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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

FZ35/38, first experiences (1 Viewer)

Swissboy

Sempach, Switzerland
Supporter
Switzerland
I could not resist the temptation and bought a FZ35 on my recent trip to the US. The FZ35 has NTSC, the FZ38 - instead - has PAL system for videos if one wants to view them on TV. As I have no TV, it does not make a difference for me. I use motion jpeg for HD videos anyway, viewing them on my PC.

The prime purpose of this camera in my case, is for taking such videos, with the option for stills always being there. Normally, I cherish my FZ8 for stills. It has a more convenient EVF and it is smaller.

The FZ35 is meant to replace my FZ28, which I have used for the same video priority so far. Thus, I'm primarily comparing my FZ35 with the FZ28 when taking HD video.

At this point, I have only done limited comparisons. However, there is at least one feature that bugs me that I think one should know about.

But let's start with a positive feature first. The LCD screen is said to allow viewing from wider angles. The FZ28 does pretty well with regard to viewing the screen from the side, and I think the FZ35/38 is not doing much better there. However, the new camera shows an extreme improvement when viewing the screen from below, like for overhead shots. Thus, there is no need anymore to change the setting of the LCD display. In this respect the advertising blurbs are true to reality.

The new camera allows to use various special settings to be used in movie mode as well. For this reason, there is no longer a movie setting on the dial wheel. Instead, there is now a special video button. And it's mainly the position of this button that I think is a bummer! :-@ The button is close to the EVF, where the EVF/LCD button used to be. And it's extremely inconvenient there when one wants to use the EVF. Basically, I have to reach between my eyeglasses and the camera to get there, and that is a bit of a problem with my short thick thumb! (Or with gloves on, for that matter!) The regular shutter release button does not do anything when it comes to videos. That means, one has to give up the firm grip that would be needed to hold the camera steady. Or more accurately, one has to move the thumb back in order to get that grip and be able to use the zoom function. Then, at the end, one should slide that thumb again into that space between the eyeglasses and the camera to turn off the video. Needless to say that any freehand video ends with a shake. Luckily, there is a kind of a shortcut, that I inadvertently discovered on the FZ28. That switch in the upper right hand corner that allows instant viewing also turns off the video. I lost several sequences because of its suboptimal position already with my FZ28. However this function comes in handy now to turn of the video on the FZ35 without causing that much of a shake.

At this point, I can't say anything yet about the alleged improvement in color rendition, and I still don't know whether the new camera also tends to lose the object under low contrast conditions. However, I think it is reacting faster. I'll report more when I find time to do some actual comparisons.
 
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Terrible videos with highlights

Here is a first and very disappointing addition. The HD videos I took are showing the worst vertical streaks I have ever seen when there is a highlight, such as the headlights of an approaching train. It was unsatisfactory in the non-HD videos with my FZ-8, and at least as bad with the FZ-28. However, with the FZ-35/38, there are not just light vertical lines. Instead, there is a broad green line going up and down from the light source, and bright purple lines follow at both ends. Incredible. This same "feature" (at least the purple part) is also shown on metal surfaces with reflections from the sun, something I had not noticed with the previous models.
 
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And here is some positive news as well!

Well, that issue with the dedicated video button can be circumvented completely as I learned in another forum (dpreview). One can use the Creative Motion Picture Mode. There is a special setting for it on the dial wheel, where one had to select videos in previous models. When that function is chosen, one can use the shutter release button both to start and to stop a video. Perfect, I'd say. Though one loses the possibility to use various special features, but that is mostly irrelevant for most users anyway.

The only thing that bugs me is why this feature is so well hidden in the instructions. Those complete instructions (which one has to print oneself or read on the screen of the computer) cover a full 219 pages. Out of these at least a third is dealing with basics and self-explanatory features that do not belong into the "Operating Instructions for advanced features". Going through all of these pages, one starts to lose attention before the interesting part begins. And the feature I have mentioned that makes taking videos so much more convenient merely gets a single sentence on page 115. And it is not even in bold face. It's mentioned more as an aside. Thus very easy to miss.

OK, there are other positive things to report as well: the camera is definitely doing much better under hazy or low-contrast conditions when it comes to videos. The reaction time is clearly faster. And I feel even the EVF is clearer, though still with the small picture of the FZ28 that makes everything look so far away

Thus, to summarize, I feel the FZ35/38 does show considerable improvements in a number of features. One problematical feature (the awkward position of the video button) can be circumvented quite nicely. So in the end, there is one major complaint, those extremely prominent vertical "smear" lines in the highlights when taking videos. The topic has been discussed on dpreview as well, and the consensus seems to be that such smear lines are a common feature of the CMOS technology. But also, that the FZ35/38 is by far the worst one in this respect.
 
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Sorry to hear of your problems with the new camera, its a shame as it looks like a nice camera.
The streaks you mention is this caused by light on the lens as in lens flare etc? if so would a deeper hood help?
Just a thought
Cheers
Brian
Ps I have been trying out the video feature on my Fuji S100fs and got some great footage recently of seals, I decided to send some clips off to You've been Framed and they have accepted them and I get £250 Not bad eh for 40secs of video?:smoke: ok its not HD quality but once converted using basic Windows movie maker and copied to dvd looked pretty good and was handheld too.
 
........there is a broad green line going up and down from the light source, and bright purple lines follow at both ends. Incredible. .......


I finally managed to produce stills from one such video. Here is a sample to give you an idea. No bird picture, and I would not expect such severe problems in that case.
 

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.....The streaks you mention is this caused by light on the lens as in lens flare etc? if so would a deeper hood help?
......

As you can see from the picture in my previous post, a deeper hood would not help. It's the bright light from the front that causes the smears.
 
I know you say you normally dont do regular photos, but do you know if this camera have similar problems with photos?

thanks
Niels
 
Another sample picture

The attached picture of a jet at take-off shows that one does not need headlights to run into video-problems. Here, it's the reflection in the hood.
 

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