http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/panasonic-zs50/panasonic-zs50A.HTM
DanielD • 3 days ago
[quot]Got the camera a week ago. Bought it because I wanted a raw enabled compact with a view finder. The handling is not bad. It is super light for its size, which makes it feel plasticky, but it does not feel flimsy. The image quality is impressive. It is packed with full manual controls. However there is not much control over the depth of field. I am guessing it is due to the sensor size. So aperture priority does not do much for me. With lenses as slow as f3.3-6.4 not much sports can be shot. Full manual is always welcome for long exposures. It has a built in time-laps feature, which is nice. The EVF is beautiful. The lens is super sharp. I guess it was designed for higher pixel sensor and does even better job with this one. Really like the ISO80 feature. As the image stabilization seems to work very well, I have no issues using the low ISO settings. The color balance is very pleasing. The only complete non-sense for this camera is the flash location. Can not use the EVF and the flash at the same time. My fingers cover half of it all the time. And I am an average size person. However, for what it is meant to be, this camera is a great travel companion. I think every photo enthusiast will enjoy it.[/quot]
[quot]There's not a huge amount of difference between the TZ60 and the TZ70, so if you have the previous model there's probably not enough here to tempt you to upgrade.
That said, if you're looking for your first travel compact, or are updating after some time, you're likely to be extremely pleased with what the TZ70 has to offer.
It's got something which should appeal to lots of different kinds of photographers. If you're an absolute beginner, you can leave it in Automatic mode and enjoy the benefits of the huge zoom range, or perhaps the creative effects. However, if you're more of an enthusiast, the opportunity to shoot in raw format and manually control exposure is a definite plus.
Then there's image quality of course. Generally speaking, images are great, especially in good light. The zoom range is fantastic, and the image stabilisation system does a really good job of helping to keep images blur free even at the far end of the telephoto range.
Creative options, such as digital filters and panoramic images add an extra touch of fun to your images, and there's a great range on offer here – in my opinion some of the best you'll find on a compact camera.
AF speeds are also great, and it's good to be able to get close to a subject using macro focusing if you want to create frame-filling shots.
We liked
This is a fantastic pocket camera for those who like to travel, and it's probably the combination of a huge zoom range with manual control and raw format shooting that makes it so appealing, especially to those who have a more advanced camera that they would use most of the rest of the time. It remains great to see an electronic viewfinder on a compact camera and it really comes in useful on very bright sunny days - which is especially useful for a travel oriented camera.
We disliked
Panasonic remains resolute in not including a touchscreen for the TZ70, just as it did with the TZ60. Perhaps this keeps the cost down, but it takes away the convenience of setting autofocus point, flicking through pictures in playback and changing other settings.
Verdict
When Panasonic first created the TZ series, the competition was a lot more sparse. Now, there's a whole raft of compact cameras which offer features such as 30x optical zoom and manual control.
The good news is that Panasonic still manages to remain a strong contender in this category, continuing to improve on an already strong heritage to bring a new model which has almost everything you could want from a travel, family or holiday camera.
With a huge zoom range, you'll find it's versatile for lots of different shooting scenarios from family portraits right up to far away views and more. If you're looking to pick up something for a little less money however, the camera's predecessor, the TZ60 remains a good option.[/quot]
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