Lumix DMC-TZ10

 

Product Description

The Lumix DMC-TZ10 (also known as the DMC-ZS7 in the USA) is Panasonic ‘s range-topping travel-zoom camera, featuring a 12x, 25-300mm lens, AVCHD video with stereo sound and built-in GPS geo-tagging. Successor to the TZ7 model, the DMC-TZ10 has a 14.5-megapixel CCD sensor and shoots with up to 12.1-megapixel resolution, reproducing images with the lens set from 25mm to 300mm in any of three aspect ratios - 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9 - while maintaining the same diagonal angle of view. A built-in GPS unit tracks where each photo is taken, automatically embedding the latitude and longitude in the EXIF data. The new Intelligent Resolution function can be used to digitally boost the zoom ratio to 16x without hardly any loss in quality, or to simply make still images and video look better, at least according to Panasonic. The TZ10 also implements a long requested feature for the TZ-series - A, S and M exposure modes for creative photographers, in addition to Intelligent Auto and a variety of scene modes for beginners. 720p HD video recording in the AVCHD or Motion JPEG formats, high-speed and high-performance Venus Engine VI processor, POWER O.I.S. anti-shake system and a 3-inch LCD screen with 460k dots complete the headline specifications. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10 / ZS7 is available in silver, black, red or blue.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10 is very similar to its cheaper sibling, the DMC-TZ8, in terms of its design, with the most notable differences being the addition of GPS, stereo sound, a one-touch movie record button and a bigger and higher-resolution LCD screen. At first glance the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10 strikes you as being a little large, elongated and bulky, but it's actually slightly lighter than the previous TZ7 model. You then have to remind yourself that Panasonic have somehow fitted in a 12x zoom lens, equivalent to 25-300mm on a 35mm camera, which provides a very versatile focal range that will cover every subject from ultra-wide angle landscapes to close-up action shots. Even when set to 300mm, the lens doesn't extend too far from the front of the TZ10, making it look to all intents and purposes like a "normal" compact camera. This helps to make the DMC-TZ10 great for candid moments, as people assume that you're using just a standard point and shoot with a much more limited range.
The 25mm focal length, now something of a standard feature on Panasonic compacts, provides an entirely new wide angle of view that can only increase your creativity. You won't want to go back to a "standard" 35mm zoom after using the 25mm lens on the DMC-TZ10, or even a 28mm one - 3mm at the wide-angle end really does make a big difference. The 12x zoom lens obviously makes this one of the most versatile compacts in terms of focal range, especially as it is coupled with Panasonic's excellent POWER O.I.S system, which helps to ensure that the majority of photos taken in good light are sharp. The TZ10's lens isn't particularly fast at the wide-angle setting with a maximum apertures of f/3.3, but f/4.9 at the 300mm telephoto setting is respectable enough.

Technical data

Optics
• Camera Effective Pixels: 12.1 Megapixels
• Sensor Size / Total Pixels / Filter: 1/2.33-type / 14.5 Total Megapixels / Primary Color Filter
• Aperture: F3.3 - 4.9/ Multistage Iris Diaphragm (F3.3 - 6.3 (W) / F4.9 - 6.3 (T))
• Optical Zoom: 12x
• Focal Length: f=4.1-49.2mm (25-300mm in 35mm equiv.)
• Extra Optical Zoom (EZ): 14.7x (4:3 / 8M), 18.8x (4:3 / 5M), 23.4x (under 3M)
• Intelligent Zoom: 16x
• Lens: LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR / 10 elements in 8 groups / (2 Aspherical Lenses / 3 Aspherical surfaces / 2 ED lenses)
• 2-Speed Zoom: Yes
• Optical Image Stabilizer: Power O.I.S. (Off / Auto / Mode1 / Mode2)
• Digital Zoom: 4x / ( Max. 48.0 x combined with Optical Zoom without Extra Optical Zoom ) / (Max. 93.8 x combined with Extra Optical Zoom)
• Focusing Area: Normal: Wide 50 cm - infinity / Tele 200 cm - infinity / Macro / Intelligent AUTO / Clipboard: Wide 3 cm - infinity / Tele 100cm - infinity
• Focus Range Display: Yes
• AF Assist Lamp: Yes
• Focus: Normal / Macro, Zoom Macro, Quick AF On/Off (On in Intelligent Auto), Continuous AF On/Off, AF Tracking
• AF Metering: Face / AF Tracking / 11pt / 1pt HS / 1pt / Spot
• Shutter Speed: Still: 60 - 1/2000 sec / Starry Sky Mode : 15, 30, 60sec.
• Shutter Interval: approx. 1.0 sec

For the whole specification click here.

Reference

Albums photografed with this camera:
Flowers of Corsica
Red Sea underwater images (only the pics taken in 2011 and all the videos; the pictures from 2010 were taken with an Lumix TZ02)
The underwater pics and videos of Corsica 2011.

Images