Go To Latest Video ReviewsRefine search for Digital Cameras
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Review
| Author | Cliff Smith |
| Published | 28th Jul 2009 |
| Manufacturer | Panasonic |
| Price | £260.87 (Exc VAT) |
| as reviewed | £300.00 (Inc VAT) |
| Latest Price | Click here |
| Build Quality |  |
| Features |  |
| Image Quality | |
| Value |  |
| Overall | |
39 comments
Email
TrustedReviews NewslettersLast August I reviewed the Lumix DMC-FZ28, Panasonic's entry in the competitive super-zoom bridge camera market. As its many satisfied buyers will attest, the FZ28 is a superb camera, earning our highest accolade the Editor's Choice award. For the past year it has become the yardstick against which all other super-zooms have been measured, and it remains the best in its class. No other super-zoom camera has been able to match its combination of handling, performance and image quality, until now.
Or rather until September, because that's when the FZ28's replacement, the unsurprisingly-named Lumix DMC-FZ38, goes on sale. Although it was only officially announced today, I've had a full production sample of the new FZ38 for the past week, and I've had a chance to put it through its paces. I'm happy to report that it's every bit as good as its illustrious predecessor, and offers quite a few significant improvements, which it's going to need if it is to maintain its lead over some very competent rivals, such as the Nikon P90, Canon SX1 and Casio EX-FH20.
UPDATE 03/08: The FZ38 is now available for pre-order from a number of online retailers, and is being priced at around £300, which is unsurprisingly about the same as the launch price of the FZ28.
At first glance it doesn't look like much has been changed apart from the rather obvious addition of a pair of stereo microphones mounted on top of the flash housing. The body is identical to the FZ28, a design that has remained unchanged since the 2007 FZ18. It's a nice compact body, and the build quality is as good as ever. It is light but strong, with a decent-sized rubber handgrip and a textured thumb rest, and the numerous buttons and controls are clearly labelled and sensibly positioned. It handles well and looks suitably businesslike, but I can't help thinking that the overall design is starting to look a little dated. I'm not looking for chrome fins and flashing lights, but a little remodelling wouldn't have hurt, if only to integrate the microphones into the design. As it is they look like what they are; an afterthought retrofitted on to an existing design.
Newsletters
Register to receive the latest Reviews and News Headlines directly to your Inbox every day, and enter our regular competitions. More Info.
Latest 4 of 39 Comments
Have your say: Leave a comment below about this article.
peterbiddlecombe said on 7th October 2009
DaveD said on 20th October 2009
I'm currently using a Panasonic DMC-TZ5 that I've owned for about a year or so. I love the quality of the images, but I'd really like to have a longer optical zoom. I like the 28mm... more
Maxxximus said on 20th October 2009
@DaveD. Have you ever considered the Panasonic Lumix TZ7 (aka ZS3)? It's got a zoom from 25 - 300 mm, and is very compactly sized.
I 'downgraded' a month ago from a Nikon D... more
Kurazs Iosif said on 28th October 2009
Hi. I want to buy my first real digital camera, the one that i had and broke was a crapy konica-minolta 4MPS one from 2004 (also compact).
I want to use my camera m... more
See all 39 comments on this article.
Add your comment
You must be logged in to comment. Login or register here.
Yes to the filter thread - 46mm. Unticked boxes: maybe a movable LCD screen.