This review is from: Panasonic Lumix TZ18 Digital Camera – Black (14.1MP, 16x Optical Zoom) 3.0 inch LCD (Electronics)
For the majority of people looking for a “pocket” camera – they can stop looking. This will honestly do for pretty much everything you really need. It’s the newly released little brother to the £100 more expensive TX20. Personally I did have a good look at this and nearly got it but in the end decided that I wouldn’t pay the extra money for the Geo-tagging feature on the camera and would make do with just remembering where I was when I took the photo. If you really want to know where you were maybe just take a photo of a road sign nearby ? Works for me anyway :o)
It is not perfect, of course, but even if you take a “money no object” approach to picking an upper premium compact camera – there is currently nothing on the market that is head and shoulders better than this – although there can always be a case made for different qualities.
Big zoom – check
Good “glass” on the front – yep, Leica
Good quality photos – sure, with the caveat that a “full monty” digital SLR will do better – the photos come out are a nice colour (not too vivid but also not too tame and washed out) and they aren’t a funny colour in artificial light (some cameras can struggle and give you a funny tint under striplights or old fashioned tungsten bulbs).
Noise levels – definitely there especially at higher ISO’s but you get this problem to and exten even with the bigger sensor SLR’s up to a year or two ago – and even the best of the modern breed aren’t infallible if you read the reviews
HD Video – check, but in MPEG format. This takes up more space than AVCHD but I would be wary of getting a camera that uses this format if you have an older PC or laptop and especially if netbook – because the hardware may not be able to cope – so I guess that’s Windows XP definitely wary – Vista machines more wary esp if you have a laptop as the hardware will be likely slower than the equivalent PC. I have a mixture of laptops and netbooks running Windows 7 through to XP so didn’t want to take the chance – especially as other family members and the kids will probably want to view some of the footage (family and my kids have the older machines whilst dad gets the upgrade LOL). I wonder if the AVCHD format on the more expensive TZ20 is going to be a bit of an evolutionary dead end – just as BLU RAY hasn’t really taken off even though it’s technically better than DVD – most people even if they have a big widescreen TV find that their DVD is fine (probably because the modern DVD players and TV’s will upscale the DVD resolution to give a semi-HD picture quality). The TZ20 I think gives you the option to record in both I think I read somewhere but if this a deal breaker you should check for sure.
If you only want a great point and shoot camera this has loads of options – which are really easy to access and the menus pretty much tell you what each option (mode) is going to do for you. Some cameras have menus that were laid out by people from Mars as they are so unintuitive that you have to keep referring to the instruction book to work out what to do even if you’re pretty experienced with cameras.
This has A LOT of manual control thrown in which is pretty unusual in the compact camera class. The big SLR cameras will all give you this – but until now there haven’t really been any cameras that give you a big zoom range and full control like in an SLR. If you are looking for something more suited to your needs in a little bit if you want to be more creative and do more than point and shoot then this camera will do that for you – as it has Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Full Manual modes.
If you are an experienced SLR user looking for a backup camera, I can tell you that the PASM options are pretty nicely implemented. Pretty sensibly placed access buttons (the small round exposure button and Q Menu buttons to the right of the screen do this) and the menus are nicely set up to access the bits you want for Aperture / Shutter priority & full manual control.
The 16x optical zoom is class leading. Only compare optical zoom between cameras and ignore the Panasonic advertising guys (or anybody else )who point to the overall 20x zoom – because if you include the quoted digital zoom – the extra 4x zoom basically just crops your optical zoom photo in camera – and your laptop software will do that – only better – though I guess it might be relevant if you don’t want to be doing with all that and just need an “okay” photo).
