Panasonic Lumix TZ80 (ZS60) User review

Hand held flower photos are easy with small sensor compacts like the TZ80
This and all photos below hand held

I bought my copy of the TZ80   just one day after it started to appear in Sydney retail outlets.

Here are some impressions of the camera from the first two weeks of use and the first 1500 or so exposures.

Target user group and purpose    Panasonic was one of the first makers to identify and make cameras for the ‘Travel Zoom’ genre.  They come in two styles, “small hump top’ and flat-compact’. 

The TZ80 is the latest in the ‘flat-compact’ line.

Panasonic’s product development people appear to have a good idea what they intend this camera should do and who is the intended buyer.

The promotional blurb says this is a  ‘Pocket sized travel camera’  so the user can ‘Capture all those travel memories’. 

That describes the TZ80 very well. It is refreshing to see a manufacturer with a clear purpose leading to a well executed product which does just what the maker claims it should do.

Plenty of detail and decent highlight and shadow detail in the mid range of the zoom

Specifications and features  The TZ80 (ZS60) has received a significant boost in specifications and features compared to its predecessor the TZ70 (ZS50).  The pixel count has increased to 18 Mpx, we have 4K video/photo, adjustable Photo Style (JPG), peaking, zebras, touch screen, a larger BLG10 battery and more direct control points.

All this makes the camera more configurable than its predecessor but also a bit more complex to set up. This is in line with a move up market for the whole fixed zoom lens camera sector as small, ‘bar of soap’ style compacts disappear in favour of smart phones.

The lens, monitor and EVF all appear on the specifications to be carry overs but in use each seems improved in my subjective impression, without a TZ70 on hand for direct comparison.

In addition the OIS seems improved with better results at the long end of the zoom when using low shutter speeds.

Wide angle

Picture quality  

The f3.3-6.4,  30x zoom lens is a marvel of optical and mechanical engineering. It has 5 aspheric elements with 10 aspheric surfaces, optical image stabiliser,  triple extension inner barrel and the whole camera is only 38mm deep when powered down.  It focusses quickly and accurately and makes decent quality pictures at all focal lengths.

Lens resolution and contrast in a broad central area of  the frame is best at the wide end of the zoom, falling steadily towards the long end.

Resolution at the edges and corners is worst at the wide end of the zoom, best in the mid range of the zoom then falling away again at the long end.

My copy is decently well centered which is no mean feat for the manufacturer considering the complexity of the optical and mechanical design and the low price point of the product.

The sensor produces pictures with quite good resolution, decent highlight and shadow detail and good color rendition.

For general photography I really cannot find anything about which to complain.

Of course the tiny 6.17x4.55mm sensor exhibits more luminance noise than you would find from larger sensors. I did not have a TZ70 on hand for side by side comparison but my subjective impression is that the 18Mpx TZ80 sensor is no more noisy than the TZ70’s 12Mpx sensor if both are output at the same size.

Luminance noise is readily visible in mid tones even at base ISO setting (80) but this detracts little from print quality even at quite large sizes up to A2.

On my side by side comparison tests using RAW files at Adobe default settings the TZ80 has about 1.6 stops more luminance noise than my reference camera which these days is the FZ1000. So a picture made with the FZ1000 at ISO 1600 would have about the same RAW file luminance noise level at ACR default settings as one made with the TZ80 at ISO 500.

When hand held, the TZ80 works best as an outdoor camera, where there is an abundance of light. This allows ISO sensitivity settings to be sufficiently low and shutter speeds sufficiently high for decent picture quality even at the long end of the zoom.

However it is also possible to make pictures of good quality indoors. This requires judicious use of RAW capture,  slow shutter speeds in S Mode and keeping the lens at or near its smallest focal length which gives the widest aperture.  

I have also discovered strategies for processing RAW files in adobe Camera Raw to enhance picture quality at higher ISO sensitivity settings and will post about these later.

Judicious use of the flash can also sometimes be helpful although many people including me do not like the effect of on camera flash.

I have carefully compared the TZ80 and TZ110 for lens quality and found the two cameras very close with neither having a clear advantage. However the TZ80 in the focal length range 160-250mm was in most test frames a bit better than the TZ110, particularly at the edges.

Mid zoom

Performance

The TZ80 responds promptly to all user inputs with JPG or RAW capture or both. It has a faster processor and larger buffer than the majority of compact cameras.

Shot to shot time with AF Single, Drive Mode Single  and AE and live preview on each frame is 0.5 seconds with JPG or RAW+JPG capture.

With RAW capture, Burst M,  AF continuous and live view on each frame  it will shoot 16 frames in 3 seconds (about 5 frames per second) before the frame rate slows abruptly.  The buffer takes 14 seconds to clear after such a burst. With JPG capture the camera will keep firing indefinitely at 5 fps.

AF Single is fast and accurate even in low light levels.  I find the AF assist lamp is never required.  In very low light the camera switches automatically to ‘low light’ AF mode which is a bit slower than normal but is reliable and accurate.

Most  ‘pocketable’ compact cameras are good for still subjects but are unable to follow focus (a.k.a. ‘predictive AF’) on a moving subject.

