Is it worth it / TZ / FZ Kind of question

rolandb said:

Hi Guys,,

A while ago I asked the question of "which is better for my needs" regarding the FZ200 / FZ1000,, and as always received some very helpful advice,,

Now having returned (yesterday) from a week in Malta I find myself pondering another question regarding a choice of camera. This trip I only took my TZ25 / ZS35 with as always the Clearviewer fitted, I came back with some 220 snaps that need sorting but its made me think,, I enjoyed carrying just the one cam (having left the LX5 at home) and really for the type / amount of snapping that I do now the TZ fitted the bill just right. Think I've come back with some half decent shots, even the interiors of places like Mosa Dome look good.

Light, easy to carry in hand or small belt pouch, spare batt in one side pocket, circ pol filter in another, job done.

This is what I'm thinking,, forget the FZ"s and go for another TZ/ZS that will/can take the place of both the TZ25 & LX5 and if so which one ?.

Now as I broke (my fault) the clearviewer off the cam (thankfully the last day) I'm thinking of maybe a TZ with an EVF and I'm thinking of the TZ70. I don't really need /want that much zoom but reports on here have been good on iq etc.

So guys, any thoughts on this, good / bad ,,,,,

Also If I decided to go along this route can anyone tell me if the batts from my TZ25 will fit the TZ70, only it would save me having to buy a spare,,,

Thanks for looking / reading,,,

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

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Isola Verde said:

Another aspect to the "Is it worth it?" question....

There's also the matter of what to do about the RW2 files that the TZ70 outputs in RAW or RAW + JPG mode - with the latter my own preference!

As a newish model, the camera's not supported by Lightroom 5, or any version of PSE before the new PSE14, so I can't process them directly. Guess eventually I'll go over to LR6 - or more probably the PS/LR bundle - but I'm saving that decision for the dark days of winter, and am using this simple workflow for now...

- transfer all new files off the card to a dummy folder on the Desktop

- run the Adobe DNG converter (now version 9.1.1) on the folder contents, saving the DNGs back into the same place, without embedding the RAW file into them.

- transfer the RW2 files to a set of holding folders

- transfer the JPG and DNG files into the folders of my LR "tree" and import into LR5 from there.

- check nothing was left behind in the dummy folder!

...................

The DNGs then process quite nicely in LR5, and should be fine in any recentish version of Elements.

I've got PSE 12 for most of the things LR can't handle however neither can remove every last trace of noise from every TZ70 shot, but at least it's a speckly, B&W noise and not the horrid yellow-brown fuzzy stuff of earlier TZs.

For example..


1/4 sec, ISO 1600, handheld though probably resting on whatever I could find!

OK, far from perfect but plenty good enough for me... especially as it's taken AFTER we'd had our meal and wine?

Peter

--
Recent, mostly NX3000 and NX10
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132932913@N02/
Older
http://www.pbase.com/isolaverde

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saudidave said:

Roland

I feel ideally placed to answer this. I've had dslr's, TZ's, compacts , you name it. Malta -Love the place; photographic paradise (the light).

If you are comfortable with clearviewers then all you need is a late model TZ/ZS and the clearviewer. The EVF on the ZS40/50 is good, particularly the ZS50, but the clearviewer blows the experience in to infinity!

Any other camera than a ZS in Malta is a pixel peep!

JFDI

Dave

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rolandb said:

Hi Guys,,

A while ago I asked the question of "which is better for my needs" regarding the FZ200 / FZ1000,, and as always received some very helpful advice,,

Now having returned (yesterday) from a week in Malta I find myself pondering another question regarding a choice of camera. This trip I only took my TZ25 / ZS35 with as always the Clearviewer fitted, I came back with some 220 snaps that need sorting but its made me think,, I enjoyed carrying just the one cam (having left the LX5 at home) and really for the type / amount of snapping that I do now the TZ fitted the bill just right. Think I've come back with some half decent shots, even the interiors of places like Mosa Dome look good.

Light, easy to carry in hand or small belt pouch, spare batt in one side pocket, circ pol filter in another, job done.

This is what I'm thinking,, forget the FZ"s and go for another TZ/ZS that will/can take the place of both the TZ25 & LX5 and if so which one ?.