It has a really good wide angle lens – 24mm – the lower the number the better and 24mm is currently the lowest I am aware of. The lower the number the more you can fit into the photo – so if you are looking at a nice panorama or want to take a photo with the whole table in the shot – you are more likely to get it with this lens when compared to other cameras which start at 27mm, 28mm, 35mm. Be aware if you are thinking of…
This review is from: Panasonic Lumix TZ18 Digital Camera – Black (14.1MP, 16x Optical Zoom) 3.0 inch LCD (Electronics)
This is all you need in a camera and more! A huge, smooth, almost stepless 2-speed zoom, sharp results in optimal shooting conditions, Good, natural colour and excellent exposure, Effective image stabilization, Fast (and accurate) focus, Bright, clear, high resolution LCD screen, and excellent EVF. Physically, the camera is good build quality in a nice compact package. With a comprehensive range of controls & fast operation, Well designed menu system, and Lots of in-camera image adjustments, it’s exceptionally nice to handle. It has a powerful flash, Good movie mode (16:9, VGA, 30fps), usable raw mode (approx 4 second shot-to-shot with a fast card), and a powerful raw converter. Excellent optical zoom (can be extended even further optically by reducing resolution down from 8 to 5 or 3 megapixels), and the long battery life is very handy. For travelling and holidays I have found this camera invaluable. It’s so light and easy to take around, you never miss a photo opportunity. It takes such great photos, sharp, clear, and bright, and far higher quality than you’d expect from such a small bit of kit! There is very little red-eye syndrome, and it performs well in most lighting conditions. There are even plenty of functions to be able to custom set-up the camera to the way i want it (without the necessary complexity of dSLR’s). On the downside, there is no facility for electronic remote / cable release, lens performance can drop off slightly at long end of zoom range, and there can be some loss of fine detail to noise reduction even at ISO 100. All in all though, I’d say this camera performs exceptionally well for such a small bit of equiptment. It’s great value for money and I am well satisfied with it.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
This review is from: Panasonic Lumix TZ18 Digital Camera – Black (14.1MP, 16x Optical Zoom) 3.0 inch LCD (Electronics)
Of course this is not an enthusiast’s camera. It doesn’t have all the tweeky bits required. But if you want a point-and-shoot model that produces the goods in terms of photo quality then this is the one for you. Image stabilisation works at the extreme end of the 16x zoom enabling hand-held shots that would be impossible without. There is no optical viewfinder and the colour balance may not be to everyone’s taste but if you can accept it – and it isn’t that bad- then there is little to fault. All in all, it is good value for the money.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Excellent camera,
For the majority of people looking for a “pocket” camera – they can stop looking. This will honestly do for pretty much everything you really need. It’s the newly released little brother to the £100 more expensive TX20. Personally I did have a good look at this and nearly got it but in the end decided that I wouldn’t pay the extra money for the Geo-tagging feature on the camera and would make do with just remembering where I was when I took the photo. If you really want to know where you were maybe just take a photo of a road sign nearby ? Works for me anyway :o)
It is not perfect, of course, but even if you take a “money no object” approach to picking an upper premium compact camera – there is currently nothing on the market that is head and shoulders better than this – although there can always be a case made for different qualities.
Big zoom – check
Good “glass” on the front – yep, Leica
Good quality photos – sure, with the caveat that a “full monty” digital SLR will do better – the photos come out are a nice colour (not too vivid but also not too tame and washed out) and they aren’t a funny colour in artificial light (some cameras can struggle and give you a funny tint under striplights or old fashioned tungsten bulbs).
Noise levels – definitely there especially at higher ISO’s but you get this problem to and exten even with the bigger sensor SLR’s up to a year or two ago – and even the best of the modern breed aren’t infallible if you read the reviews
HD Video – check, but in MPEG format. This takes up more space than AVCHD but I would be wary of getting a camera that uses this format if you have an older PC or laptop and especially if netbook – because the hardware may not be able to cope – so I guess that’s Windows XP definitely wary – Vista machines more wary esp if you have a laptop as the hardware will be likely slower than the equivalent PC. I have a mixture of laptops and netbooks running Windows 7 through to XP so didn’t want to take the chance – especially as other family members and the kids will probably want to view some of the footage (family and my kids have the older machines whilst dad gets the upgrade LOL). I wonder if the AVCHD format on the more expensive TZ20 is going to be a bit of an evolutionary dead end – just as BLU RAY hasn’t really taken off even though it’s technically better than DVD – most people even if they have a big widescreen TV find that their DVD is fine (probably because the modern DVD players and TV’s will upscale the DVD resolution to give a semi-HD picture quality). The TZ20 I think gives you the option to record in both I think I read somewhere but if this a deal breaker you should check for sure.
