Canon PowerShot
SX20 IS
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FZ38

Updated (September, 2010): Compare the Canon PowerShot SX30 IS vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

57

Reasons to buy the Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Screen flips out
 Flip-out screen
Great for movies
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
External flash
 External flash
Better lighting
Fastest shutter speed
 Fast shutter speed
1/3200 of a second
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

57

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
6,400 ISO
Weight
 Light-weight
397 g
Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing
Viewfinder
 Great viewfinder
Digital
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds

differences

Advantages of the Canon SX20 IS
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen Yes vs No
Help
 Flip-out screens can be helpful when composing tricky shots or taking movies
Zoom Slightly more zoom 20x vs 18x
Help
 More than 20% more zoom
External flash Supports an external flash Yes vs No
Help
 An external flash often produces better looking flash images
Macro focus Better macro capability 0 cm vs 1 cm
Help
 Almost the same
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 9.8 MP vs 9.8 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Fastest shutter speed Significantly faster max shutter speed 1/3200s vs 1/2000s
Help
 Around 40% faster max shutter speed
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Learn more about
the Canon SX20 IS

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-FZ38
Screen size Larger screen 2.7" vs 2.5"
Help
 Around 10% larger screen
Supports RAW Shoots RAW Yes vs No
Help
 Digitally develop your own photos with precise image control
Size Smaller 118x76x89 mm vs 128x88x87 mm
Help
 Around 20% smaller
Wide angle Better wide angle 27 mm vs 28 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Light sensitivity (boost) Has boost ISO 6,400 ISO vs None
Help
 Allows taking photos in darker situations, often at the cost of additional noise in the image
Weight Significantly lighter 397 g vs 600 g
Help
 More than 30% lighter
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 2.3 fps vs 0.7 fps
Help
 Around 3.5x faster continuous shooting
Longest exposure Much longer exposures 60s vs 15s
Help
 4x longer exposures
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-FZ38
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent super zooms, and ignoring price

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Canon PowerShot SX20 IS
57 vs 57
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
Green arrow Too close to call! Snapsort considers these cameras too competitive to make a clear recommendation.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

CanonPowerShot SX20 IS
 Canon PowerShot SX20 IS vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
PanasonicLumix DMC-FZ38
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
1
2
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
0
3
Vote Vote
Features Low light image quality Low light image quality
Lack of noise, sharp details
0
3
Vote Vote
Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
0
3
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
3
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
0
3
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
0
3
Vote Vote
Performance Image stabilization
Ability to reduce blur from hand shake
0
3
Vote Vote
Green arrow Join in the discussion below!

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Aperture Wide aperture Help
f/2.8
Zoom Great zoom Help
SX20 IS:20x
DMC-FZ38:18x
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
SX20 IS:0 cm
DMC-FZ38:1 cm
Viewfinder Both have digital viewfinders Help
Digital
Thickness Quite thick Help
SX20 IS:3.4"
DMC-FZ38:3.5"
Weight Heavy Help
SX20 IS:600 g
DMC-FZ38:397 g
Size Large Help
SX20 IS:128x88x87 mm
DMC-FZ38:118x76x89 mm
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
Screen size Very small screens Help
SX20 IS:2.5"
DMC-FZ38:2.7"
Screen resolution Low resolution screens Help
230k dots
Movie format Both shoot high resolution HD movies Help
720p @ 30fps

Compared to recent super zooms

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.
Zoom Poor zoom Help
SX20 IS:20x
DMC-FZ38:18x
Wide angle Poor wide angle Help
SX20 IS:28 mm
DMC-FZ38:27 mm

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Nikon Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix L120

Super zoom

$227 - $230
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$379
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$339 - $350
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Nikon Coolpix P100

Nikon Coolpix P100

Super zoom
Zoom Has significantly more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Coolpix P100 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Coolpix P100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Canon PowerShot SX30 IS

Super zoom

$375 - $420
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Wide angle Has a slightly wider wide angle lens
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the PowerShot SX30 IS vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1

Super zoom

$355
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen size Has a significantly larger screen
Weight Is slightly heavier
Sensor size Has a slightly smaller sensor
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot G12

Canon PowerShot G12

Pro digicam

$389 - $500
Screen size Has a slightly larger screen
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Zoom Has significantly less zoom
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Compare the PowerShot G12 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Canon PowerShot SX220 HS

Travel zoom

$305 - $379
Screen size Much larger screen
Size Much smaller
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Aperture Narrower aperture
Compare the PowerShot SX220 HS vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Fujifilm FinePix HS22 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS22

Super zoom
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Zoom Significantly more zoom
Size Significantly larger
Image stabilization Worse image stabilization
Compare the FinePix HS22 vs the PowerShot SX20 IS
Canon PowerShot SX10 IS

Canon PowerShot SX10 IS

Super zoom
Screen flips out Screen does not flip out
Movie format Lower resolution movies
Compare the PowerShot SX10 IS vs the PowerShot SX20 IS

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45

Super zoom

$362 - $429
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Zoom More zoom
Size Slightly larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ45 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Super zoom

$470 - $479
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Size Larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ150 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ47

Super zoom

$299 - $300
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Supports RAW No RAW support
Size Slightly larger
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ47 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Super zoom
Weight Slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ28 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Super zoom

$611 - $657
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Size Larger
Weight Heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ38

appearance

Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
Canon PowerShot SX20 IS Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38

Find similar cameras

Here are some links to help you find other cameras with similar features to both of these:

discussion Which do you think is better?

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