It's tough being a compact at Panasonic - you don't long to prove yourself.  Hardly six months after the arrival of the FX35, here comes a new compact, the FX37. 

The announcement of a new model might well have heralded revolutionary functionality or a dramatic redesign. 

Instead, though, the only real difference between the two models is that the optical zoom gets a little more power behind it, now going up to 5x (25-125 mm).

Handling

There have been no real changes in terms of the handling of the FX37 compared with the previous generation.  The scroll wheel still controls the selection of different focusing modes (intelligent automatic, automatic, different scene types, video, or a rather strange notebook feature).  There's still no manual or semi-manual mode for more adventurous photographers ... maybe we'll need to wait another six months.

The on/off switch is still quite small but perfectly easy to access.  The Q- Menu button controls the majority of other functions.

The zoom lens expands in about three seconds, which may be a bit small compared to more advanced cameras, but it's completely acceptable in this class.

The FX37 is generally quite fast, actually, and it's AutoFocus is pretty nippy in most situations.

Burst mode is still pitifully slow, only managing 2.3 images per second across a burst of just three photos.

The camera's construction is very solid, and only the automatic lens covers seem a little flimsy.  The 25 mm zoom is a real pleasure to use and makes it easy to photograph a variety of scenes.


Image Quality

Despite the slightly longer  zoom, the image quality remains very high. Wide-angle distortion is almost entirely absent, as are the sometimes problematic phenomena of vignetting and chromatic aberration.

Having a 10 Megapixel sensor on board delivers a great image.  The automatic white balance gives accurate results, even under artificial light and colors are accurate.

The Venus Engine IV processor, first found on the TZ5 and the FX35 also brings its power to the FX37. 

Result: blurriness is well controlled for low ISO numbers and the electronic noise handling actually works pretty well all the way up to ISO 1600, where you can make perfectly decent A4 prints without too many problems.