Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TZ200 NOIR Panasonic - Review 🏆

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 is a compact travel zoom camera that packs a 1-inch sensor and 15x zoom lens into a pocketable body. It's designed for photographers who want high image quality and versatility in a lightweight, easy-to-carry camera.

The TZ200 builds on the strengths of its predecessor, the TZ100, with the same large sensor and zoom range but adds several notable improvements. This includes a new 20.1MP sensor, faster autofocus, 4K video capture, an upgraded EVF, and touch control. The TZ200 aims to balance portability and high-end features to create an appealing all-in-one travel camera.

Design & Build

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 has a sleek and stylish design perfect for traveling. Despite its compact size, it still manages to fit in an impressive 15x optical zoom lens.

The dimensions of the camera body are 4.4 x 2.6 x 1.8 inches (111.2 x 66.4 x 45.2 mm), making it slim enough to slip into a pocket or bag. It weighs just 340 grams including the battery and memory card, so it won't weigh you down during a long day of shooting.

The body is constructed of metal and composite plastic. The metal front plate and top cover give it a premium feel in the hand. The camera is available in black or silver finishes. Both look modern and elegant.

The handgrip is substantial enough to get a good hold of the camera. There is a raised rubberized area on the back for your thumb to rest on. Overall the ergonomics are well thought out for a compact camera.

Image Quality

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 features a 1-inch 20.1MP MOS sensor, which is larger than most other compact cameras and enables excellent image quality. It offers a good resolution of 20 megapixels, allowing you to capture highly detailed images with rich colors and textures.

The sensor's native ISO range is 125-12800, which can be expanded to ISO 80-25600. This wide sensitivity range means the TZ200 performs well in low light conditions, reducing image noise and enabling fast shutter speeds to avoid blur. Even at high ISOs up to 6400, images remain very usable with minimal noise.

Overall, the large sensor size, 20MP resolution, and wide native ISO range combine to deliver outstanding image quality for a compact camera. The TZ200 captures sharp, vibrant photos with low noise levels across various shooting conditions. This makes it a great choice for travel photography and everyday shooting scenarios.

Video Recording

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 excels when it comes to video recording capabilities. It can shoot 4K video at 30fps and Full HD video at up to 60fps. The 4K videos are recorded in MP4 format with H.264 compression. This allows for high quality 4K videos that aren't too large in file size.

For Full HD recording, you have the option to shoot in either AVCHD or MP4 formats. The AVCHD videos are recorded at up to 28Mbps while the MP4 videos can be recorded at up to 100Mbps. This allows you to choose between smaller file sizes or higher bitrates depending on your needs.

Some additional video features include 5-axis hybrid optical image stabilization to keep your footage smooth when handholding the camera. There is also an impressive slow motion video mode that allows you to shoot 1080p video at up to 100fps. When played back at normal speed, this allows you to create dramatic slow motion effects.

Overall, the TZ200 provides an extremely versatile array of video options. From high quality 4K to smooth slow motion, you'll be able to capture superb videos in a wide range of situations.

Autofocus & Speed

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 features a contrast-detect AF system that is quick and accurate in most lighting conditions. It has 49 focus areas that cover a broad area of the frame.

For focusing, it offers Face/Eye Detection, Tracking, 49-Area, Custom Multi, 1-Area, and Pinpoint. These allow you to tailor the autofocus to suit your subject matter. Face and eye detection work very well for portraits, automatically focusing on and tracking the eyes of human subjects.

When it comes to burst shooting, the TZ200 can capture up to 10 frames per second in high-speed burst mode. This makes it suitable for action photography. The buffer depth is decent but not amazing, allowing around 7 RAW files or 30 JPEGs in a burst. This could be better, but is sufficient for short bursts of action.

Overall, the autofocus system is responsive and versatile, with a good range of focusing modes. While not best in class, it is suitable for a variety of subjects including portraits and action photography. The burst rate of 10fps gives you enough speed for capturing kids, sports, and wildlife.

Display

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 has a 3-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 1,240K dots. The screen is an LCD panel which provides a clear, sharp image during framing and playback. The touch capability allows for intuitive menu navigation as well as touch focus and shutter release.

Some key aspects of the display include:

• Screen Size: 3 inches
• Screen Type: LCD panel
• Screen Resolution: 1,240K dots
• Touchscreen: Yes, provides touch focus, touch shutter, and intuitive menu navigation

The screen is bright and easy to see in most lighting conditions. It can be tilted 180 degrees upward and 45 degrees downward for flexibility when shooting from high or low angles. Overall, the display provides a crisp live view image and intuitive touch control. The high resolution allows images to be previewed in detail during playback.

Connectivity & Storage

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 offers a good range of connectivity options and storage capacity.

