FZ35 and "purple lines" ?
 

I've been researching the Panasonic FZ35 (and Canon SX 20) for three days. My eyes hurt and my head is swimming after watching youtube videos and reading countless online reviews. At this point I'm leaning towards the FZ35.

My main requirement is video, HD was an unexpected but welcome bonus in this price range.

Next requirement is functional zoom during video. 10x optical as a bare minimum.

Next requirement is good quality photographs. I'd estimate I use 50% still and 50% video.

I've discovered some user comments about purple vertical lines using the FZ35/38. I don't recall where I read this or if it was stills or video. Could anyone comment on how common or severe this potential problem is ?

Thanks.

Logo10heli

I range all over the internet each day visiting the various photo sites. I have yet to find a single comment about purple lines occuring with the FZ-35 camera.

Sarah Joyce

i have heard about this a few times.

it happens in video mode, but requires a very extreme highlight to reproduce it. such as shooting into the sun, or shooting directly at a focused lightsource.

Thank you mtclimber. I find that reassuring. Also the many cameras you own/have owned and you still own/recommend the FZ 35.

Thank you Hards80. Any idea if this is unique to the FZ35 or cameras of this class or type ?

it is a property of CCD sensors and video.

I don't shoot video. I use a camcorder for that, so I answered the question based on the still photo capability of the FZ-35 which is really very good. The FZ-35 is a real "keeper."

Sarah Joyce

I tend to agree with Dustin, I have an older Canon A560, and under certain circumstances, I see purple lines on the LCD while shooting video, but they don't appear on the video itself.

Robert

It's true, it's a CCD issue. CCD does some things better than CMOS and some worse. CMOS sensor suffer from rolling shutter (jelly wobble) when panning or when subjects move across the frame but they don't have the issue with strong light. I would keep the FZ35 and just be aware of the limitations. Make sure you are using the lens hood in all situations.

You do get a glare with CCD based cameras when something very bright comes into view, it is like a lens flare or vertical streaking. It can be counteracted with a neutral density filter though.

Here is an example from Vimeo that I found http://www.vimeo.com/7091455

CMOS cameras, as others have mentioned have their own issues, primarily a rolling shutter issue, where if you pan too fast, or something in view moves too fast you will get a skewing or wobbly effect.

This is one of the reasons I am getting the FZ35, the glare is easy to manage, whereas the rolling shutter is just a pain in the a$$.

Thank you all for contributing to this thread.

So a neutral density filter and lens hood will help with the lines during video. Will it be ok to use these while taking still photos as well or will they cause problems or limitations ?

Use the lens hood, but the ND filter may indeed reduce your shutter speed to a point where you shutter speed is lower than you desire. It is a judgement call that you have to make yourself.

Sarah Joyce

i think as long as you use a nice lens hood and pay attention where you are pointing your lens, you should be fine.

Hi Logo10Heli,

I have the FZ35 since Christmas and bought the DMW-LND46 filter when I read about the problems with the glare and the purple lines in other forums. Initially, I had the filter mounted all the time - but I realized that low light indoor pictures would be very dark due to the filter and due to the reduced shutter speed I was unable to catch moving people. At the moment I make photos and videos without the filter - and it usually works very well. I carry the filter in my camera bag for strong light occasions.

You can look at my videos on vimeo:

www.vimeo.com/8781136

www.vimeo.com/8657151

www.vimeo.com/8555240


These are examples of AVCHD footage and videos using only stills.

Joho

Found the purple lines today. I was shooting into bright sunlight and neither I nor the camera were used to it. The lens hood wasn't along today or I would have compared results.

From a slightly different angle...

The purple lines only occur when you are pointed directly into the sun.

Sarah Joyce

It also happens with spotlights - but the filter helps a lot. The link shows a good comparison of video footage taken with the FZ35 with or without the filter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBZJn9zSnlE

Thanks, JoHo-

That you tube video really shows the difference between no filter and using the Panasonic fliter.

Sarah Joyce

Since your main requirement is video, I'd suggest you look for a good digicam with still photo capability. Even though the video capability of many P&S is very good these days, they are still not as good as a true digicam. The digicams will perform better in low light conditions. AF is much much faster and accurate and the white balance and sound quality are much better as well. I have a FZ28, which offers good video recording but if the subject moves quickly (children at play, for instance), the camera has a hard time keeping up with focus.

Try this :

http://search.dpreview.com/?q=purple+lines+

Seems to me there was quite a bit about this phenomenon not too long ago. Someone with an FZ35 was trying to HD video an oncoming train & the train's headlight elicited the subject effect. As usual, some cameras are more prone than others & as I recall, the FZ35 is bit more prone than average.

I actually moved from a Canon DV camcorder (with limited photo function) to the FZ35 and like the combination of high photo quality and also rather high video quality very much.

dbnnet-

That is a nice hydrangea shot. Thanks for posting.

Sarah Joyce

Nice handling of blues and purples. Lots of cameras would have problems reproducing those true colors like the FZ38 did.