Most obviously the SX20 IS has a slightly longer 20x zoom range, a slightly smaller but fully-articulated screen which allows comfortable composition at any angle, a flash hotshoe for mounting external Speedlites, and an electronic viewfinder with the same resolution but a bigger apparent size. Both cameras may have full manual control, but spinning the large thumb wheel of the Canon felt ergonomically superior to us than prodding the tiny joystick on the Panasonic. Finally, the Canon may be larger and heavier, but many will prefer its heft, along with the convenience of picking up spare AA batteries almost anywhere. It’s a small point, but the SX20 IS’s lens cap also won’t prevent the lens from extending, and its lens hood is more portable.
The FZ38 / FZ35’s optical range may be slightly shorter, but as seen on our Features page, it doesn’t make a significant difference in practice – and more importantly, the Panasonic digitally corrects the coloured fringing seen towards the corners in many of the Canon’s images. It's also worth noting the maximum aperture of the FZ38 / FZ35 when zoomed-into 486mm is a brighter f4.4, compared to f5.7 of the SX20 IS from 460-560mm, and in our High ISO results, the Panasonic also had the edge above 400 ISO. We additionally found the FZ38 / FZ35’s stabilisation was approximately one stop more effective and the AF speed slightly faster.
Unlike the SX20 IS, the FZ38 / FZ35 also features RAW recording facilities, manual control over the exposure in the movie mode, a longer maximum exposure of 60 seconds, and some usable burst options, albeit either with a limited buffer or at a reduced resolution. Some will prefer its rechargeable Lithium Ion battery pack to the AAs of the SX20 IS.
The FZ38 / FZ35 is also a smaller and considerably lighter camera, weighing 414g with its battery compared to the 680g of the SX20 IS when fitted with four typical AA batteries. It additionally sports a slightly larger – albeit fixed – 2.7in screen which looks more vibrant in use. Finally, depending on the shop, the price of the FZ38 / FZ35 is a little cheaper than the Canon.
Previously, HD video was a key benefit the FZ28 had over the SX10 IS, but now Canon’s equipped the SX20 IS with the same movie quality, it’s become an even closer contest. As always you need to carefully think about which of the features described above will mean most to you in practice, for example the articulated screen and AA batteries of the Canon versus the RAW mode and fringe-correction of the Panasonic. One thing’s for certain though, the SX20 IS enjoys some key advantages over its predecessor and is set to become another best-seller. See our Canon PowerShot SX20 IS review for more details.