Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 vs FZ100 Digital Camera Reviews

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification



Panasonic added the DMC-FZ100 and DMC-FZ45 to their range of Lumix Hybrid Super Zoom cameras in July 2010. The DMC-FZ45 is available for £269.00 and the DMC-FZ100 costs £366.99. Daniel Bell puts both cameras to the test and investigates whether the DMC-FZ100 is worth the extra £100.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 & FZ100: Features

Both cameras have a resolution of 14.1Mp, a CCD sensor on the DMC-FZ45 and a MOS sensor on the DMC-FZ100 and feature a f/2.8-5.2, 24x optical zoom lens which is a 35mm equivalent of 25 - 600mm. Using the Extra Optical Zoom function this can be extended to 50.6x although images are restricted to a maximum resolution of 3 megapixels.



The DMC-FZ100 records movies in 1920 x 1080 full-HD with the DMC-FZ45 restricted to 1280 x 720 HD and both feature the high sound quality of Dolby Digital Stereo Creator. On both cameras, in Creative Movie Mode the shutter speed and aperture can be adjusted. For playing videos back both cameras can be attached via mini HDMI to a Panasonic Viera TV.

To help take sharp pictures in varying conditions both cameras have Power OIS, Intelligent ISO Control, Face Detection AF/AE, Face Recognition, Intelligent Scene Selector, Intelligent Exposure and AF Tracking with the camera doing all the work in the iA Mode. Happy Mode optimises colour saturation and brightness for vivid scenes. On the DMC-FZ100, the iA Mode is also has Motion Deblur Mode by with Intelligent ISO Control and Intelligent Exposure to gain shutter speed to prevent blur.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 Key Features:		Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 Key Features:
25mm wide-angle 24x optical zoom		25mm wide-angle 24x optical zoom
f/2.8 - 5.2 Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens		f/2.8 - 5.2 Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens
HD Movie in AVCHD Lite with Creative Movie Mode		1,920 x 1,080 Full-HD Movie in AVCHD
14.1 megapixel CCD sensor		Dolby Digital Stereo Creator
iA (Intelligent Auto) mode with Power OIS		14.1 megapixel MOS sensor and Venus Engine FHD
Intelligent Resolution Technology		iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode with Power OIS
32x Intelligent Zoom		Motion Deblur Mode
Intuitive Manual Control and Creative option		Intelligent Resolution Technology
My Colour Mode		32x Intelligent Zoom
3in LCD with wide-viewing angle		Intuitive Manual Control and Creative option
		My Colour Mode
		3in free-angle LCD

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 & FZ100: Handling

Both cameras look and feel like an SLR and at first glance appear identical although there are some subtle differences between them. The main difference is the 3in free-angle LCD screen on the rear of the DMC-FZ100 which is not featured on the DMC-FZ45. The DMC-FZ100 screen also has a higher resolution at 460,000 dots compared to the 230,000 dots on the DMC-FZ45. The screen is great for taking pictures at unusual angles such as low down without having to bend your back.

Both cameras feature a jog dial which makes it easy to switch between modes. The placement of some of the buttons differ on each camera and are well placed and easy to press. Both cameras also come with a lens hood.

Although both cameras have the same battery the CIPA standards are 580 pictures for the DMC-FZ45 and 410 pictures for the DMC-FZ100. This is very reasonable and during testing the batteries never had to be recharged so there is no reason to doubt their expected life.

On both cameras is a 0.2in colour Electronic Viewfinder which is easy to see although it is a touch small. There is a diopter control wheel for those with less then perfect vision.

The DMC-FZ100 can shoot 11fps / 5fps with continuous AF at full 14 megapixel resolution, and 60fps in 3.5 megapixel resolution. The varying modes of continuous shooting can be changed via a dedicated button. Although the DMC-FZ45 doesn't have a dedicate button it can still shoot at a maximum of 1.8fps at full 14 megapixel resolution. There are also two scene modes on both cameras for continuous shooting - Hi-Speed and Flash Burst Modes although images are restricted to between 2.5 and 3 megapixels depending on the ratio used at up to 10fps on the DMC-FZ45 and 60fps on the DMC-FZ100.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 & FZ100: Performance

The 24x optical zoom lens is capable of taking excellent pictures even when handheld. In the images below you can see the wind turbine with good detail, which is excellent given that it is about 4 miles away from where the image was taken. The third image has combine digital and optical zoom to get as close as possible. When shooting the moon with full optical and digital zoom there is a pleasing amount of detail to be seen.

