Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38EB-K Digital Camera - Black (12.1MP, 18 x Optical Zoom) 2.7 inch LCD

I bought this camera two weeks ago and have since tested it with 6 hours of video, and over 3000 pictures in various conditions, indoor, outdoor, in snow, sunshine, cold weather, warm weather, and decided to write a short review about the camera. I have about twenty years of hobby old-school SLR experience and my first digital camera was the Ixus 50 which we have donated since purchasing this camera. I have uploaded some photos I have taken with this camera that you can see above as well.

THE POSITIVES:

* Truly excellent outdoor photography, I would venture to say near SLR quality

* The zoom is excellent, and gives nice clear shots at great distances

* Full Automatic is excellent and nearly idiot-proof, and fully manual is also possible (see negatives below)

* Camera is light and very transportable

* Indoor photography is VERY GOOD, however not excellent (see negatives below)

* Easy to use menus, very straightforward controls and easy to use controls, surfaces, and all is very reachable, with just the thumb.

* Macro shots are very nice

* Nearly every imaginable setting possible that could be wanted, needed or used is available on this camera.

* Stabilizer is excellent and allows shots at 1/4 second without a tripod (with my analog SLR at less than 1/60 it was already iffy)

* Battery life is good, but I still recommend a backup (OEM work as of version 1.0)

* Auto Focus is super fast, and with AF tracking you can really get some nice sport shots

* HD video is excellent quality (720 not 1080) but unfortunately limited to 30 minutes in the EU (tax regulations I guess).

* Raw photos and does RAW+JPEG simultaneously, this means you get a RAW AND a JPEG saved on your card for each picture.

* The software that comes with it is useful. In the slideshow you can click on properties and see exactly which fstop/shutterspeed was used, which setting, etc. You can also search your database per each and every camera setting you want. i.e. it categorizes all photos taken in "nightlandscape" or "high dynamic range". Can be useful when you have thousands of photos to look through.

* 16:9, 4:3, 3:2 shot formats possible

* comes with a lenscap!

THE NOT SO POSITIVES:

* Fully Automatic indoor photos can be grainy with flash

------THE FIX: In P mode on your camera, you can turn off intelligent ISO and manually set the ISO to 80 or 100 and you get excellent quality pictures anyway with little or no grain. In intelligent ISO mode, you can set the max ISO as well, (200, 400, 800, 1600 are possible). If you set this at 200 you can get very nice indoor photos.

* Zoom is a bit noisy in video mode

* Auto focus is really annoying in video mode, constantly focusing and unfocusing.

------THE FIX: you can turn off constant auto focus in the menu while shooting in Manual video mode. I recommend this for most situations, especially fast moving targets, or party situations where there are a lot of different areas to have to focus on. Also, set the zoom at say 3x and leave it for most applications

* Video limited to 30 minutes at a time (not a big issue for me)due to EU regulations, though this is not the camera's fault ;)

* Manual focus for pictures is possible only by using the toggle stick, joystick thingy, the lens itself is not manually focusable. This means you only have a digital manual focus. The AF is so excellent though, I have rarely used the manual focus on this camera.

* Raw photos not useable with Irfanview, the program I use. They are viewable with the supplied software, but I guess also not with photoshop. EDIT- There is an Irfanview Update which allows you to work with RAW photos!

* No BULBS (leaving the shutter open indefinitely) setting, however, in the night landscape, and starry night modes, shutterspeeds of 8,15,30, and 60 seconds are possible which enable some pretty creative shots.

SUMMARY:

This camera more than fulfills its role as a bridge camera and I am extremely pleased with both the quality of photos as well as the video quality. It is very light, very transportable and is an excellent allround camera which satisfies the point and shoot crowd as well as the more photo savvy crowd as well. The very small negatives to the camera have very doable and acceptable workarounds or fixes and as such, this camera gets a full five stars for doing exactly what it states and doing it very well. Even hobby SLR enthusiasts will find this camera has enough manual settings and creative setting possibilities to keep you well satisfied and keep your creative juices flowing without having to slap down big bucks for an SLR.

I do recommend at least an 8GB, class 6 or better memory card for this camera. I bought the 16GB verbatim class six card from here at Amazon, and this allows the 30 minute max video (so does my 8GB card though) and 1600+ photos at the highest setting (Raw 12M.)

Enjoy! I will post some photos soon that I have taken with this camera.

