balance.

I'd agree with Bill about the price though, for a few pounds more get a new one.

Roger

[Paul Mailath]

here's a groom prep I shot with the FZ200

Veronica & Michael Groom Prep.mp4 on Vimeo

[Clive McLaughlin]

I just got one the other day and it doesn't float my boat. I've used it for half an hour taking test clips, so basically brand new. I'm selling it for £320 (I bought it for £345).

Any takers? Preferable within UK.

[Noa Put]

What did you not like about it Clive?

[Clive McLaughlin]

The 120fps was nice. The reach is nice, but you can forget the longest footage. But up to say 200mm its fine.

Generally though, it was just to video like for me. I was only ever going to use it for flexibility on a monopod during ceremony and speeches.

But I'm just going to buy a sigma 17-70mm 2.8-4. the 70mm will be 112mm on my 550D.

And I could live with f4 for those shots.

[Roger Gunkel]

I have had mine for a few weeks now and am now comfortable with getting the best footage from it. I would not have been anywhere near getting the best after only half an hour of test shots as the camera really needs getting used to. Being a comparatively small sensor in relation to a DSLR, it needs to be set up slightly differently. Some of the default settings on the camera were unsatisfactory for me and it took me a while to set things up the way that I wanted them.

I have found the lens to be very useable throughout the range, although I tend not to go beyond about 400mm. I have taken some shots at the full telephoto, but needed good light for best results. There are also considerable differences between filming in the dedicated video mode, where manual aperture, shutter speed, focus and zoom are all available while filming, as against video shot with photo settings.

I'm also not sure what 'too video like' really means as there are a lot of variations to colour intensity, contrast etc that are customiseable. In Paul's groom's preps clip for instance, I found the colour and contrast a little too light for my own personal taste, but they are easy to set up differently for those that want to go deeper into it.

It's not a perfect camera by any means, but at the price it is very good and very flexible! I'm off to the USA for the first time for a break at the weekend and will be taking the camera with me. I'll try to find time to upload some clips after I come back.

Roger

[Clive McLaughlin]

Roger, it is a very handy camera, but I can get a nicer look from DSLR and I'd rather f4 on a lens on my 550D than 2.8 on the FZ200.

I have a 550D which is used on my steadycam. During ceremony and speeches it just sits at my feet. I may as well transfer the dslr to a monopod.

In terms of price, a Sigma 17-70mm (26-105mm on APS-C), is costing me £300 and the FZ200 cost me £345.

Of course not everyone has a spare DSLR body laying around.

The Sigma lens even at f4 will give much nicer footage than the FZ200. It was a rushed decision on my part.

It also won't replace my CX730 as my b-cam due to the clip limit.

[Roger Gunkel]

I agree, if you've got a spare 550D you'd be silly not to use it! I also agree that the 29min clip limit is a nuisance, but I suppose you get the same of less with the DSLRs. As I don't use DSLRs for video, I find the Lumix a useful addition.

Roger