Anyone got a Panasonic TZ30?
Discussion
I'm looking to buy a good point and shoot HD video-capable camera to replace my still much-loved Canon A710iS.
I've resigned myself to having to buy a camera with a rechargable battery as I prefer AAs but a spare battery is cheap enough.
I have ruled out the Canon SX260HS as the video is only 24fps falling short of.
I have largely ruled out the Sony Cyber Shot HX9V (which gets better reviews than the later HX10V and HX20V)but which only has a 16x zoom, allegedly "overprocessed" images and a GPS location which is apparently so bad, it's laughable.
Having been through loads of reviews, no-one makes the perfect camera but the Panasonic TZ30 seems to come closest and even seems to be worth the £100 premium over the TZ20.
I can get one for about £270 which is all I really want to pay. Just looking for any horror stories as I've always found the Canons to be good solid performers and would buy the SX260 were it not for the video as I like their download software.
Also, the GPS stuff all seems a bit pants - is it any good, apart from draining the battery?
Oh and I already have a larger camera which I never use as it's too bulky - a good point and shoot is all I want or need and I wouldn't know RAW if it bit me, I'm more of a "play with the settings and levae it to auto" shooter.
I've resigned myself to having to buy a camera with a rechargable battery as I prefer AAs but a spare battery is cheap enough.
I have ruled out the Canon SX260HS as the video is only 24fps falling short of.
I have largely ruled out the Sony Cyber Shot HX9V (which gets better reviews than the later HX10V and HX20V)but which only has a 16x zoom, allegedly "overprocessed" images and a GPS location which is apparently so bad, it's laughable.
Having been through loads of reviews, no-one makes the perfect camera but the Panasonic TZ30 seems to come closest and even seems to be worth the £100 premium over the TZ20.
I can get one for about £270 which is all I really want to pay. Just looking for any horror stories as I've always found the Canons to be good solid performers and would buy the SX260 were it not for the video as I like their download software.
Also, the GPS stuff all seems a bit pants - is it any good, apart from draining the battery?
Oh and I already have a larger camera which I never use as it's too bulky - a good point and shoot is all I want or need and I wouldn't know RAW if it bit me, I'm more of a "play with the settings and levae it to auto" shooter.
hmm put up a review when you can I'm in the exact same market...
Although I'd kind of ruled out the 30 on the basis it wasn't worth £100 more than the 20...I could get a good memory card, pouch and maybe a spare battery instead...
That Sony is also well in the mix, because I was thinking the amount of times I'd actually use the zoom that far would be minimal and I woudl prefer better picture quality..
I bought my 10 year old daughter the bottom of the range Panasonic for £70 I think, incredible HD video...just crazy good...so I'm looking forward to a decent point and shoot myslef..
Although I'd kind of ruled out the 30 on the basis it wasn't worth £100 more than the 20...I could get a good memory card, pouch and maybe a spare battery instead...
That Sony is also well in the mix, because I was thinking the amount of times I'd actually use the zoom that far would be minimal and I woudl prefer better picture quality..
I bought my 10 year old daughter the bottom of the range Panasonic for £70 I think, incredible HD video...just crazy good...so I'm looking forward to a decent point and shoot myslef..
I personally would go for the TZ20 for £170. It is a fantastic camera and whilst the 30 is awesome...after using both I don't think it quite justifies the 50% premium.
Saying that - if you have deeper pockets then go for it!
Saying that - if you have deeper pockets then go for it!
I bought one a few weeks ago. Main reasons for choosing it were long zoom, HD video and handled OK for a compact.
Whilst it hasn't been perfect, overall I'm pretty happy. It takes quality pictures and serves the purpose of fitting in my pocket when travelling.
Some pics below from the Shanghai F1 showing the standard issue panoramic shot, and then some below of the cars so you get an idea of the zoom range (not taken at max optical reach, there was still more to go)
Whilst the shots aren't that great, I can't entirely blame the lack of sharpness on the camera, as it had been a long day. Landed at 10am on the morning of the race, after 12 hour overnight flight, then dumped bag in hotel, grabbed a shower and was at the circuit about 2 hours before it all kicked off, so I may not have had the steadiest of hands!
13 sec exposure on windowsill to see if I could force it into taking shots in low light
More on Flickr page here, including some video. Do yourself a favour and listen to the sound of that Mclaren slowing down on over run. It was worth paying for the camera to have that recorded for posterity....!
Video here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenslater/7160273...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenslater/
Upsides :
- Great zoom range
- Good size for the quality of pictures
- Loads of preset modes to chose from (std issue HDR and panoramic etc). Fun to fiddle with, but not sure how long they'll retain my interest
- Super slo-mo video mode - Smaller resolution, but quite good for what it is.