If you only want a great point and shoot camera this has loads of options – which are really easy to access and the menus pretty much tell you what each option (mode) is going to do for you. Some cameras have menus that were laid out by people from Mars as they are so unintuitive that you have to keep referring to the instruction book to work out what to do even if you’re pretty experienced with cameras.
This has A LOT of manual control thrown in which is pretty unusual in the compact camera class. The big SLR cameras will all give you this – but until now there haven’t really been any cameras that give you a big zoom range and full control like in an SLR. If you are looking for something more suited to your needs in a little bit if you want to be more creative and do more than point and shoot then this camera will do that for you – as it has Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Full Manual modes.
If you are an experienced SLR user looking for a backup camera, I can tell you that the PASM options are pretty nicely implemented. Pretty sensibly placed access buttons (the small round exposure button and Q Menu buttons to the right of the screen do this) and the menus are nicely set up to access the bits you want for Aperture / Shutter priority & full manual control.
The 16x optical zoom is class leading. Only compare optical zoom between cameras and ignore the Panasonic advertising guys (or anybody else )who point to the overall 20x zoom – because if you include the quoted digital zoom – the extra 4x zoom basically just crops your optical zoom photo in camera – and your laptop software will do that – only better – though I guess it might be relevant if you don’t want to be doing with all that and just need an “okay” photo).
It has a really good wide angle lens – 24mm – the lower the number the better and 24mm is currently the lowest I am aware of. The lower the number the more you can fit into the photo – so if you are looking at a nice panorama or want to take a photo with the whole table in the shot – you are more likely to get it with this lens when compared to other cameras which start at 27mm, 28mm, 35mm. Be aware if you are thinking of…
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|All you need in a camera and more!,
This is all you need in a camera and more! A huge, smooth, almost stepless 2-speed zoom, sharp results in optimal shooting conditions, Good, natural colour and excellent exposure, Effective image stabilization, Fast (and accurate) focus, Bright, clear, high resolution LCD screen, and excellent EVF. Physically, the camera is good build quality in a nice compact package. With a comprehensive range of controls & fast operation, Well designed menu system, and Lots of in-camera image adjustments, it’s exceptionally nice to handle. It has a powerful flash, Good movie mode (16:9, VGA, 30fps), usable raw mode (approx 4 second shot-to-shot with a fast card), and a powerful raw converter. Excellent optical zoom (can be extended even further optically by reducing resolution down from 8 to 5 or 3 megapixels), and the long battery life is very handy.
For travelling and holidays I have found this camera invaluable. It’s so light and easy to take around, you never miss a photo opportunity. It takes such great photos, sharp, clear, and bright, and far higher quality than you’d expect from such a small bit of kit! There is very little red-eye syndrome, and it performs well in most lighting conditions. There are even plenty of functions to be able to custom set-up the camera to the way i want it (without the necessary complexity of dSLR’s).
On the downside, there is no facility for electronic remote / cable release, lens performance can drop off slightly at long end of zoom range, and there can be some loss of fine detail to noise reduction even at ISO 100. All in all though, I’d say this camera performs exceptionally well for such a small bit of equiptment. It’s great value for money and I am well satisfied with it.
Was this review helpful to you?
|As good as there is at the price.,
Of course this is not an enthusiast’s camera. It doesn’t have all the tweeky bits required. But if you want a point-and-shoot model that produces the goods in terms of photo quality then this is the one for you. Image stabilisation works at the extreme end of the 16x zoom enabling hand-held shots that would be impossible without.
There is no optical viewfinder and the colour balance may not be to everyone’s taste but if you can accept it – and it isn’t that bad- then there is little to fault. All in all, it is good value for the money.
Was this review helpful to you?
|