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| TZ110 |
Picture Quality
The sensor in the TZ110 is the now popular Sony second generation backside illuminated 20Mpx ‘One Inch’ chip the actual dimensions of which are 13.2x8.8mm giving a diagonal of 15.9mm.
Experience with several cameras from Sony, Canon and Panasonic using this sensor has shown it to be very versatile.
It is small enough that cameras built around it can be compact but large enough to deliver convincingly high picture quality even at high ISO sensitivity settings.
My main camera for the last two years has been the Panasonic FZ1000 which has a sensor which is likely the same as or very similar to that in the TZ110.
On my tests the FZ1000 and the TZ110 produce RAW files with the same level and character of luminance noise at all ISO settings. RAW files converted in Adobe Camera Raw exhibit minimal chroma noise at any ISO sensitivity setting.
I have photos made in low light with the FZ1000 at ISO 12800 which make decent A4 or even A3 sized prints.
Lens
The second main determinant of picture quality is the lens.
That in the TZ110 is quite ambitious and I suspect would have been impossible to produce just a few years ago.
It has a 10x zoom ratio, triple extension inner barrel, 12 elements in 10 groups, 5 aspheric elements with 9 aspheric surfaces, effective optical image stabiliser and very fast autofocus. Somehow all this fits in a depth of only 44mm when the camera is powered off.
There are two trade offs for this amazingly compact configuration.
The first is the aperture which ranges from a respectable f2.8 at the wide end to a more pedestrian f5.9 from (35mm equivalent) focal length 160mm to 250mm.
The second is optical quality which is very good at some focal lengths but not quite so good at other focal lengths.
I have extensively tested my own TZ110, which is a sample of only one, however my results appear to be consistent with those reported elsewhere.
The lens on my copy of the TZ110 is generally very good but close inspection of test photos does reveal some subtle variations in sharpness which I have not seen or at least been unaware of in any other lens, fixed or interchangeable.
It is very sharp at the shortest focal lengths (focal length equivalent 25 and 28mm) except for softness at the edges at f2.8 which largely cleans up by f4.
It is very sharp across the frame at 90mm right from the widest available aperture of f5.7.
It is also quite decently sharp at the longest focal length of 250mm, the optimum aperture being f7.1.
But the optical characteristic of the lens at the intermediate focal lengths is somewhat variable.
At FLE 35mm the lens is quite sharp right across the frame at the widest aperture of f3.4 but drops a little on the left side when the aperture is reduced to f4.
This pattern is repeated at FLE 50mm where again the lens is quite sharp across the frame at the widest aperture of f4.1 but drops slightly at the edges when the aperture is closed to f4.5 then falls further at the edges at f5.6.
I found a similar pattern at FLE70mm with sharpness decreasing as the lens aperture is reduced from wide open.
At FLE 135, 160 and 200mm my copy of the lens is slightly soft on the left side indicating a degree of decentering of the assembly.
I noticed when making multiple shots of the same subject with the same framing that the degree of softness on the left side was variable for no reason apparent to me.
I noticed local flare around bright subject elements particularly at the long end of the zoom.
I have no idea why lens sharpness at the edges would diminish as the aperture is reduced and no idea why softness on one side would vary from shot to shot and no idea why these paradoxical phenomena appear at some focal lengths but not others.
I also have no idea whether I have a ‘bad copy’ of the lens or not.
I ran all my chart tests three times and made several thousand photos indoors and outdoors to confirm that my findings are real and not just the product of some kind of procedural error.
Notwithstanding all these peculiarities I have been able to make excellent photos with my copy of the TZ110 at all focal lengths, indoors and outdoors. I just have to be sure to set the best aperture for each focal length.
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| This is the version of my hold for portrait orientation. The camera is held stable with the camera body and my right thumb pressing against my forehead. The left index finger keeps out stray light and holds my eye at the optimal distance from the eyepiece. |
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| This left hand position has several benefits. The index finger provides a kind of bionic eye cup, keeping out stray light and holding my eye at the optimal distance from the eyepiece. The middle finger can easily operate the lens ring. The camera is well supported and easy to hold steady. |
Autofocus
I have found that autofocus single (AFS) on the TZ110 is typically Panasonic, fast and accurate.
AF Continuous utilises Panasonic DFD which is also very effective allowing the camera to achieve predictive AF at 5 frames per second with a high percentage of in focus frames on moving subjects such as people walking and running, cars driving towards or away from the camera and dogs running.
Image stabiliser
The image stabiliser on the TZ110 is very effective. With a static subject, good camera holding and shutter release technique I can get sharp pictures at the long end of the zoom down to about 1/125 second.
But if I am following a moving subject when, of course the camera is also moving to follow the subject, a much faster shutter speed is required, more like 1/400 second or faster if possible at the long end of the zoom.
RAW vs JPG
Over the years Panasonic’s JPGs have gradually improved. I think that JPG shooters using the TZ110 will be pleased with their results. At the highest ISO settings I can still get better looking results using RAW capture and processing in Adobe Camera Raw but in most situations the JPGs look pretty good to me.
JPG output on the TZ110 can be adjusted to personal preference at the Photo Style tab at the top of the Rec Menu list. You can select from various presets or make a custom setting from any of the presets. This is still a work in progress for me but for the record my current Custom settings are:
* Contrast +2
* Sharpness +2
* Noise Reduction -5
* Saturation 0
Hand held technique
A camera like this will usually be used hand held as befits its ‘travel zoom’ designation and it works very well that way.
I have found however that even with OIS in play, very good holding technique us required to achieve best possible results.
Particularly at the long end of the zoom I find the most effective way to hold the camera steady is to look through the viewfinder and hold the camera as shown in the photo. This is a bit unconventional and not the classical ‘left-hand-under-lens’ hold usually shown in camera promotional photos, but it works well and that is the main thing.
Low light strategies
I have found the TZ110 to be quite useful indoors in natural or artificial light or a mixture of both.
Strategies I have found useful include:
* Use the wide end of the zoom to keep the aperture around the f2.8-f3.5 range. This in turn allows the ISO settings to be kept as low as possible.
* Use the viewfinder and stability hold as shown in the photo.
* Try setting the Mode Dial to S and exploring low shutter speeds. With a static subject you may be able to get decent shots at around 1/20 second with good technique. Practice is definitely advised.
OIS is no help for subject movement of course.
* Resort to using the built in flash. I don’t like the effect of on camera flash and generally avoid it. However the effect can be acceptable is the flash output is set to about minus 1 stop, so the light used for the exposure is a combination of ambient and flash. One problem with this can be white balance which, if P Mode is used, the camera will set at a position suitable for flash, which may result in yellow looking pictures depending on the artificial light type.
Long end of zoom strategies
The lens loses contrast and acuity towards the long end of the zoom. I have found this to be normal with this type of small form/long zoom lens.
* The lens is not at its best with distant subjects having large amounts of fine detail.
* Good holding technique and careful monitoring of shutter speed and aperture is required. It may be necessary to set M on the Mode Dial to obtain optimum settings for both.
With a static subject and still camera I find I can use a shutter speed of 1/125 second at focal length (equivalent) 250mm with no problems.
But as soon as the subject and therefore the camera start to move a much faster shutter speed is required. I have found around 1/400 second gives a reasonable percentage of keeper frames, 1/640 is better if there is enough light.
Summary
Despite its minor idiosyncrasies the TZ110 is quite capable of producing very good photos in a variety of subject conditions.
However the expert user does have to work a little harder to obtain optimum results than might be the case with some other cameras.
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