Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 Review

January 31, 2014 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

The Lumix DMC-TZ60 (also known as the DMC-ZS40 in the USA) is Panasonic's latest flagship travel-zoom camera, featuring a 30x 24-720mm lens, 18.1 megapixel high-sensitivity MOS sensor, an electronic viewfinder, a manual control ring, 50p Full HD movies, 5-axis image stabiliser for video shooting, built-in Wi-Fi, NFC and GPS connectivity, a 3-inch 920K dot LCD screen, Light Speed auto-focus system and 10fps burst shooting. The TZ60 also offers a 23-point multi-area autofocus system, focus peaking, P/A/S/M exposure modes, RAW shooting, Intelligent Auto and a variety of scene modes, and Creative Controls, Creative Panorama, Creative Retouch, Auto Retouch and HDR modes. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / ZS25 is available in silver or black for £349.99 / $399.99.

Ease of Use

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 is slightly bigger and heavier than the previous TZ40 model that it replaces, bit it does now offer a longer 30x zoom lens (the TZ40 had a 20x lens) and also a built-in electronic viewfinder. The 30x lens is equivalent to 24-720mm on a 35mm camera, which provides an incredibly versatile focal range that will cover every subject from ultra-wide angle landscapes to close-up action shots. Even when set to 720mm, the lens doesn't extend too far from the front of the TZ60, making it look to all intents and purposes like a "normal" compact camera. This helps to make the DMC-TZ60 great for candid moments, as people assume that you're using just a standard point and shoot with a much more limited range.

At the other end the 24mm focal length provides a very wide angle of view that's perfect for land- and city-scapes. The 30x zoom lens 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 TZ60's lens isn't particularly fast at either the wide-angle setting, with a maximum aperture of f/3.3, or the telephoto setting, with a maximum aperture of f/6.4, but given the focal range on offer, we feel this is a compromise worth making.

To help combat camera shake, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 has an anti-shake system, on this model the POWER O.I.S. variety. Turn it on and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 automatically compensates for camera shake, which is a slight blurring of the image that typically occurs at slow shutter speeds when the camera is hand held. When shooting video, the 5-axis HYBRID O.I.S.+ is automatically added to the POWER O.I.S. system, which effectively compensates for the camera's five types of movement – horizontal, vertical, axis of rotation, vertical rotation and horizontal rotation.

There are two different modes, Mode 1 is on all the time including image composition, and Mode 2 is only on when you press the shutter button. An Auto setting is also available if you're not sure which one to use. You don't notice that the camera is actually doing anything different when anti-shake is turned on, just that you can use slower shutter speeds than normal and still take sharp photos. The TZ60 has a respectable battery life of 300 shots. Note that the camera battery is rather inconveniently charged via the USB port, rather than a separate charger, so it's a good idea to invest in some extra batteries.

The DMC-TZ60 is a well-built camera with a high quality metal body that's covered in a tactile rubberised coating. The design is dominated by the 30x lens on the front, the large 3 inch LCD screen on the rear and the new electronic viewfinder. Given the overall size of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60, the integrated EVF is understandably rather small at just 0.2-inch, making it rather tiring to use for longer periods of time. If you think of the EVF as something to use in bright sunlight when the rear screen is difficult to see, or when you want to add some extra stability to the camera when using the full extent of the 30x zoom by holding it at eye-level, then you won't be disappointed. If you're expecting to use it for 99% of your shooting, then you will be.

Still, the EVF adds relatively little bulk or weight to the overall design of the TZ60, it displays quite a lot of information, including the ability to playback images and change the camera settings, and it even comes with a diopter control for glasses wearers. So in our opinion it's well worth having, if only as a backup to the main screen.

A new, intuitive control ring surrounds the lens which can be customised to change either the aperture, shutter speed, step zoom, exposure compensation, aspect ratio, ISO speed or white balance settings. Left at the default setting and used in conjunction with the control wheel on the rear, it makes it easy to alter the camera's principal creative controls.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60
Front Rear

There is a new, smaller handgrip on the front of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60, in our opinion a backwards step compared to the TZ40's much bigger grip, and a thumb-sized textured area on the rear for your right thumb. The DMC-TZ60 is well-made overall, although we still don't like the cover for the battery compartment and SD card slot, which feels a little insubstantial and is locked using a cheap plastic grey switch.

The Panasonic DMC-TZ60 actually has a 18.9 megapixel sensor, but only uses 18.1 megapixels so that it can offer four different aspect ratios - 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 or 1:1 - without having to change the angle of view. The Multi Aspect mode takes an image in all four aspect ratios simultaneously and lets you choose the best one.