Now as I broke (my fault) the clearviewer off the cam (thankfully the last day) I'm thinking of maybe a TZ with an EVF and I'm thinking of the TZ70. I don't really need /want that much zoom but reports on here have been good on iq etc.

So guys, any thoughts on this, good / bad ,,,,,

Also If I decided to go along this route can anyone tell me if the batts from my TZ25 will fit the TZ70, only it would save me having to buy a spare,,,

Thanks for looking / reading,,,

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

Click to expand...

snappyden said:

rolandb said:

Hi Guys,,

A while ago I asked the question of "which is better for my needs" regarding the FZ200 / FZ1000,, and as always received some very helpful advice,,

Now having returned (yesterday) from a week in Malta I find myself pondering another question regarding a choice of camera. This trip I only took my TZ25 / ZS35 with as always the Clearviewer fitted, I came back with some 220 snaps that need sorting but its made me think,, I enjoyed carrying just the one cam (having left the LX5 at home) and really for the type / amount of snapping that I do now the TZ fitted the bill just right. Think I've come back with some half decent shots, even the interiors of places like Mosa Dome look good.

Light, easy to carry in hand or small belt pouch, spare batt in one side pocket, circ pol filter in another, job done.

This is what I'm thinking,, forget the FZ"s and go for another TZ/ZS that will/can take the place of both the TZ25 & LX5 and if so which one ?.

Now as I broke (my fault) the clearviewer off the cam (thankfully the last day) I'm thinking of maybe a TZ with an EVF and I'm thinking of the TZ70. I don't really need /want that much zoom but reports on here have been good on iq etc.

So guys, any thoughts on this, good / bad ,,,,,

Also If I decided to go along this route can anyone tell me if the batts from my TZ25 will fit the TZ70, only it would save me having to buy a spare,,,

Thanks for looking / reading,,,

Roland.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rolandb52/

"" I'm a snap-shooter! I shoot anything that interest me. Sometimes, I get lucky and some of my snap-shots turn into a photograph.""

Click to expand...

Hi Roland,

Thought I would ad my opinion and experience to the other's comments. I've had a ZS19 now for about 2 years, and in addition to it always being with me, it (and I) have been to Italy, Maui, and various places in California and the camera has always produced what i feel are very acceptable images for viewing on high quality large monitors (I have a 27" iMac).

For quite some time I had an LX7 (both before and during having the ZS19), which i took to Italy along with the ZS19. As several individuals on this board have commented, other than interior, low light situations, there was minimal, if any difference visible in the images produces by these 2 cameras. But of course the range available with the ZS19 blows the LX7 away and the ZS fits easily in my pocket.

So I sold my LX7 and bought an open box Sony RX100I for a very good price. As you probably now, its reviews have been stellar and its sensor is significantly larger that either the LX7 or ZS series. Well, to make the long story short, I see little difference, (if any) in decently lit situations between it and the ZS19, and the ZS19 does a much better job capturing flower closeups, and again blows away the range (28-100) of the RX100. So it was just sold also.

Getting a second ZS is now a very real possibility for me, or as Erik has done, among others, a Casio, which seems to have equal if not better IQ and a vast assortment of other attributes.

Good luck in your decision, but i don't think you can find a better series of very flexible, usable and acceptable IQ cameras than the Panasonic ZS cameras.

Best,

Den

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kkardster said:

Although I don't own one, I tend to view the TZ70 as a slightly longer FZ150 that happens to fit in one's pocket. It's newer sensor may partially make up for the slightly slower lens, but the result is quite a camera that is easy to carry with you for when you need it. For your purposes it just might be the one!

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windmillgolfer said:

Hi Roland, glad you enjoyed Malta, it is certainly on my list to visit, possibly next January.

The TZ70 is now within 10% of the price of the TZ60. Given the better EVF and improvement of around a Stop over the TZ60, it's a no brainer to go with the TZ70.

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John McCormack said:

I don't know about prices in the UK, but in the USA, the price on the ZS50 just dropped by $50. to @$348. Makes them look even more attractive.

