Panasonic's new Lumix DMC-TZ6 has got the lot, including 10.1 megapixels, a 25mm super-wideangle 12x zoom, image stabilisation and a smart metal body slim enough to fit into your back pocket. But, at around £240, is it worth the money?
Positives
Smart though the TZ6 is, £240 is pretty pricey for a compact these days. But it doesn't take long to figure out that this camera is something rather special. The build quality and finish really are top-notch and well up to Panasonic's usual high standards, with metal knobs and switches, and a clear, logical layout.
It's the lens that's the star, though. Superzooms usually suffer much more from optical aberrations than standard zooms, but the TZ6's lens is practically flawless. There's not much distortion, hardly any chromatic aberration, the detail is unusually sharp right into the corners of the frame, and it holds up well at the maximum zoom setting, when most superzooms' pictures begin to turn into mush.
What's more, although the TZ6 has 'only' 10.1 megapixels, whereas most of its rivals now have 12, it doesn't seem to matter. Our resolution test indicates that the TZ6 resolves an unusual amount of detail for a 10-megapixel camera and is just as good as a 12-megapixel one.
This is all topped off with great picture quality. Colours look natural and the 'vivid' mode produces really bright, saturated pictures. There's a neat 'intelligent ISO' function too, which appears to selectively adjust the ISO in different parts of the scene when faced with really high contrast levels. It's not as effective as Fujifilm's new EXR sensor, but it's much better than nothing, and adds extra detail both in the shadows and the highlights.
Finally, Panasonic seems to have really got to grips with image processing. If you compare the TZ6 with an earlier model like the DMC-TZ3, you can see there's much less noise and smudging, even though the resolution's higher.
Negatives
It's time to get picky. The 69mm (2.7-inch) LCD screen is good but could do with being bigger. If you want a bigger screen, though, you'll have to fork out another £60 or so for the DMC-TZ7, which has a 76mm (3-inch) screen with twice the resolution and a fancy high-definition, 720p movie mode.
Also, the mode dial is rather light and lacks firm click-stops, so that it keeps moving out of position when you put the camera in your pocket and take it out again. And all the 'intelligent automation' does your head in after a while, as you can end up with no clear idea of what the camera's doing and why, and whether you ought to be doing something about it or not.
Our review camera also had a playback glitch that sometimes produced a corrupted display and even crashed the camera, but this may have been an early production issue, so it's perhaps unwise to set too much store by that.
Conclusion
Panasonic's TZ-series superzoom cameras just keep getting better and better. The pricier Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 has a better LCD and a higher-quality movie mode, but, for regular stills photography, the DMC-TZ6 is better value by far, offering fantastic flexibility, great image quality, a superb build and finish, and pocketability too.
Edited by Charles Kloet
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Garland 8 August 2010
Good: Quality of lens and build; telephoto range; reasonably compact for what it offers; Intelligent Auto mode very useful
Bad: Mirror screen;lack of viewfinder;lack of second strap loop,putting date and time on image very complex
Comment: As a buildings archaeologist I needed a light weight camera with wide angle and good telephoto options After trying out two competitors with poor build quality or other drawbacks, I chose this as the menu was easy to read and has an option to have a larger size font. Most camera menu fonts are too small or show up badly against the backgrounds. (Professional reviewers should check accessibility design please). The lack of a viewfinder is now a major issue with all compact cameras. Canon were the only company to persist but they have now abandoned them. So stabilisation has now to be built in to the "works" which doesn't solve working outdoors in a wind, Having to hold a camera away from the body is tough if you have touch of arthritis. Guessing in ordinary outdoor light what the picture covers is a nightmare. This Panasonic has a mirror finish screen flush with the body; it is very good for checking your hairstyle but it instantly picked up scratches. I immediately had to track down a non-reflective screen protector (another cost). If the engineers can get telephoto lens into such a small space why not get an optical viewfinder in as well? Invention of digital screens is very recent and there are millions of folk who are well able to use viewfinders and judge displacement. As these cameras are now the size and weight of the last versions of 35mm film cameras a second loop on the body to allow a neck strap would really help. Another feature that was available on Canon Ixus was a setting that put the date and time on each shot; estate agents and archaeologists amongst many need this facility; the Panasonic menus only allow this in a very complicated way image by image or as part of the editing after download. These and many other practicalities can only be found out after purchase; which means buying and returning cameras - not easy. The vast overproduction of cameras with new gimmicks
is not doing the economy or sustainability any good.
jason clarke 26 December 2009
Good: absolutely stunning picture quality, build quality, zoom capability.
Bad: it didnt come with a case...
Comment: i got this camera for christmas just gone (09) and i took it to the seaside for a try out today (boxing day) and i must say i am just blown away by the quality this camera produces, the focus is spot on, the face detection is faultless (so far), the camera feels solid, nicely weighted, and is simply stunning to use (interface).
overall this camera has managed to put a huge smile on my face and everybody else's, i would recommend this in a heartbeat! gorgeous camera that produces gorgeous photos's that in years to come you will just love seeing over and over!
go buy it!
cal2804 15 July 2009
Good: Battery Life, Photo Quality, Video, Zoom
Bad: AI button doesn't always choose correct setting for what you want.
Comment: Firstly I have only had this camera a month, although I have taken over 600 photos and numerous videos, so there may be some things to add at a later date.
I bought this for the 12x optical zoom primarily. I've had a sony Cybershot DSC-P200, which I have loved, for many years now but the 3x zoom was sometimes limiting.
I have found the TZ6 picture quality to be fantastic and although I don't shoot much video (and therefore don't need a camcorder) some things do need video to capture the moment properly. The video quality is very good and allows you to zoom in an out whilst recording, something which none of my past cameras have allowed.
The size is super and fitted in my little handbag easily whilst on holiday even though it was a bit larger than my last compact..
Take a look at some of the settings in SCN mode - I though the panoramic assist was a lovely feature and was great for some of the shots I wanted.
All in all I would highly recommend so far.
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