TZ60 v TZ40 (or other Point and Shoots)

decmatt

decmatt

decmatt

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Hi

I have been looking at the TZ60 v TZ40, and whilst a lot of the reviews say the TZ60 is a better camera, I don't know whether the positives they are saying it worth the extra £200?

Or am I better looking at different cameras all together?

I am looking to use this to get a good camera for days out. I don't mind spending the money extra if it is justifiably a much much better camera.

Cheers
 
Sorry, I am very bad at all this, is 3.6x zoom of the Sony, much worse than the TZ40/60 (20x/30x) much worse, or is it just numbers?

Would you be looking at the Sony DSC-RX100M or II or III as best? (price in consideration)
 
The 30x or 40x zoom do represent more than just numbers but what it doesn't represent is quality, the superzoom compact cameras have very small teeny tiny sensors and narrow aperture lenses which shut down very quickly as you zoom.

I tried to explain in a similar thread linked below.
http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showpost.php?p=26601215&postcount=4

I'm sure someone may be able to explain better but something like the RX100 has a great compromise between a decent sensor size, good lens and pocket ability.

Before you buy ask your yourself do you really need 720mm as the only people that really need that sort focal length are pro wildlife photographers and they use £10k lenses.
 
The TZ40 is a great camera, also the HD movies are up there with my HD camcorder. It's £149 at Currys, an absolute bargain.
 
I'm currently using the TZ60 on holiday in Cyprus, I'm very happy with the results so far. This is my first digital camera in about 7 years as I've always used a phone to take photos. The zoom is fantastic and the quality of the videos is very very good, almost like watching a blu ray. It does suffer in low light conditions but in decent light it superb. I looked at DSLR cameras but wanted more of a travel camera I can easily put in my pocket.You can link up a phone for remote viewing and shooting which has actually proved very useful so far. GPS function is quite useful as well.
 
albert said:
The TZ40 is a great camera, also the HD movies are up there with my HD camcorder. It's £149 at Currys, an absolute bargain.
Click to expand...

That's the deal I have been looking at, I've only ever used a Smart Phone camera so anything would be an upgrade.

Like the look of the Sony's but seem very pricey, would it be £150 better picture quality?
 
decmatt said:
That's the deal I have been looking at, I've only ever used a Smart Phone camera so anything would be an upgrade.

Like the look of the Sony's but seem very pricey, would it be £150 better picture quality?
Click to expand...

That very much depends on your standards? If you demand the best image quality then yes its worth it, but if generally smartphone pictures have been ok for you then no it wont be worth it.
 
The thing is with the big zoom numbers it tends not to mean. Inch when the sensors are so smaller, the aperture is timy diffraction has robbed a boat load a resolution, high ISO noise (required to combat tiny sensor and tiny aperture) robs a norther shed load, and what is left is lost to camera shake asuch distances. In the end a crop for the Sony Rx is likely almost as good when as the super zoom at the tele end but much easier to use.

The sensors on super zooms are utterly tiny. I fully understand the advantage of having cameras with smaller sensors than FF DSLRs, or even APS-C DSLRs. There is a good trade off in size vs quality. But once you get that small it becomes fairly pointless putting such lenses on them.
 
I've already said the TZ40 is a good camera about 10 posts up. It is!!!. The post above, by D.P. is pointless because he's talking rubbish. A camera snob. My TZ40 takes absolutely fabulous pictures and i cant fault it.Forget sensors blah blah, this camera and the TZ60 are fantastic.
 
albert said:
I've already said the TZ40 is a good camera about 10 posts up. It is!!!. The post above, by D.P. is pointless because he's talking rubbish. A camera snob. My TZ40 takes absolutely fabulous pictures and i cant fault it.Forget sensors blah blah, this camera and the TZ60 are fantastic.
Click to expand...

And other have already said the Sony RX100 is better for a variety of objective reasons. I'm not talking rubbish, I'm talking facts.

You have an opinion that the reduction you purchased is great. That is fine, no need to get so ancy about the fact that several other people have a different opinion even when they don't have a vested interest and don't own either.
 
albert said:
I've already said the TZ40 is a good camera about 10 posts up. It is!!!. The post above, by D.P. is pointless because he's talking rubbish. A camera snob. My TZ40 takes absolutely fabulous pictures and i cant fault it.Forget sensors blah blah, this camera and the TZ60 are fantastic.
Click to expand...

No the TZ's really aren't fantastic at all, they are a marketing ploy to draw people in with big zoom claims with non of the absolutely massive downsides highlighted at all. The optical zoom war replaced the megapixel war a few years ago, people just get drawn into the huge optical zoom marketing claims without being told about the significant trade off's of such cameras.

Fact, small sensor + big zoom + narrow apeture = bad image quailty.

DP is not a camera snob, all he's doing is pointing the limitations of such pointless lenses on tiny sensors as I did, diffraction and high ISO's are simply a physical reailty of owning such cameras and both totally destroy detail which a tiny sensor can barely afford even in the best of lighting conditions.

If you find the TZ is taking great shots for you then great but there are better cameras for less money (Fuji XF1) and significantly better cameras for not much more. (Fuji X20 & Sony RX100) and while they don't have the massive zooms they do have better image quaity.
 
^^ Thanks
very simple physics will show how an aperture of f/6.3, a sensor size of 1/2.3" and 18MP is not a good combination before you even factor in the need to hand hold such a zoom lens.

hwen comparing zoom lenses you have to factor in the sensor size really. The sensor in the RX100 is 5 times larger so you could make a 20% crop and get the same relative sensor size. So that 3x optical zoom could be cropped to form a 15x zoom image. With the faster aperture there will be less diffraction and less noise. There will be less total pixels but the detail will be sharper. So really, there is not much if any difference between how much detail each camera can capture of a distant subject. But as soon as you pull back a little the larger sensor with less zoom will completely trump the smaller sensor with bigger zoom.

Once you get to much bigger sensor sizes then things starts to create some pros and cons between big and small) but the 1/2.3" sensor size is so small you really don't want anything apart from a very fast short zoom or prime.


Now these superzooms can be quite decent when used at more modest focal length and can be a big step up from cellphone cameras. For small web and 4x6p prints they are perfectly sufficient. But that giant zoom rnage is just marketing.
 
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vodkacokebloke said:
as an alternative i'd suggest the Sony HX50 - 30x optical zoom, superb quality throughout and under £200, i bought one recently and love it so far
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I must disagree to a point... As soon as low light levels become involved, the picture quality is not very good (far too much noise even with low ISO) But in bright sun shine, the pictures are good quality, and that is one of the reasons I am looking to replace it
 
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Bumping an old thread but I have just moved from a TZ60 to a Sony RX100i and I'm no photographer but the image quality of the pictures is a huge step up on the RX100. I'm also finding I now take consistently better shots whereas I generally struggled to get a set of decent images on the TZ60.

The limited zoom on the RX100 Iis not as big an issue as I thought it would be as cropping an already decent image gives good results.

The RX100 really is a great camera and I wish I had read more rather than being drawn in by the tech specs of the TZ60.
 
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