Tag: TZ70

November 7th – I’m still not happy with the low light performance of the TZ-80. In lichfield I’d been using the Nikon, which seems to love the night, but this particular incarnation of the Panasonic compact seems very middling.

When you can get it right, as above, it’s not too bad, but the reflection of the street light is better than the light itself. 

On the TZ70 if I munged with the aperture, I could get the hard sharpness I liked, but not on this one.

Something is obstructing me, but what? This was the best of 20 odd shots, most unusable mush. I suppose if it comes down to it, I could always read the manual…

I’ll crack it.

June 11th – Trying out yet another little camera. I’ve been using the Nikon for a week or so, and have to say I like it very much. The picture quality is excellent, and most of the features are brilliant. I’m on the verge of buying one, but I have concerns: the camera seems a bit fragile compared to the Panasonic, and the user interface is very inflexible. It’s also got some odd autofocus behaviour. But I’m certainly giving the Nikon some thought.

For the next week or so, I have custody of a Sony HX90 – same 30x optical zoom as the Panasonic and Nikon, smaller than both. It feels solid and dense. Initial impressions are the pictures are a little dark, but I’m not sure yet. It’s way more flexible than the Nikon, and the user interface knocks the Panasonic and Nikon into a cocked hat.

As I commuted to and from work on a bright sunny summers day,the photos didn’t seem too bad. It’ll be interesting to see how it pans out.

My thanks to the trusting fool who’s lending me this kit. A real gent. Cheers.

May 30th – I have a new camera to try out. I usually use a Panasonic TZ70, but having used that brand for 8 years, I often try alternatives to see how they are when I get chance.

Courtesy of a generous friend, I’m currently using a Nikon S9900… and I rather like it. With similar ultra zoom performance, it seems a bit more solidly build, and I have to say, in most situations I’ve used it in, the camera has produced excellent images.

They seem a little vivid, but the macro mode is excellent, and much better than I’m used to, as I found when I tried it on various flowers.

I have this for a couple of weeks, so plenty of time to find the issues, I guess.

March 18th – Gone 6:30pm, and still not dark. I stopped on Catshill Junction Bridge, and took a throwaway shot of the Humphries House flats, looking ghostly in the half-light. 

The more I use it, the happier I am with this camera. There’s clearly a lot more fiddling to be had yet, and I must sit down and read the manual. But for a point and shoot operated by a monkey, it doesn’t do bad.

March 5th – In Birmingham early evening, pottering from meeting to coffee shop to meeting, with a new camera to try out. All these shots were handheld, quick grabs. The image processing on the TZ70 is streets ahead of the TZ60. I like this a lot.

Almost as much as I love Birmingham – my past, present and future. I love this place with all my heart.

It’ll be even better when they finish building it.

March 2nd – Fiddling with a next camera. After a brief flirtation with a Canon at Christmas – I hated it – I’ve just acquired the new Panasonic TZ70, the upgrade to last year’s TZ60. I’ll be twiddling with it for a while to find out what’s improved – and low light handheld images have definitely improved.

People often think I must carry a large camera around; I don’t – I just go for a little compact in my pocket, that’s easy to pull out and take spontaneous images with. I’ve tried big stuff in the past and find the size to be a hinderance.

No doubt for a few weeks I’ll be swearing at moved, changed or lost features – but having tried alternatives, I’m still resolutely a Panasonic chap.

As an aside, the works are very intense at Bentley Mill Way under the aqueduct – I won’t look at the plans as I want to gradually see the outcome. But that’s a very big culvert in there, I must say.