Did the D-Lux 4 spoil me? (Newbie question)

[AlbertoDeRoma]

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Hopefully the newbie question is OK for this forum.

 

I have 2 "beginner" cameras:

 

1) A Leica (Panasonic) D-Lux 4

2) A Panasonic FZ35

 

I love the D-Lux 4, but I missed having a zoom for certain types of pictures so, after reading many positive reviews (and a suggestion from this forum), I bought the FZ35.

 

I took the FZ35 out for a "shoot" today and I was surprised to see how slow the shutter speeds had to be in order to get the correct exposure all the shots. The FZ35 was on average 2 stops "slower" than the D-Lux 4 - even when I wasn't taking advantage of the zoom. So when I went home I used both cameras to make a more controlled comparison.

 

Even when I set the aperture on both cameras to the same value (i.e. 2.8) and use the same ISO (say 200) and don't use any zoom on either (i.e. 1x), the FZ35 requires a considerably slower shutter speed to take the exact same shot (no flash.)

 

Here are some actual readings I just took (indoor) for the same exact picture with the two cameras:

 

D-Lux 4: f2.8 1/8 ISO200

FZ35: f2.8 1/2 ISO200

 

This difference (i.e. two stops) carries to other lighting conditions (e.g. 1/100 for the D-Lux and a sloooow 1/25 for the FZ35 for an outdoor shot.)

 

Does this sound right? Everything seems to be working on the FZ35, and I like everything about this camera except for this big difference between it and the D-Lux 4. Is it possible that the FZ35 is this much "slower" (sorry if that's not the right term) even though I am using the same aperture and ISOs?

 

Is the D-Lux that much "faster"? Does that partly explain the reason for higher price over the FZ35 (even the Panasonic labelled DL is pricier than the FZ35.)

 

Any explanations would be greatly appreciated by this newbie.

 

Thanks a bunch,

 

Alberto

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[altaussee]

it will not be so easy to find somebody, who uses these 2 kameras.... good luck.... all the best from vienna...

[AlbertoDeRoma]

it will not be so easy to find somebody, who uses these 2 kameras.... good luck.... all the best from vienna...

 

Thanks for the reply. After some research, I've learned that one should not take manufacturer's specs and camera settings too literally. I guess that was my newbie's mistaken assumption. You read and study up on f/stops, focal lengths, ISOs, etc., and you believe that these measurements are enforced standards and very consistent. In reality, one manufacturer/camera's ISO200 is not necessarily the same as another, f/stop numbers are often rounded off, etc. When you combine all that with the differences in sensors, internal processing, etc., one realizes that the informal comparison I was making was more akin to comparing apples to oranges (or at least oranges to tangerines.)

 

Alberto