Lumix TZ10 advice
 

Hi Everyone,

Newbie here just looking for some advice regarding the Lumix TZ10 (ZS7 in US)
I'm strongly considering upgrading my old point and shoot camera to the Lumix TZ10, which is currently top of Panasonic's superzoom compact cameras. (see link)

[url]http://www.panasonic.co.uk/html/en_GB/Products/LUMIX+Digital+Cameras/Super+Zoom/DMC-TZ10/Overview/3377869/index.html[/url]

I like this model because it has very good reviews online, has a great wide angle lens and does HD movies.
I'm not very familiar with advanced photography, but having been browsing online I'd also love to be able to take pictures such as the ones in this link:

[url]http://digital-photography-school.com/long-exposure-photography[/url]

I understand that really a DSLR is required for photos such as those, but I notice that the TZ10 has certain manual controls over shutter and aperture, which I think should help me achieve some creative shots.

Does the TZ10 fit the bill between a compact point and shoot and a DSLR?

One final point, I'm going to a rock concert in October and will be quite some distance from the stage, I'm hoping to film some video using the TZ10 with its long zoom, but how would the photos come out?

Thanks for your advice,
Nick

Hi Nick, welcome to the forum

[QUOTE=Nic2k83;21249]Does the TZ10 fit the bill between a compact point and shoot and a DSLR?[/quote]

In short, no. The TZ10 is a very good camera (one of the best all round compacts you can buy I reckon) but it doesn't fill the gap between compacts and SLRs. One of the problems with manual modes on compacts is that they're rarely much use. For example, many of them have an aperture priority mode, in which you can select the aperture the camera uses and the camera works out the rest. Thats great but you often only get 2 aperture settings. Thats pointless. And hugely frustrating.

But, the job of filling the gap iis done by "bridge" cameras - they bridge the gap. A couple of examples are the [url=http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-fuji-finepix-hs10-black-digital-camera/p1519344]Fuji HS10[/url], the [url=http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-panasonic-lumix-dmc-fz45-black-digital-camera/p1521800]Panasonic FZ45[/url] and the [url=http://www.warehouseexpress.com/buy-canon-powershot-sx20-is-black-digital-camera/p1033071]Canon SX20[/url].

In effect, they're just more advanced versions of the TZ10 but they do have advantages such as better (and more useable) manual and semi-manual modes, bigger zooms, more advanced customisation, manual focus etc.
They do have their own downsides, one of which is that they are larger than the compact ranges of cameras (some of the largest are like a small DSLR) but overall these are much more useful cameras and the ideal starting point for someone who wants to learn.

[QUOTE=Nic2k83;21249]One final point, I'm going to a rock concert in October and will be quite some distance from the stage, I'm hoping to film some video using the TZ10 with its long zoom, but how would the photos come out? [/QUOTE]

Impossible to say without more information. Are you indoors or outside? If you're outdoors whats the ambient light going to be like? How far back? How well lit will the stage be? These aren't just related to the TZ10 but all digital cameras!

Hi Nick and welcome to the forum,

I've had a play with a TZ10 recently and for a compact superzoom camera it is very impressive. The Aperture mode does allow you to use more than two settings you'll be pleased to hear, but as a general rule this mode would be used on a DSLR to control the depth of field and on a compact it is almost impossible to get a blurred background when your shooting something in the foreground. Owing to the small size of the sensor it tends to keep everything in sharp focus.:( The Shutter Priority mode though, works very well and of course, if you're one of those people who when they get home and have their photos printed and cannot remember where they took some of them it has a built in GPS positioner to help you find the exact spot. If you don't need this facility, then take a look at the TZ8 instead. Virtually an identical camera, except for this feature.

As Chris mentioned, a hybrid bridge camera is often the best option if you're wanting to learn the basics of photography, because they come with more DSLR like controls, but you're not making such a big investment as you would in buying a DSLR and all the kit that you need with it, so if you find photography isn't really your bag then your outlay has been much smaller. The cameras Chris mentioned are all very highly regarded, though the SX20 and FZ45 receive the best reviews overall.

Thanks for the responses, I'll have a look at those "bridge cameras" you mention and go from there.
The concert is at the Southampton Guildhall, (indoors) it'll be fairly dark inside and I'll be standing on the upper deck.
Most other compacts I've taken to concerts only seem to produce blurry images, currently I own a Lumix FS62 which upon taking to a recent evening wedding reception managed to take pictures of people dancing without any blur.
I had to set the scene mode to "sports" to achieve that so I was hoping the Lumix TZ10 would do similiar.
Thanks again,
Nick