Wide-angle, ISO100, 1/320, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ100		Full optical zoom, ISO100, 1/400, f/5.2, 108mm (35mm equiv: 600mm) DMC-FZ100
Full digital zoom, ISO100, 1/640, f/5.2, 108mm (35mm equiv: 600mm) DMC-FZ100		Moon, ISO400, 1/80, f/5.2, 108mm (35mm equiv: 600mm) DMC-FZ100

Both cameras take excellent macro pictures whether at wide-angle or telephoto length. There is a minimum focusing distance of just 1 cm when using wide-angle and 100cm when using the lens at its longest.

Macro wide-angle, ISO250, 1/60, f/2.8, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ100		Macro-telephoto, ISO400, 1/80, f/5.2, 108mm (35mm equiv: 600mm) DMC-FZ100

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 starts at ISO80 with the DMC-FZ100 starting at ISO100 and both of them having a maximum ISO of 1600.

ISO80	ISO100	ISO200	ISO400	ISO800	ISO1600
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45
1/4, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)	1/5, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)	1/10, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)	1/20, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)	1/40, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)	1/80, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100
	1/8, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)	1/15, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)	1/30, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)	1/60, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)	1/125, f/3.5, 19mm (35mm equiv: 106mm)

Here are examples of using the camera in portrait mode, both with and without the flash.

Portrait without flash, ISO400, 1/30, f/3.5, 22mm (35mm equiv: 122mm) DMC-FZ45		Portrait with flash, ISO250, 1/60, f/3.5, 22mm (35mm equiv: 122mm) DMC-FZ45

Both cameras produces well exposed images with excellent colour reproduction which can be seen in the examples below. The landscape mode mode gives images with excellent greens and blues. As well as landscape mode the cameras also have an architecture mode. Sport mode has been used the capture the water from the fountain. Sunset mode capture some nice colours in the sky but left the foreground slightly underexposed.

Landscape mode, ISO100, 1/640, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ100		Architecture mode, ISO100, 1/1000, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ100
Sport mode, ISO125, 1/500, f/3.3, 12mm (35mm equiv: 67mm) DMC-FZ100		Text (auto mode), ISO100, 1/200, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ100
Sunset mode, ISO160, 1/100, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ100		Pet (auto mode), ISO320, 1/125, f/2.8, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ100

The white-balance performance on the DMC-FZ45 is better than that of the DMC-FZ100 in our studio but in general use I found the auto-white balance produced good results on both. The incandescent preset on the DMC-FZ100 didn't cope particularly well under the incandescent lights.

Auto White Balance - Incandescent Lighting	Preset Incandescent WB - Incandescent Light	Auto White Balance - Fluorescent Light
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45
ISO100, 1/10, f/3.2, 7mm (35mm equiv: 39mm)	ISO100, 1/13, f/3.2, 7mm (35mm equiv: 39mm)	ISO100, 1/3, f/3.2, 7mm (35mm equiv: 39mm)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100
ISO100, 1/15, f/3.2, 8mm (35mm equiv: 44mm)	ISO100, 1/15, f/3.2, 8mm (35mm equiv: 44mm)	ISO100, 1/4, f/3.2, 8mm (35mm equiv: 44mm)

My colour mode has a range of different effects that can be applied when shooting pictures. There are 11 in total as well as a custom mode, examples of which are below. Noise performance on the DMC-FZ45 is good at ISO80 and ISO100 with it getting worse through ISO200 and ISO400. ISO800 shows signs of detail being lost and ISO1600 produced images best kept for web use. The DMC-FZ100 is good at ISO100 and ISO200. Things start to go wrong at ISO400 with green spots starting to appear in the black areas of the test shots. This gets much worse at ISO800 and ISO1600 is best used as a very last resort.

Dynamic Art, ISO400, 1/400, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45		Dynamic Black and White, ISO400, 1/400, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45		Elegant, ISO80, 1/320, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45		Expressive, ISO80, 1/200, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45
Film Grain, ISO1600, 1/1600, f/6.3, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45		High Dynamic, ISO400, 1/400, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45		Monochrome, ISO80, 1/250, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45		Pin Hole, ISO125, 1/250, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45
Pure, ISO800, 1/125, f/3.6, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45		Retro, ISO80, 1/250, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45		Silhouette, ISO80, 1/200, f/4, 4.5mm (35mm equiv: 25mm) DMC-FZ45

Video Mode

If you are looking for a camera with full HD video then out of the two on test here, the DMC-FZ100 is the camera for you. The DMC-FZ45 records at 720p, for a sample please visit the ePHOTOzine YouTube page.