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cainn24 said:

windmillgolfer said:

Hi Roland, glad you enjoyed Malta, it is certainly on my list to visit, possibly next January.

The TZ70 is now within 10% of the price of the TZ60. Given the better EVF and improvement of around a Stop over the TZ60, it's a no brainer to go with the TZ70.

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The supposed one-stop improvement over the TZ60 comes as a result of less aggressive in-camera sharpening and more aggressive in-camera noise reduction in the case of the TZ70. And even then you'll only be able to see a difference of that degree if you look at an area of the image where there isn't much detail. In areas of moderate detail the noise advantage that the TZ70 has is significantly less than a stop (although an advantage still exists) because that's a more challenging noise reduction scenario.

Furthermore on average the TZ60 seems to resolve more detail than the TZ70, and particularly so at the long end on a significant number of samples (not just the ones I've tested). Given that some people actually prefer sharper images even if that means a bit more noise I'm not sure that this is a no-brainer at all. I would suggest that people examine output from both cameras at the same print/display size and bring their own personal preferences to bear on the question.

As much of an improvement as the TZ70 is in some respects I would personally choose the TZ60 instead.

Having said that though for some people the differences between the two in terms of IQ are going to fall below their threshold of concern (we can see some evidence of that in some of the responses to this) and therefore the superior usability of the TZ70 probably puts it out in front (unless GPS is critical, or unless one doesn't care about the EVF and slight ergonomic improvements). If I had to choose based on handling alone it would be the TZ70.

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windmillgolfer said:

Hi Roland, glad you enjoyed Malta, it is certainly on my list to visit, possibly next January.

The TZ70 is now within 10% of the price of the TZ60. Given the better EVF and improvement of around a Stop over the TZ60, it's a no brainer to go with the TZ70. Whenever I take the LX7, for just in case use, I'm usually left wishing I'd taken my TZ60 for the reach and, sometimes, the EVF.

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Isola Verde said:

Isola Verde wrote:[...] A possible advantage for the FZs is having theirs more or less in the centre, whereas the "corner" positioning on the TZ models may or may not be to your liking?

For me, as a left-handed, left-eyed shooter it definitely is - except on those rare occasions when needing to adjust the dioptre setting from the one I use "with" my glasses to that for "without"!

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Isola Verde said:

Biggest drawback has been how enjoyable the thing is to take pictures with... almost 1500 in a month of ownership, and I'm way behind in culling the duds, let alone processing the good'uns.

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Isola Verde said:

Peter

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Cyril Catt said:

Cyril Catt said:

Isola Verde wrote:[...] A possible advantage for the FZs is having theirs more or less in the centre, whereas the "corner" positioning on the TZ models may or may not be to your liking?

For me, as a left-handed, left-eyed shooter it definitely is - except on those rare occasions when needing to adjust the dioptre setting from the one I use "with" my glasses to that for "without"!

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Left eye dominance is certainly a problem for some - I think possibly a minority, or so many cameras would not have their viewfinders on the left.

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cainn24 said:

Cyril Catt said:

cainn24 said:

Isola Verde wrote:[...] A possible advantage for the FZs is having theirs more or less in the centre, whereas the "corner" positioning on the TZ models may or may not be to your liking?

For me, as a left-handed, left-eyed shooter it definitely is - except on those rare occasions when needing to adjust the dioptre setting from the one I use "with" my glasses to that for "without"!

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Left eye dominance is certainly a problem for some - I think possibly a minority, or so many cameras would not have their viewfinders on the left.

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When the EVF is situated on the far left of the camera a left-eye-dominant person can be looking through it with their favoured eye while simultaneously stabilizing the camera body against their brow and nose (assuming they are not wearing glasses at the time). I find that nose smudges on the LCD are a tiny (insignificant really) price to pay for the advantages that come from employing the best possible technique (at least in the context of EVF rather than LCD composition).

In other words left-positioned EVFs allow left-eye-dominant people to employ the same basic technique that they would employ with centered EVFs. Right-eye-dominant people can of course do the same thing but only by using their least favourite eye (heh).

So funnily enough there are a lot of left-eye-dominant people out there (myself included) who feel that it is actually an advantage rather than a problem.

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