The 4K Photo mode is great for capturing the perfect moment when faced with fast action, but it’s also surprisingly useful for portraits, especially of kids, where an expression can change between frames. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ80 has an 18 million pixel sensor, an increase from the 12.1 million pixel sensor of the TZ70. Other new features include a new Venus engine, Light Speed AF (autofocus) with DFD (Depth from Defocus) technology and 4K photo functions. The screen is the same size and resolution (1040k-dot), but it is now touch sensitive. Battery life has been very slightly improved, while the zoom range stays the same. Approx. 282 g with Battery and SD Memory Card (0.6217 lb)/Approx. 240 g without Battery and SD Memory Card (0.5291 lb) i also shoot raw plus jpg. if the jpg is fine, great. if the pic is one i really like but needs some help, the raw version is there for me to process. f = 4.3 - 129mm/(24 - 720mm in 35mm equiv. in 4:3)/(25 - 750mm in 35mm equiv. in 3:2)/(26 - 780mm in 35mm equiv. in 16:9)/(28 - 840mm in 35mm equiv. in 1:1)/(33 - 990mm in 35mm equiv. in 4K Photo recording)/(26 - 780mm in 35mm equiv. in 16:9 video recording / O.I.S. Off / Level Shot function Off)/(28 - 840mm in 35mm equiv. in 16:9 video recording / O.I.S. On / Level Shot function Off)/(30 - 900mm in 35mm equiv. in 16:9 video recording / O.I.S. On / Level Shot function On)/(33 - 990mm in 35mm equiv. in 4K video recording)

Honestly, prior to using this camera we kind of felt the same. The amount of time our DSLR spent out of the house was becoming less and less, we liked to share our experiences in real time and so more often than not, our phone (Iphone 6) was deemed sufficient. However, as the TZ80 has wifi we are able to take photos of a much higher quality and still have them on our phones and ready to share almost instantly. I am very much just the family photographer and need a small compact for a family holiday to Disney World this summer. I really want to try to get off Auto mode and hope to go on a photography course next week to help with this. I have been looking at the TZ70 and TZ80 which are the sort of size I'm looking for. I'm trying to work out which would be best for me but I've spent so much time Googling that I now am completely confused. On the Lumix TZ90 / ZS70 you can record in PASM exposure modes, selected either from the video menu or by tapping the exposure mode icon in the top left of the screen when the mode dial is in the movie position. During recording you can change the exposure setting including, depending on the mode, aperture, shutter speed, ISO sensitivity and exposure compensation. While you can use the camera’s physical controls to alter the settings the touch screen provides a slide out panel allowing you to do so silently. You can also tap the screen to pull focus during recording, or of course use the lens control ring. There’s also focus peaking and zebra patterns to help with focus and exposure. The Lumix TZ90 / ZS70’s front grip is a good size and combined with the rear thumb rest, which is made of a soft rubber-like material, provide a secure grip which you can feel confident about even when using the cameraone-handed. The PowerShot SX730 HS’s grips aren’t so substantial, but the moulded contours and lighter weight mean they don’t need to be.Wifi allows you to wirelessly browse the TZ90 / ZS70’s images on the larger and more detailed screen of a smartphone or tablet, copy them onto these devices, upload them to online storage or social media services (either directly or via a smartphone), or become remote-controlled using the free Lumix Image app for iOS or Android devices. Plus of course there’s the lens ring and rear control wheel which can both also be reassigned. By default in Manual exposure mode the lens ring controls aperture and the rear dial controls shutter speed. In Aperture and shutter priority modes both controls adjust the same thing – either the aperture or shutter speed respectively and they both Program shift in P mode. As on the TZ100 / ZS100, it would be better if the controls that are redundant in some modes (i.e. PAS) were automatically reassigned, to exposure compensation for example. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ80's maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 4 seconds at ISO 400. 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. Although noise isn't particularly visible until fairly high up the sensitivity range - it only starts to become problematic when you reach ISO 3200, this seems to be as a result of extensive image smoothing which render those shots taken at the highest settings of ISO 1600 only really useable at small printing or sharing sizes. Somewhere along the line that decision has been reversed, and as a result, it seems that image quality from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ80 doesn't quite match the TZ70's high quality in some situations. In bright light, the TZ80 is very capable, but even at relatively low ISOs (such as 200), you can see image smoothing and loss of detail, which only gets worse the higher up the sensitivity scale you go.

Panasonic has added some interesting technology to its superzoom segment of the market, and it's interesting to see that the Lumix DMC-TZ80 now represents the more affordable of the company's duo of new travel compacts.This is more of a crop than you get with the TZ80 / ZS60 where, with the same lens but a lower resolution 18 Megapixel sensor, the equivalent range is cropped to 33-990mm. There's also a new mode called “Post Focus”. Basically, this shoots a number of photos all with different focus points - you can then choose the focus point you need post-capture. While this is quite a fun and nifty feature, I'm not entirely sure how often you'd use it. Both you and the subject need to be still, so it's uses are a little limited for now. By default the Fn2 button is set to switch Post Focus on and off. To put the OIS system to the test on the TZ90 / ZS70, I zoomed it into its maximum 720mm equivalent focal length and took a series of photos at progressively slower shutter speeds first without stabilisation, then with, to see what it was capable of ironing-out. As you can see from the 100 percent crops below, with stabilisation enabled I was able to get shake-free shots with the TZ90 / ZS70 at shutter speeds down to 1/25 – nearly five stops slower than conventional wisdom dictates is safe. I used the built-in viewfinder to take these shots and having the camera pressed to your face undoubtedly provides a more stable platform than holding it out in front while looking at the screen.