Alan Humphries - My First Digital Camera
12th June 2026
In: News, Members' Articles
PANASONIC LUMIX FZ30
My First Digital Camera.
It is hard to think that this year it will be twenty years since I ventured down the digital path of photography. I was celebrating a “special” birthday to which my friend Hein had brought his Lumix FZ30. I was fascinated and asked if I could try it - magic. Two days later he brought some of the photos to the house and I was sold. As soon as he had left I ordered one on line to be delivered to my house in Exmouth for my return.
Prior to this revelation I was aware that Panasonic had entered the camera market using the Lumix brand and more importantly using a Leica lenses. Interesting? Yes, worth a punt? I wasn’t sure because film, coupled with the R and M systems were very much my thing.
The Panasonic’s DMC-FZ30 is an 8 Megapixel ‘bridge’ micro 4/3rds’ camera with a powerful 12x optical zoom Leica Elmarit lens giving the equivalent 35mm range of 35-420mm range. In addition it has a fully articulating screen. A lens hood is supplied and is easy to use with filters as it does not rotate. To ensure the user can take hand held shots at low speeds/maximum focal length the camera is fitted with having Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) facility plus a very useful built in hand grip.
This FZ30 had its first serious outing when we attended the Fellowship meeting in Alnwick shortly after my return to the UK. Naturally I was a little apprehensive turning up with this non-Leica camera albeit fitted with a Leica lens. The camera turned out to be of great interest to members in fact it transpired that three or four other members had taken the plunge as well.
From the start I found that the camera came readily to hand and even though it was my first digital experience its controls/menu were intuitive. It was not perfect the articulating screen although useful is rather small and like many similar cameras there was a slight time lag between pressing the shutter button and the shutter activation. This, however, has never been a great handicap but I will admit it this could be annoying.
Of course the real test of any camera is the quality of the images it produces. During the last twenty years camera technology, together with the various supporting technologies have changed beyond our wildest dreams, but it should be remembered that, when introduced, the FZ30 was right upon there with the best. Hence I am not going to pretend that is as good or even comes close to an M11, however, I hope you will agree, on viewing the attached images, some taken at Alnwick, even by today’s standards it is not a bad performer.
Alan D.W. Humphries 2026.
The Camera
At Rest
Clay Next The Sea
Great Crested Grebe
Erik
Fisherman's Shed
Amazon Rain Forest?
Rigging
Smokey Joe
My First Digital Camera.
It is hard to think that this year it will be twenty years since I ventured down the digital path of photography. I was celebrating a “special” birthday to which my friend Hein had brought his Lumix FZ30. I was fascinated and asked if I could try it - magic. Two days later he brought some of the photos to the house and I was sold. As soon as he had left I ordered one on line to be delivered to my house in Exmouth for my return.
Prior to this revelation I was aware that Panasonic had entered the camera market using the Lumix brand and more importantly using a Leica lenses. Interesting? Yes, worth a punt? I wasn’t sure because film, coupled with the R and M systems were very much my thing.
The Panasonic’s DMC-FZ30 is an 8 Megapixel ‘bridge’ micro 4/3rds’ camera with a powerful 12x optical zoom Leica Elmarit lens giving the equivalent 35mm range of 35-420mm range. In addition it has a fully articulating screen. A lens hood is supplied and is easy to use with filters as it does not rotate. To ensure the user can take hand held shots at low speeds/maximum focal length the camera is fitted with having Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) facility plus a very useful built in hand grip.
This FZ30 had its first serious outing when we attended the Fellowship meeting in Alnwick shortly after my return to the UK. Naturally I was a little apprehensive turning up with this non-Leica camera albeit fitted with a Leica lens. The camera turned out to be of great interest to members in fact it transpired that three or four other members had taken the plunge as well.
From the start I found that the camera came readily to hand and even though it was my first digital experience its controls/menu were intuitive. It was not perfect the articulating screen although useful is rather small and like many similar cameras there was a slight time lag between pressing the shutter button and the shutter activation. This, however, has never been a great handicap but I will admit it this could be annoying.
Of course the real test of any camera is the quality of the images it produces. During the last twenty years camera technology, together with the various supporting technologies have changed beyond our wildest dreams, but it should be remembered that, when introduced, the FZ30 was right upon there with the best. Hence I am not going to pretend that is as good or even comes close to an M11, however, I hope you will agree, on viewing the attached images, some taken at Alnwick, even by today’s standards it is not a bad performer.
Alan D.W. Humphries 2026.
The Camera
At Rest
Clay Next The Sea
Great Crested Grebe
Erik
Fisherman's Shed
Amazon Rain Forest?
Rigging
Smokey Joe