Saying that the Panasonic Lumix FX35 is THE awaited digital compact would be an understatement.  After the highly successful Lumix FX33 (after only 6 months of being on store shelves), Panasonic had to find a serious successor.  So is the brand new FX35 the ultimate compact?

Handling

While the body hasn't really evolved (the design is more or less the same), there have been a few welcome modifications made to the interface.  The sliding button for startup is now easier to move (still found on the top but rounded) and there is now another new one which enables changing from shooting to play mode.  Before, the latter had to be done by going through the different options with the dial.  This new control is much more practical.  For the rest, there are the four directional buttons for rapidly setting the macro mode, flash, motorization (burst and timer) and exposure compensation.
The construction of the FX35 is very satisfactory and the different doors (power, memory, and connection) seem solid.  The 2.5 inch LCD displays 230,000 pixels but horizontal and vertical viewing angles are rather small.  The very reflective finish makes use in full sun a bit tricky despite the various brightness options.  Display is fluid and very clean even in poorly lit conditions although there is a bit of ‘’stuttering’’.  Finally, colors are a bit saturated so we cannot say that they are entirely accurate. 

As for speed, the Panasonic FX35 is a rather fast compact with autofocus in less than a second and startup in less than 2 seconds.  In the same category, the Canon Ixus 860 IS is still more reactive in all areas.  We were also slightly disappointed by the relatively slow 4x optical zoom.

Image quality

Veritable precursor to the 28 mm wide angle on digital compacts, Panasonic had to prepare itself for the massive arrival of these cameras (Canon, Casio, Fujifilm, Nikon, and Samsung).  The Japanese manufacturer thus opted for a 4x optical zoom starting at 25 mm.


The larger field of vision (see above) is very appreciable for landscape photography and indoors.  In wide angle, distortion is very slight and practically imperceptible at maximum zoom.  Moreover, chromatic aberrations are minimal and vignetting absent.  Good job, Panasonic!  Combined with the 10 Mpix sensor the zoom delivers nice image quality and between 8 (FX33) and 10 Mpix (FX35), the difference in quality is subtle even on A4 prints.  White balance is quite satisfactory even under artificial lights (much better than the FX33, for example) and colors are very neutral.  Despite the new 10 Mpix sensor, noise control is extremely efficient although there is some ‘’fluffiness’’ from 100 ISO onwards.  Processing is a little more severe than with the FX33 but overall images are of good quality up until 800 ISO.  On A4 prints, the FX35 surpasses the Canon Ixus 860 IS with less grainy rendering in higher sensitivities (800 - 1600 ISO).  The 3cm macro mode  is very efficient and the integrated flash also produces well exposed images.  As for exposure, the FX35 has a new Intelligent Exposure mode which enables recovering details in darker zones by playing with the tone curve.  In the field, results were rather mixed and the increase in noise is significant.

Of course, the other new and expected innovation is the high definition video mode.  And results are largely more interesting than those of the Kodak EasyShare V1253.   The quality of sequences is honest although there is quite a bit of shimmering and poor sound reproduction.  However, on an HD television, projector or computer screen, a 1280 x 720 pixel image is very nice and a challenge to future competitors.  Finally, optical stabilization when shooting video doesn't seem as efficient as with the photo mode.



Canon Ixus 860 IS, Panasonic Fx35 or Fujifilm F100fd: A tough choice!

When it comes down to making the choice, it’s difficult to know which is the best compact.  This is only normal as each has its particular advantages and downsides.  One way to go about making a choice would be to consider what type of photos you shoot the most.

•    The Canon Ixus 860 IS is compact, very reactive (startup, recording, autofocus) and offers excellent image quality at 80 ISO.   This camera will first and foremost be suited for family use where reactivity (for example, photographing children) is critical.
•    The Panasonic FX35 stresses its 25 mm wide grand and especially a high definition video mode.  This is of interest for those who want to capitalize on the future of large format video. In short, it’s a product that is attractive for its photo & video versatility, better performance than Canon in high sensitivities, and more accurate colors than Fuji.
•    Finally, the Fujifilm F100fd also has a 28 mm wide angle but has better precision in low light and bright conditions (significantly more details).  Also, it has excellent noise control which is useful for shooting without a flash and therefore preserving the natural light aspect.  Very rapid face detection is also one of its advantages.  Its three defects: bigger size than the others, less efficient automatic white balance than Canon and Panasonic (plan on frequent touch-ups) and the absence of an HD video mode.