Bridge Cameras: Panasonic Replaces FZ38 with FZ45 AND FZ100

With its new FZ45 and FZ100 bridge cameras, Panasonic is offering not one, but two, potential successors to its best-seller, the FZ38.  They share some components, including a 24x zoom with a 25 mm wide-angle, but the two new arrivals have very different customers in their sights.

The Panasonic FZ100 is the more ambitious of the pair, with a rotating screen and an all-new 14 Megapixel MOS sensor, which opens the way to Full HD video and a high-speed burst mode.

Its counterpart is the Panasonic FZ45, a more basic offering with a fixed screen and an older 14 Megapixel CCD sensor, capping its video ambitions at 720p HD.

Producing two such similar cameras is a risky strategy for Panasonic, as it allows customers to compare two cameras from the same generation with two very different sensors.  Although we're not sure where it's from, we're sure the traditional CCD in the FZ45 can be found in plenty of other cameras, while the new MOS has been specially designed by Panasonic for the FZ100.  Indeed, for the brand, it's one the camera's biggest selling points, so it better get things right ...

Panasonic FZ45 MARCHANDS €     Pixmania  223.00  Amazon mark...  310.00  Amazon.co.uk  315.00  Compare prices

Panasonic FZ100 MARCHANDS €     Amazon mark...  310.00  Amazon.co.uk  315.00  Compare prices

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