Our first shot was taken with the FX35 fully zoomed-out to an equivalent of 25mm on a sunny day at a sensitivity of 100 ISO – as such, it represents ideal conditions. If you’re familiar with the Camera Labs Galleries, you’ll immediately notice this shot is capturing a much wider field of view than other cameras even at 28mm – our first shot with the Lumix TZ5 was taken from the same spot. So the FX35 can capture a big view with its 25mm coverage and there’s no fringing to complain about here, but sadly the crops reveal some processing artefacts even at 100 ISO.

Landscape: 4.62MB, Normal mode, 1/800, f4, ISO 100, 4.4-17.6mm at 4.4mm (equivalent to 25mm)

						Our second shot was taken under similarly bright conditions at 100 ISO, so again represents the FX35’s best potential quality. The crops reveal the new lens performs well at its widest equivalent of 25mm, capturing images with plenty of detail and no fringing to worry about. The lighting and detail here also hide any issues with noise and processing, although as we’ll see on the next image, there are issues even at 100 ISO.

Landscape: 4.71MB, Normal mode, 1/500, f3.5, ISO 100, 4.4-17.6mm at 4.4mm (equivalent to 25mm)

						Our third image again illustrates the wide angle coverage of the FX35 when zoomed-out to an equivalent of 25mm. The photo was taken close to the tree, but easily squeezed it all in, making the FX35 a boon in situations when you can’t step back any further. The crops unsurprisingly show some distortion close to the corners, but they’re still optically well-corrected. Sadly there is however quite visible noise in shadow areas, despite the 100 ISO sensitivity.

Portrait: 4.40MB, Normal mode, 1/800, f5.6, ISO 200, 4.4-17.6mm at 17.6mm (equivalent to 100mm)

						After three shots zoomed-out to the widest setting, here’s one with the FX35 zoomed-into an equivalent of 100mm. We increased the sensitivity to 200 ISO, selected Face Detection and forced the flash to fire. Face Detection locked onto the subject with no problem, and the flash filled-in any harsh shadows. The increase to 200 ISO though has resulted in noticeable noise and processing artefacts, especially on flat colours when viewed at 100%.

Landscape: 4.33MB, Normal mode, 1/800, f7.1, ISO 200, 4.4-17.6mm at 17.6mm (equivalent to 100mm)

Again we’re pleased to report an absence of coloured fringing, and the FX35 had no problems focusing on this approaching boat. But again if you’re viewing at 100%, you’ll see noise throughout the image.

This will only bother pixel peepers or people who want big prints, but it’s definitely worth noting the FX35 has noise throughout its range if you’re looking for it.

The lighting and subject matter can be quite forgiving on noise and processing artefacts here, although look closely and you’ll see the drop in quality resulted from the increase in sensitivity.

However the optics again perform well and at 5cm you can enjoy some decent close-up results.

The camera locked onto the subject, although at 400 ISO, there’s significant noise and processing artefacts when viewed at 100%.

Flat areas of colour show noticeable speckling, while fine details around the eyelid are quite mottled.

That said, if you’re printing small or not looking too closely, it can be acceptable for some situations, while the stabilisation (here used in Mode 2) has eliminated any camera shake.

Noise has now become quite obtrusive, detail has been lost, and there’s also a fall in saturation on the image viewed in its entirety at a reduced size.

Like other compacts, 1600 ISO remains an overly ambitious sensitivity, that’s best used for emergencies only.