Panasonic FZ40 for Portrait Photography

Is the Panasonic FZ40 good for Portrait Photography?

Panasonic FZ40 Portrait Photography Score

AVERAGE

Panasonic FZ40 has a score of 42 for Portrait Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait Photography is important for you, we recommend you to check the Alternative cameras at the bottom of this page.
Read our detailed Panasonic FZ40 Review

Panasonic FZ40 Portrait Photography Detailed Analysis

Image Stabilization

Image stabilization reduces the effects of camera shake at long exposures and long focal lengths thus ensuring sharper portraits

RAW shooting capability

RAW files contains more color information compared to JPEGs, so it is easier to get a natural skin tone and colours during post processing, which is very important for portraits.

Electronic Built-in Viewfinder

During a portrait shoot, using a viewfinder allows the photographer to stabilize the camera and reduce the camera shake since it is closer to the body. Besides, it comes handy where LCD screens are very hard to read under bright sunlight.

Manual Focus Mode

You have to nail the focus perfectly for a good portrait shot. Compact cameras are not great at focusing at low light and complex lighting conditions, so manual focus mode is very useful at these times.

Manual Exposure Mode

A correct exposure of portrait model is crucial. Even though modern digital cameras features advanced algorithms to calculate the right exposure, they still may fail some difficult conditions. Manual exposure mode in these conditions helps a lot in order to achieve correct exposure.

Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP

Panasonic FZ40's 14.0MP resolution is not the best in its class but you can still manage relatively large prints of your portrait shots and crop without losing too much detail.

Average Ergonomics&Handling

Good handling and existence of well placed physical controls on the camera body is very important during portrait shooting. It is faster and more intuitive to change the camera settings with dedicated buttons and knobs instead delving into the menus on the LCD.

Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor

It is difficult to achieve that shallow depth of field and blurry background for your portrait shots with a small sensor.

No External Flash Shoe

Use of External flash creates many creative lighting opportunities for portrait photography and built-in flashes are almost useless for portrait shots.

You may also be interested in these reviews:

Panasonic FZ40 for Street Photography
Panasonic FZ40 for Sports Photography
Panasonic FZ40 for Carrying Everywhere
Panasonic FZ40 for Landscape Photography

Panasonic FZ40 Alternatives in SLR-like (bridge) cameras for Portrait Photography

Fujifilm S1 Compare FZ40 vs S1	16 MP \| 1/2.3-inch CMOS Sensor 24-1200 mm Lens	Rank in All Cameras: #291 Rank in Bridge Cameras: #16
	Imaging Features Value for Money Portability Overall Score	Portrait Street Sports Daily Landscape

Fujifilm HS30EXR Compare FZ40 vs HS30EXR	16 MP \| 1/2-inch EXRCMOS Sensor 24-720 mm Lens	Rank in All Cameras: #390 Rank in Bridge Cameras: #22
	Imaging Features Value for Money Portability Overall Score	Portrait Street Sports Daily Landscape

Fujifilm HS35EXR Compare FZ40 vs HS35EXR	16 MP \| 1/2-inch EXRCMOS Sensor 24-720 mm Lens	Rank in All Cameras: #423 Rank in Bridge Cameras: #26
	Imaging Features Value for Money Portability Overall Score	Portrait Street Sports Daily Landscape

Sony RX10 III Compare FZ40 vs RX10 III	20 MP \| 1″ Stacked BSI-CMOS Sensor 24-600 mm Lens	Rank in All Cameras: #198 Rank in Bridge Cameras: #8
	Imaging Features Value for Money Portability Overall Score	Portrait Street Sports Daily Landscape

Sony RX10 IV Compare FZ40 vs RX10 IV	20 MP \| 1″ Stacked BSI-CMOS Sensor 24-600 mm Lens	Rank in All Cameras: #155 Rank in Bridge Cameras: #4
	Imaging Features Value for Money Portability Overall Score	Portrait Street Sports Daily Landscape

Fujifilm S1

Fujifilm HS30EXR

Fujifilm HS35EXR

Sony RX10 III

Sony RX10 IV