The Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ38 is a 12 megapixel digital camera with an 18x optical zoom lens. There are plenty of features to attract the more serious hobby photographer. These include a variety of exposure controls, manual focusing and image stabilisation. Images can be captured in RAW format and an electronic viewfinder is available.

Additional zoom becomes available when shooting at lower resolutions. If you reduce the resolution to 3 megapixels you can access up to 35.2x zoom. This gives the camera a great deal of flexibility. To further increase the flexibility of the camera conversion lenses can also be added to the camera.

Panasonic has built in one of the most advanced movie modes you will find on a current digital camera. Aside from shooting High Definition clips the Lumix DMC FZ38 can record stereo sound. You can also zoom in and out while recording is in progress and set the aperture and shutter speed.

I like the fast response times and picture quality offered by the camera.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
The first thing that strikes me about the photo is the amount of brightness the Lumix DMC FZ38 has managed to capture. This helps to give the photo a vivid look. The shot is sharp and the camera has also managed to control noise levels well in light shade. An example of this is the name of the front boat.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
I have noticed a tendency with other Panasonic digital cameras to produce a very dark shade of blue in the sky. This can overpower a photo. That does not happen here and the colours take on a much better balance. Considering the fact this shot was taken with a wide angle lens I am very happy with focusing too.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
In my test the Lumix DMC FZ38 outperforms the majority of similar digital cameras when it comes to keeping purple fringing under control. This photo is virtually clear of the problem. This means you should not need to clean up your photos if you are looking to make larger prints. Focusing is also above average.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
Aside from a minor slippage in sharpness towards the edge of this photo and my third outdoor shot the Lumix DMC FZ38 has performed very well when it comes to produce crisp looking photos at distance.

Outdoor Portrait
This is another example of how the camera is able to inject a bit of extra brightness into the photos it takes. This helps to give my portrait shot an extra lift.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
Here we can see the advantage of a camera where the flash pops up away from the lens. Despite the fact the photo is very well lit there is little or no bounce back from the flash unit into the lens. This means there are no shiny areas on the face giving the photo a much more flattering look.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
Once again the camera proves it is able to add in extra brightness to a shot. As with my first outdoor shot noise levels are controlled well even though the available light is not perfect.

Colours
The colours have a subtler feel to them than smaller Panasonic cameras often manage. I think this helps the way the photos look.

Macro
I have noticed that cameras with larger lens units tend to produce better quality macro shots than smaller compacts. This happens here. Once again the Lumix DMC FZ38 is able to produce a shot with plenty of brightness.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
This camera came through my tests for noise well when looking at my indoor portrait and some of the more shady areas of my test shots. However, if you opt to push up the ISO levels you will notice noise in your shots, especially in the darker areas.

Overall
I am very impressed with the picture quality offered by the Lumix DMC FZ38. It compares very well against other super zoom digital cameras.

Response times are fast, especially when you are using flash. A single shot was timed at 0.25 seconds and five at 7.47 seconds. With flash on the times were 0.35 seconds for a single shot and 9.4 seconds for five.

The camera was also quick to turn on and take the first picture at 2.45 seconds.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The Lumix DMC FZ38 feels good in the hand. It has a sturdy feel to it. Shape-wise it looks like a cut down version of a Digital SLR.

117.6 x 75.8 x 88.9 mm

367g

Lithium ion. Panasonic estimates you should be able to take up to 470 photos in between charges.

Panasonic has built in 40mb of storage. This is enough for around 8 photos. The camera is also compatible with SD and SDHC memory cards.

Click here to save money on SD cards..

Good. I think Panasonic has set the Lumix DMC FZ38 up well. Buttons on the top and back of the camera give you instant access to key functions. There is also a dedicated movie button. This means you do not have to change shooting modes before you start recording a movie.

Picture quality - advanced features - shutter lag times - -advanced movie mode with stereo sound

Nothing stands out

Most brands offer a super zoom digital camera so there are plenty to choice from. Try taking a look at the Sony Cybershot DSC HX1. The Sony Cybershot DSC HX1 offers a very fast burst mode and a feature for taking panoramic shots. A super zoom digital camera with more standard features is the Nikon Coolpix P90.

I really like the Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ38. Sometimes you just hit it off with a camera and that seems to be the case here. I am very happy with the pictures I took with it and it stands up very well against other super zoom cameras.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

Description:	12 megapixels and an 18x optical zoom lens
Ease of Use:	8
Features:	9
Colour:	8
Macro:	9
Indoors:	9
Value for Money:	9
Style:	8
Movie Mode:	10
Image Quality:	9
Build Quality:	8
Total:	87
Verdict:	The Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ38 is a super zoom digital camera with plenty of features for stills photography. It also has a very advanced movie mode. I found picture quality to be very impressive. The camera is also able to respond quickly to photo opportunities. Recommended
Review Date:	October 2009
Related Pages:	Panasonic DMC FZ38 Specification Panasonic DMC FZ38 Sample Images Panasonic DMC FZ38 Features
Comparisons:	Fuji Finepix S200exr vs Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ38
Comparisons:	Nikon Coolpix P90 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ38

	GBP 256
	GBP 259
	GBP 259.99
	GBP 265
	GBP 299
	GBP 299.99
Click a flag for prices from other countries:

Camera	Rating
Fuji Finepix S200EXR	87
Panasonic DMC FZ38	87
Canon Powershot SX1 IS	87
Sony DSC HX1	85
Canon Powershot SX10 IS	85
Canon Powershot SX20 IS	84
Olympus SP-570 UZ	84
Olympus SP-590 UZ	83

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Panasonic DMC FZ38