Similar in many aspects and offering equally unbeatable value for money, the Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR and Panasonic Lumix FZ45 really are fierce competitors in almost every way. Their almost identical price tags mirror this. Both digital cameras are not far behind entry level SLR's in terms of picture quality, specially in low light conditions. If your thinking, I want an SLR camera, then the Canon D550D, or Nikon D3200 are quite possibly the best choices out of the cheaper priced DSLR's. Unless you want an older discontinued model. If so there a loads of good ones to choose from.
Let's use a newer DSLR as an example. The Canon D550D is double the price of both the FinePix HS20EXR and the Lumix FZ45. Than take into consideration that with the Canon D550D you will most probably want the latest and greatest Canon Lens kit to go with it. The Zoom on a standard DSLR lens is not great, but with a Bridge camera you have a powerful zoom range already at your disposal. Add a new lens to the price of your DSLR and your getting close to a total spend of around £1000. It's a pricey road to go down. If your serious about your photography and have the money available, go for it.
For less then a quarter of that price, and offering a professional looking camera, with the performance to match, the FinePix HS20EXR and the Lumix FZ45 are the two best choices for anyone on a tight budget wanting a high quality camera to take high quality pictures and HD quality videos. So is it just case of which one you prefer the look of more? They are both a jack of all trades.
A quick look at the Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR (Now very cheap to buy used)
The HS20EXR has a 16 mega pixel EXR-CMOS sensor with Fujinon 30x optical zoom. Absolutely Great lens. It excels at taking super sharp photographs of moving objects that on many cameras within it's price range would end up being blurred and unusable. The clever 3 inch tilt screen is a very useful feature that allows the user to take pictures at many different angles. Some of the Many features like face recognition, manual zoom and auto detection are really fantastic on this camera.
However, the spectacular Multi-shot options are very impressive, giving the user the option to just snap away to their hearts delight, capturing numerous stunning photographs along with some that won't be as good which can be discarded. The Fujifilm FinePix HS20EXR has an extremely fast shutter speed, which is actually taking the picture the moment you press the button. The anti-shake options, and not forgetting the video recording capabilities of the FinePix HS20EXR are also very impressive, allowing full HD quality videos (or near to it) with a capture speed of up to 320fps. The HS20EXR runs off 4 AA battery's which can be costly if your using the camera on a regular basis. It would have been nice if Fuji built in a Li-ion battery source as well as AA. But I guess you can't have everything. Good rechargeable battery's should do the trick.
Panasonic Lumix FZ45 (Now very cheap to buy used)
The Panasonic Lumix FZ45 boasts a very robust design and has a 14.1 mega pixel LEICA DC Lens with 25mm Wide-angle and 24x Optical Zoom, with 32x zoom capabilities. The same in many respects to the FinePix, with HD video recording, outstanding picture taking abilities, anti-shake feature, 3 inch screen (not tilt screen), and lightning fast shutter speed for a bridge camera. Weighing in at just under 500g, it is quite lightweight for such a quality, feature packed camera.
The auto shoot functions of the Lumix turn it into a true point and shoot image monster, making it an outstanding camera for those quick picture opportunities. Even a complete novice will be able to achieve spectacular results with the Lumix FZ45. Choosing the Lumix also has other benefits. The camera package comes complete with a shoulder strap, lens hood, lens cap and string, PC cable and computer software. Add to that, the Lumix runs on a Li-ion rechargeable battery pack and comes complete with charger.
Which one to choose?
Both have everything. exceptional image quality, outstanding zoom capability's, good quality HD video, full of features and easy to use. Great value for money and you would have to look far and wide to find anything as good in this price range, specially with them now being older cameras. One things for sure, which ever one the buyer chooses they won't regret it! Make sure you buy product cover though just in case the worst happens.
