However, the mode dial on top of the camera did sometimes slip out of position and rest between two shooting modes, causing the camera to not function (but alert you to this issue). We like how this control ring feels sturdy and can be infinitely rotated. It's got a default action for each available shooting mode, so with the mode dial set to intelligent Auto (iA) mode a twist of the lens ring will control the zoom, whereas in aperture priority it can be used to select the aperture value. The lens also features a physical control ring that can be freely rotated to adjust zoom, focus and settings. Squeezing such a lens into that 110.7 x 64.6 x 34.4mm frame is admirable, particularly with a viewfinder on board too. That means the you can fit lots into the frame at the widest-angle 24mm setting or capture far-away subjects as if they were nearer to the camera when zoomed all the way in. Key to the TZ70 feature set is that 30x optical zoom lens, providing a 24-720mm equivalent focal range, the very same as found in the earlier TZ60. It's a welcome addition that's slowly won us over throughout use.
If you wear glasses then the extra distance from the rigid eyecup will also be less than ideal.Įven so, we utilised the finder far more than in its TZ60 form, benefitting from its assistance stabilising long-zoom shots, or when bright sunlight was interfering with the rear LCD screen. Saying that don't expect a miracle finder: the TZ70's 0.2-inch panel feels small because of limited magnification (the 0.46x equivalent is roughly half that of a DSLR camera), while there's some notable ghosting lag and internal reflection issues.
The absence of a touchscreen shows Panasonic's vision is for a viewfinder-led experience, and the improvements in that department certainly make for a better experience than the TZ60. Out and about in the day we found the quick response made a significant difference, seeing us use the viewfinder thanks to no button presses being required. As the TZ70 lacks a touchscreen - an apparent ongoing trend for the higher-end TZ models - you typically won't get flailing fingers interfering with this sensor. The viewfinder comes complete with an eye-level sensor, meaning it pops into action when brought towards the face (or any close-proximity object, for that matter), which makes a huge difference in use. But if a viewfinder is just going to be deadweight for your use, then the lesser featured Lumix TZ57 will be much more suitable. Even the Canon PowerShot SX710 lacks such a feature altogether, which Panasonic is banking on tipping the favour towards the TZ70. That's almost six times more resolution than the TZ60's attempt. The design principals are familiar, but by upping the viewfinder resolution and scaling-down the megapixel count in aid of image quality, the TZ70 is a camera with a shift in its focus.īut is the TZ70 trying too hard to win over the crowd by cramming in excess features, or is it the perfect balance of a well-rounded, feature-filled compact camera? Finding its placeĭespite the TZ60 similarities, the TZ70 carves out its own place in the camera market because of its newly appointed 1,166k-dot built-in electronic viewfinder.
However, it's a marginal rethink compared to the last year's TZ60 model. This pocketable travel compact squeezes an electronic viewfinder and 30x optical zoom lens into its relatively slender frame, promising maximum features at a fair price point. (Pocket-lint) - There are a growing number of pocketable do-it-all compact cameras on the market vying for attention, with the Panasonic Lumix TZ70 aiming to be cream of the crop.