Anyone Using the ZS80/TZ95?

John McCormack · Dec 28, 2020

I'm heading to France and Morocco next year (he said, optimistically :-D ) and planning to take a P&S camera for record shots of birds and animals. I like my Sony HX80, which is close to the specs of the ZS80/TZ95 (24–720 mm, f/3.3–6.4, etc.) but the menus are poor and the popup EVF isn't very handy.

I had a bad experience with a ZS60 which arrived DOA (zoom error messages) and had to return it. The ZS80 has some features I like, especially focus stacking.

Comments appreciated.

Jack Tingle · Dec 28, 2020

I have the very similar ZS70. I carry it a lot.

Pros:

Light, handy & maneuverable--good for fast panning
Huge zoom range--great, so long as you have enough stability. I usually mount it on a light weight monopod when I need it.
Decent battery life.
The flip up screen is a real plus. I didn't think it was important, but I really like it.
Big range of video options, but see cons.
Programmable function buttons are very helpful.
Macro works really well.

Cons:

Zoom mechanism is fragile. Baby it.
4k stills & video overload the ZS70 processor & memory bus. Records OK, but xfer to a real computer for playback. This may be fixed on the ZS80.
4k stills isn't really that useful.
Menus are complicated with a lot of dependencies. This occasionally slows you down.
The 20 Mpx sensor is overkill. I run 5 Mpx jpeg + raw, for if I don't like the jpeg.

John McCormack · Dec 28, 2020

Thanks, Jack. Good points I will keep in mind before pulling the trigger.

Peter Shute · Dec 30, 2020

Jack Tingle said:
Zoom mechanism is fragile. Baby it.

I agree with that. I suspect my lens problems (TZ80) started when it accidentally extended the lens in a cameras bag where there wasn't room, probably because it went to sleep in playback mode. I believe the sleep on playback can be disabled on the TZ95, so I'd do that if you get one.

It works well for birds for me. The downside of the tiny camera is image quality problems that I'm prepared to put up with for the convenience.

ClaudeVoyage · Dec 30, 2020

I agree with all you pros.

I like the feature that help you to dezoom temporary to compose your photo. It is very handy.

For the cons, yes, be careful with the zoom mechanism.

personally, I don’t do 4K video, I prefer having 50 FPS (full HD) over 25 FPS (4K).

20 Mpix are probably too much. I would have preferred 10 or 12 Mpix with less noise.

I recommend to use RAW to be able to reduce noise.

I really like this camera. It has even replaced my long zoom lens on my lens interchangeable camera.

jshen808 · Dec 30, 2020

ClaudeVoyage said:
I agree with all you pros.

I like the feature that help you to dezoom temporary to compose your photo. It is very handy.

For the cons, yes, be careful with the zoom mechanism.

personally, I don’t do 4K video, I prefer having 50 FPS (full HD) over 25 FPS (4K).

20 Mpix are probably too much. I would have preferred 10 or 12 Mpix with less noise.

I recommend to use RAW to be able to reduce noise.

I really like this camera. It has even replaced my long zoom lens on my lens interchangeable camera.

You can be a "pro" too,

just hit 10,000 postings.

Cheers!

--
Cheers, John
(Feel free to download my pictures)
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Anyone Using the ZS80/TZ95?

John McCormack

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Jack Tingle

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John McCormack

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Peter Shute

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ClaudeVoyage

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jshen808

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