Reviewing Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ30

A Look at Panasonic's latest Travel Zoom flagship Camera

Panasonic is the first company which invented the travel zoom camera category, the travel zoom range of cameras combines high zoom into the compact body. For the year 2012 Panasonic has come up with the Lumix DMC TZ30 (known as ZS20 in USA). The TZ-30 boasts a 20x optical zoom lens measuring 24-480mm. fitting a lens of 20x in such a compact body is no easy task and requires some real effort of precise engineering. It comes equipped with a high sensitivity MOS sensor. The LCD screen is a touch screen hence touch focus is supported. This model comes equipped with full manual controls such as P, A, S and M. it offers best in class 23-point multi-area autofocus system which is real quick. The TZ30 can also click 3D still images, HDR photos and a great panorama shot which is a copy of Sony’s panoramic sweep feature. With an upgraded Venus engine VI processor and the excellent POWER O.I.S. anti-shake system produces pictures which are blur free. 

With an aperture of f3.3 this lens is comparatively slower. Although it employs a 15.1 megapixel sensor, it actually uses only 14.1 megapixels in 4:3, 16:9 and 3:2 formats. Since this camera offers full manual option the option dial represents similarity with DSLR camera. There is no RAW capturing mode so those who intend to post process images will be disappointed. GPS is onboard so seamless geo tagging is available. It comes with a dedicated movie record button so there will be no hassle while recording movies. Movies can be recorded at 1080p as well as 720p. The frame rate is 50/60 fps for AVCHD format. The advantage of the touch screen LCD is that with a simple tap on the screen you can focus on your subject which is a great feature. Burst mode is also available with which you can capture 10 images per second.  The touch screen is one of the best features of this camera since you have to not keep on pressing the real buttons. with the travel zoom range known for its high zoom this camera handles 20x of zoom very well and focusing is not a problem at the telephoto end.  

We all know the previous model was known for the pathetic image quality with noise visible in the base ISO, thankfully Panasonic has worked hard on it has reduced the noise by w huge margin which is great compared to the TZ20. Yet there is some noise in the images due to which the TZ30 lags behind the competition in image quality. When used at the full 14.1 megapixel average file size is 5.5 MB. The most visible improvement is that in the range of ISO 100-400 where the pictures are almost noise free, but as you enter the ISO 800 and higher horizon noise is very high. The maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds which is great news for folks who are serious into night photography. There is an HDR mode where the camera takes 3 consecutive images at different exposure to create an HDR photo. Overall the Panasonic LUMIX DMC TZ30 is a very versatile travel zoom camera with huge capabilities such as full manual option, HDR and panorama modes. Image quality has definitely improved over last year’s model but yet has some noise. with GPS turned on this camera has power only for 150 shots so better keep it off when not in use which shall yield you 260 shots. 

Pro's : 20X optical zoom, touch screen LCD, 50 fps video.

Cons : noisy Image quality, focusing in low light, battery draining due to GPS.


Cost: $289.

Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ30 Specifications

Recording
File Format	Still Image: JPEG(DCF/Exif2.3) / 3D Image: MPO / Motion picture: AVCHD, MP4, QuickTime Motion JPEG (only for High Speed Video)
Mode Dial / Mode Button	Intelligent Auto, P, A, S, M, C1, C2, 3D Photo, SCN, Creative Control
Creative Control mode	Expressive, Retro, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome, High Dynamic, Toy Effect, Miniature, Soft Focus
Still Image Scene Mode	Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Panorama Shot, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Hand Held Night Shot, HDR, Food, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Glass Through, Underwater, High Speed Video
Continuous Shooting Mode	Full- Resolution Image: 10 frames/sec Max. 10 images / with AF Tracking: 5 frames/sec, 2 frames/sec Max.100 images / Intelligent Burst Shooting / High- speed Burst: approx. 40 frames/sec (recorded in 5M) / approx. 60 frames/sec (recorded in 2.5M)
Motion Picture Recording (*2)	[HD Video] 1920 x 1080 pixels, 50p (GPH: 28Mbps, PSH: 28Mbps / AVCHD) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 50i (GFS: 17Mbps, FSH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 50p(GS: 17Mbps, SH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 25 fps (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 25 fps (HD: 10Mbps / MP4) / [STD Video] 640 x 480 pixels, 25 fps (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4) / [High Speed Video] 320 x 240 pixels, 220 fps (Motion JPEG)
AVCHD (Continuous recordable time [motion pictures])	approx. 55 min (GPH, PSH), 65 min (GFS, FSH)
MP4 (Continuous recordable time [motion pictures])	approx. 70 min (FHD)
AVCHD (Actual recordable time [motion pictures])	approx. 55 min (GPH, PSH), 65 min (GFS, FSH)
MP4 (Actual recordable time [motion pictures])	approx. 40 min (FHD)
Exposure	Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Exposure Compensation	1/3 EV step, +/-2 EV
Auto (AE) Bracketing	1/3 -1EV step, Max +/-1EV, 3 frames
Light Metering	Intelligent Multiple / Center Weighted / Spot
ISO Sensitivity	Auto / i.ISO / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / High Sensitivity mode (ISO 1600-6400)
Still Picture Recording	[1:1] 3232x3232 (10.5M) / 2736x2736 (7.5M EZ) / 2304x2304 (5.5M EZ)/ 1920x1920 (3.5M EZ) / 1536x1536 (2.5M EZ) / 480x480 (0.2M EZ) / [4:3] 4320x3240 (14M) / 3648x2736 (10M EZ) / 3072x2304 (7M EZ)/ 2560X1920 (5M EZ) / 2048X1536 (3M EZ) / 640x480 (0.3M EZ) / [3:2] 4320x2880 (12.5M) / 3648x2432 (9M EZ) / 3072x2048 (6M EZ)/ 2560x1712 (4.5M EZ) / 2048x1360 (2.5M EZ) / 640x424 (0.3M EZ) / [16:9] 4320x2432 (10.5M) / 3648x2056 (7.5M EZ) / 3072x1728 (5.5M EZ)2560x1440 (3.5M EZ) / 1920x1080 (2M EZ) / 640x360 (0.2M EZ)
Zoom in Motion Picture	Yes
Image Quality	Fine / Standard (3D mode: MPO Fine / MPO Standard )
White Balance	Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Incandescent / White Set / White Balance Adjustment
Color Mode / Color Effect / My color	Color Mode : Standard, Black&White, Sepia, Vivid (in P / A / S / M mode), Happy (only in iA mode)
Digital Red Eye Correction (Red-Eye Removal)	Yes
GPS	Yes
Self Timer	2sec / 10sec

Reviewing Canon Powershot SX150 IS

Canon Powershot SX150 IS Review

The travel zoom digital cameras are finding more and more takers because of the extensive features they provide over a conventional point and shoot camera. But majority of such high zoom cameras cost around 300- 400$ which not all can afford therefore Canon has come up with a budget Travel Zoom camera which is the Powershot SX150 IS. Such high zoom cameras are preferred because of the extensive Optical Zoom they provide, which is in the range of 10x-20x. This makes such cameras the perfect companion while traveling outdoors and hence capturing even far of images. Although Canon Powershot SX150 IS is a budget camera but it has all the features of a high end cameras such as true manual modes, 12x optical zoom, image stabilization.

There are areas where cost cutting is evident such as the battery department. This camera uses AA Alkaline batteries instead of Canon’s proprietary lithium iron battery. Therefore the number of shots this camera can achieve is far less than its counterparts. It comes with a 14.1 megapixel image sensor along with a 12x optical zoom. The focal length is 28 - 336mm. Macro shots can be taken from 1-50 cm. away. This camera makes use of Canons proprietary DIGIC 4 image processing technology. It uses a 3 inch TFT 230K dots screen which is quite good for such a budget camera. ISO can be selected from 80 to 1600. The aperture range is f/3.4 - f/8.0 which makes this camera little slow and therefore the light entering the lens is slightly less.  As usual the shooting modes are auto, aperture priority, shutter priority and full manual where you can specifically control both the shutter as well as aperture.

