{"id":132,"date":"2012-04-09T18:38:20","date_gmt":"2012-04-09T08:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.alphastar.net.au\/blog\/?p=132"},"modified":"2012-05-24T20:36:09","modified_gmt":"2012-05-24T10:36:09","slug":"132","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alphastar.net.au\/weblog\/2012\/04\/09\/132\/","title":{"rendered":"Lumix TZ30 review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Eagerly awaiting this camera. Will post a review and post some sample pictures once I have it in my posession.<\/span><\/p>\n

I’ve been playing with the TZ-30 for a little less than a month, and must say it’s a fantastic camera!<\/p>\n

I have upgraded from a Fuji FinePix F10, so it has been a giant leap in terms of camera functionality from what I have previously used.<\/p>\n

Things I like<\/p>\n

– Intelligent Auto is great for taking photos when you want to shoot without thinking about the different settings available (and there are a lot which may be one downside!). It’s able to determine when there is insufficient light and take multiple shots in combination.<\/p>\n

– 20x zoom works a treat for taking close up pictures of peoples faces, esp from a distance such as a street parade.<\/p>\n

– Colour reproduction is great. Vibrant and well defined. See this picture of a macaw to see what I mean<\/p>\n

– Great to be able to change the aperture and shutter (or both) to take some arty shots with blurred background or blurred movement. I have some pictures exhibiting this…<\/p>\n

Things I didn’t like<\/p>\n

– face recognition failed to register faces easily. Needs absolutely perfect light to register a new face to memory.<\/p>\n

– Some photos don’t look crash hot in low light, though this has been a mainstay of this camera series from what I’ve heard. Most of the photos ( > 90%) are taken outdoors which mitigates this problem a bit.<\/p>\n

– Battery life is quite low compared to my last camera. Around 200 shots before it starts to wind down (this is with GPS turned on)<\/p>\n

Has plenty of shooting modes, though sometimes too much choice can frustrate too. You’re never sure if you’re in the best mode. iA does a great job most of the time for quick point and shoot.<\/p>\n

Movie mode rocks! I have played back the AVCHD files directly from memory card to my blu ray and the pictures are outstanding.\u00c2\u00a0 The only thing that gives away that it was from a camera is the camera shake, though there is some OIS compensation to minimise the effect of this.<\/p>\n

Overall, its a very full functioned camera in a small body and really fun to use. It’s a good inbetween for those who enjoy photography, but not enough to shell out for a d\/slr.<\/p>\n