Got my FX38. Photo/video samples inside.


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sloth

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Jul 5, 2007
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Quite impressed with the FX38.. focusing is responsive, image quality is not bad at all, and the camera's 'automatic' modes do a decent job.

The 25mm wide angle is the best part of the camera. Finally a compact with a good wide angle. I'm used to having a 24mm (in 35mm/full frame equiv) focal length as my wide end and finally I don't have to compromise. Aiyah.. ok.. 1mm chin chai lah :D

It even shoots acceptable HD video! Not as clear as dedicated HD video cameras but it is very, very useable.

Took advantage of yesterday's good weather to go shooting. Enjoy the samples!

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And click here for the video...... (transitions added in postprocessing - the camera doesn't do the fade effects)
 

how's the noise level? is it obvious?
 

how's the noise level? is it obvious?

The FX38 uses quite a lot of noise reduction but I would say the noise level is on par with other compacts I have worked with. It is very clean at ISO 100, you can see a little bit of noise at 200, and a bit more at 400. There is a little bit of detail loss at ISO 400 thanks to the NR. How much it affects depends on your scene. At higher ISOs, more detail is lost to noise reduction.

Beyond 400, image quality starts to fall apart quite quickly especially in challenging light. It's a limitation of small sensors. However, it is a compact, and in all fairness it is pretty good :)

The way I deal with it is to treat it as a 5MP instead of a 10MP compact. I downsample and things start to look a lot better :)
 

Thx for the samples sloth :D

I'm contemplating between LX3 & FX38, dropped consideration for the G10 from canon.

i like the zoom range in FX38 better & the better higher ISO in the LX3, so kind of in a dilemma. Any challenging dark scenes from this baby to share? How effective is the Mega OIS? I'll prob stick to ISO 100 all the way :bsmilie::bsmilie:

(ps. the 1st shot & last shot looked the same. Any diff?)
 

Hmm oops, must have uploaded the same shot twice :)

I would say that the LX3's larger aperture is an asset.. the dark scenes I have are pretty bad. I'd say above ISO 400, it isn't that fantastic.

Stabilizer is quite effective especially for such a small light camera. Heavier cameras are easier to hold steady once you are used to the weight. I can go as low as 1/6 with this one, and the OIS seems to work well during the video clip.
 

PS: I would probably skip the G10. The main reason why I carry a FX38 is the tiny size. The G10 is huge for a compact camera.

There is absolutely no substitute for a large photodetector array (sensor). My 'big gun' is the Canon 5D Mk1 with 24-105 ISL for the days where I accept no compromises :) I have shot footage at ISO 1600 handheld that looks like the FX38's ISO 100 even at 100% magnification.
 

thx for the info. :) looks like LX3 vs FX38 battles on in my head. HAHAHA :bsmilie:
 

thx for the info. :) looks like LX3 vs FX38 battles on in my head. HAHAHA :bsmilie:

You're welcome :)

Just to add a bit more fuel to the fire.. how important is low-light performance for you? The LX3, from what I've seen, seems to be at least 2 stops better. One stop comes from f/2.0 (at widest), another stop comes from the bigger sensor. The LX3 imager is substantially bigger than the FX38. 2 stops useable performance is a big, big difference.

Also I find that in low light I do not shoot a lot of telephoto even on my SLRs. I tend to go wider instead. Wide helps reduce camera shake as well.

The aperture for the FX38 also falls very fast once you start zooming in. Just a little bit of zoom and I'm already at f/4.5 and higher, which is very very slow, and gives me even less incentive to use the long end. Where I would use the long end is during the day when there is plenty of light and one can shoot f/8 ISO 100 if you wish.

So if you find yourself in the dark a lot I would choose the LX3 unless you're prepared to use a lot of flash for everything.
 

Just to add a bit more fuel to the fire.. how important is low-light performance for you? The LX3, from what I've seen, seems to be at least 2 stops better. One stop comes from f/2.0 (at widest), another stop comes from the bigger sensor. The LX3 imager is substantially bigger than the FX38. 2 stops useable performance is a big, big difference.

Also I find that in low light I do not shoot a lot of telephoto even on my SLRs. I tend to go wider instead. Wide helps reduce camera shake as well.

The aperture for the FX38 also falls very fast once you start zooming in. Just a little bit of zoom and I'm already at f/4.5 and higher, which is very very slow, and gives me even less incentive to use the long end. Where I would use the long end is during the day when there is plenty of light and one can shoot f/8 ISO 100 if you wish.

So if you find yourself in the dark a lot I would choose the LX3 unless you're prepared to use a lot of flash for everything.


thx for the tip. I've bot the same FX38 yesterday :bsmilie::bsmilie: its a belated x'mas gift for my wife.

LX 3 is good for me with all the manual controls but missus wants something really idiot proof, so the FX38 is great & its small & light. Oh ya, its a pink rose tone too ;)

Also fig out LX 3 not really worth the $$ cos pic quality wise, not that awesome (digicam will still be digicam unless sensor is like DSLR size). Sensor is also not that much bigger physically although on paper it reads 1/1.7" vs 1/2.3".