- Video quality good
- Good (enough for a compact at least) range of manual settings
- It's got GPS (If you like that sort of thing)
- Small and tough enough to fit in the pocket and survive a night (and much of the following morning) on the tiles, straight from the circuit. Try that with an SLR!
Downsides :
- The GPS swallows batteries for sport. Even when the camera is turned off...! Is that normal? It's turned off permanently now either way, because :
- Not impressed by battery life - Went flat 7 laps from the end, having taken around 90-100 shots and about 15 15-30 sec video clips. The GPS was never on during this time either. This may be the norm for compacts, but at £70RRP for a spare battery it seems a bit poor? I could buy 3 12" long hot dogs at the GP for 80p. Now that's value! I didn't. But I could have.
- "Intelligent Auto" mode is not that intelligent as it seems to have a fetish for using extremely high ISO settings. There may be a way to limit ISO setting, but as I haven't RTFM yet I can't be sure.
- No manual - It's on a disc. I'm sure this is normal and in the interests of reducing packaging, weight and saving the planet, but frankly it's only to save money and it stinks. Put a manual in there you tight fisted monkeys.
- Buttons and dials feel a bit cheap and nasty, but that's compared to the SLR's I'm used to and I admit to being a little bit funny about that sort of thing. Mrs. D thinks they're fine and that I'm moaning for the sake of it.
Downsides (That I can't moan about as I knew about them before I bought it)
- No RAW
- No stand alone charger, so camera must be plugged in to charge battery. This would be a ballache, if I could afford to buy a second battery, but I can't, so it isn't.
- Low light performance - I suspected wasn't going to be great, but was still a bit disappointed and is highlighted by the high ISO selection when in iAuto.
I know this all sounds a bit negative, but overall, I'm still happy with it. If I hadn't had it, I wouldn't have got the photos I did (because of the zoom reach) or the videos. My mate had a Canon P+S which he was videoing with and the mic blew on the first lap, so he has several videos of F1 cars, with no sound
Simply as an alternative to my SLR, which I couldn't take with me, it did the job perfectly well, and, as we all know, the best camera is the one..... etc etc etc.
Whilst it hasn't been perfect, overall I'm pretty happy. It takes quality pictures and serves the purpose of fitting in my pocket when travelling.
Some pics below from the Shanghai F1 showing the standard issue panoramic shot, and then some below of the cars so you get an idea of the zoom range (not taken at max optical reach, there was still more to go)
Whilst the shots aren't that great, I can't entirely blame the lack of sharpness on the camera, as it had been a long day. Landed at 10am on the morning of the race, after 12 hour overnight flight, then dumped bag in hotel, grabbed a shower and was at the circuit about 2 hours before it all kicked off, so I may not have had the steadiest of hands!
13 sec exposure on windowsill to see if I could force it into taking shots in low light
More on Flickr page here, including some video. Do yourself a favour and listen to the sound of that Mclaren slowing down on over run. It was worth paying for the camera to have that recorded for posterity....!
Video here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenslater/7160273...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenslater/
Upsides :
- Great zoom range
- Good size for the quality of pictures
- Loads of preset modes to chose from (std issue HDR and panoramic etc). Fun to fiddle with, but not sure how long they'll retain my interest
- Super slo-mo video mode - Smaller resolution, but quite good for what it is.
- Video quality good
- Good (enough for a compact at least) range of manual settings
- It's got GPS (If you like that sort of thing)
- Small and tough enough to fit in the pocket and survive a night (and much of the following morning) on the tiles, straight from the circuit. Try that with an SLR!
Downsides :
- The GPS swallows batteries for sport. Even when the camera is turned off...! Is that normal? It's turned off permanently now either way, because :
- Not impressed by battery life - Went flat 7 laps from the end, having taken around 90-100 shots and about 15 15-30 sec video clips. The GPS was never on during this time either. This may be the norm for compacts, but at £70RRP for a spare battery it seems a bit poor? I could buy 3 12" long hot dogs at the GP for 80p. Now that's value! I didn't. But I could have.
- "Intelligent Auto" mode is not that intelligent as it seems to have a fetish for using extremely high ISO settings. There may be a way to limit ISO setting, but as I haven't RTFM yet I can't be sure.
- No manual - It's on a disc. I'm sure this is normal and in the interests of reducing packaging, weight and saving the planet, but frankly it's only to save money and it stinks. Put a manual in there you tight fisted monkeys.
