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We have collected 2 reviews of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38. Experts rate Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 8.5/10. Reviewsor.com helps you find reviews, best prices, user reviews of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 and Panasonic Digital cameras.
The Panasonic Lumix FZ38 – or FZ35K as it’s known stateside – is the most up to date superzoom compact from Panasonic, with an 18x optical zoom (27-486mm equiv.) and POWER O.I.S – an upgrade from the previous FZ28’s MEGA O.I.S image stabilisation. But what else does the FZ38 have to offer to tempt you to part with your hard earned cash? The What Digital Camera Panasonic Lumix FZ38 review… The Panasonic FZ38, with its 18x optical zoom, offers from the fairly wide-angle of 27mm through to 486mm telephoto range. At such an extended zoom, it’s a tough call to keep images sharp when shooting handheld – enter the newest version of Panasonic’s image stabilisation, POWER O.I.S., to help you avoid image blur – an upgrade said to be twice as good as the previous MEGA O.I.S. The FZ38’s 12.1 megapixel sensor is another improvement over the FZ28, though the changes are relatively minimal thereafter. The lens is very much the same, albeit with improved, faster focusing, as is the 201,600-pixel electronic viewfinder, whilst the body itself is highly similar bar a few button rejigs and inclusion of AVCHD Lite movie recording (using H.264 encoding – widely regarded as the current best available in stills cameras) with stereo microphone.
Successor to the incredibly popular FZ28, it's now the FZ38's turn to join Panasonic's collection of bridge cameras. Although the FZ38 has some of the same features as its predecessor, including an 18x zoom lens that goes from a 27 mm wide-angle to a 486 mm telephoto, it also brings some new elements to the table. It's no longer a 10 Megapixel camera: it now has 12 Megapixels. Do these two million extra pixels improve the camera's performance? Or will we be won over instead by the high definition mode, with its separate controls and stereo microphone? Anybody who's used to the FZ28 will be at home with the FZ38 as the two cameras come in very similar bodies. The controls are identical, apart from one small detail: the FZ38 now includes a dedicated button to start recording video. Apart from that, little has changed at the back of the camera, with the same 3'' LCD screen with a 230 000 pixel resolution. The screen itself has a glossy finish, meaning it's not very easy to use in direct sunlight. An electronic viewfinder is available, using a dioptric system to correct for people who wear glasses, but it isn't very practical as the resolution is limited and it's not big enough.