There's a traditional shooting mode dial on the top of the TZ60 which has a positive action and lets you select the various shooting and scene modes. This dial is a typical feature of SLR cameras, and enables you to quickly change between the various modes. Interestingly there are two Custom modes available, C1 and C2, which can be used to provide quick access to different settings and allow some customization of the camera setup, very handy if you often use the camera for different subjects or situations.

The DMC-TZ60 offers advanced controls over exposure, with full manual (M), aperture-priority (A) and shutter-priority (S) modes on offer, which will instantly appeal to the more experienced photographer. The range of apertures on offer is rather limited by the lens (F3.3 - 8.0 at 24mm and F6.4 - 8.0 at 720mm), but the ability to choose from 60 - 1/2000th second shutter speeds and set both the aperture and shutter speed if you wish opens up a lot of creative potential.

The TZ40's rather awkward to use Exposure button, which in conjunction with the arrow keys on the navigation pad allowed you to change the aperture and/or the shutter speed if you were using the A, S or M shooting modes, has been replaced by either pressing up on the navigation pad to toggle between aperture and shutter speed, or using a combination of the new lens control ring and the rear control wheel - both methods are much more logical.

There's also very welcome support for the RAW file format, the first time on the TZ-series, which is the icing on the cake for serious photographers looking for a backup-pocket camera to their DSLR. Sadly, the DMC-TZ60 that we received for testing didn't include Panasonic's SILKYPIX Developer Studio 4.1 SE raw processing software, so we're unable to comment on this important function at the time of writing.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60
Front Top

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 features Panasonic's now well-established Intelligent Auto Mode. Panasonic have tried to make things as easy as possible for the complete beginner by providing this shooting mode, which allows you to point and shoot the camera without having to worry about choosing the right mode or settings. Intelligent Auto Mode automatically determines a number of key criteria when taking a picture, including selecting the most appropriate scene mode and ISO speed, and turning face detection (up to 15 faces), image stabilization and quick auto-focus on. Intelligent Exposure increases the exposure only in the under-exposed areas of the image, and Digital Red-eye automatically detects and removes red-eye. Intelligent Exposure can also be turned on in the Normal Picture mode (but strangely not Digital Red-eye).

AF tracking continually tracks a moving subject and keeps it in focus, without you having to hold the shutter button halfway down as on most other cameras. Face Recognition is a fun and genuinely useful feature which "remembers" up to 6 registered faces and then always prioritizes the focus and exposure for that person in future pictures - it even shows the name of the person on the LCD. Very useful for group shots where you want your loved ones to be the centre of attention. You can specify the age of the registered subject, stamp the age of the subject onto your photos, change the focus icon for a particular person, and playback only the photos that contain a certain face. The camera will even automatically switch to Baby mode if someone registered as less than 3 years old appears in the frame.

In practice the Intelligent Auto Mode system works very well, with the camera seamlessly choosing the most appropriate combination of settings for the current situation. The 7 available scene modes are Scenery, Portrait, Macro, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Sunset or Handheld Night Shot, so obviously not all situations are covered by Intelligent Auto Mode, but it does work for the majority of the time. It makes it possible for the less experienced photographer to easily take well-exposed, sharp pictures of people, scenery and close-ups by simply pointing and shooting the camera. If you're feeling a little down, the Happy Mode boosts the color, saturation and brightness to give you a warm glow inside (but not a terribly accurate picture).

The DMC-TZ60's built-in GPS system allows you to seamlessly geo-tag your photos (latitude and longitude co-ordinates are stored in the EXIF data, plus the local time) and then sort and display them using geo-friendly websites such as Google Earth and Google Maps. The DMC-TZ60 has a built-in database of over 1 million known landmarks around the world, which it uses to try and tag each image if enabled, and the GPS system has been further enhanced by incorporating GLONASS technology, a Russian GPS system which offers improved coverage. In addition you can choose which specific information is set for your photos, with Country/Region, State/Prov/County, City/Town and Landmark the available options. The TZ60 offers the ability to view your tagged photos on a map in the camera, with 90 detailed country maps supplied on a DVD which can be copied to an SD card, although it's a little simplistic compared to the internet options.

