OK, here's the problem, a broken display on the Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS7. I've had this camera now for about two years... And its been broken like this for over the last full year.... A drop in the motorhome while moving....
See the picture I took of Biscuit a few days ago when she got home from her trip to the groomer.... She had the grouchy look like it was all my fault, but I certainly couldn't see much of it in the display. Not to mention that most of the menu items are unselectable because you can't see them...
This is the camera that I have been using for the blog since I received it... But for the last year it has been a problem that I really didn't have a grasp of what I was taking a picture of... All those photos of the rv park parade and the new house as it was built were literally point and shoot.
The help of Picasa allowed me to edit out the unwanted parts of the picture..
So here is the new camera along side of the old one.... Ya, they're just like each other...
The old one says that it is 16X and the new one says 20X. That's not much of an improvement, why would I just not fix the old one? But wait see on the new one where it says 40x under the 20x... Again we're not comparing apples to apples..
The 16X on the old one is after the 4x digital zoom is added.... It is really only a 12X optical zoom... The new camera is 20X optical zoom and has 20x digital zoom as well.. So, apples to apples, the difference is 16X vs 40X. So the zoom is more than twice as powerful.. Also the new one is 14.1 mega pixels where the old one is 12.1....
That wouldn't be so important until you get out to that 40X zoom where only about 3 or 4 of those 14 mps remain in the shot.... Then it is important...
But beyond that, the newer camera does High Dynamic Range. That is where you take several pictures at different exposure values under exposing, and then correctly exposing as well as overexposing the subject... Then the camera software adds the photos together taking the best exposure for every part of the picture. Once added together, there are no dark areas or way light areas. This is especially dramatic in shots that have bad back lighting...
So when I determined that the newer camera did HDR, I was hooked on getting a new one.
But then I went out on the internet looking for the repair display piece, which I found in China.... I have ordered that, but will have to wait for it to arrive later next week... Or, perhaps never, because I will have no recourse if the money is just gone.... But wait, I think I paypaled the payment, so perhaps they could help in a complete default...
The pictures above were taken with the single lens reflex Nikon 5100, with much older lenses from my very old d70s body.. And yes it will do the bracket exposure for HDR photos, but you have to load them into the computer and use aftermarket software to actually do the photo combining. That, of course will be much more sophisticated and will combine 5 or 6 shots, but then that will take a tripod ..... yada yada yada....
But now for the interesting part.. The price for a ZS7 is still $199, if you can find one... And used they are still $175.. But the ZS20 came shipped for $249. Unless I am successful with my own repair, the price of sending the old one in for repair, with shipping will more than equal the used price of the old camera. Is it any wonder that nothing is worth fixing these days....?
The 16X on the old one is after the 4x digital zoom is added.... It is really only a 12X optical zoom... The new camera is 20X optical zoom and has 20x digital zoom as well.. So, apples to apples, the difference is 16X vs 40X. So the zoom is more than twice as powerful.. Also the new one is 14.1 mega pixels where the old one is 12.1....
That wouldn't be so important until you get out to that 40X zoom where only about 3 or 4 of those 14 mps remain in the shot.... Then it is important...
But beyond that, the newer camera does High Dynamic Range. That is where you take several pictures at different exposure values under exposing, and then correctly exposing as well as overexposing the subject... Then the camera software adds the photos together taking the best exposure for every part of the picture. Once added together, there are no dark areas or way light areas. This is especially dramatic in shots that have bad back lighting...
So when I determined that the newer camera did HDR, I was hooked on getting a new one.
But then I went out on the internet looking for the repair display piece, which I found in China.... I have ordered that, but will have to wait for it to arrive later next week... Or, perhaps never, because I will have no recourse if the money is just gone.... But wait, I think I paypaled the payment, so perhaps they could help in a complete default...
The pictures above were taken with the single lens reflex Nikon 5100, with much older lenses from my very old d70s body.. And yes it will do the bracket exposure for HDR photos, but you have to load them into the computer and use aftermarket software to actually do the photo combining. That, of course will be much more sophisticated and will combine 5 or 6 shots, but then that will take a tripod ..... yada yada yada....
But now for the interesting part.. The price for a ZS7 is still $199, if you can find one... And used they are still $175.. But the ZS20 came shipped for $249. Unless I am successful with my own repair, the price of sending the old one in for repair, with shipping will more than equal the used price of the old camera. Is it any wonder that nothing is worth fixing these days....?
I know this is kind of technical, but many folks understand this stuff even better than I do, so I thought it would be interesting...
Retired Rod
Retired Rod
For some reason I thought you were getting a Canon sx40is,which is the new version of the sx20is i use, Donna and i also have a Lumix we use as a point and shoot in your pocket camera, they are absolutely the best for easy quick pictures. Be safe out there. Sam & Donna...
ReplyDeleteThe SX40 is a lot bigger camera than these little pocket point and shoot styles... It perhaps has more features and does cost a bunch more....
DeleteMy cousin from England calls us a 'disposable society'. How true! Nice to see the new camera. I still have my old TZ5 but the TZ7 bit the dust a few weeks back. I think I bought the TZ5 in Corpus Christi in Jan 09. Been a good camera.
ReplyDeleteOuch, that makes us two for two as we both broke our 7's... Perhaps Lumix isn't as strong as they should be....
DeleteYour new camera sounds like just the ticket as long as you don't go dropping it on the floor again! Thanks for the explanation on the differences in the 2 models. It sure doesn't seem worth it to repair much of any technical gear these days as it's more economical to just buy a new one.
ReplyDeleteWell, you lost me on all that technical stuff of course. When you get around to talking about light & composition, etc I'll be back in the 'understanding' mode again. Whatever happened to your Nikon D5100 I think it was??
ReplyDeleteI used the Nikon 5100 to take the pictures of the smaller cameras in this blog....
DeleteHello. Been following your blog for well over a year and it's been an exciting ride between retirement homes and the desert SW part of the country. Being a native Kansan (Wichita) I can understand the motivation to get out of town for some respite from the weather. Keep having fun. Chuck
ReplyDeleteThanks Chuck, I hope I can keep it exciting, as sometimes life can be rather mundane!!! LOL
DeleteI've ordered tons of stuff from China, And never had a problem. But it does take time, maybe 4 weeks or more. I think they are very conscious about their reputation. They do shut down for a lot of holidays.
ReplyDelete