F80EXR vs F70EXR vs ZS3 – macro / closeup revisited

On the way in after the great non-event that was the dynamic range test, I stopped at the Lilac bush again for my macro fix.

What I found is that the F80 and F70 create identical results, although what you cannot see in the images is that I had to focus a half dozen times before the cam would behave and take the shot. I may actually have a problem with this cam.

There were two other things to note:

1. The Panny has trouble here with the dynamic range. I had to lift the shadows quite a bit and the background is very bright. This turns out to be a better test for DR than shooting the sun … who’d a thunk?

2. The Panny has a *much* better macro mode. It focuses much closer. This bears repeating, as Fuji’s macro mode has been getting *worse*, not better. I think we have 7cm focus distance now instead of the 5cm in the previous generation of cams.

And without further ado:

Conclusion: No improvement in macro for the F80 over the F70. Good, but not great. Panny, on the other hand, kicks their butts. I didn’t even show the wicked macro zoom mode. But the Fuji’s superior DR asserts itself here, showing a much flatter tone curve.