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$$.