Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) Review

Panasonic has accepted the challenge of its competitors and is sending the Lumix DMC-FZ35 (FZ38 in Europe) bridge camera in the footsteps of the FZ28.

But a lot has happened under the hood: 12-megapixel resolution, a number of new automatic recording functions as well as sophisticated video recording options – the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) is not only competing for the favor of photographers. Our compact test shows if she succeeds and how the image quality is with a further increased resolution.

Brief assessment

Pros

• Class-related decent image quality
• Outstandingly many setting options
• AF as fast as an arrow, very short reaction times
• Successful integration of photo and video camera in one housing

Cons

• Monitor neither foldable nor swivelable
• Monitor and video viewfinder with low resolution
• Confusing menu navigation
• Cheap plastic housing

Ergonomics and Workmanship Of The Panasonic Lumix FZ35

Lumix FZ series cameras have always looked like a shrunken DSLR. The current Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) remains true to this tradition. At first sight, it is hardly distinguishable from its predecessor model FZ28, which we had taken a closer look at in the past.

On the right, the housing bulges out as usual, forming a handle on which the camera is always held securely in the hand.

At the top, the FZ38 carries a dome that houses an electronic viewfinder (EVF). This helps to determine the image section when the sun shines too much on the rear monitor.

Unfortunately, the EVF’s resolution of about 200,000 pixels is rather coarse and so low that people wearing glasses have no chance to see the entire viewfinder image.

Luckily, there is the monitor as an alternative to the image composition. As with its predecessor, it is sufficiently large, with a size of 2.7 inches (6.9 cm) diagonally, but only consists of a meager 230,000 pixels.

Panasonic has still done without a folding and pivoting mechanism in the FZ35 – after all, the screen is still easy to read even from extreme viewing angles and shines very brightly if desired.

What was annoying in the test, however, was that the camera does not automatically switch between EVF and monitor – Minolta’s Dimages were able to do this years ago thanks to an eye sensor on the viewfinder.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) is also not convincing haptically: The simple plastic housing gives the impression that the camera was designed for a limited lifetime from the start.

The equipment with interfaces is up to date: Under practical hinged lids, the camera offers connection possibilities for an external power supply (the matching power supply unit is an optional extra), an analog video output, a high-speed USB connection to the PC and, now new, an HDMI cable.

A tripod thread made of solid metal is also on board, unfortunately, it is outside the optical axis (which is only a disadvantage for panorama shots).

Otherwise, Panasonic has left many things as they were: The zoom rocker encircles the shutter release button as a rotating ring (very nice: zooming can be done in two steps – fast and coarse or slow and accurate), there are a number of switches and buttons for quick access to important functions (e.g. playback, AE/AF lock, continuous mode), a large dial for setting the recording mode and a small joystick for directly controlling options (such as white balance, ISO sensitivity, exposure mode, image size, etc.) on the monitor.

The ambitious photographer will find further setting options in the depths of the menus. These are divided into several “screen pages”, but the pages cannot be individually accessed. If you want to set your Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) to the point, you have to scroll through the pages.

The recording switch for video recordings is new: Pressing once, the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) starts video recording, pressing it again ends the recording – this is extremely practical. Panasonic hasn’t changed anything on the on-board flash: it has to be folded out manually before it can take action.

Equipment And Features

The predecessor model FZ28 was already equipped with just about everything a photographer’s heart desires.

The current Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) takes this a step further: scene modes for all conceivable occasions (the number has grown to more than 40), various exposure metering methods, various autofocus modes (e.g. area AF with eleven measuring fields, freely selectable AF field, spot AF etc.) or face recognition (if you have entered the name of a face, the camera recognises the person photographed in other shots).

Ambitious photographers will be pleased that the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) also knows the exposure method “aperture priority”  that allows full manual exposure control if desired.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) can even record in RAW format and thus supply the dedicated image processor with uncut rough diamonds for further processing on the PC.

But the current Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) is not only aimed at professional photographers.

It also sets out to make the hearts of the occasional video filmmaker beat faster. The videos are recorded in maximum HD resolution (1,280 x 720 pixels), now either in the modern, space-saving AVCHD Lite format or, as before, as Motion JPEG files.

