Panasonic TZ70 Review.

I’ve been on the lookout for a small but mighty camera to not replace my DSLR totally but as something I can carry with me conveniently all the time. After months of thinking about it, researching different cameras, numerous trips to Currys and Jessops to fondle a few different cameras I finally settled on the panasonic TZ70. 

I had written a list of things I wanted from a compact:

Small and lightweight

Good manual options

A bloody good zoom

Copes well in low lighting

The capacity to shoot in raw

Something that covers all bases in regards to types of photography I would be doing.

So with this list in mind the TZ70 checked them all. I must admit I've had this camera going on nearly a year and I am in love! 

I take it with me on day trips, holidays, and use it at home too to capture my crazy dogs and I have used it for some of my blog photos. 

The first thing I noticed is how flipping easy this camera is to use. Obviously if you shoot in auto mode its as easy as turning the dial to auto and off you go, but it is super easy to set in manual too. I had narrowed my search down to this camera and a Canon but I just couldn't get on with setting the Canon in manual. I am a Nikon DSLR user so maybe this is why but I am so glad I got the TZ70! Even on auto the photos are super impressive. 

This model has a 12.1 megapixel high sensitivity MOS sensor, which enables better shots in low light, and it really does deliver. I recently used my TZ70 to get some snaps from the Strictly Live Tour, I was literally sat back row and I was really impressed with the shots I got in low light and with fast moving subjects. The pictures aren't perfect and I never expected them to be, to get good shots from that distance you'd need some bloody good equipment, but for a compact I was extremely impressed.

Now I’ve just touched on this, but the zoom on this camera is mind boggling! It has a 30x optical zoom and handles really well in stabilising a shot against unstable hands at full zoom. To show you how impressive this zoom is here is a wide angle shot, can you see the wind turbines way out in the sea there? With full zoom, here they are!

I needed a camera that could shoot in raw so when it came to editing and correcting boo boos I had greater options post production. I must admit I haven’t given my raw shots taken on this camera the full shebang on photoshop or lightroom because I suck at editing! But as I get better I will have more of a play.

One other thing I didn't think about at the time which I am now super grateful for is the live viewfinder you can fall back on if you cant see the screen in bright lights. Quite a few times Ive had to just shoot and hope for the best that I capture everything I wanted in the shot but now you can use the viewfinder! Genius!

I also absolutely love the way this camera looks, it has a slight vintage look about it and I like to be carrying round something that I like the look of, vein I know, but a sexy camera makes me excited to carry it around with me everywhere and get that shot!

The only downside I have found is it has a fairly short battery life. I shoot in raw most of the time so this will add to that but I have had to buy another battery to carry with me because when I get carried away snapping on a day out I easily drain the battery. Not the end of the world as I always carry a spare everything with my DSLR so an extra battery is nothing!

Overall this is a smashing little camera. I can’t think of any negatives besides the short battery life that I have come across. I am only an amateur photographer and I am confident that an experienced photographer will find more problems with it than I have but for what I use it for and for the price (£299, although I got mine with a cash back offer) I don’t think many people can go wrong choosing this camera. For a total novice it will improve their picture quality, and for an amateur enthusiast it will give you enough to play around with without limiting you in your capabilities. 

Happy snapping!

Vikky

x