The GPS can be manually turned on or off - when enabled, it continues working even when the camera is switched off. There's also a special airplane mode which only keeps GPS on when the camera is switched on. The GPS Info option shows you exactly which satellites are being used and importantly when the signal lock was last obtained, with the option of manually updating the positioning process. This last option is important because the DMC-TZ60 has a tendency to keep using an old position if you, say, catch the London tube and travel a few miles underground, in which case it needs to be manually updated. Other than this idiosyncracy, the TZ60's GPS receiver works a lot better than previous GPS-capable cameras that we've reviewed, saving accurate positioning information for most of the images that we shot in built-up central London, making this camera much more useful for urban photographers. The main downside of the TZ60's GPS is the subsequent drain on battery life, with the camera only managing just over 225 shots with GPS turned on instead of the 300 that it can manage without.

The Wi-Fi functionality (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n) lets you use your smartphone or mobile device to remotely change the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60's settings (focus setting, exposure compensation, ISO, WB and Photo Styles) using the LUMIX App. You can even operate the 30x zoom and fire the shutter button remotely, while the auto transfer function automatically backs up your photos onto a tablet, smartphone, PC, web service, AV device or Panasonic's LUMIX Club Cloud Sync service. The DMC-TZ60 also features NFC (Near Field Communication) technology (the same technology that's used for mobile payments), which allows you to connect the camera to a compatible internet enabled device or another TZ60 by simply tapping them together.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60
Side Lens Extended

Completing the top of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 are the Off/On button, responsive zoom lever, tactile shutter button, holes for the stereo microphone and for the speaker, and the one-touch Movie Record button. The TZ60 offers stereo sound which used in combination with the Wind Cut menu option makes a real difference to the sound quality in movies.

The TZ60 can record HD video at 1920x1080 pixels at 50p (FHD: 28Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor output is 50fps), 1920 x 1080 pixels at 50i (FHD: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 50fps), or 1280 x 720 pixels at 50p (HD: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor output is 50fps). In the MP4 format it offers 1920 x 1080 pixels at 25fps (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4), 1280 x 720 pixels at 25fps (HD: 10Mbps / MP4) and 640 x 480 pixels at 25fps (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4). There's also a High Speed mode that shoots 1280 x 720 pixel movies at 100fps or 640 x 480 pixels at 200fps.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60's various movie options are sensibly stored in an easy to understand Motion Picture menu. Stereo sound is recorded during capture, helped by the wind cut function. You can also use the zoom lens during recording and really make the most of that 24-720mm focal range. The Level Shot function automatically detects the horizon in the frame and and keeps it even in the recorded movie even if the camera is tilted - very clever. On the negative side, you'll find that the lens zooms more slowly than when shooting a still image, and if you choose continuous auto-focus, areas of the video will be blurred before becoming sharp again as the camera tries to refocus. The HDMI port allows you to connect the TZ60 to a high-def TV set, but only if you purchase the optional HDMI mini-cable.

The DMC-TZ60 has a 3D Mode option. When selected, the camera instructs you to pan 10cms from left to right, during which it takes 20 consecutive shots at high-speed, another benefit of the high-speed sensor. It then automatically selects the best 2 shots from the sequence to create a 3D image. You can only view the results on a 3D TV (the TZ60 records standard MPO files), and although it isn't as effective as images taken with Panasonic's 3D Micro Four Thirds lens or the Fujifilm 3D W3, for example, it does create quite a convincing effect which particularly suits subjects that are close-up to the camera.

The Intelligent Resolution feature performs two main functions - it either makes a standard image look like a higher resolution one by processing the contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas individually, or it digitally boosts the zoom magnification from 30x to 60x with minimal loss of quality and no reduction in resolution. In both cases, it's easy tell which image was taken with Intelligent Resolution turned on and which ones with it turned off, particularly if viewing onscreen at 100% magnification, as our test shots on the Image Quality page show. The difference isn't quite so apparent on a print up to A3 in size, but we're not convinced enough to recommend it except when you really need the extra reach - it undoubtedly improves on the digital zoom, but not so much that we'd regularly use it.

In addition to the new EVF, there's a large 3 inch LCD screen with a high resolution of 920K dots, which coped admirably with the majority of lighting conditions, even being nice to use in low-light. There's a clever function called High Angle, accessible from the Quick Menu, which essentially brightens the LCD screen when the camera is held over your head so that it is perfectly viewable, which is great for shooting over the heads of a crowd. The Intelligent LCD function automatically detects the current lighting conditions and boosts the LCD backlighting by up to 40% when shooting outdoors in bright sunshine, helping to keep the screen visible. Rather strangely, though, the DMC-TZ60 doesn't retain its predecessors touchscreen capabilities, something that we sorely missed on this new model.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

The main menu system on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 is accessed by pressing the Menu/Set button in the middle of the navigation pad. There are five menu options, Record, Motion Picture, GPS, Setup and Wi-fi. Most of the camera's main options, such as white balance, image quality, auto-focus mode and ISO speed, are accessed here. Due to the large LCD screen and restricting the number of on-screen choices to five, the various options and icons are very clear and legible.

