Best superzoom compact?

IceBus · 28 Nov 2011 at 14:33

Hey all,

Sadly my Panasonic Lumix TZ6 went missing at a party over Halloween and I'm in the market for a replacement.

The natural replacement would seem to be the Panasonic TZ20, but it seems like since it came out there've been a few new challengers (the Samsung WB750 and Fuji F600 EXR) with longer lenses and possibly better image quality.

Can anybody offer some opinions on them, or other cameras I could look at? The goals are image quality, portability and battery life (in that order).

Thanks a lot!

IceBus · 30 Nov 2011 at 10:00

Anyone? Pretty close to pulling the trigger on the TZ20 now...

IceBus · 30 Nov 2011 at 17:26

Thanks a lot

Somehow despite scouring DPReview I hadn't found that group test. Having read through it I'm now torn between the Canon and the Sony, edging towards the Canon I think as it just seems to offer the best combo of IQ and features.

One thing I can't find is any statistics of how long it takes from startup to first shot and also how many fps it can capture in continuous mode. I really wish I could find a good test of the Fuji EXR600 as it looks brilliant features-wise but can't get a good impression of its IQ really...

IceBus · 2 Dec 2011 at 17:58

You've done a very good job pitching the Sony

Having looked at some sample shots it really doesn't look far off the Canon in terms of IQ.

I might take a shot into Jessops tomorrow and try them out in person. With the cashback the prices are pretty much a wash as well.

IceBus · 21 Dec 2011 at 16:22

Hey all... Sorry ended up taking longer than expected to pull the trigger!

I've gone for the Sony HX9 thanks in no small part to Demon's sales pitch

Using them even in Jessops the images just looked so much sharper when zoomed in that I was very glad I didn't get the Lumix. Trying to figure out how to get the best out of it now, as it gets so bloody dark these days outside shooting is a challenge. Also trying to figure out the best way to convert MTS video to MP4 for easy editing.

It certainly feels very solidly built and I look forward to properly field testing it in Nepal.