Panasonic DMC-FZ20 vs Canon G5 ???

Ok, here�s my dilemma. I can get a Panasonic DMC-FZ20 and a Canon G5 for about the same price, considering I already own a large SD card. I can�t decide between the two, so I hope some of you can give me directions. First, here is how I want to use them, as I am looking for versatile quality. A note is that the camera doesn�t have to be perfect in every of them, but being very good in most would be great. Here is my list:

• Prototype/Product photography (in artificial light), I am an industrial design student, so I need high-quality, detailed pictures for my reports and analysis�s.

• People photography on vacations. Not too much fuss, not too much time to set it up, just minor adjustments and shooting.

• Nature / Scenery photography on vacations. Scenic views etc. enough time to do things manually, but good contrast, colour and overall picture quality are important.

• Action shots, like wakeboarding, snowboarding, jumps and things like that. Just good shutter response and very high shutter speed.

• Night photography, both as the conventional �we�re-having-dinner-at-this-restaurant-in-Greece� pictures, as well as interesting light effects, sunsets, moons and lovely things like that.

I would like to hear your opinion about the two cameras and which one you think is better for my tasks. Here are a few of my thoughts:

• Both cams are 5MP, which in my book is more than enough.

• Lumix has a 12x zoom lens, as G5 only sports a 4x zoom, but I wonder if I need it. You can crop 5MP pics later on the PC and still have good prints. What do you think, is the 12x zoom really an advantage?

• The Panasonic has the Anti-Shake feature. How does the G5 handle hand-held shots, would I really see a difference with the Panasonic and Anti-Shake?

• Is the Canon picture quality better than the quality of the FZ20?

• Are there any other advantages or disadvantages to the two?

Thanks to all who reply. :D

Hello Marinlicina

I would definatly go for the FZ 20 .
You won't be sorry for that 12 x optical zoom with image stabilazer !
That large sd card of yours will fit to the FZ20 .
It is fully manual control , with a burst mode capable of taking 4 pics / sec in high resolution.
Excellent for scenery for it aperture could set to F8 . ( F2.8 - F8 )
Manuel focusing .
Oh but that lens !!! Once you have used it , your hooked :D
It also got a very handy little feature called the AF assist lamp .
It allows the camera to focus on the subject in low light conditions , by illuminating the subject with the AF assist lamp.
You can also connect a mc protector ( DMW-LMC72 ) or ND filter ( DMW-LND72 ) which are optional .
Got a hot shoe for a external flash .
Also place for a optional remote shutter.
The battery charge for about 2 hours . Has a very long life !
You can safe photo's as jpeg or tiff files.
The flash range is from 30 cm to 7 meters . With the choice of a optional flash.
What is a really nice to have fuction for me , is the recording guideline - which helps you to take pictures with well - designed composition by viewing the size , slope and balance of the subject .
What more can i say ;)

Kind Regards
james
Just check the threat below , i have included 2 images .