Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 ( 18.9 MP,30 x Optical Zoom,3 -inch LCD )

Product Information

This is the same touch-sensitive screen that’s used on the TZ100 / ZS100 and, as on the flagship Lumix travel zoom, can be used to place the AF area for focussing, meter exposure, shoot and select soft function buttons, it also allows menu selection and entering of details when making network connections. I’m very pleased to see the touch-screen return to the TZ / ZS series and it’s one of the big advantages the TZ80 / ZS60 holds over Canon’s SX720 has which has neither a touch-screen nor a viewfinder. Once again though, the biggest difference concerns a viewfinder. The HX50V / HX60V has a hotshoe onto which you can slide a very respectable optional viewfinder accessory, but it of course adds to the size and cost. In contrast, the Lumix TZ60 / ZS40 has its viewfinder built-in and always available – sure it’s small and relatively coarse, but it’s always there.

Above: Lumix TZ80 / ZS60 Post Focus, Aperture Priority, 1/160, f6.1, 200 ISO, -2/3EV 101.7mm (567mm equivalent) The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 is slightly bigger and heavier than the previous TZ40 model that it replaces, bit it does now offer a longer 30x zoom lens (the TZ40 had a 20x lens) and also a built-in electronic viewfinder. The 30x lens is equivalent to 24-720mm on a 35mm camera, which provides an incredibly versatile focal range that will cover every subject from ultra-wide angle landscapes to close-up action shots. Even when set to 720mm, the lens doesn't extend too far from the front of the TZ60, making it look to all intents and purposes like a "normal" compact camera. This helps to make the DMC-TZ60 great for candid moments, as people assume that you're using just a standard point and shoot with a much more limited range. The battery used by the TZ60 is rated to 300 shots. However, there is no standalone battery charger included, so the camera is frustratingly out of use while the battery is charging. Spare batteries are advisable. Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 review – Metering Finally, the TZ60 / ZS40 offers a panorama mode accessed direct from the mode dial. This works similarly to the sweep panorama option on Sony’s Cyber-shot cameras, capturing a series of images in a burst as you pan the camera across the scene in an arc, after which the camera automatically stitches them together for you.Again like Sony you can choose from panning with the camera held horizontally or vertically, but unlike Sony the TZ60 / ZS40 seems happy to capture a full 360 degree panorama if you’re able to keep turning it during the four second capture process – during which time it has to be said everybody around you will be staring. Although you wouldn’t know to look at it, the major change on the TZ80 / Z60’s rear panel is of course the touch-screen. The screen is a 3 inch LCD panel with a 1040k dot resolution but that’s nothing remarkable. What is new is that, for the first time in three generations, a Lumix TZ / ZS series model once again features a touch sensitive screen. Panasonic has made a significant improvement upon the 20x optical zoom range offered by the TZ60’s predecessor, the TZ40. The TZ60 features a Leica DC Vario-Elmar 4.3-129mm f/3.3-6.4 Asph zoom lens offering an impressive 30x optical zoom – equivalent to a massive 24-720mm focal range. Camera shake is tamed by a redesigned five-axis hybrid optical image stabilisation system. Panasonic claims a 0.5EV increase in performance over the OIS in the TZ40 predecessor, allowing users to shoot handheld with a shutter speed up to 3EV slower than before. Like other recent Lumix models with 4k video, the TZ80 / ZS60 also supports Panasonic’s 4k Photo mode – a fun way of exploiting the fact 4k video captures an 8 Megapixel image up to 30 times a second. The TZ80 / ZS60 is equipped with software that lets you easily capture bursts of video before scrolling through the footage and extracting the perfect frame as a JPEG image, all in-camera. You could of course frame grab from video externally (and here’s the clip I filmed), but Panasonic has made it easy to perform the whole process in-camera.

While the TZ60’s predecessor – the TZ40 – featured a reasonable 20x optical zoom, the new model increases the zoom by some 50% and now sports a 30x optic. The lens is a Leica DC Vario-Elmar unit and covers a focal range of 24-720mm in 35mm equivalent terms. As before, there’s a wealth of alternative image resolutions and sizes. You can shoot in the full 18 Megapixels, or at 12, 8, 5, 3 or 0.3 Megapixels in the 4:3 aspect ratio, or switch to 3:2, 16:9 or 1:1 cropped shapes instead, each with reduced resolutions. Again as before there’s also the choice of two JPEG compression levels, Fine or Standard, but new to the TZ60 / ZS40 is the chance to record RAW files, with or without a JPEG at either compression level. This is a major move for the Lumix travel zoom, and gives it with another valuable edge over the competition, at least in theory – you can see it in action in my RAW quality results. In terms of the sensor, the TZ60 features a 1/2.3in Live MOS sensor that features a resolution of 18.1MP. This is around standard for a camera in the travel compact market, although Panasonic has added one new feature that the TZ range has been crying out for for some time – namely the ability to capture both JPEG and Raw files.Both the Panasonic and Sony provide a good range of movie choices, with a 1080p 50/60 best quality HD mode, enhanced stabilisation (particularly so with the newer HX60V) and movies with filter effects. The Panasonic also offers a couple of slow motion modes. The remote control feature is really neat, showing a live image on your phone or tablet’s screen and allowing you to take a photo or start or stop a video. You can drag a slider to zoom the motorised lens and even tap anywhere on the live image to set the focus to that area or directly take the shot – giving the TZ60 / ZS40 the touch-screen capabilities it always deserved. If the camera’s mode dial is set to Aperture or Shutter Priority, you can remotely adjust the aperture or shutter speed respectively, and in Manual you can change both. Inside the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 is a 1/2.3in-type (6.17×4.55mm) Live MOS sensor with a resolution of 18.1 million pixels. One feature that will no doubt widen the appeal of the TZ60, particularly among enthusiast photographers, is the fact that the camera now supports both raw and JPEG image capture. Thanks to Panasonic’s own Venus Engine processor, writing both full-resolution raw and JPEG images simultaneously isn’t too sluggish and a speed of 10fps is possible for a total of six frames in burst mode. Like Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-HX50, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 uses a 30x zoom lens. The lens on the DMC-TZ60 is a Leica DC Vario-Elmar 4.3-129mm f/3.5-6.4 zoom, the equivalent of an incredible 24-720mm in 35mm format. Indeed, the zoom range of this lens goes from being wide to an extreme telephoto in just a couple of seconds. The addition of an EVF and raw shooting really transform the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 from a mere travel camera to one that deserves to be taken more seriously. Even the style of the DMC-TZ60 has a premium feel to it, and it will no doubt prove to be very attractive to a number of different types of users.