- Buttons and dials feel a bit cheap and nasty, but that's compared to the SLR's I'm used to and I admit to being a little bit funny about that sort of thing. Mrs. D thinks they're fine and that I'm moaning for the sake of it.
Downsides (That I can't moan about as I knew about them before I bought it)
- No RAW
- No stand alone charger, so camera must be plugged in to charge battery. This would be a ballache, if I could afford to buy a second battery, but I can't, so it isn't.
- Low light performance - I suspected wasn't going to be great, but was still a bit disappointed and is highlighted by the high ISO selection when in iAuto.
I know this all sounds a bit negative, but overall, I'm still happy with it. If I hadn't had it, I wouldn't have got the photos I did (because of the zoom reach) or the videos. My mate had a Canon P+S which he was videoing with and the mic blew on the first lap, so he has several videos of F1 cars, with no sound
Simply as an alternative to my SLR, which I couldn't take with me, it did the job perfectly well, and, as we all know, the best camera is the one..... etc etc etc.
Thanks, that is very useful.
As I say, I am no professional and have been over the moon with my Canon A710iS for the past 3 years which is still going strong(which the reviews say is average but I find perfect in trading size, quality of image etc). I'm actually not looking forward to the smaller size of the TZ30 as I like the "chunk" of A710iS but am bowing to the overall reviews.
I will be buying a spare battery - about £15 all in from Amazon and genuine Panasonic it is said.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DMW-BCG10E-Lithi...
You can also buy cheapish chargers though the frail Chinese ebay ones are best avoided. Seems to be essential given they reckon it takes 5 hours to charge in the camera.
This is why I prefer lithium AA batteries in the A710iS - hundreds of shots and £2 a pair.
As I say, I am no professional and have been over the moon with my Canon A710iS for the past 3 years which is still going strong(which the reviews say is average but I find perfect in trading size, quality of image etc). I'm actually not looking forward to the smaller size of the TZ30 as I like the "chunk" of A710iS but am bowing to the overall reviews.
I will be buying a spare battery - about £15 all in from Amazon and genuine Panasonic it is said.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DMW-BCG10E-Lithi...
You can also buy cheapish chargers though the frail Chinese ebay ones are best avoided. Seems to be essential given they reckon it takes 5 hours to charge in the camera.
This is why I prefer lithium AA batteries in the A710iS - hundreds of shots and £2 a pair.
LuS1fer said:
As I say, I am no professional
You and me both, but I'm sure you'll be happy with it. I know I am.The thing with the batteries that worries me is that I can go on Ebay, Amazon etc and find "genuine" ones for anything from £10 to £60, all with the same picture, so no way of being sure what you're going to get.
I popped down to one of the markets in Shanghai to look at prices for a spare battery (had no intention of buying one, just fancied seeing what they were going for) and the best price I got was circa £6. Even holding it in my hand, stood at the market stand, it didn't look fake (and I've seen a lot of fake s
t in my time!) however, I'd never trust it not to melt inside my lovely new camera and ruin the thing. So then I'm back with having to buy genuine. Which frankly is a rip off!And as for Chinese chargers, I know from experience they are potential death traps. I bought an iPhone charger once as I'd lost mine and the markets were the only places still open at night. Got it back to the hotel, plugged it in and there was a small pop, a spark and I found myself on the floor, suffering from a pretty significant electric shock
Personally, I would now never buy any cheap Chinese (or any other Asian knock-off) electrical goods and even more than that definitely never ones that need plugging into the mains!
I know what you mean but most just say Battery Pack and this is the only one that says Lumix and 97 people say it's OK and I suspect Panasonic would have done something given it's their name used and Amazon selling it. IT also has the original 895 rating compared to some claiming 1000, 1250 and even 1500 (all with loust reviews on ebay).
I generally base my Amazon purchases on the worst review and here, there isn't one. I'll let you know how it goes once the camera arrives and I compare the batteries. I can't be doing with a 2 week holiday with only one.
I generally base my Amazon purchases on the worst review and here, there isn't one. I'll let you know how it goes once the camera arrives and I compare the batteries. I can't be doing with a 2 week holiday with only one.
I took the camera for an inaugural outing on Sunday (pre-reading of any manual) and aside from my own view that it's a little too small (I like something I can hold properly), it is a very good camera and even a distant rollercoaster photo taken on maximum 20x zoom came out fairly sharp.
I was less enamoured by a screen protector I paid over £8 (with P&P) for - they really are total crap and I can see that going in the bin.
Other than that, I discovered you can take photos just by touching the screen - which explains the 15 or so photos of the grass and my feet...