The DMC-TZ60 now incorporates a Focus Peaking function that makes manually focusing much easier. The level can be set to High or Low and three colours are available (blue, yellow and green). You can clearly see the focus peaking in action in the EVF and LCD screen, and also via a smartphone or tablet when using the remote view mode.

On the rear of the camera is the Q.Menu button which provides quick access to most of the principal controls, including ISO speed, image size, image quality and white balance (there are 9 settings in total). You can still access all of these options from the main menu system too.

The start-up time from turning the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 on to being ready to take a photo is quite quick at around 2 seconds. Zooming from the widest focal length to the longest is very slow at around 5 seconds, but focusing is very quick in good light thanks to the Light Speed AF system (fastest focusing speed of 0.1 seconds), and the camera achieves focus most of the time indoors or in low-light situations, helped by the focus-assist lamp. Note that the camera does struggle to lock onto the subject at the tele-photo end of the lens in low-light situations.

It takes about 1 second to store an image, allowing you to keep shooting as they are being recorded onto the memory card, with a delay of 0.3 seconds between images. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 has an impressively quick Burst mode which enables you to take 10 frames per second for 6 shots with the focus fixed according to the first frame at the full 18 megapixel resolution. There are also slower 5fps or 2fps burst modes which offer continuous auto-focusing during the burst, and faster 40fps and 60fps options that drop the megapixel count to 5 and 2.5 respectively.

Once you have captured a photo, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 has a good range of options when it comes to playing, reviewing and managing your images. You can instantly scroll through the images that you have taken, view thumbnails (up to 30 onscreen at the same time and in a special Calendar view), zoom in and out up to 16x magnification, view slideshows, delete, protect, crop, resize and copy an image. You can also select favourite images, sort images into categories, add a text stamp, add a soundclip and set the print order. Face Recognition plays back only the photos that contain a certain face. The Display button toggles detailed settings information about each picture on and off, such as the ISO rating and aperture / shutter speed, and there is a small histogram available during both shooting and playback. When taking a photo, pressing the Display button toggles between the detailed information, the detailed information plus gridlines to aid composition, and no information at all.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 18 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6.5Mb.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 produced images of very good quality during the review period. The 1/2.33 inch, 18 megapixel MOS sensor used in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 produces noise-free images at ISO 100-400, with limited noise and colour desaturation starting to appear at ISO 800. ISO 1600 exhibits quite visible noise, smearing of fine detail and colour desaturation, and ISO 3200 is even noisier, although still usable for small prints. The fastest setting of ISO 6400 is best avoided altogether.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 dealt well with chromatic aberrations, with limited purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and adequate exposure. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 15 seconds allowing you to capture plenty of light. Anti-shake is a feature that works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the 30x zoom range.

Macro performance is very good, allowing you to focus as close as 3cms away from the subject. The images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting if you don't like the default results. The Intelligent Resolution feature either makes a standard image look sharper, albeit with some unwanted artefacts appearing, or it digitally increases the 30x optical zoom to 60x, again with a slight loss in quality. The various Creative Effects allow you to easily add a twist to your images.

Noise

There are 7 ISO settings available on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso200.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso800.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso3200.jpg
   

ISO 6400 (100% Crop)

 
iso6400.jpg  

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. You can change the in-camera sharpening level via the Picture Adjust menu option.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

sharpen1.jpg sharpen1a.jpg
   
sharpen2.jpg sharpen2a.jpg

Focal Range

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60's 30x zoom lens provides a versatile focal length of 24-720mm in 35mm terms, as demonstrated below.

24mm

720mm

focal_range1.jpg focal_range2.jpg

File Quality

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets.

18M Fine (6.90Mb) (100% Crop) 18M Normal (3.97Mb) (100% Crop)
quality_fine.jpg quality_normal.jpg

Chromatic Aberrations

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 handled chromatic aberrations very well during the review, with limited purple fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.

Chromatic Aberrations 1 (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations 2 (100% Crop)

chromatic1.jpg chromatic2.jpg

Macro

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 3cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro

Macro (100% Crop)

macro1.jpg macro1a.jpg

Flash

The flash settings on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Forced Off - Wide Angle (24mm)

Forced On - Wide Angle (24mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Forced Off - Telephoto (720mm)

Forced On - Telephoto (720mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Auto/Red-eye Reduction settings caused any red-eye.

