I have decided to add reviews of some of the equipment I purchase and use, to aid others in their purchasing decisions.The TZ20 was purchased from Amazon uk, as a present and replacement for my partner Theresa's trusty Canon Ixus 700. First impressions on unpacking were not good, the Ixus is a quality camera manufactured from stainless steel, the TZ20 by comparison feels cheap. It is more bulky and does not have that quality feel about it. Technical Details Dimensions (W x H x D) 104.9 x 57.6 x 33.4 mm / (4.13 x 2.27 x 1.31 in) Weight Approx. 197g without Battery and SD Memory Card (0.434 lb) / Approx. 219g with Battery and SD Memory Card (0.482 lb) Optics Camera Effective Pixels: 14.1 Megapixels Sensor Sensor Size / Total Pixels / Filter: 1/2.33-type MOS sensor / 15.1 Total Megapixels / Primary Color Filter Lens Optical Zoom: 16x Aperture: F3.3 - 5.9/ Multistage Iris (F3.3 - 6.3 (W) / F5.9 - 6.3 (T)) Focal Length: f=4.3-68.8mm (24-384mm in 35mm equiv.) (29-464mm in 35mm equiv. in movie recording) Extra Optical Zoom (EZ): 18.9x (4:3 / 10M), 22.5x (4:3 / 7M), 27.0x (4:3 / 5M), 33.8x (4:3 / under 3M) Intelligent Zoom: 21x Lens: LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR Optical Image Stabilizer: Power O.I.S. (On / Off / Active mode(for motion picture) ) Focus Focusing Area Normal settings: Wide 50 cm - infinity / Tele 200 cm - infinity When set to Macro / Intelligent AUTO/ movie recording: Wide 3 cm - infinity / Tele 100cm - infinity Focus Range Display: Yes AF Assist Lamp: Yes Focus: Normal / AF Macro, Zoom Macro, Quick AF, AF Tracking, Touch AF/AE, Continuous AF (only for motion picture)" AF Metering: Face / AF Tracking / 23pt / 1pt / Spot / Touch Area Shutter Shutter Speed Still: 60 - 1/4000 sec Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30, 60sec Shutter Interval: approx. 0.3 sec Recording IA Face Recognition: Photo Optical Image Stabilizer: Photo / Movie Intelligent ISO Control: Photo Face Detection: Photo / Movie Intelligent Scene Selector: Photo (Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Handheld Night Shot, Sunset, Macro) / Movie (Portrait, Scenery, Low Light, Macro) Intelligent Exposure: Photo / Movie AF Tracking: Photo Digital Red Eye Correction (Red-Eye Removal): Photo Intelligent Resolution Technology: Photo / Movie File Format Still Image: JPEG(DCF/Exif2.3) 3D Image: MPO Interface Mode Switch: [Recording] / [Playback] One-Touch Movie Button: Yes Recording Modes Mode Dial / Mode Button: Intelligent Auto, P, A, S, M, Custom, 3D Photo, SCN, My SCN 2, My SCN 1 Continuous Shooting Mode: Full-Resolution Image, 10 frames/sec Max. 15images High-speed Burst Shooting: Max. 60 frames / sec (recorded in 2.5M for 4:3, 3M for 3:2, 3.5M for 16:9, 2M for 1:1) Motion Picture Recording: 4:3 in VGA: 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (Motion JPEG) or QVGA: 320 x 240 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG) HD Movie: 1920x1080 pixels, 50i (GFS: 17Mbps, FSH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor output is 50p) 1280x 720 pixels, 50p(GS: 17Mbps, SH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) 1280x 720 pixels, 30fps (Quicktime Motion JPEG) Actual recordable time (motion pictures): AVCHD, approx. 35 min (GFS, FSH), 40 min (GS, SH) MOTION JPEG: approx. 40 min Exposure: Program AE, Aperture Priority AE, Shutter Priority, Manual Others GPS, Motion Deblur, Real-time histogram, Composition Guide lines (2 patterns), Auto Review, Optical Zoom in Motion Picture, Orientation Detector, Self Timer (2sec / 10sec) Monitor LCD Monitor: 7.5cm (3.0") TFT Touch Screen LCD Display (460K dots), AR Coating Field of View : approx. 100% Wide Viewing Angle AUTO Power LCD mode, Power LCD mode, Touch Panel Flash Flash Built-in-Flash: Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off Media Recording Media: Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card Built-in-Memory: Approx. 18MB Microphone / Speaker: Stereo / Yes Interface Interface: mini HDMI, AV Output (PAL), USB2.0 High speed Network: Viera Link HDMI output: Yes(AUTO) LUMIX Image Uploader: Yes Power Power: ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, Minimum: 895mAh) (Included) Power: ID-Security Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V, Minimum: 895mAh) (Included) AC Adaptor: Input: 110-240V AC (Optional) Battery life (approx.): 260 pictures (CIPA Standard)*1 Impressive specification for any camera! Its very easy to use and the menus speak for themselves (after you get used to them). It has full manual shooting modes to make the most of difficult lighting situations although most users who purchase this type of camera tend to use the default auto settings. The flash is ok for close up indoors but otherwise as with most compacts-useless! GPS. A novel feature which works well but does tend to drain the battery quicker when on. Touch Screen. A useful feature which works quite well , although it only works in certain menus and playback, so not totally touchscreen yet. Picture Quality. The most important bit! We have taken this camera to various parts of the world and Uk and it takes good pictures if, its a bright or sunny day. I will post some of these pictures very soon. But then on nights out on holiday etc when inside various venues,my partner has complained vehemently that the pictures are dark, blurred or both! Give it to me I will sort it out I bravely said. I went through all the menus and tried all the settings in every different combination possible, but still no luck! In dark or low light it sucks! Not a patch on the Ixus 700. And video is the same , very good in ideal lighting conditions but useless as the light fades! And I am constantly reminded that its not as good as her 'old' camera. So to conclude,unless the lighting is good its been a major disappointment and after asking many others and searching out reviews, its not just our experience or a one off, so for me its a big no. 4 out of ten.