The TZ80 can  follow focus on a moving subject. I put this to the test with a range of subject types and lighting conditions.

I discovered early in the testing process that  predictive AF with the TZ80 works best in  bright light, preferably sunlight.

I found that an adult walking towards the camera,  motor vehicles travelling slowly and body board surfers close to shore are easily held in focus with a high rate of sharp frames.

I found running dogs more of a challenge but was able to get some decent results as long as I kept the shutter speed at 1/640 sec or faster.

So, sports photographers will not be rushing to replace their full frame DSLRs and big zooms any time soon. But for occasional sport/action use in bright light the TZ80 can do a decent job.

Overall the TZ80 performs well above comparable models from Canon, Nikon or Sony particularly with RAW capture and moving subjects.  Many SoCaNik compacts do not offer RAW output at all and those which do are tediously slow.

Long end of the zoom.  The moored yachts are about 750 meters from the camera.

Ergonomics

Setup Phase: 

The TZ80 menus are an upgrade from those seen in the TZ70. In fact the TZ80 menus have reached almost micro Four Thirds levels of  options and choices. The upside of this is an increased level of configurability. The challenge, particularly for the novice user,  is coping with the increased complexity. I will post a ‘setting up’ series on the TZ80 shortly.

The Panasonic menu system is reasonably logical and the graphical user interface is very good but I think that Panasonic needs to clarify, simplify and reorganise the menus with increased effort to group like items together.

The Operating Instructions include both the TZ80 and TZ100. The instructions are reasonably well written but as usual Panasonic tells you at length what options you can choose but not why you would.    

Prepare Phase:

For a compact the TZ80 is unusually well supplied with user interface modules for making settings in Prepare Phase. In particular there are four hard (physical) Function buttons, any one of which can be assigned to Q Menu duty. The Q Menu is set, there being no Custom Q menu available, but it is comprehensive and very useful.

Capture Phase:

Holding the camera is easy and feels secure. There is a handle on the front and a thumb support on the back. The handle is a different shape from that on the TZ70 for reasons which escape me. I prefer the straight up and down shape of that on the TZ70.  I happened to have a Sony RX100 to hand as I was testing the TZ80. Although it is only slightly larger the TZ80 is much more comfortable to hold and also easier to operate.

Viewing arrangements on the TZ80 are quite comprehensive.

There is a built in EVF which is fixed, meaning it is always ready for use at any time. It is small but sharp and clear giving a good preview of the subject. It is particularly useful in bright light when the monitor is almost useless and at the long end of the zoom when viewing through the EVF allows as secure hold  minimising camera shake.   There is no eyecup so I curl my left index finger around the top and left side of the EVF. This blocks stray light and gives extra eye relief for more relaxed viewing.  With my left hand in this position the fourth finger sits on the lens control ring ready to adjust shutter speed if required.

The monitor is sharp and clear. Both monitor and EVF can be configured to ‘Monitor style’ or ‘Viewfinder style’.  Both can be set up to present the same information in the same way for a seamless segue from one to the other. Both can be adjusted for Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, and Color balance.   Using the Disp button allows the user to choose what information is displayed.

I would prefer a larger EVF and a fully articulating monitor, but both those things would make the camera larger and more expensive.

Operating the TZ80 is a pleasant experience. Novices and snapshooters can set the Mode Dial to the [iA] position and let the camera do most of the thinking. Enthusiasts and experts can use the P,A,S, M modes for more control over the picture taking process.

While using the camera I never accidentally pressed a button and found it easy to operate the Cursor Buttons (4 way controller) by feel.

Aperture, shutter speed and exposure compensation are easily managed with the Control Ring (around the lens barrel) and the (rear) Control Dial.

I find it easy to control all primary and secondary focus and exposure parameters in Capture Phase of use although the actual process of doing so is not quite as direct as is possible with, say, an  FZ1000 or G7. The TZ80 does quite often require a visit to the Q Menu in Capture Phase.

The only real ergonomic problem I have identified relates to the built in flash unit.  The EVF, monitor and flash on the TZ80 are built in and fixed. Presumably this makes them less expensive to produce and would also make the camera robust as befits its travel zoom role, there being no pop-up or swing-out modules to break. But when held normally the middle finger of the right hand lies right across the flash unit. So the user has to be aware of the flash symbol upper left on the screen and adopt a different and rather awkward hold with the right hand when this indicates the flash will fire.

Body boarding a shore break

Carrying

The TZ80 is promoted as ‘pocketable’ which may indeed be true if one has largish pockets available in a jacket or similar. I carry my TZ80 in a Lowe Pro Portland 20 pouch from which I cut out the red tongue to make more internal space. The TZ80 fits perfectly with 1 or 2 spare batteries and several memory cards in the front pocket. The pouch attaches to a belt with straps and hook and eye type fasteners.

Summary

Spider with 7 legs. I like that the TZ80 enables shots like this with no tripod. I set AF Macro and made 8 shots in quick succession in a few seconds. This was the sharpest.

The TZ80 is one of the better small compact superzoom/travel/holiday cameras on the market at the time of writing.  It packs a remarkable amount of capability into a very small package at a modest price point.

It is an easy camera to recommend.