Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FZ35
 vs
Panasonic Lumix
DMC-FZ40

Updated (July, 2011): Compare the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40

49

  
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

46

  

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40

Screen size
 Large screen
3.0"
Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds
 

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

Weight
 Light-weight
367 g
Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds
 

differences

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-FZ35
Size Slightly smaller 118x76x89 mm vs 120x79x91 mm
Help
 Around 10% smaller
Weight Lighter 367 g vs 499 g
Help
 Around 30% lighter
Continuous shooting Shoots slightly faster 2.3 fps vs 1.8 fps
Help
 Around 30% faster continuous shooting
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-FZ35

Advantages of the Panasonic DMC-FZ40
Screen size Significantly larger screen 3.0" vs 2.7"
Help
 More than 10% larger screen
Zoom More zoom 24x vs 18x
Help
 Around 80% more zoom
Wide angle Better wide angle 25 mm vs 27 mm
Help
 Around 10% better wide angle
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Learn more about
the Panasonic DMC-FZ40
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent super zooms, and ignoring price

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35
46 vs 49
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40.

similarities

Compared to recent digicams

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Aperture Wide aperture Help
f/2.8
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
1 cm
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Viewfinder Both have digital viewfinders Help
Digital
Longest exposure Very long exposure times Help
60 seconds
Thickness Quite thick Help
DMC-FZ35:3.5"
DMC-FZ40:3.6"
Weight Heavy Help
DMC-FZ35:367 g
DMC-FZ40:499 g
Panorama Neither camera stitches together panoramas Help
You could stitch photos in post
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
HDR Neither has in-camera HDR Help
You could do HDR manually
3D Neither camera can take 3D photos Help
No 3d support
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
DMC-FZ35:2.3 fps
DMC-FZ40:1.8 fps
Size Large Help
DMC-FZ35:118x76x89 mm
DMC-FZ40:120x79x91 mm
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
Size Fairly small Help
DMC-FZ35:118x76x89 mm
DMC-FZ40:120x79x91 mm
External flash No external flash support Help
Less expandable
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
External mic jack Neither has an external mic jack Help
Limited to the in-camera mic
High-speed framerate No high speed movie support Help
Not supported
Zoom Poor zoom Help
DMC-FZ35:18x
DMC-FZ40:24x

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ200

Super zoom

$498
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is significantly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ200 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ200 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48

Super zoom

$392
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Weight Is slightly heavier
Supports RAW Doesn't shoot RAW
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ48 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ48 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Super zoom

$811
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Super zoom

$720
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Longest exposure Significantly shorter exposures
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ150 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ150 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Super zoom

$93 - $96
Wide angle Has a slightly narrower wide angle lens
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ28 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ28 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ20

Super zoom

$196
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Panorama Creates panoramas in-camera
Longest exposure Much shorter exposures
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the Lumix DMC-LZ20 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Lumix DMC-LZ20 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Nikon D3100

Nikon D3100

Entry-level DSLR

$447 - $740 with 18-55mm lens
Movie format Records higher quality movies
True resolution Takes much higher resolution photos
Longest exposure Significantly shorter exposures
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the D3100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the D3100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic FX60/FX62

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ62

Super zoom

$392 - $439
Screen size Significantly larger screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Supports RAW No RAW support
Size Slightly larger
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ62 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS

Canon PowerShot SX1 IS

Super zoom
Screen flips out Has a flip-out screen
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Battery life Much shorter battery life
Size Larger
Compare the PowerShot SX1 IS vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Placeholder

Casio Exilim EX-Z40

Compact
Size Significantly smaller
Aperture Wider aperture
Screen size Much smaller screen
Wide angle Much worse wide angle
Compare the Exilim EX-Z40 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Nikon Coolpix L810

Nikon Coolpix L810

Super zoom

$189 - $249
Screen resolution Much higher resolution screen
Panorama Can create panoramas in-camera
Aperture Narrower aperture
Supports RAW No RAW support
Compare the Coolpix L810 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40

appearance

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40

discussion

Showing 5 comments

zosX (7:19 PM, June 25, 2011)
I would like to add that the FZ40 has been noted to have inferior IQ to the FZ35. The longer zoom has hurt the corner sharpness greatly, especially at the wide end, as well as the fact that the increase in megapixels has resulted in higher noise and less dynamic range. The FZ35 is still really unmatched in terms of IQ. There is a reason they are now selling for over 400 online and there are few left.
 
Avatar for Alex Black Alex Black (1:08 PM, July 22, 2010)
1. Thanks Bob, we'll get that fixed.
3. It sounds like we agree on the math, but not on the language/method of conveying that? Snapsort itself doesn't say "closer", it says "more zoom". I think what we wanted to get across was that when you take a picture at 1x zoom, then zoom into 30x zoom, each pixel in the 1x picture is now represented by 900 pixels, and your new picture is covering 1/900 of the area, not 1/30 of the area.

It seems similar to TV size. A 50" TV is 4x bigger than a 25" TV, not 2x as one might imagine.

You're exactly right, the FZ40 should surpass the FZ35 once its been on the market a while. I am continually impressed by Panasonic's cameras, good to hear you are impressed with the FZ35.
 
Avatar for BobC BobC (9:06 AM, July 22, 2010)
1. That looks like a cut-and-paste error on Panasonic's part. Further down the Technical Specs page it says "Touch Panel: No". The rear photo shows that the control layout on the FZ40 is the same as the FZ100 which does not have touch panel.
3. I see what you are trying to do, but I disagree with your math. I concur that doubling the zoom will double both the height and width, resulting in a 4x increase in the AREA of the image. However, this is not the same as getting 4x closer. Cutting the distance in half will double both the apparent height and width, the same as going 2x with the zoom.
--
I am interested to see that the older FZ35 is recommended over the new FZ40. Looking at the ratings, it looks like the popularity score is the big factor that tips the balance in favor of the FZ35. Once the FZ40 has been on the market a while, I expect its popularity score to go up.

BTW, I have both the FZ35 and the FZ18 and they are both very fine cameras for their class. A DSLR with its larger sensor can get better image quality, especially in low light, but the superzooms like the FZ series are much smaller, lighter, and less expensive.
 
Avatar for Alex Black Alex Black (2:13 AM, July 22, 2010)
Hi Bob, thanks for pointing those out. Let me double check them:

1. The link you provided says it does have a touchscreen? "3.0" TFT Touch Screen LCD Display (230K dots)" maybe Panasonic made a mistake?
2. Good catch on the FPS, we should really compare the max value possible (at any res) separately from the max at full res.
3. Ah, thats just how we compare zoom :) Doubling your zoom gets you an image that is four times closer, because zoom multiplies both height and width. Please call us on this if it doesn't seem right. See our article on zoom.
4. Rear photos - thx.
 
Avatar for BobC BobC (0:30 AM, July 22, 2010)
There are several flaws in this comparison.
1) The FZ40 does NOT have a touch screen.
2) It says that the FZ40 shoots 6 fps. It is actually only 1.8fps at full resolution. Both the FZ35 and FZ40 have a high-speed burst mode that shoots 10 fps@3M.
3) Comparison says that the FZ40 has 80% more zoom range than the FZ35 (24x vs. 18x). That is only 33% more, not 80%.
4) Rear view photos are available on the Panasonic web site.
(My numbers all came from the Panasonic web site, so they should be pretty accurate.
http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Cameras-Camcorders/Digital-Cameras/Lumix-Digital-Cameras/model.DMC-FZ40K_11002_7000000000000005702