Canon Powershot SX150 IS offers a combined zoom of 56x which is 12x optical added with 4x digital. Instead of the regular travel zoom cameras which use CMOS censors this one makes use of an older CCD sensor, therefore video recording is limited to 720p at 30 fps which is not bad for a budget camera. At 306g this camera is slightly heavy to operate. The AA Alkaline batteries are rated at 110 images so it is better to keep spare batteries to not miss the perfect shot. Image quality is an issue with all current digital cameras because of the high megapixel packed into the tiny sensors. But Canon Powershot SX150 IS delivers good image quality outdoors in bright light whereas indoors the image quality may deteriorate. 

Pros:  12x zoom, good Image Quality, full manual controls, value for money.

Cons:  DIGIC 4 is outdated, only 720p video recording, low light IQ, battery good enough for only 120 shots.

Verdict:   Overall Canon Powershot SX150 IS is a very versatile budget camera and at a cost of $150 it’s really hard to find a budget travel zoom competitor for this one. Additionally for those who want to learn manual controls before switching to Digital SLR’s this makes a perfect choice. Therefore my opinion for Canon Powershot SX150 IS is a must buy.

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS specifications

IMAGE SENSOR Type 1/2.3 type CCD Effective Pixels Approx. 14.1M Colour Filter Type Primary Colour

IMAGE PROCESSOR Type DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology

LENS Focal Length 5.0 - 60.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 28 - 336 mm) Zoom Optical 12x. Digital Approx. 4x (with Digital Tele-Converter Approx. 1.7x or 2.1x and Safety Zoom¹). Combined Approx. 48x Maximum f/number f/3.4 - f/5.6 Construction 11 elements in 9 groups (1 UD lens, 1 double-sided aspherical lens) Image Stabilisation Yes (lens shift-type), 4-stop, Intelligent IS

FOCUSING Type TTL AF System/ Points Face Detection, 1-point AF (fixed to centre) AF Modes Single, Continuous (only available in Smart Auto mode), Servo AF/AE¹, Tracking AF AF Point Selection Size (Normal, Small) AF Lock On/Off Selectable AF Assist Beam Yes Manual Focus Yes Closest Focusing Distance 1 cm (W) from front of lens in macro

EXPOSURE CONTROL Metering modes Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (Centre) AE Lock On/Off Selectable Exposure Compensation +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Enhanced i-Contrast for automatic dynamic range correction ISO sensitivity* AUTO, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600

SHUTTER Speed 1 - 1/2500 sec. (factory default) 15 - 1/2500 sec. (total range - varies by shooting mode)

WHITE BALANCE Type TTL Settings Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom

LCD MONITOR Monitor 7.5 cm (3.0”) TFT, Approx. 230,000 dots Coverage Approx. 100% Brightness Adjustable to one of five levels

FLASH Modes Auto, Manual Flash On / Off, Slow Synchro Slow Sync Speed Yes. Fastest speed 1/2000 sec. Red-Eye Reduction Yes Flash Exposure Compensation +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Face Detection FE. Safety FE. Flash Exposure Lock Yes Manual Power Adjustment 3 levels with internal flash Built-in Flash Range 50 cm - 3.0 m (W) / 1.0 m - 2.0 m (T) External Flash Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1, Canon High Power Flash HF-DC2

SHOOTING Modes Smart Auto (32 scenes detected), Program AE, Shutter priority AE, Aperture priority AE, Manual, Easy, SCN (Portrait, Landscape, Kids & Pets, Smart Shutter (Smile, Wink Self-Timer, FaceSelf-Timer), Low Light (2.0MP), Beach, Foliage, Snow, Fireworks), Creative Filters (Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Color Accent, Color Swap), Discreet, Movie Modes in Movie Smart Auto (21 scenes detected), Standard, iFrame Movie, Program AE, Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Foliage, Snow, Fireworks, Miniature Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Color Accent, Color Swap Photo Effects My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red) Drive modes Single, Continuous, Continuous with AF, Self-Timer Continuous Shooting Approx. 0.9 shots/sec. AF: Approx. 0.6 shots/sec. LV: Approx. 0.6 shots/sec.(until memory card becomes full)¹²

