Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 review

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars First impressions of the DMC-FZ35, September 2, 2009 By Michael A. Duvernois (Minneapolis, MN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME) This is the first of the Panasonic Lumix superzooms that I've had an opportunity to use extensively. I regularly use both small point and shoot digital cameras (Canon SD550 and a waterproofed Canon S100) and digital SLRs (Canon 5D and Rebel XTi), but this is definitely a different sort of beast. It's nearly the size and weight of a DSLR with a lens that is noticeably long in use. It's sold as straddling the line between the two categories and it initially seems that way. But the more that I think about it, the more I think this camera really fills a different niche. If you're a serious photographer, a DSLR is really the way to go. You get full control over the images, a large sensor size, a selection of lenses, and filter options. If you're that person, this is hardly a replacement, and for the compact point and shooter this is a massive camera. Where this camera wins out is for a very simple kit covering wide angle (27mm equivalent for a 35mm camera) and the stunning 18x zoom. You'll be able to do most everything passably with this camera and with no additional lenses. Maybe this is the camera to put in the glovebox of your car? It'll always be there, and you can get most any shot with it. No preparation needed. Okay, enough thinking about who wants the camera, how does it work? Well, it works pretty darned well. The image stabilizer seems to work extremely well, especially at moderate zoom (say 50-150mm equivalent), the battery lasted about 300 shots with some flash use in there, and image quality (subjective, not measured scientifically) was quite good. The camera was a bit slow to react at times though and the face detection works only occasionally. Still, that leaves this a solid camera for what I think is a quite good price. If you're not going to take advantage of the DSLR capabilities, this is a good functional camera for you. Or an excellent second camera for simplicity. Pros: 18x zoom with a genuine wide angle, solid construction, good battery life, image stabilization that works, one size might well fit many

Delighted with the camera on the whole, though there are some user interface aspects that could be improved. One minor correction to your review: You say that "when using the electronic viewfinder the images cannot be quick previewed on the LCD screen, instead only appearing in the EVF itself." In facts, the setup menu's "Play on LCD" option can be used to ensure that images are displayd on the LCD even when the EVF is in use. But this should probably be the default setting.

As a trusted panasonic user for many years. Im finally going to upgrade to an FZ38 from my FZ18. The main reason being the HD video capture. I own a separate HD camcorder, but this hasn't any optical stabilization. Without this the playback in HD further amplifies the shaky results and is really unpleasant to watch. Ive owned a Pentax dslr for some time and work with 5Omm prime lenses and AF lenses. But the results on my old FZ18 can be so crisp that it in most day today situations it beats the dslr. The only thing I miss is the lack of narrow depth of field (blurring of the background in portraits, the high ISO quality. So all the good bits from the FZ18 and more along with a power O.I.S HD video sounds mighty fine to me.

how do I take a shot with focus point and blurred background? Please help. step by step. thanks.