A stereo microphone provides a good sound, zooming is possible during video recording. And there’s more: Both the autofocus and the aperture or exposure can be fixed during video shooting – leaving room for creative experiments or a professional film.

No matter whether you feel like taking moving pictures or just taking pictures: The lens with its impressive focal length range of 27 to 486 millimeters (based on KB format) leaves nothing to be desired in terms of image composition.

It is quite bright in the wide-angle range with a starting aperture of 1:2.8, at the long end it still reaches the largest aperture of 1:4.4. An optical image stabilizer, whose efficiency has been greatly improved again according to Panasonic, also helps against blurred pictures.

Inside the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) is now a twin CPU “Venus Engine HD”, which provides enormous computing power.

This is particularly noticeable in autofocus: the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) takes less than 0.4 seconds to focus and release, and when pre-focused it even releases the shutter within around 150 milliseconds.

This makes the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) faster than some SLR cameras! At full resolution (12 megapixels), the camera shoots 2.3 frames per second; at reduced resolution (3 megapixels), the continuous shooting speed increases to 10 fps. And because the FZ38 only reports a blink of an eye after switching on “clear ship”, it can proudly attach the rating “fully snapshot-capable” to the flag.

Panasonic Lumix FZ35 Image Quality

In terms of features and speed, the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) is on a par with an entry-level DSLR. So the big question is, “How is she with the picture quality?” The camera delivers very good results in the disciplines “edge darkening” (vignetting) and “distortion”.

The engineers at Panasonic have successfully eliminated these typical imaging errors from the FZ35 (obviously by software). The new bridge camera from Panasonic is also doing well in terms of “sharpness”.

The FZ35 delivers crisp, sharp images (especially at low ISO sensitivity), but doesn’t overdo it when resharpening. This way, there is still a certain amount of leeway for increasing the sharpness of the JPEGs from the camera afterward in an image processing program, just as you like.

The Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) also has the annoying image noise under control: It increases slowly as the ISO sensitivity increases and then reaches its highest value for the time being at ISO 400. With even higher sensitivity, the noise curve drops again – a sign that the internal image processing software of the FZ35 reduces the noise considerably.

It is unavoidable that even the finest image structures are lost with the noise. For example, shots taken at ISO 800 hardly show any noise, but also look smooth and waxy. In relation to the sensor size (1/2.3 inch) and resolution (12 megapixels), the noise behavior of the FZ38 is just fine.

The dynamic range is also no reason for complaints: The input dynamic range up to ISO 800 is on average just under 8.5 f-stops, the output dynamic range provides a good 250 (of 256 possible) tonal value steps.

Depending on the system (small sensor with high resolution) the FZ38 has the highest resolution at open aperture. If the aperture is reduced, diffraction blur reduces the resolution.

The selectable JPEG compression levels are practice-oriented; at lowest compression (= larger files) there is hardly any loss of detail to be feared. So a lot of light without shadows in the image quality? Not quite: In practical use, the exposure metering sometimes proved to be a bit erratic and produced visibly differently exposed photos under the same conditions.

The visual impression of the video recordings is convincing – here the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) breaks into a domain that was previously reserved for “adult” camcorders.

Conclusions: Is The FZ35 Worth It?

When we tested the predecessor model FZ28 some years ago, we asked whether there was still a future for bridge cameras. The current Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) now answers this question mainly with its very good video capabilities. And so, in our opinion, Panasonic is completely justified in calling the FZ35 a “digital hybrid zoom camera”.

If you are looking for a relatively compact “Mega-Zoom” camera for filming and photography, you will certainly find the FZ35 a joy to use. But the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) can also score points as a pure photo camera: It reacts as quick as an arrow, offers an enormous focal length range and can be adjusted precisely for almost any photographic challenge.

The picture quality is at the top of the class in terms of class, but due to the system, it cannot compete with an entry-level DSLR. In addition to the “all-round carefree” package, the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) also lacks a more valuable housing and easier-to-use menus (especially in relation to its price of a good 400 dollars).

Panasonic Lumix FZ35 (FZ38) Datasheet