RECORDING PIXELS / COMPRESSION Image Size (L) 4320 x 3240, (M1) 3072 x 2304, (M2) 1600 x 1200, (S) 640 x 480, (W) 3744 x 2104. Resize in playback (M2, S, 320 x 240) Compression Fine, Normal Movies (HD) 1280 x 720, 30 fps, (L) 640 x 480, 30 fps Miniature Effect (HD, L) 6fps, 3fps, 1.5 fps iFrame Movie (HD) Movie Length (HD) Up to 4 GB or 29 min. 59 sec.¹ (L) Up to 4 GB or 1 hour²

FILE TYPES Still Image Type JPEG compression, (Exif 2.3 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system, Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant Movies MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (stereo)] iFrame

DIRECT PRINT Canon Printers Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Fixed Size Print and Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP & ES printers only) PictBridge Yes

OTHER FEATURES Red-Eye Correction Yes, during shooting and playback My Camera / My Menu Start-up image and camera sounds customisation My Category Image tagging feature Intelligent Orientation Sensor Yes Histogram Yes Playback zoom Approx. 2x - 10x Self Timer Approx. 2 or 10 sec., Custom Menu Languages English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Ukrainian, Romanian, Farsi, Hindi

INTERFACE Computer Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible) Other 3.5 mm jack A/V output: unified type (PAL/NTSC, stereo)

MEMORY CARD Type SD, SDHC, SDXC

SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM PC & Macintosh Windows 7 / 7 SP1 / Vista SP2 / XP SP3 Mac OS X v10.5 - 10.6

SOFTWARE Browsing & Printing ZoomBrowser EX / ImageBrowser Other PhotoStitch, Movie Uploader for YouTube, CameraWindow

POWER SOURCE Batteries 2x Size-AA Alkaline or Ni-MH Batteries (NB-3AH) (Alkalines supplied) Battery life Approx.110 shots (with supplied batteries) Approx. 320 shots (with optional Canon NB-3AH batteries) Approx. 420 min. playback (with supplied batteries) Approx. 540 min. playback (with Canon NB-3AH batteries A/C Power Supply Optional, AC Adapter Kit ACK800

ACCESSORIES Cases / Straps Soft Case DCC-750 Flash Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1, Canon High Power Flash HF-DC2 Power Supply & Battery Chargers AC Adapter Kit ACK800, Battery Charger Kit CBK4-300, Ni-MH Batteries NB-3AH

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS Operating Environment 0 - 40 °C¹, 10 - 90% humidity Dimensions (WxHxD) 113.3 x 73.2 x 45.8 mm Weight Approx. 306 g (including battery/batteries and memory card)

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The Gang Of 2012 Travel Zoom Cameras

Although it is said that the days of Point and Shoot cameras are limited but as of now it doesn't seem possible because there are types of P&S  cameras which even the best mobile cameras cant beat when it comes to extreme zooming, they are called as travel zoom or high zoom cameras. This is because of the high optical zoom fitted into their sophisticated compact body. Such cameras not only click good images but also are the best travel cameras because with the range of 20x zoom, you can click images of very far distance with great clarity.

This year all major camera manufacturers such as Canon, Sony, Nikon etc have upped their sleeves and have come with very competent high zoom cameras.

Below is the list of the contenders for the best travel zoom camera of 2012:

• Panasonic Lumix TZ30

• Sony HX20v

• Canon SX 240/260 HS

• Nikon COOLPIX S9300

• Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR

• Samsung WB850F

Canon SX 260 HS

Fujifilm FinePix F770EXR

Panasonic Lumix TZ30

Nikon COOLPIX S9300

Samsung WB850F

Sony HX20v

Each of these cameras have their own set of unique features which is indeed very useful, we will discuss the features of these cameras and compare them side by side in the next post.