Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25 ZS15 Zoom Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification


Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Front

The Panasonic Lumix TZ25 (AKA DMC-ZS15 in the USA) is the latest pocket zoom from Panasonic and features a wide angle 16x optical zoom lens, optical image stabilisation and a 12 megapixel Live MOS sensor for high speed shooting.

Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Features

Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Front On

The camera has a metal body with a Leica branded 16x optical zoom lens and a 3inch screen on the back. As well as high speed shooting at 10fps, the camera also promises "Light Speed" AF of 0.1 seconds. Additional features recently added to Panasonic cameras are miniature / HDR and panoramic shooting.

Key Features

• 12.1 megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor
• 16x optical zoom (24mm wide angle)
• Power Optical Image Stabilisation
• 3inch screen, 460k dots
• Full HD Video,
• Light speed AF 0.1 sec
• 10fps burst shooting
• Miniature mode
• HDR shooting
• In camera panoramic
• 3cm Macro mode

Panasonic Lumic TZ25 Handling

Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Top

Handling - The camera features a metal body, on/off switch and record / playback switch making it easy to switch the camera on and change between modes. There is a dedicated mode dial on top giving access to: Program, iAuto (intelligent auto), Creative Effects, Scene modes, 3D, Custom 1 and 2, Manual, Shutter and Aperture. There is a dedicated video record button so you can start recording video regardless of which mode you are in. There is some grip on the front of the camera (polished metal) and just an area of raised dots on the back so a wrist strap is recommended. In addition there is an exposure button which is used in Aperture/Shutter/Manual modes.


Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Back

Menus - The Panasonic menus are very easy to use with the camera providing clear text and built in help showing what each option does. Where there are a number of icons, such as the scene mode, each one is explained underneath. The number of options available in the menus changes depending which mode you are currently in, making it very easy to use even for the beginner.


Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Bottom

Battery Life - CIPA life is rated at: 260 shots. We were able to take over 250 shots before the battery went flat. It's worth noting that the camera charges the battery in the camera using the provided USB cable connected to a computer or the provided AC adapter.


Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Full Zoom

Speed - Bold claims of 0.1 second AF performance need to be tested, so that's what we did. We tested each camera's performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average, so that consistent results were produced.

	Panasonic TZ25	Sony NEX-7
Shutter Response	<0.05	<0.05
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response	0.15	0.2
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response	0.3	0.2
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo	1.6	1.1
Shot to Shot (without flash)	0.6	0.6
Shot to Shot with Flash	1.2	0.7
Continuous Shooting (JPEG)	10fps (4 shots)	10fps (18 shots)
Continuous AF Shooting (JPEG) Continuous 3 megapixels Continuous 2.5 megapixels	5fps (5 shots) 40fps (40 shots) 60fps (30 shots)
Continuous Shooting (with Flash)	2fps (5 shots, 3m)	0.6 (2 shots)
Continuous Shooting (RAW)	N/A	10fps (14 shots)

Focus speed is excellent, as is shutter response. Focus at full optical zoom is good which is impressive considering the camera has a 16x optical zoom lens. Shot to shot is very good and the camera has a number of high speed shooting modes, including 10fps at full resolution, although unfortunately it is for only 4 shots.

Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Performance

Here we've taken a number of sample photos taken in a variety of situations, including real world as well as studio test photos. Additional sample photos and information can be found in the Equipment Database.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25 Sample Photos

Sample photos - The portrait shot shows good levels of detail and no red-eye, however there is a slight magenta cast to the image.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25 Lens test images

Lens Test images - Macro performance is impressive particularly as you can use some optical zoom to get even closer to the subject. Some vignetting was visible when shooting at the telephoto end of the lens, as well as some purple fringing. There is some barrel distortion at the wide end of the lens, with minimal pincushion distortion at the telephoto end of the lens.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25 ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - ISO100 shows some noise, but it is quite low. At ISO200 noise is still quite low, but noticeable when viewing images at 100%. At ISO400 noise is more noticeable but should give good results. At ISO800 noise becomes noticeable in bright as well as dark colours and image quality suffers as a result. At ISO1600 coloured splotches of colour start appearing and image quality drops again although this setting may still provide usable images. At ISO3200 noise is dominant and this setting is best avoided. The high sensitivity mode takes a photo at 3 megapixels, although image quality is very low with very soft images.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25 White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance performs quite well under Tungsten light with the Tungsten preset doing little to improve the image, instead giving it a slight orange cast. Auto White Balance performs very well under fluorescent lighting.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25 Other sample images

Panoramic 1/1600 sec | f/4.0 | 4.3 mm | ISO 400

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25 Digital filters

Digital Filters - The TZ25 has a number of effects it calls "Creative Control" as shown above. In addition to these there are a number of interesting options in the scene menu as well, including: Panorama shot, handheld night shot, HDR combining a number of shots, shoot through glass and underwater. The camera will also shoot 3D photos by simply panning the camera from left to right.

Video - The camera records Full HD (1080p) or 720p video in either AVCHD or MP4 format. Continuous AF is available, as well as wind cut. An example can be viewed below, as well as another example video on the ePHOTOzine Youtube channel.

Value For Money

The Panasonic Lumix TZ25 is available for around £249 making it quite expensive compared to some of the competition, especially some of last year's models. The pocket / travel zoom market of compact digital cameras with 10x or more optical zoom is one of the fastest growing markets and therefore there is a lot of competition and also choice. Alternatives to look at include the Samsung WB750, Pentax Optio RZ18, Fujifilm FinePix F600EXR, Olympus SZ-10, Canon Powershot SX240 HS, Sony Cybershot HX10V, to name a few. You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Verdict

The Panasonic Lumix TZ25 is a good update to last years model, the TZ18, with a 12 megapixel sensor, it produces lower noise, and has good image quality for a compact camera. Focus speed is excellent as is continuous shooting and the camera has a number of options for fast continuous shooting. Focus is quick even when using the full 16x optical zoom which makes this camera all the more appealing. On top of this the camera has panoramic sweep built in and would make a good choice for someone looking to explore the manual controls this camera offers.

	The Panasonic Lumix TZ25 provides especially quick focus and continuous shooting with good image quality.

Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Pros

Full resolution 10fps continuous shooting
Extremely quick focus
Great macro performance
Full HD video
Good image quality
Lots of zoom 
Compact metal body
In camera HDR

Panasonic Lumix TZ25 Cons

Initial price quite high
10fps mode only shoots 4 images

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ25 Specifications

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