Panasonic Lumix FZ30 vs Fujifilm FinePix S9000 Head-to-Head Review

Viewfinder (Advantage: Panasonic FZ30)
Both the S9000 and the FZ30 feature electronic viewfinders with 0.44-inch, 235,000-pixel displays. The high resolution is impressive, but not quite good enough for reliable manual focusing. Both cameras offer magnified views for focusing, which are helpful when the cameras are on tripods, photographing still objects. We found the viewfinder lag annoying and confusing on both cameras. When the cameras shift between horizontal and vertical orientations, the image in the viewfinders tilts oddly, as it fails to keep up with the motion of the camera.

Following fast-moving action causes the same problem, making it difficult to shoot sports – we tried a sixth-grade soccer game, and were pretty much defeated by the viewfinder lag and the shutter lag. Compared with even an incredibly slow DSLR – we shot the two cameras side-by-side with a Fujifilm FinePix S2 – the FZ30 and S9000 are frustratingly slow.

In the end, we found the FZ30's display stuttered a little less and looked a little more saturated. By a slight margin, we prefer it.

LCD screen (Advantage: Panasonic FZ30)
Panasonic put an LCD on the FZ30 that matches the viewfinder's resolution. The 2-inch, 235,000 pixel display tilts out and swivels, which is useful for overhead or worm's-eye-view shots. Unfortunately, it has a narrow field of view, fading and solarizing when seen from an angle.

Fujifilm did not match the S9000's LCD to its viewfinder. Its 1.8-inch, 118,000-pixel LCD is not as good as the viewfinder for checking focus. The LCD swings out on a pair of hinges, first from the top, then from the bottom, to allow either high- or low-vantage point viewing.

Panasonic FZ30 LCD screen

Fujifilm S9000 - LCD screen

The FZ30's LCD is far better, with super image quality, and a more flexible mount.

Flash (Advantage: Panasonic FZ30)
We wanted to know just how much light the FZ30 and the S9000 flashes put out, so we set the cameras up in our testing suite, put their lens caps on, and shot with their flashes on. Leaving the lens caps on ensures that the cameras will deliver their maximum flash power. With our Konica-Minolta Autometer VF set to ISO 200, we measured optimal exposures of f/4.0 plus half a stop, give or take 1/10 of a stop, at 9 feet. Because our testing area has black walls and floors, we can assume that the flashes would perform better in normal, more reflective rooms.

We also shot a plain, white surface with both flashes, to see how evenly they lit their subjects. With the cameras set to wide angle, there is significant darkening in the corners of the frame, and the effect is more extreme in the S9000 images. The S9000's lens is much wider-angle than the FZ30's, so it would need a wider flash as well. It looks as though Fujifilm sacrificed corner coverage for other benefits – most notably, longer range. A narrower-angle flash concentrates its light and reaches further.

While the two cameras offer a similar illumination range, the FZ30’s in-camera flash is superior, providing more even coverage.

Battery (Advantage: Panasonic FZ30)
The S9000 follows other Fujifilm products, relying on rechargeable AA cells for power. Fujifilm supplies a set of 4 NiMH AA cells and a charger. Many users like the economy of using standard AA cells, but we find that the Lithium ion pack that Panasonic uses in the FZ30 lasts longer between charges, and is quicker to change in hectic shooting situations.

We also noted that the S9000 functioned erratically as its batteries wore out. We'd much prefer that it had some sort of safety circuit that shut the camera down with a warning or alert, instead of having the LCD suddenly wink out while an image was being recorded to the memory card. In the end, the FZ30's battery lasts longer and is more convenient to change.

Lens (Advantage: Panasonic FZ30)
The FZ30's Leica-branded 7.4 – 88.8mm, f/2.8 – 3.7 zoom is sharp throughout its range. The S9000's 6.2 – 66.7mm, f/ 2.8 – 4.9 Fujinon is also sharp, but doesn't seem as contrasty, and is slower at the telephoto end of its range. The Leica's range is 35 to 420mm (35mm equivalent), while the Fujinon runs 28 to 300mm on the same scale. The added range on the wide-angle end of the Fujinon will be more useful for some users, while others will go for the Leica’s telephoto capabilities.

Most significantly, the FZ30's optic is equipped with Panasonic's excellent Optical Image Stabilization, which significantly improves sharpness in low light, and pretty much whenever the lens is set past 200mm (35mm equivalent). We recommend leaving it on unless the camera is mounted to a solid tripod.

Fujifilm promotes its usually very good high-ISO performance as a substitute for optical image stabilization – high ISO should allow higher shutter speeds, and better action-stopping performance. Oddly, though, the S9000's full auto settings don't put that theory into practice. We found the camera in full automatic, shooting at ISO 200 indoors and with the lens set to 200mm equivalent, to be a recipe for motion blur. Why didn't the S9000 bump up to ISO 800 or 1600? It doesn't make sense to us.

The Leica lens is an advantage for the FZ30. Some users would prefer the S9000's wide-angle capability, but not all. Leaving aside the fact that the S9000 has a longer range at one end and the FZ30 has more at the other, the FZ30's lens has a wider aperture at telephoto, and it has excellent optical image stabilization.

Macro (Advantage: Panasonic FZ30)
Both cameras promise macro capability, so we set up a still-life to test them. With both cameras, the zoom setting affects the minimum focusing distance. They focus more closely at wide angle settings than telephoto. Though we don't have a standard test for sharpness in the macro range, our close shots show very good detail, and look sharp.

Both lenses offer macro settings that allow the user to shoot a penny close enough to cover half the height of the frame. Like many zoom-macro combination lenses, these achieve their closest focus, and highest magnification, at their widest zoom settings. That's unfortunate, because it brings the lens very close to the subject, introducing distortion, and making lighting problematic. Our shots of the penny are unevenly lit because of the lens shadows – the S9000's lens was less than an inch from the subject, and the FZ30's was less than 2 inches from it. These may not be the cameras for nature studies of stinging insects – not with working distances like that.

Fujifilm S9000 - Marco

For less extreme close-ups, its possible to zoom in a bit with either camera, but the minimum focusing distance changes steadily while the zoom ring turns, meaning that precisely framing a subject takes some trial and error – zoom to compose the shot, try to focus, find that the zoom setting and the focal distance aren't compatible, zoom out, re-position, re-focus, find the shot isn't framed well, reposition, re-zoom, refocus, etc.

Fujifilm S9000 - Macro

Panasonic FZ30 - Macro

The FZ30's better focusing distance – 2 inches is much easier to handle than 1 inch – and longer lens swings the advantage in Panasonic's direction.