Historically, my camera choices have tended to reflect my situation at the time.

When single, it was a heavy 35mm with a variety of lenses, with the results similarily variable on the "creative" shots.

When married with kids and with less hands and time, it was a smaller compact 35mm and camcorder.

The last few years it has been a small digital camera with 3x optical zoom and an inbuilt video function.

Now the children are older and more self conscious and the Christmas present opening marathons have passed, I've graduated back to looking for a quality camera to go back to those more creative shots (with the added ability to delete the disasters!)coupled with a higher level video function.

After extensive research, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 seemed to fit the bill and having road tested it, I am very pleased with the results. It is compact for it's type, light and the photographs produced are excellent. If we're all honest, the modern camera in "intelligent auto" mode flatters any photgrapher and this camera is no exception. The pictures produced are crisp and colour rendering faithful. There is the obvious option to change to manual mode and this can all be explored during quieter times - it's nice having the choice.

The video function is first class and as my videos only represent 2-3 minute "snapshots", this is ideal. I personally don't use the full AVCHQ mode as this format is only playable with the enclosed software (ie not with Windows Media Player). The level below (HD) is fine and can be played with Quicktime or Realplayer. I have an 8Gb Transcend SDHC card(Class 6 - faster transfer within and from the camera)and this allows 1157 shots on the highest JPEG setting or 30 minutes of video (there is a 30 minute limit apparently) My only obsevation is that the sound of the zoom can be heard during quiet shots, but this is not the end of the world, particularily as the camera is the primary function for me. Both the pictures and video look fantastic through the television (40" LCD).

The battery time is excellent, although I have invested in a second one as they are quite cheap through Amazon. It is also worth considering a UV filter or similar, more to protect the lense than anything else (there is a plastic lense cover supplied)

In all, a fantastic "one stop shop", with both camera and video functions complementing themselves in quality.

Don't look too deep - this is not a top of the range DSLR nor a happy snapper - it is a fully functional, useable, grown up camera, which has a versitile zoom and the ability to take pictures in all conditions with confidence.

I thoroughly recommend this one if you want the next step up.

I bought this after reading many reviews, and considering the competition.

Like many who have given views on this camera, I have an SLR (Nikon D50) and am getting rather tired of lugging many lenses around, getting dust on the sensor and having a heavy camera in general. However, I did wish to carry on using RAW, have a good range of manual adjustments and for the first time in my life, use a camcorder, (mainly through curiosity rather than needing one.)

So, this ticks all the boxes so far. It is cheaper than an ultra zoom lens for the SLR and is small and light, although not small enough for a pocket. You still have to lug it around.

After three days of intermittent use, I find the quality to be excellent, although the high ISO noise is much more apparent than my SLR, but you would expect that. I have yet to see a compact camera that negates all the advantages of an SLR. the zoom is excellent and the camera shake technology seems to work ok. I am very impressed with the macro facility, although I note the 1cm is at the widest setting and as you zoom, the minimum distance increases. the intelligent auto is a dream, but by being so good, does mean enthusiasts may feel less minded to use the manual overrides. I took a few pictures where I set the aperture, white, shutter speed etc and then took the picture again using intelligent auto. Whilst not a mind reader, it certainly knew what to do, and many looked better than using my own settings.

Users of compact cameras may feel that removing a lens cap is a bit old fashioned, but it does hang from the camera so you won't lose it. The view finder mimics everything the LCD display does, but its lack of pixels means you may want to use the LCD most of the time. Curiously, the instruction book reckons the power usage is the same. I fail to see how, but there you go!

I have large hands yet I can get at all the controls easily enough, even the small joystick. Camcorder recording is by a dedicated button, leaving you free to play with the zoom when in use. Not all cameras can optically zoom in camcorder mode, but this has the full range available. Despite the stereo microphone being on top of the camera, I could not detect any noise from the zoom motor. The menus are logically laid out (to me) and the buttons on the back and top are for the features I would normally want quick access to.

Downsides? Well, the first is the difference between the European and American models. It is not just a name (35 vs 38.) the firmware is slightly different, which means that if you use Adobe Photoshop, the latest Camera RAW update includes the American version but not the European one. In short, for now, you have to process RAW with the supplied software rather than Photoshop or Lightroom.

As I mentioned above, the only other gripes are the poor quality through the viewfinder and noise at low light.

Me? I am happy as pigs in the proverbial...