Forced On

Forced On (100% Crop)
flash_on.jpg flash_on1.jpg
   

Auto/Red-eye Reduction

Auto/Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

flash_redeye.jpg flash_redeye1.jpg

Night

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60's maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 100. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like. The camera takes the same amount of time again to apply noise reduction, so for example at the 15 second setting the actual exposure takes 30 seconds.

Night

Night (100% Crop)

night1.jpg night1a.jpg

Anti Shake

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 has an anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, we took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake turned off, the second with it turned on. Here are some 100% crops of the images to show the results.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Anti Shake Off (100% Crop)

Anti Shake On (100% Crop)

1/5 sec / 24mm antishake1.jpg antishake1a.jpg
     
0.62 sec / 720mm antishake2.jpg antishake2a.jpg

Intelligent Resolution

The Intelligent Resolution feature either makes a standard image look like a higher resolution one by processing the contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas individually, or it digitally boosts the zoom magnification from 30x to 60x.

Resolution - Off

Resolution - On

intelligent_resolution_off.jpg intelligent_resolution_on.jpg
   

i.Zoom Off

i.Zoom On

intelligent_resolution_off1.jpg intelligent_resolution_zoom.jpg

HDR

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60's HDR mode combines three pictures taken at different exposures to create one image with greater dynamic range than a single shot.

HDR Off

HDR On

hdr_off.jpg hdr_on.jpg

Panoramas

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 allows you to take panoramic images very easily by 'sweeping' with the camera. The camera does all the processing and stitching. In addition 13 of the Creative Filter effects can also be applied to panorama shots in the Creative Panorama mode.

Panorama
panorama1.jpg
 
Panorama with the Impressive Art Filter
panorama2.jpg

Creative Controls

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 has an extensive range of Creative Controls, denoted by an artist's palette on the shooting mode dial, with 15 different options on offer.

Off

Expressive

creative_01.jpg creative_02.jpg
   

Retro

High Key

creative_03.jpg creative_04.jpg
   

Low Key

Sepia

creative_05.jpg creative_06.jpg
   

Dynamic Monochrome

Impressive Art

creative_07.jpg creative_08.jpg
   

High Dynamic

Cross Process

creative_09.jpg creative_10.jpg
   

Toy Effect

Miniature Effect

creative_11.jpg creative_12.jpg
   

Soft Focus

Star Filter

creative_13.jpg creative_14.jpg
   

One Point Color

Old Days

creative_15.jpg creative_16.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 camera, which were all taken using the 18 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Panasonic RAW (RW2) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 50 frames per second. Please note that this 23 second movie is 80Mb in size.

Product Images

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Front of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Front of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Lens Extended

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Image Displayed

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Turned On

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Main Menu

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Record Menu

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / GPS Menu

 
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Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Motion Picture Menu

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Setup Menu

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Wi-Fi Menu

 
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Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Quick Menu

 
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Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 / Exposure

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Top of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Bottom of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Front of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Front of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Memory Card Slot

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

This year's flagship travel-zoom compact from Panasonic, the new DMC-TZ60, adds a longer 30x zoom with a clever control ring, a useful electronic viewfinder, focus peaking for easier manual focusing, and very welcome RAW file support to last year's very appealing model. But what the TZ60 giveth, it also taketh away - we don't like the much smaller handgrip on the front, the sudden and rather strange omission of a touch-screen interface is a real backwards step, and it's also larger and heavier than the TZ40 that it replaces (perhaps understandably so).

Thankfully the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60 continues to offer great image quality for this type of camera, with a usable ISO range from 100 to 800. Noise doesn't rear its ugly head until ISO 800, becoming more obvious at ISO 1600 along with excessive smearing of finer details, with the fastest speeds of ISO 3200 and 6400 being something of a last resort. Videographers will also be pleased with the 60/50p and High Speed modes, complete with stereo sound and very effective 5-axis stabilisation system.

While the DMC-TZ60's new features are very welcome, especially the RAW file format and the EVF, we really missed the previous model's touch-screen LCD and its much better grip. While neither could be called deal-breakers, they are enough to prevent the new DMC-TZ60 from achieving its predecessor's highest award. Highly recommended, then, but not quite as essential as 2013's model...

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4.5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4.5
Image quality 4.5
Value for money 4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ60.