The HD video seems good too.
The software download (the craply named Photofun) is not as good as the Canon software package. It's such a shame that Canon's 24fps video ruled it out of my buying considerations.
Overall, though, it's a very good little camera and I am sure it will get better once I know what everything does. I've got the spare Amazon Lumix battery on order - though Sunday's photos and video didn't take anything out of the charge to speak of.
I was less enamoured by a screen protector I paid over £8 (with P&P) for - they really are total crap and I can see that going in the bin.
Other than that, I discovered you can take photos just by touching the screen - which explains the 15 or so photos of the grass and my feet...
The HD video seems good too.
The software download (the craply named Photofun) is not as good as the Canon software package. It's such a shame that Canon's 24fps video ruled it out of my buying considerations.
Overall, though, it's a very good little camera and I am sure it will get better once I know what everything does. I've got the spare Amazon Lumix battery on order - though Sunday's photos and video didn't take anything out of the charge to speak of.
LuS1fer said:
Overall, though, it's a very good little camera and I am sure it will get better once I know what everything does. I've got the spare Amazon Lumix battery on order - though Sunday's photos and video didn't take anything out of the charge to speak of.
Interesting. How many shots did you take? I am beginning to wonder if I have a duff battery, or my GPS is on all the time as it seems to be losing battery power even when witched off.Hunky Dory said:
Interesting. How many shots did you take? I am beginning to wonder if I have a duff battery, or my GPS is on all the time as it seems to be losing battery power even when witched off..
When I got home, I stuck it on the PC (but of course it also charges from the PC though more slowly) and after I had faffed round trying to understand what "registering a folder" meant and finally downloaded the content (maybe 20m in total), the charge was still showing the full 3 bars so I haven't needed to put it on charge again.
I should add that on receipt of the camera, the battery was only showing one bar so I charged it overnight before I went at which the red charge light was out.
On downloading, I also noted that the majority of the thumbnails said GPS so that must have been on too. I haven't had time to read the manual but had flicked through the menus and I think had altered the GPS setting so it comes on but not constantly. I altered one or two other things too but not a lot.
I will only know the durability when I go on holidays for 2 weeks in August. I think it claims 260-ish shots to a charge and I usually get through about 400 shots in a week and a dozen videos of no more than 3 minutes each. I'm going for 2 weeks so I may be worrying over nothing given I can charge it every night if need be.
If it's losing power switched off, it does sound like the GPS is on all the time and this apparently sucks the battery. I'm sure I altered mine so it's only operational when the camera is on.
FURTHER EDIT - 24 hrs on and still fully charged.
Edited by LuS1fer on Monday 14th May 18:32
The Amazon Panasonic Lumix battery arrived today - around £15 all in. Certainly looks pukka. Slipped straight in, charged a treat within an hour and now have a spare.
I also followed a tip to a pair of compact tripods for 89p on Amazon. They are metal, solid and you can't believe they can make them for that money, let alone profit from it. They have a little clip on the collar to hook onto things too.
I also followed a tip to a pair of compact tripods for 89p on Amazon. They are metal, solid and you can't believe they can make them for that money, let alone profit from it. They have a little clip on the collar to hook onto things too.
I have just used my TZ30 for 2 weeks in Spain and the only major disappointment of this camera (for my purposes) was it's ability to withstand moisture.
The camera got slightly splashed by sea water which was rapidly wiped off with an absorbent towel but over the next few days the menus stopped working, the zoom zoomed in automatically to maximum and I couldn't operate the shutter or delete and it would simply start filming movies on it's own. I removed the battery and card and blew a cold hair-drier through it and took out the battery with the lens extended and left it out and it all began to function again but the following day it was doing it again. Another day left to air and full function has returned and several days on, no repetition. The zoom function seems a little less smooth but no biggy.
However, I mention this because none of my previous Canons have had any real issues with a slight splash of water and I find the water-resistance fairly poor. I will now worry about using it in light rain.
The camera got slightly splashed by sea water which was rapidly wiped off with an absorbent towel but over the next few days the menus stopped working, the zoom zoomed in automatically to maximum and I couldn't operate the shutter or delete and it would simply start filming movies on it's own. I removed the battery and card and blew a cold hair-drier through it and took out the battery with the lens extended and left it out and it all began to function again but the following day it was doing it again. Another day left to air and full function has returned and several days on, no repetition. The zoom function seems a little less smooth but no biggy.
However, I mention this because none of my previous Canons have had any real issues with a slight splash of water and I find the water-resistance fairly poor. I will now worry about using it in light rain.
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