Value For Money

The DMC-FZ100 is currently available for around £360 and the DMC-FZ45 is £260. Other high-end super zoom compact cameras to consider are the Nikon Coolpix P500 (36x optical zoom, £339.00), Canon Powershot SX30 IS (35x optical zoom, £348.00), Fujifilm FinePix HS20 EXR (30x optical zoom, £379.00), Sony HX100 (30x optical zoom, £429.95), Kodak Easyshare Max Z990, Fujifilm FinePix S4000 (30x optical zoom, £223.00) and Olympus SZ-30MR (24x optical zoom, £279.00).

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 & FZ100: Verdict

Both of the cameras on test here take excellent pictures in ideal conditions, including at both ends of the lens and macro. The noise performance at ISO800 and ISO1600 does let the DMC-FZ100 down but both cameras are absolutely packed with features. The DMC-FZ100 has the flash hotshoe, full HD videos, 11fps shooting and the articulating screen which is a major advantage. If these features aren't a high priority for you then you may prefer to save yourself the extra £100 and go for the DMC-FZ45.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 proves excellent value for money for the features and performance offered.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45: Pros

Excellent 24x optical zoom lens
Feature packed
Electronic Viewfinder
Really good macro images
Excellent value for money

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45: Cons

Not small enough to fit in your pocket
Camera is quite bulky, some may prefer a smaller zoom cameras such as the Nikon Coolpix S9100

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 is packed with features and the 24x zoom is really impressive.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100: Pros

Excellent 24x optical zoom lens
Feature packed
Full HD video recording
Electronic Viewfinder
Articulating LCD screen
Really good macro images

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100: Cons

Camera is quite bulky, some may prefer a smaller zoom cameras such as the Nikon Coolpix S9100
Incandescent white-balance preset doesn't do as well as hoped
Shocking noise performance at ISO800 and ISO1600

	Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45		Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100
FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 & FZ100: Specification

	Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45		Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100
Price	£269.00		£366.99
Contact
Optical zoom	24x optical zoom, 4.5 - 108mm (35mm equiv: 25 - 600mm), f/2.8 - 5.2
Resolution	14.1Mp
Sensor size	CCD		MOS
Sensor type	1/2.33
Max image size	4320 x 3240
Aspect ratio	4:3 / 3:2 / 16:9 / 1:1
Focusing system	Normal / Macro, Macro Zoom, Quick AF On/Off (On in Intelligent Auto), Continuous AF On/Off / AF/MF Switchable, Manual Focus (Jog Dial and cursor key button), One Shot AF, AF Area Select, AF Tracking		Normal / Macro, Quick AF On/Off (On in Intelligent Auto), Continuous AF On/Off / AF/MF Switchable, Manual Focus (Jog Dial and cursor key button), One Shot AF, AF Area Select, AF Tracking
Focus points	Face / AF Tracking / Multi (23pt) / 1pt (flexible / scalable)
Focus distance	1cm
File types	JPEG, AVCHD Lite, QuickTime Motion JPEG		JPEG, AVCHD, QuickTime Motion JPEG
ISO sensitivity	ISO80 - 1600		ISO100 - 1600
Metering system	Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual, Program Shift (Program AE mode)
Metering types	Intelligent Multiple / Center Weighted / Spot
Exposure compensation	1/3 EV step, +/-3 EV
Shutter speed range	1/2000 - 60sec
Frames-per-second	Full-Resolution Image, 1.8 frames/sec Max. 5 images (Standard mode), Max. 3 images (Fine Mode) / High-speed Burst Mode: approx. 5 frames/sec (image priority) / approx. 10 frames/sec (speed priority) / (recorded in 3M for 4:3, 2.5M for 3:2, 2M for 16:9)		Full-Resolution Image, 11 frames/sec Max. 15 images / High-speed Burst Shooting: max. 60 frames/sec (recorded in 2.5M for 4:3, 3M for 3:2, 3.5M for 16:9, 2M for 1:1)
Image stabilisation	POWER OIS
Movie mode	720p HD		1080i HD
Monitor	3in LCD Screen, 230,000 dots		3in LCD Screen, 460,000 dots
Viewfinder	0.20in Color EVF (201.6K Pixels equiv.), Field of View : approx. 100%, Lens 19.6x
Media type	SD, SDHC, SDXC
Interface
Power
Box Contents	Battery Charger, Battery Pack, AV Cable, USB Cable, Shoulder Strap, CD-ROM, Lens hood, Lens cap, Lens cap string
Size	120.3 x 79.8 x 91.9mm		124.3 x 81.2 x 95.2mm
Weight	454		496

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45 costs £269.00 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 costs £366.99 and are available from Warehouse Express here:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ45
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100