Performance
The additional sample photos and images of
the product are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own
assessments, photos and product review.
Sample
photos
Portrait
| 1/60 sec | f/5.0 | 13.3 mm | ISO 500
Landscape
| 1/1300 sec | f/3.3 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100
Wine
Bottle | 1/4 sec | f/3.3 | 4.3 mm | ISO 640
Pet
Portrait | 1/60 sec | f/5.4 | 21.8 mm | ISO 400
HDR
| 1/1600 sec | f/3.3 | 4.3 mm | ISO 400
Camera
Cake | 1/8 sec | f/5.0 | 12.5 mm | ISO 400
Shots from the TZ40 are colorful and the
level of details is also very good. Portraits have beautiful and decent skin
tones and there is no sign of red-eye effect. The auto HDR mode combines the
images together without needing the support of tripods, helping sharpening the
details in the shadows and highlights.
Lens
performance
Wide
Angle | 1/320 sec | f/3.3 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100
Some
Optical Zoom | 1/250 sec | f/5.7 | 44.4 mm | ISO 100
Full
Optical Zoom | 1/80 sec | f/6.4 | 86.0 mm | ISO 100
Macro
| 1/15 sec | f/3.3 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100
We witness a great level of details in both
ends of the lens, although the purple fringing and chromatic aberration is
visible in contrast area when you view the pictures at their full sizes. The
minimum focus length is 3cm, which allows you to take wonderful macro shots.
ISO
noise level
Sample
photos with different ISO levels
The noise is lowest at ISO100 and 200. A
very small amount of noise shows itself at ISO400, and there is a slight
increase at ISO800, making the images a little bit blur. At ISO level of 1600,
the noise level increases and slightly decreases the quality of the images. At
ISO3200, the loss of many details is showed, making the images softer.
White
balance performance
Under
incandescent light
Under
fluorescent light
The Auto White Balance (AWB) performs very
well under the incandescent light as well as when the preset incandescent mode
is activated. It also helps producing many beautiful shots under the
fluorescent light, although there is no preset fluorescent mode in this TZ40,
it is OK because you won’t need that support.
Panoramic
mode
Panorama
| 1/125 sec | f/6.3 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100
The panoramic photos are very detailed and
stitched together well.
Digital
filters performance
Images
with different digital filters
In order to help you taking unique and
creative photos, the TZ40 has many different color modes and creative control
modes, with some example above.
Value
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40 has all the
features needed to justify its travel zoom tag. It offers ample optical zoom,
great for landscapes and distance objects, as well as built-in Wi-Fi and GPS,
all in a pocketable body. It's a little on the expensive side, so some of the
cheaper options may be more appealing, but the features and image quality
certainly make it worth the money.
The price of this Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40
is $465. Other compact cameras which also have the 20x optic zoom lens include
the Canon Powershot Sx240/ SX260 HS, available for $225/ $227, the Sony
Cybershot HX20V, which costs $328, the Nikon Coolpix S9500, which is $279
expensive, the Fujifilm FinePix F900 with the price of $465 and the Sony
Cybershot DSC-WX300, available for $420. There are many cameras which own a
built-in W-Fi system, so if this is the most appealing feature for you, just
have a look over the Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 which costs 120 and the Nikon
Coolpix S800c, whose price is $334. There are also Wi-Fi memory cards from
Transcend and Eye-Fi.
A memory card and a case or bag would also
necessary for you to keep your camera safe and well protected – have a look at
our instruction for choosing camera bags.
Conclusion
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ40 does own every
necessary feature to become an attractive travel camera. It offers great optic
zoom lens, which is wonderful to take landscape shots and distant objects. Moreover,
it also features built-in Wi-Fi and GPS. Everything is packed in a compact body
which perfectly fits your pocket. However, it is a little expensive, so some
substitutes, which is cheaper, could be more appealing, but of course, with its
features and image quality, this camera is worth its price.
Advantages
·
Great image quality
·
Wi-Fi and GPS
·
Up to 10fps continuous shooting
·
Any zoom level in a compact body
·
Long battery life
·
Very good Auto White Balance
Disadvantages
·
Cannot take RAW images
·
Expensive
·
Purple fringing and chromatic aberration are
visible
Verdict
·
Features: 5/5
·
Handling: 4/5
·
Performance: 4.5/5
·
Price: 3.5/5
·
Overall: 4.5/5
Specifications
|
Lens
·
Max aperture: f/3.3 – f/6.4
·
35mm equivalent: 24-480mm
·
Optical zoom: 20x
Image sensor
·
CCD pixels: 18.1MP
·
Pixels (W): 4896
·
Pixels (H): 3672
·
Sensor type: Live MOS sensor
·
Sensor size: 1/2.3
·
Aspect ratio: 4:3 3:2 16:9 1:1
LCD Monitor
·
LCD monitor: 3in
·
Screen resolution: 920k dot
·
Touchscreen: yes
Focusing
·
Min focus: 3cm
·
Focusing modes: Autofocus, Spot, Face Detection,
AF Tracking, Multi, Centre, Zoom macro, Touch AF
Exposure Control
·
Shutter speed shortest: 1/2000sec
·
Shutter speeds longest: 30sec
·
Exp modes: Program, Aperture – Priority,
Shutter-Priority, Manual, Scene modes
·
Metering: Centre-weighted- Average, Multi
Pattern, Spot
·
ISO sensitivity: 100 – 6400
·
White balance: Auto, Manual,
Outdoors/Daylight, Cloudy, Incandescent, Shade
·
Exposure Comp.: +/-2
Shooting options:
·
Continuous shooting: 10fps
Video
·
Movie mode: yes
·
Video resolution: 1920 x 1080
·
Video FPS: 50p
·
Stereo sound: yes
·
Optical Zoom with video: yes
Other features
·
HDMI: yes
·
USB: USB2
·
WI-Fi: yes
Storage
·
Card type: SD, SDHC, SDXC
·
File Type: JPG
Power source
·
Battery type: Lithium – Ion
·
CIPA rating: 300
Dimensions
·
Weight: 172g
·
Width: 108.3mm
·
Height: 58.9mm
·
Depth: 27.7mm
|
