Camera Tests: Panasonic FZ38 and Fujifilm FinePix S1500

It's been almost three months since we last tested a bridge camera!  Today, though, we have two new cameras from different ranges.  The Fujifim S1500 is a diminutive entry-level camera with a 12x zoom and a 10 Megapixel sensor, while the Panasonic FZ38 is the latest successor to a line of best-selling cameras, and comes with an 18x zoom and a 12 Megapixel sensor.

With the FinePix S1500, Fujifilm hopes to offer a 12x zoom bridge camera for under £200.  For this price, you can't expect excellent quality from this new camera.  You'll need to look elsewhere if you want a 28 mm wide-angle lens, or a Super CCD sensor.  The focal length goes from 33-396 mm and the sensor is a basic 10 Megapixel CCD affair.  However, it seems that the S1500 is a solid camera that's got a lot of features for this part of the market.  So, is it a good deal?

Even though the Panasonic Lumix FZ38 shares some of the characteristics of its predecessor,incredibly popular FZ28 (18x zoom with a 27 mm wide-angle lens and a similar case), it still includes some new features.  It gains an extra two Megapixels, moving from 10 to 12 Megapixels, and has new video capability: 720p HD with zoom, Dolby sound and a manual mode!

> Product Survey: Bridge Digital Cameras