Panasonic Lumix TZ-6 Digital Camera Review

July 24, 2009 by Eastmon Admin
Filed under Digital Camera Reviews, Featured Review

By guest contributor Geoff Porter

A few years ago I thought if someone would just bring out a digital camera with a lens that gives a 5x optical zoom range that starts at 28mm (in 35mm film terms) that it would be so popular you’d have to stand in line to get one. I realised as I looked at the options available now that not only have we seen a few cameras with these features but some of the newer models are offering lots, lots more than I had been hoping for.

Last Christmas My wife and I gave our daughter a Pentax Optio W60, we based our purchase on photos that our friends and family had taken with the older models of this camera, the W10 and W20 Pentax. The W60 has a 5 times optical zoom that starts at 28mm but even more than that it’s waterproof so it’s safe to take to the beach, the snow or just to take fun shots in the pool.

We are really happy with the Pentax Optio W60 but this story is about the Panasonic Lumix TZ6. I recently attended the photographic trade show PMA, in Sydney, I wanted to take a camera with me to record things at the show that I could use in my business but also to take photos of the city if I had any free time.

At only 33mm thick the TZ-6 is not much bigger than many of the compact digital still cameras on the market today and fitted in a normal compact camera case that attached to my belt. I didn’t have time to read the instructions before I went so all I can comment on is how it went in auto mode and how versatile the lens is.

The Panasonic Lumix TZ-6 has a 12x optical zoom starting at a very wide 25mm. The camera also features optical image stabilisation that made it possible to shoot in very low light and still get reasonably sharp images.

I did end up having a few hours to see the sights of Sydney and headed straight for the Opera House, the Panasonic TZ6 really was fun to use as I wandered around one of our great iconic structures. The versatility of the lens meant I could take some shots from just a few feet from the building and using the amazing structural lines to show individual faces of the structure and then get a completely different look as I used the telephoto end of the zoom as I sipped a cappuccino from a few hundred metres away at a coffee shop by the harbour.

I was also fortunate enough to see the State of Origin rugby league game at ANZ stadium. The 12x zoom is OK for sport if you have kids playing football or hockey and you can get really close to the action but for an event like State of Origin 12x is not really enough.

In summary, I think the Panasonic Lumix TZ-6 is almost the perfect travel camera and if you want great holiday images but only want to carry a small camera you should definitely consider the TZ-6.

Geoff Porter is the product manager for the Eastmon group and is an associate of the Tamworth store