Panasonic ZS35 Review

Panasonic ZS35 Review -- First Impressions

by Dave Pardue
Preview posted: 01/06/2014

Offering 20x optical zoom in a relatively compact housing, the Panasonic Lumix ZS35 is the latest in the ZS line and an intriguing option in the ultra-compact superzoom category. The ZS35's LUMIX DC Vario lens provides an effective 35mm equivalent zoom range of 24-480mm and comes equipped with Panasonic's Power Optical Image Stabilization which is reported to effectively suppress typical hand shake issues at long zoom ranges. An Active Mode is included, which offers more aggressive shake reduction while shooting video.

The ZS35 sports a 1/2.33-inch 16-megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor and offers high-speed burst shooting at up to 10fps. It also features up to Full HD video at 1920 x 1080 (30p). ISO sensitivity ranges from standard settings of 100 to 3200, with up to ISO 6400 equivalent in High Sensitivity mode.

The lens has a variable aperture range of f/3.3 through f/6.4 across the zoom range and is comprised of 12 elements in 10 groups including 3 aspherical lenses. Digital zoom extends the effective optical range by a maximum of 4x. The 3" LCD has 460K-dot resolution and allows for a tilt of up to 180-degrees for selfie buffs, and has an automatic power monitor mode.

The ZS35 is Wi-Fi compatible including a handy Instant Transfer function for rapid image delivery to your mobile device, and can also be controlled remotely from your smart device. Creative effects abound, including Creative Control, Creative Retouch and Creative Panorama. The convenient mode dial on the top deck has iAuto, P, A, S, M, 2 custom settings, Panorama and Creative Control. There's also an HDR (High Dynamic Range) setting which is helpful to have on a point-and-shoot.

Images and movies are stored on SD/SDHC/SDXC cards and power is derived from a proprietary 3.6v 1250mAh lithium-ion battery. In addition to built-in Wi-Fi, connectivity features include a Micro (Type-D) HDMI port and an USB/AV port for data transfer and charging, which also provides standard-def video output.

Pricing and availability of the Panasonic ZS35 have not been announced at press time.

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