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

63
"It also compiles the Intelligent Resolution technology to perform the optimum signal processing depending on the part of a picture to give a whole image outstandingly natural clearness with fine details."
dpreview.com | talking about the DMC-FZ40's image-quality
"The manual control of FZ45 elevates the operability even higher with the incorporation of new jog dial."
dpreview.com | talking about the DMC-FZ40's button-layout

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40

Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
6,400 ISO
Supports RAW
 Shoots RAW
Better editing
Longest exposure
 Long exposures
60 seconds
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

58

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

Size
 Really small
Prosumer size 118x76x89 mm
Light sensitivity (boost)
 High ISO (boost)
6,400 ISO
Weight
 Light-weight
397 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 397 g vs 499 g
Help
 More than 20% lighter
Thickness Slightly thinner 3.5" vs 3.6"
Help
 Almost the same
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
58 vs 63
Explain scores
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40.

performance Which camera has better performance? Cast your vote!

PanasonicLumix DMC-FZ35
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40
PanasonicLumix DMC-FZ40
Uses Travel score Travel
On holiday or vacation
15
7
Vote Vote
Sports score Sports
Fast action, sometimes indoors
9
4
Vote Vote
Features Low light image quality Low light image quality
Lack of noise, sharp details
11
5
Vote Vote
Color accuracy Color accuracy
White balance in varied lighting
8
4
Vote Vote
Autofocus peformance Still image focusing
Speed and accuracy
8
4
Vote Vote
Autofocus performance Video focusing
Speed and accuracy
9
5
Vote Vote
Manual controls Manual settings
How quickly and easily you can change settings
9
3
Vote Vote
Performance Image stabilization
Ability to reduce blur from hand shake
10
5
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
DMC-FZ35:18x
DMC-FZ40:24x
Supports RAW RAW support Help
Better editing
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Macro focus Good macro capabilities Help
1 cm
Viewfinder Both have digital viewfinders Help
Digital
Longest exposure Very long exposure times Help
60 seconds
Lowest price Very expensive Help
DMC-FZ35:$399.99
DMC-FZ40:$410.99
Thickness Quite thick Help
DMC-FZ35:3.5"
DMC-FZ40:3.6"
Weight Heavy Help
DMC-FZ35:397 g
DMC-FZ40:499 g
Size Large Help
DMC-FZ35:118x76x89 mm
DMC-FZ40:120x79x91 mm
Sensor type Lower-end sensor types Help
CCD
Light sensitivity Poor maximum light sensitivity Help
1,600 ISO
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.
External flash No external flash support Help
Less expandable
Screen flips out No flip-out screens Help
Less flexible
Continuous shooting Slow continuous shooting Help
DMC-FZ35:2.3 fps
DMC-FZ40:1.8 fps
Zoom Poor zoom Help
DMC-FZ35:18x
DMC-FZ40:24x

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48

Super zoom

$418 - $492
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
Nikon Coolpix P500

Nikon Coolpix P500

Super zoom

$339 - $350
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Longest exposure Much shorter exposures
Light sensitivity (boost) Lacks boost light sensitivity
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Coolpix P500 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ150

Super zoom

$469 - $470
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
Nikon Coolpix L120

Nikon Coolpix L120

Super zoom

$227 - $230
Screen resolution Has a significantly higher resolution screen
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Longest exposure Much shorter exposures
Viewfinder Doesn't have a viewfinder
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Coolpix L120 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100

Super zoom

$611 - $657
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Lowest price Is significantly more expensive
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Nikon Coolpix P100

Nikon Coolpix P100

Super zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Screen resolution Has a slightly higher resolution screen
Longest exposure Much shorter exposures
Light sensitivity (boost) Lacks boost light sensitivity
Compare the Coolpix P100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Coolpix P100 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40
Canon Powershot SX40

Canon Powershot SX40

Super zoom

$379
Zoom Has way more more zoom
Movie format Records higher quality movies
Longest exposure Much shorter exposures
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35
Compare the Powershot SX40 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ40

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28

Super zoom
Weight Slightly heavier
Compare the Lumix DMC-FZ28 vs the Lumix DMC-FZ35

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR

Fujifilm FinePix HS20

Super zoom

$310 - $475
Light sensitivity Better maximum light sensitivity
Movie format Higher resolution movies
Size Much larger
Image stabilization Worse image stabilization
Compare the FinePix HS20 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

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?

Speech is free, but discussion at Snapsort is moderated! Please discuss your opinion of these cameras here, and discuss feedback for Snapsort at our support community.

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