Panasonic TZ80 review – pocket-sized but feature-packed

Image quality

With its tiny 1/2.3in sensor and relatively dark f/3.3-6.4 lens, the TZ80 was never going to be a star performer for image quality. Even within these modest expectations, its image quality was disappointing. The move from 12 to 18 megapixels has had a wholly detrimental effect. The extra resolution merely reveals the limitations of the lens, with soft focus towards the edges of frame, and it also pushes up noise levels.

This meant that indoor photos were no better than I’d expect to see from a smartphone, which is pretty disappointing for such an expensive camera. It also took its toll on telephoto shots in anything but direct sunlight. Zooming in requires faster shutter speeds to avoid camera shake, and with the aperture closed down to f/6.4, shooting outdoors in the shade or overcast weather resulted in fast ISO speeds and significant amounts of noise.

It wasn’t all bad news. The optical stabilisation worked well to give reliable telephoto shots at a relatively slow 1/125s shutter speed, and automatic exposures were well judged. However, comparing our studio scene with the TZ70 and TZ60’s output, the TZ80’s noise levels were marginally the worst of the three, which is pretty damning.

^ A decent result in relatively undemanding conditions but details are a little smudged on close inspection, particularly towards the edges of the frame. (1/125s, f/3.7, ISO 80, 37mm equivalent)

^ Overcast weather has pushed the ISO speed up slightly from its base 80 speed to 160. Already the camera is struggling slightly with noise in the dark textures of foliage. (1/80s, f/4.1, ISO 160, 50mm equivalent)

^ Shooting in direct sunlight, the TZ80 can produce some impressive telephoto shots, especially for such a slim camera. (1/400s, f/6.4, ISO 80, 720mm equivalent)

^ It struggles more in overcast weather. By ISO 400 noise has taken its toll on details.  (1/125s, f/6.4, ISO 400, 720mm equivalent)

^ There’s not much fine detail here at ISO 1250 but the big zoom has delivered a shot worth keeping. (1/125s, f/6.4, ISO 1250, 720mm equivalent)

^ Setting the shutter speed to 1/200s to avoid motion blur in low light has pushed the ISO speed up to 3200. There’s very little detail and colours are blotchy, even when viewed at small sizes. (1/200s, f/6.4, ISO 3200, 720mm equivalent)

^ Skin tones are a tough test for noise reduction but this shot in overcast weather has come out reasonably well. (1/125s, f/5.6, ISO 500, 214mm equivalent)

^ Indoor shots in during the day aren’t great, with smudged details due to heavy noise reduction processing. (1/20s, f/3.3, ISO 1600, 24mm equivalent)

^ This shot in dim artificial lighting is a write-off. (1/6s, f/3.3, ISO 1600, 24mm equivalent)

^ Image quality has taken a backward step compared to the TZ70. (1/500s, f/4.3, ISO 1600, 61mm equivalent)

Conclusion

The TZ80 isn’t short of attractive features, but disappointing image quality is hard to forgive from a camera that costs over £300. One thing it does well is to take photos of distant subjects in direct sunlight, but that’s pretty niche. The Panasonic FZ330 is much more attractive with its constant f/2.8 aperture, although it’s a little pricier and quite a bit bulkier. If you want something pocket sized, I’d recommend saving your pennies and going for the Nikon S9900 for around £200. Alternatively, hold out for the forthcoming Panasonic TZ100 with its 1in sensor.