I must say this little digicam is really fun!! :lovegrin:
 

i was in the shop today planning to get either TZ15 or LX3... in the end i got this for the zoom, wide angle and also for the price :p
Really worth it ... hopefully i can take some nice fireworks and night shots with this cam.... although can't fight with those big machines ... i hope it'll still be able to take pretty nice 'printable' photos :p

btw... the pink tone doesn't looks like the rest of the lumix pinky.. this one have like a coating on top of it .. thus making it not that pretty...IMO...
 

some photos i took last night... yeah i finally got the 'subject clear' background blur image~~

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filmgrain.. still dunno how to take yet... my room lighting's very bad :p
 

Also fig out LX 3 not really worth the $$ cos pic quality wise, not that awesome (digicam will still be digicam unless sensor is like DSLR size). Sensor is also not that much bigger physically although on paper it reads 1/1.7" vs 1/2.3".[/B]

I must say this little digicam is really fun!! :lovegrin:

erm, no offence but i think u r consoling urself cos u didnt get the LX3 cos of the price. Go read the dpreview - some bro mentioned dpreview compared a few other prosumer compacts w LX3 and LX3 got the best recommendation. Also the "Pictures from LX3" everyday is adding on so need I say more?

Oh ya,:sweatsm: love to see u using the :lovegrin:pink rose tone:lovegrin: too
 

erm, no offence but i think u r consoling urself cos u didnt get the LX3 cos of the price. Go read the dpreview - some bro mentioned dpreview compared a few other prosumer compacts w LX3 and LX3 got the best recommendation. Also the "Pictures from LX3" everyday is adding on so need I say more?

You do realize that it is bad manners to point that out, right? You also realize that some may not choose to spend the extra for the LX3 because it costs significantly more?

If you are fortunate enough to own the LX3, please be gracious about it to others.

If you put the shoe on the other foot (*ahem*.. shoe throwing joke here), can you imagine how insulted you would be if I told you that all the LX3 owners are consoling themselves only because they could not afford REAL firepower like full frame DSLRs?

There is a reason and purpose for the FX38, the LX3, and full frame. All of which exist for different reasons.
 

i was in the shop today planning to get either TZ15 or LX3... in the end i got this for the zoom, wide angle and also for the price :p
Really worth it ... hopefully i can take some nice fireworks and night shots with this cam.... although can't fight with those big machines ... i hope it'll still be able to take pretty nice 'printable' photos :p

It can. Let me tell you the trick: you need to carry a tripod at night. I know tripods are big, heavy, inconvenient and uncomfortable. There is a reason we put up with them, even those of us with the big cameras (which need even bigger, heavier and more inconvenient tripods) :D

If you try to handhold, your results will be extremely questionable. High ISO on the compacts will show up as extremely bad grain. Color tone, shadow and highlight rendition falls apart at ISO 1600, which is needed for handheld work at night. Unfortunately this shortcoming is common to the FX38 as well as other small sensor compacts. So use a tripod, you will definitely need it.

Keep your ISO low (preferably at 100 if you can). You should be able to print at 8x12" with GOOD results at ISO 100. That is roughly A4 paper size and very, very few people will be able to tell you used a compact camera if you do it right.

Wondering if I should go fireworks shooting with my FX38 this year instead of the big guns ;)
 

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You do realize that it is bad manners to point that out, right? You also realize that some may not choose to spend the extra for the LX3 because it costs significantly more?

If you are fortunate enough to own the LX3, please be gracious about it to others.

If you put the shoe on the other foot (*ahem*.. shoe throwing joke here), can you imagine how insulted you would be if I told you that all the LX3 owners are consoling themselves only because they could not afford REAL firepower like full frame DSLRs?

There is a reason and purpose for the FX38, the LX3, and full frame. All of which exist for different reasons.

lolz, i nv say FX38 no good nor no point getting FX38 like some bro is commenting on LX3...this is a photography forum,not proving getting the best cam for best value. If u wan say abt LX3 users like what u mentioned in the above, post in the LX3 thread so everyone noe. I wont continue this childish meaningless debate w u :)
 

:D thanx for the tip there
well lucky thing my friend have a big tripod so can borrow from him kekeekeke
if i really got a tripod ... think i've to tie some detachable rollers on it so no need to carry it around.. but i'm still looking for a pink tripod to compensate me for not getting a pink camera :p
If anyone come across one.. do let me know ... TIA~~ thought i saw it before at Liang Court long long long time ago....

why not bring both out ? since FX38 is so so small....
 

lolz, i nv say FX38 no good nor no point getting FX38 like some bro is commenting on LX3...this is a photography forum,not proving getting the best cam for best value. If u wan say abt LX3 users like what u mentioned in the above, post in the LX3 thread so everyone noe. I wont continue this childish meaningless debate w u :)

Hide behind your excuses and name calling if you will. You are only making yourself look bad, and proving that you are from 'that generation' with no idea of the value of money. :dunno:
 

I am a big fan of Panasonic PNS cameras since i started using the FX8...and my photos (and I am no pro so you can imagine the good work my FX8 have put in!) have managed to convince numerous friends to switch to Panasonic PNS cameras...

I tried out my sisters' FX38 and I can say that it performs beautifully once you understand its strengths and limitations. Here are some shots...

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Nice one. I like the table shot, nice bokeh :)
 

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