The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 is a replacement for the outgoing TZ20 from Panasonic, featuring an increased zoom range from 16X to 20X with 24-480 mm lens, 14.1 MP high sensitivity MOS sensor and a 3 inch touch-sensitive LCD screen. The camera allows shooting 1080p Full HD movies at 50/60 fps and fast burst shooting at 10fps with continuous auto-focus. The TZ30 also offers a 23-point multi area autofocus system, A, S & M exposure modes, Intelligent Resolution function which digitally boosts the zoom ratio to 40X, Creative Controls to take 3D still images, Auto Retouch modes and an upgraded Light speed auto-focus system with Venus Engine VI processor.
This camera from Panasonic produces images of very quality. The 14 MP MOS sensor used in Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 produces noise-free images at ISO 100-400 with limited colour desaturation. Beyond ISO 400, the camera starts showing signs of image noise; however the images are usable all the way until ISO 1600. The Panasonic Lumix DMC- TZ30 also shoots images that have deep and rich colors. However, the TZ30 does occasionally underexpose images, though this occurrence is quite rare. The TZ30 does a good job of stabilizing the image at the furthest end of the zoom range, though of course one would need to have a pair of steady hands as well.
Coming to the looks of this camera, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 is a very well-built camera with high quality metal body, and the dominating feature in this design being the 20x lens on the front and the large 3 inch LCD screen on the rear. Although the TZ30 looks very identical to its predecessor, the DMC TZ20 in terms of design as well as looks, its quite interesting to find that the new DMC-TZ30 accommodates in itself a 20x zoom lens which is equivalent to 24-480mm.
Sample Images
In the middle of the navigation pad is embedded the main menu system with Menu/Set button. Here we have the four menu options namely Record, Motion Picture, GPS and Setup. These options are mainly used for controls such as white balance, image quality, auto-focus mode and ISO speed. Overall the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 serves most of the purpose for a compact normal camera.
Specifications:
| Image Sensor Size | 1/2.3” |
| Image Sensor Type | CMOS |
| Effective Pixels | 14.1 MP |
| Optical Zoom | 20x |
| Shutter Speed | 15-1/2000 sec |
| Aperture | f/3.3-6.4 |
| Focal length | 24-480mm |
| Stills Format | JPEG |
| Video Format | MPEG-4, AVCHD |
| Screen | 3” , 460k dots |
| External Memory | SD/SDHC/SDXC |
| Dimensions | 105×59×28 |
| Weight | 206 g |
| Price | $549 |
