Compared to.. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5

Below you will find a studio comparison between the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 and the DMC-FZ5 at ISO 400.

See later in the review for the FZ7's special 'high sensitivity' ISO 800 and 1600 modes.

Studio scene comparison (@ ISO 400)

  • Panasonic DMC-FZ7: Aperture Priority mode (F5.0), ISO 400, Default Image Parameters, Manual (preset) white balance, +0.7 EV compensation
  • Panasonic DMC-FZ5: Aperture Priority mode (F5.0), ISO 400, Default Image Parameters,
    Manual white balance, +1.0 EV compensation
  • Lighting: Daylight simulation, >98% CRI
Panasonic DMC-FZ7
Panasonic DMC-FZ5
ISO 400, 1/320 sec, F5.0
ISO 400, 1/240 sec, F5.0
1,862 KB JPEG
2,394 KB JPEG

There seems no doubt that the FZ7's 6MP chip is noisier than the FZ5's, and that the noise reduction system is less effective when it comes to removing chroma (color) noise. Although noise is measurably similar to most other cameras in this class, the figures only tell half the story - the FZ7 images look noisy. On the positive side (if there is one), the noise reduction system seems less aggressive, and most of the noise is color noise (blotches), which is a lot easier to remove with software than the grainy luminance noise that characterized the 5MP chip used in many other super zoom cameras.