Canon Powershot SX280 HS

The Canon PowerShot SX280 HS is a new travel-zoom camera for 2013, offering a 20x zoom lens and a 12 megapixel back-illuminated image sensor. Other key features of the Canon SX280 include built-in GPS and wi-fi connectivity, a 3 inch LCD screen, full 1080p HD movies with stereo sound, fast 14fps burst shooting, and a full range of manual and automated exposure modes. Read our in-depth Canon PowerShot SX280 HS in-depth review now...

Fujifilm FinePix F900EXR

The FinePix F900EXR is the range-topping camera from Fujifilm, sporting a 20x lens with a versatile focal range of 25-500mm. The 16 megapixel F900 EXR also features fast phase-detection autofocusing, wireless image transfer, GPS support, full 1080p movies, a high-contrast 3 inch LCD screen and 8fps continuous shooting. Read our in-depth Fujifilm FinePix F900EXR review now...

Nikon Coolpix S9500

The Nikon Coolpix S9500 is an affordable, full-featured travel-zoom compact camera. Featuring a 22x zoom lens with a focal range of 25-550mm, the slimline Coolpix S9500 has a 18 megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor, high-resolution 3-inch OLED screen and boasts GPS tracking and wi-fi connectivity. Read our detailed Nikon Coolpix S9500 review now...

Olympus Stylus 1

The Olympus Stylus 1 is a super-zoom camera with a twist, offering the DSLR-like looks of the OM-D E-M1, a 28-300mm f/2.8 lens, electronic viewfinder and tilting LCD screen, and built-in wi-fi, all in a body that can be fitted inside a coat pocket. Priced at £549.99 / $699.99, is the Stylus 1 the best all-round super-zoom camera? Read our expert Olympus Stylus 1 review to find out...

Olympus SZ-30MR

The Olympus SZ-30MR is a new travel-zoom compact camera, featuring a 24x lens that provides a focal range of 25-600mm, yet is still small enough to fit into your pocket. Other key features offered by the SZ-30MR include a 16 megapixel CMOS sensor, 1080p HD video recording, 3 inch LCD screen, 9fps high-speed continuous shooting, sensor-shift image stabilisation and a range of Magic Filters. Priced at £250 / $350, we find out if the Olympus SZ-30MR is the best travel zoom camera that money can buy.

Samsung WB850F

The Samsung WB850 is a new travel-zoom camera with a mouth-watering specification. The WB850 offers a wide-angle 21x zoom lens, 16.2 megapixels, Full 1080p video recording, 3 inch AMOLED screen, built-in wi-fi and GPS, plus full manual controls. Read our detailed Samsung WB850 review to find out if it's a contender for the travel zoom crown.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V is a new pocket camera with a massive 30x zoom lens. The HX50V also features built-in wi-fi and GPS tracking, full 1080p high-definition video with stereo sound, a 20 megapixel CMOS sensor, high-resolution 3-inch screen, manual shooting modes, 10fps continuous shooting, 3D photos, ISO range of 100-12800 and fast auto-focusing. Read our in-depth Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX50V review to find out if it's the best travel-zoom camera...

