Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ80 review – Performance

A few days after Storm Imogen and the north Cornwall coast basks in sunlight once again. Set to ISO 80 and captured with the iAuto exposure mode, the TZ80 has produced a pleasing image. 24mm, 1/500sec, at f/3.3, ISO 80

Focusing is taken care of via Panasonic’s Light Speed AF and Depth from Defocus (DFD) technologies, with a claimed focus acquisition time of just 0.1sec. In good light, the focus-lock ‘beep’ sounds the instant the shutter button is pressed halfway, but when light levels drop, the TZ80’s AF performance does become noticeably slower. In this case the built-in AF Assist light becomes essential.

The new Venus Engine image processor makes fairly light work of processing full-resolution JPEGs. With a SanDisk Extreme Pro SDHC Class 10 UHS-1 card, shooting full-resolution JPEG or raw images in single-shot drive mode, there was no apparent upper limit on the number of consecutive images the TZ80 could record. Switching to 10fps mode, we were able to record approximately 50 consecutive full-resolution JPEGs before experiencing any slowdown. In raw this dropped to 14 consecutive frames, while in raw+JPEG fine the camera began to slow after 12 consecutive frames.

The TZ80 has done a good job in this image of the sun reflecting off a row of white houses that overlook Bocastle Harbour, Cornwall. 27mm, 1/800sec at f/6.3, ISO 100

Overall, we’d have to say that processing speeds of the TZ80 are pretty impressive, and most users are unlikely to experience any issues in day-to-day use. Meanwhile, the zoom travelled through its full range in a fraction under 3secs. Using the control wheel around the base of the lens to zoom slows things down considerably, but it feels much more precise.