For ports, it has a micro HDMI port to output video and images to an external display, as well as a USB 2.0 port for charging, data transfer and tethered shooting. The camera lacks a headphone jack but has a built-in microphone.

For wireless connectivity, the TZ200 has WiFi and Bluetooth built-in. This allows you to wirelessly transfer images to your smartphone or control the camera remotely using the Panasonic Image App. Bluetooth is used to maintain an always-on low-power connection to your phone for quick image transfer.

In terms of storage, the TZ200 has a single SD card slot that supports SD, SDHC and SDXC memory cards. It is UHS-I compatible for faster write speeds when using UHS-I cards. The maximum supported card size is up to 512GB, giving you ample storage space for photos and 4K video recordings.

Overall, the connectivity options are quite good for a compact camera, with the main omissions being NFC and a headphone jack. The SD card slot and support for large capacity cards up to 512GB provide excellent storage capacity.

Battery Life

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 is powered by a DMW-BLG10E rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack rated for up to 370 shots per charge based on CIPA standards. This is a decent battery life for a travel zoom camera. The battery is charged via USB, which is very convenient as you can plug it into a laptop, portable power bank or USB charger.

The DMW-BLG10E battery is 1250mAh and 7.2V. It's a compact battery that fits nicely into the camera without adding too much bulk. One downside is that the battery is charged in-camera via USB, so you cannot charge a spare battery unless you have an external charger. Overall, the battery life is suitable for a full day of shooting while travelling or on vacation. Just be sure to pack the USB cable and have access to a charging source to top up the battery if needed.

Additional Features

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 comes equipped with a wealth of features to enhance the photography experience. Some of the most notable additional features include:

• Built-in Image Stabilization: The TZ200 has a powerful 5-axis hybrid O.I.S+ stabilization system to minimize blur from camera shake when shooting handheld. This allows you to capture sharp images and steady video even when shooting at slower shutter speeds or long focal lengths.

• 4K Photo Modes: You can shoot at 30fps in 4K resolution to capture fleeting moments. There are also modes like Post Focus for selecting focus points after shooting and Focus Stacking for extending depth of field.

• Bracketing: Exposure bracketing allows capturing multiple exposures at different settings, useful for HDR imaging. The TZ200 also offers aperture bracketing for depth of field effects.

• Built-in ND Filter: The integrated ND filter reduces incoming light by up to 3 stops, allowing greater control over exposure in bright lighting. This is especially useful when shooting video.

• RAW Support: For maximum editing flexibility, the TZ200 can save images as RAW files in addition to JPEGs. RAW retains more image data for improved adjustments to exposure, color, and detail.

• USB Charging: You can conveniently charge the TZ200's battery by plugging into a USB port instead of relying on the dedicated charger. This allows charging on the go from portable power banks.

• Bluetooth Connectivity: Built-in Bluetooth 4.2 LE allows for easy pairing with smartphones and tablets for wireless image transfer and remote control capabilities.

• Numerous Scene Modes: The TZ200 offers a variety of specialized scene modes to optimize settings for different subjects, including portraits, landscapes, night scenes, and more.

Pros & Cons

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ200 has a lot of great features and capabilities for an advanced compact camera. Here's a quick summary of some of the main pros and cons:

Pros

• Excellent image quality and zoom range - The 20MP 1-inch sensor and 15x zoom lens produce sharp, detailed images even when fully zoomed. Great for travel photography.

• 4K video and 4K photo modes - Can shoot high quality 4K video and extract stills from the footage. Useful features for videographers.

• Fast autofocus and burst shooting - Focusing is very quick and accurate. Can shoot up to 10 frames per second in burst mode. Helpful for action shots.

• Large electronic viewfinder - The high resolution 2.3 million dot viewfinder provides a clear preview and is useful in bright sunlight.

• Full manual controls - Offers PASM exposure modes and settings for controlling every aspect of photos and videos. Appeals to photography enthusiasts.

• 5-axis image stabilization - Compensates for camera shake and smooths out handheld video footage. Allows shooting at slower shutter speeds.

• Touchscreen control and tilting LCD - The responsive touchscreen interface makes changing settings quick and easy. The tiltable screen aids creative composition.

Cons

• Mediocre battery life - Battery drains fairly quickly when using features like 4K video and the EVF. Carrying a spare battery is recommended.

• No weather sealing - The body is not protected against dust or moisture. Need to be careful when shooting outdoors.

• Small sensor size - While good for a compact, the 1-inch sensor can't match larger APS-C and full frame sensors for dynamic range and low light performance.

• No headphone jack - Can't monitor audio properly when recording video. An adapter or external recorder is required.

• Price - Good value for the features, but still quite expensive for a point-and-shoot camera. The price tag makes it less accessible.