Specifications

Metrics Dimensions (W x H x D) 110.6 x 64.3 x 34.4 mm/(4.35 x 2.53 x 1.35 inch)
Weight Approx. 214 g without Battery and SD Memory Card (0.472 lb)/Approx. 240 g with Battery and SD Memory Card (0.529 lb)
Pixels Camera Effective Pixels 18.1 Megapixels
Sensor Sensor Size / Total Pixels / Filter 1/2.3-type High Sensitivity MOS Sensor / Total Pixel Number 18.9 Megapixels / Primary Color Filter
Lens Aperture F3.3 - 6.4 / Multistage Iris Diaphragm (F3.3 - 8.0 (W), F6.4 - 8.0 (T))
Optical Zoom 30x
Focal Length f = 4.3 - 129mm (24 - 720mm in 35mm equiv.)/(28 - 840mm in 35mm equiv. in 16:9 video recording / Level Shot function Off)/(30 - 900mm in 35mm equiv. in 16:9 video recording / Level Shot function On)
Extra Optical Zoom (EZ) 36.7x (4:3 / 12M), 45.0x (4:3 / 8M), 57.4x (4:3 / 5M), 71.7x (4:3 / under 3M)
Intelligent Zoom 60x
Lens LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR/12 elements in 9 groups/(5 Aspherical Lenses / 10 Aspherical surfaces / 3 ED Lenses)
2- Speed Zoom Yes
Optical Image Stabilizer/Five Axis Correction HYBRID O.I.S. + (On / Off) / Yes
Digital Zoom Max. 4x
Conversion Lens Compatibility -
Focus Focusing Area Normal: Wide 50cm - infinity / Tele 200cm - infinity/AF Macro / MF / Intelligent Auto / Motion Picture: Wide 3 cm - infinity / Tele 200 cm - infinity
AF Assist Lamp Yes (On/Off)
Focus Normal / AF Macro / Macro Zoom / MF/Quick AF On / Off (on in Intelligent Auto), Continuous AF (only for motion picture)/AF/AE Lock Button (Set the Fn button in custom menu to AF/AE lock)/Focus Peaking, One Shot AF (Set the Fn button in custom menu to AF-ON), AF Area Select, AF Tracking
AF Metering Face / AF Tracking / 23-area / 1-area (flexible / scalable)
Finder Viewfinder 0.20" LVF (Live View Finder) (200K dots equiv.), Field of View: Approx. 100%, Lens 19.6x/Magnification: Approx. 2.56x / 0.46x (35 mm camera equivalent)
Shutter Shutter Speed Approx. 4 - 1/2,000 sec/Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30 sec
File File Format Still Image: JPEG (DCF/Exif2.3) / RAW, DPOF/3D Image: MPO/Motion Picture: AVCHD, MP4
Recording Modes Mode Dial / Mode Button Intelligent Auto, P, A, S, M, C1 (Custom), C2 (Custom), Panorama Shot, Scene, Creative Control
Creative Control mode Expressive, Retro, Old Days, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Star Filter, One Point Color (15 filters)
Still Image Scene Mode Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Handheld Night Shot, Food, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Glass Through, HDR, Starry Sky, High Speed Video, 3D Photo
Continuous Shooting Mode Full-Resolution Image: 10 frames/sec, Max. 6 images/with AF Tracking: 5 frames/sec, 2 frames/sec/Intelligent Burst Shooting/High-speed Burst: Approx. 60 frames / sec/(recorded in 2.5M / 0.3M for 4:3, 3M / 0.3M for 3:2, 3.5M / 0.2M for 16:9, 2M / 0.2M for 1:1)/Flash Burst Shooting/Approx. 40 frames / sec/(recorded in 5M / 3M / 0.3M for 4:3, 4.5M / 2.5M / 0.3M for 3:2, 3.5M / 2M / 0.2M for 16:9, 3.5M / 2.5M / 0.2M for 1:1)/Flash Burst Shooting
Motion Picture Recording (*2) HD Video 1920 x 1080 pixels, 50p (FHD: 28Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 50fps)/1920 x 1080 pixels, 50i (FHD: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 50fps)/1280 x 720 pixels, 50p (HD: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 50fps)/1920 x 1080 pixels, 25p (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 25fps)/1280 x 720 pixels, 25p (HD: 10Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 25fps)
STD Video 640 x 480, 25p (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 25fps)
High Speed Video 1280 x 720 pixels, 25p (HD: MP4) (Sensor Output is 100fps)/640 x 480 pixels, 25p (VGA: MP4) (Sensor Output is 200fps)
Continuous recordable time (motion pictures) AVCHD Approx. 75 min (FHD/50p), Approx. 80 min (FHD/50i)
MP4 Approx. 90 min (FHD)
Actual recordable time (motion pictures) AVCHD Approx. 30 min (FHD/50p), Approx. 35 min (FHD/50i)
MP4 Approx. 40 min (FHD)
Exposure Parameters Exposure Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority AE, Manual
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV step, +/-2 EV
Auto (AE) Bracketing 1/3-1EV step, Max. +/-1 EV, 3 frames
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple / Center Weighted / Spot
ISO Sensitivity Auto / i.ISO / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200/ 6400* (* Extended ISO)/High Sensitivity Mode (ISO1600 - 6400)
Picture Quality Image Quality RAW / RAW+Fine / RAW+Standard / Fine / Standard/(3D Mode: MPO+Fine / MPO+Standard)
