Mega Zoom Camera Options. Nikon p100? Lumiz FZ100?

SNEEZE

SNEEZE

Member
So im looking for a new family camera which i can use for a photography class too, and have narrowed it down to a few options. although right now i dont know a whole lot about manual settings, I will be learning it through the class so i need a camera that has a little more options than just a point and shoot, hopefully relatively close what an entry level dslr has. the camera cannot be over 400 though, so I've been looking at some larger cameras in that price range. Video quality is also relatively important because i will be filming and have taken collage classes for editing so i will be able to put that to good use, just not as much as photography because thats what the family needs and what im taking classes for now.
Here are my two options so far, the Nikon P100:http://http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/675073-REG/Nikon_26212_CoolPix_P100_Digital_Camera.html
And the Lumix FZ100:http://http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/723287-REG/Panasonic_DMC_FZ100K_Lumix_DMC_FZ100_Digital_Camera.html

The Lumix seems like an upgraded version of the nikon, with RAW files, manual focus, 60fps instead of 30fps, and 14 megapixels. It will run me about 375 instead of 300, so i guess i need to figure out if it would be worth the extra dough. the zoom is also important and im sure it will come in handy, but if there are other cameras with less zoom and better features than these two for the price i would love to see it. thanks for any help ns, i know there are a lot of dumb which camera threads but this is what I've come to.
 
anyone? also i know the lumix is 1080i which could be a downside, im not sure if the nikon is or not.
 
i just got the nikon p100(since last weekend)and i'm very pleased with it, HD video is sharp (altough autofocus is sometimes a bit sketch when zooming in while recording, but from what i've seen all similar point an shoot hybrids lack a bit in that category....
the 26x zoom is awesome and while the regular view is already kinda wide you're probably covering a range that would require 3 or 4 lenses on a DSLR camera...
you have a manual mode where you can adjust virtually anything, quick adjustment of Aperture, Shuttertime, focus and menu adjustment of whitebalance and ISO
iso ranges from 160-3200 aperture from F2.8 -8
i'm a huge fan of nikon and the camera itself feels very durable but still lightweight and lies very good in my hands..
so far i haven't really got a chance to experiment alot with it, but last night i was playing with the manual adjustments in low light and i snapped of this picture, imho quite well, maybe a bit too dark, but i find it kinda cool :)
1292627058-916074-600x450-1292626762DSCN0268.JPG

also it comes with a rechargeable Li-Ion battery which from what i've seen lasts quite a while (been 5hours on a christmas market in sub zero temperatures and still had full battery indicated....

 
and fyi the super slowmo 240fps is kinda cool, but don't expect to shoot ski edits in 240 or 120fps, first because the quality isn't good enough + especially the 240fps requires a shitload of light ....60fps 720p is ok, imho it's a great camera to complement my gopro which also shoots 1080 30fps and 720 60fps ....
feel free to ask what you need to know about the camera :)
 
i have a sony hx1, a little older, but 20x zoom, full manual control (only for photos), 1080p and 10fps shooting (only up to 10 shots). It also has a really cool panorama mode, and a flip up lcd, and I find it really useful. Shots are pretty nice, full page prints look awesome, and i have a fisheye for it, so all in all it is a nice cam, but super zooms are really cool if you are looking for something with some of the ease and portability of a point and shoot, and some of the more advanced settings of an slr
 
i'll upload a sample of the 1080p its just a snapshot of a squirrel in my backyard, so it's not very good, but it gives you an idea of the quality and the zoom function...(and yes, you can zoom while recording, but sometimes you get some autofocus lagg so i started at 26x zoom, focused and then started recording ...)this was shot on a tripod...
i'll upload in a sec...
 
You can check out http://www.dpreview.com and look at the buyers guide and compare the cameras side-by-side or read tons of reviews. If you can get a used rebel that would be sweet... is 400 the absolute max? cause the Canon 500D (Rebel T1i) is only around $500....... and its 15MP with full 1080P video... but don't listen to me, because I would marry Canon if I could. And the lenses are the expensive part...
 
except the t1i doesnt have full 1080p. its 1080p is at a 20fps rate and after reviewing some youtube videos, it gets pretty choppy. 720p at 30fps on the t1i is very crisp though so i would still recommend trying to find the t1i over the p100.

to the OP: ive actually been researching the exact same cameras and am personally going with either the t1i or the canon sx30 which is similarly priced to the nikon p100 but with a few more features like wide angle and 35x zoom.

just for a quick comparison:

Canon:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/734782-REG/Canon_4344B001_PowerShot_SX30_IS_Digital.html/mode/edu

Nikon:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/675073-REG/Nikon_26212_CoolPix_P100_Digital_Camera.html/mode/edu

 
the nikon also has a wide angle lens at 1x, not a fisheye, but definately wide ...
but the canon does have an external flash footand 14mplens aperture range is similar to the nikonthe canon also has overall lower ISO sensitivityand the canon shoots 720p while the nikon shoots 1080palso the nikon has a slightly larger screen 2.7" against 3" on the nikon...and the screen on the nikon can be tilted 90°up or 90° down and anything in between, so more the agile enough ...
so far only real advantages/differences i see on the canon are the 14mp, 35x zoom against 26x zoom and the exernal flash foot...also the nikon has a backlit CMOS sensor (so in theory ==GOOD) but in effect i hear the sensor isn't very exceptional ... so maybe the canon might perform better in the shear picture quality ...
 
My bad! I skim read. Regardless, whether you go with Nikon or Canon they are both great companies. I don't know much about Lumix so I'm no help there... or anywhere really, apparently.
 
yeah, i also picked a brand i trusted over a fujifilm finepix with similar properties but half the price...
i'd go canon or nikon above anything (except maybe leica or other high end exotic brands...)
 
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