Panasonic Lumix FS30 digital camera- is it any good??!!!

missp27

mornin! i'm on the look out for a new camera and have seen this one for £140 which is right on budget (don't want to spend any more than £150 really). does anyone here have this, is it any good?
thanks in advance for any replies

here's the specs by the way

8x Optical Zoom Lens
2.7" Intelligent LCD Display
14.1-megapixel CCD
HD Movie Recording
Megapixels: 14.1
Newly developed 28mm wide-angle high quality LUMIX lens
Powerful 8x optical zoom and 14.1-megapixel high resolution CCD and high performance Venus Engine IV
Large Intelligent LCD for easy shooting and playback
Expand the fun of photography in the high-definition era with HD movie recording
The iA(Intelligent Auto) mode for every photographer to be a good photographer

aldrich43

It is very similar to Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 or ZX3.
Which one of them is better as an universal compact?

missp27

aldrich43 wrote: »

It is very similar to Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX1 or ZX3.
Which one of them is better as an universal compact?

well just had a nose online at the ones you said and it looks like the ZX1 has fewer megapixels and the ZX3 is more expensive but more or less the same specs. the fs30 is the one i would buy out of the 3..........
i think, lol, i'm not very techy so any help would be appreciated

also wondering if anyone who has bought this has any opinions

fwor

One thing you may need to take into account - Panasonic have recently updated the firmware in many of their cameras so that they will ~only~ work with original (expensive) Panasonic battery packs, and non-original battery packs will simply not power the camera up.

Apparently it is possible for some models to "downgrade" the camera to a previous firmware version, but that's probably not what many people would want to do.

missp27

fwor wrote: »

One thing you may need to take into account - Panasonic have recently updated the firmware in many of their cameras so that they will ~only~ work with original (expensive) Panasonic battery packs, and non-original battery packs will simply not power the camera up.

Apparently it is possible for some models to "downgrade" the camera to a previous firmware version, but that's probably not what many people would want to do.

surely you only need one battery pack don't you? as long as you fully charge it before you need it i shouldn't of thought it would be a problem

fwor

Firstly, many people like to carry a spare, as you obviously can't plug in a charger if you're out in the countryside.

And secondly battery packs only have a finite lifespan, so when you need to get a replacement you have to pay a lot for it.

missp27

fwor wrote: »

Firstly, many people like to carry a spare, as you obviously can't plug in a charger if you're out in the countryside.

And secondly battery packs only have a finite lifespan, so when you need to get a replacement you have to pay a lot for it.

to be honest the cost of replacing the battery doesn't bother me too much as to buy one official battery in x amount of years time is going to be a lot cheaper than having to buy an endless supply of AA batteries like you do with some cameras

996ducati

My Panasonic Lumix takes AA batts.

I have a set of 4 high power 2100mA or 2500mA AA rechargeables and keep 2 in the camera and 2 in the case.

Sods law the batt always runs out when you need it most!:beer:

Simon_B_2

I bought one for my GF in March and its an great little camera

missp27

Simon_B wrote: »

I bought one for my GF in March and its an great little camera

oo that's good because i think i've convinced myself to buy one now. it seems to be the best one i can get for the money i'm prepared to spend

googler

I've got one of its predecessors, the FX-30, and it's a SUPERB little camera.

Based on my experience with this one, I'd buy another Panasonic without a second's thought.