Still Picture Recording [4:3] 4896x3672 (18M) / 4000x3000 (12M EZ) / 3264x2448 (8M EZ) / 2560x1920 (5M EZ) / 2048x1536 (3M EZ) / 640x480 (0.3M EZ)/[3:2] 4896x3264 (16M) / 4000x2672 pixels (10.5M EZ) / 3264x2176 (7M EZ) / 2560x1712 (4.5M EZ) / 2048x1360 (2.5M EZ) / 640x424 (0.3M EZ)/[16:9] 4896x2752 (13.5M) / 4000x2248 (9M EZ) / 3264x1840 (6M EZ) / 2560x1440 (3.5M EZ) / 1920x1080 (2M EZ) / 640x360 (0.2M EZ)/[1:1] 3664x3664 (13.5M) / 2992x2992 (9M EZ) / 2448x2448 (6M EZ) / 1920x1920 (3.5M EZ) / 1536x1536 (2.5M EZ) / 480x480 (0.2M EZ)
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Incandescent / White Set/White Balance Adjustment (Except Auto)
Photo Style / Film Mode -
Color Mode / Color Effect / My color -
Picture Adjustment -
Aspect Bracketing -
Other Digital Red Eye Correction (Red-Eye Removal) Yes (On/Off)
GPS Yes (GPS / GLONASS) / GPS Log
Wi-FI IEEE 802.11b/g/n/2412 MHz – 2462 MHz (1-11 ch)/WPA / WPA2/Infrastracture Mode / WPS / Wi-Fi Direct/Wi-Fi Button
NFC ISO/IEC 18092 (NFCIP-1) NFC-F
Zoom in Motion Picture Yes
Self Timer 2 sec / 10 sec
Self Shot Mode -
Display Playback Mode All, Slideshow, Filtering Play (Picture Only, Video Only, 3D Play, GPS Area Play, Travel, Category Selection, Select Date, Favorite), Calendar
Thumbnails / Zoomed Playback 12,30-thumbnails / Yes
Calendar Display / Dual- Image Playback Yes (Menu / Zoom Lever) / No
Set Favorites / Rotate Image Yes / No
Show Histogram Yes
Show Highlights -
DPOF Print Setting / Set Protection Yes / Yes
Edit Retouch Auto Retouch / Creative Retouch
Resize / Cropping / Aspect Conv. / Leveling Yes / Yes / No / No
Copy / Title Edit / Text Stamp Yes / Yes / Yes
Cut Animation Yes
Video Divide Yes
PictBridge Support Single / Multi / All / DPOF / Favorites
Setup OSD language Japanese, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Netherlandic, Turkish, Portuguese, Finnish, Danish, Swedish, Greek
Monitor LCD Monitor 7.5cm (3.0") TFT Screen LCD Display (920K dots), AR Coating/Field of View: Approx. 100%, Wide Viewing-angle/Power Monitor mode, AUTO Power Monitor mode
Flash Built- in- Flash Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off/0.6 - 6.4m (Wide / ISO Auto), 2.0 - 3.3m (Tele / ISO Auto)
Media Recording Media Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Built- in- Memory Approx. 12MB
Audio Microphone / Speaker Stereo / Mono
Interface Interface microHDMI, AV Output (PAL / NTSC), USB (AV/USB Multi)
Power Power Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, 1250mAh, 4.5 Wh) (Included)/AC Adaptor (Input: 110 - 240V AC) (Included, connect with USB cable)
Battery life (approx.) 300 pictures (CIPA Standard)*1
Standard Package Included Software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 9.3PE/LoiLoScope (trial version)/Adobe Reader/・ The software to process RAW file on PC is not bundled with DMC-TZ60./To do this, SILKYPIX Developer Studio is available for download at Ichikawa Soft Laboratory's website using
Standard Accessories Battery Pack, AC Adaptor, USB Cable, Hand Strap
NOTE *1
NOTE Recording conditions by CIPA standard
NOTE - Temperature: 23 oC (73.4 oF) / Humidity: 50%RH when LCD monitor is on.
NOTE - Using a Panasonic SDHC Memory Card
NOTE - Using the supplied battery.
NOTE - Starting recording 30 seconds after the camera is turned on. (When the optical image stabilizer function is set to [ON].)
NOTE - Recording once every 30 seconds with full flash every second recording.
NOTE - Rotating the zoom lever from Tele to Wide or vice versa in every recording.
NOTE - The number of recordable pictures varies depending on the recording interval time.
NOTE - If the recording interval time becomes longer, the number of recordable pictures decreases.
NOTE - CIPA is an abbreviation of [Camera & Imaging Products Association].
NOTE *2
NOTE - These are standard times taken at a temperature of 23 oC (73.4 oF) and a humidity of 50%RH.
NOTE - The time available for recording varies depending on the environment, the interval between recordings, and the manner of use.
NOTE - Actual recordable time is the time available for recording when repeating actions such as switching the power supply [ON] / [OFF], starting/stopping recording, zoom operation etc.
NOTE - Use a card with SD Speed Class with "Class 4" or higher when recording motion pictures.
NOTE SD speed class is the speed standard regarding continuous writing.
NOTE - Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [AVCHD] is 29 minutes 59 seconds.
NOTE - Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [MP4] is 29 minutes 59 seconds or up to 4 GB.

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