Panasonic TZ202: First Impressions

Some First Comments by Me | It's all there! | Some of My Settings | Weight and Size | The Lens | The Viewfinder and Touchscreen | What Is Missing or Could Be Improved (in My Opinion)? | Conclusions

On this page, I would like to give away my first impressions of using the Panasonic TZ202 camera.

 

Some First Comments by Me

So what can I say about the Panasonic TZ202 after a couple of months of use? First of all, I had to get used to it! Second, here are some first observations:

    

Front view

 

Rear view, on

Photo: The Panasonic TZ202

 

It's all there!

When using the Panasonic TZ202, I have to say that "it's all there" what I need:

Much more I (usually) do not need...

 

Top view, on, wide angle

 

Top view, on, telephoto

Photos: Views of the Panasonic TZ202

 

Some of My Settings

In progress

Favorite camera settings vary from photographer to photographer and also depend on the situation at hand. Therefore, it is difficult to recommend camera settings to other people. Nevertheless, I list some settings that I typically use - maybe, they offer one or the other inspiration for others:

For details see page Configuration.

 

Top view, off

 

Rear view, off

 

Weight and Size

With 340 g "operating weight," the Panasonic TZ202 is not light, but it is also not heavy. It appears almost lighter than the actually lighter Sony RX100 M4, probably because it is larger.

The Panasonic TZ202 is not a camera for your trouser pocktes, but still a pocket camera, for example for your coat pockets. It is bigger than the Sony RX100 M4, but for me easier to use for this reason. Compared with the Sony RX10 M3, it looks like a dwarf - even when the lens is extended.

Size and weight comparisons can be found here.

 

The Lens

All in all, the lens is definitely the most important component of this camera. With a focal length ranging from 24 mm to 360 mm (equivalent), it offers the largest range yet for a compact camera with a 1" sensor (February 2019).

For me, the close-ups behavior of the lens is also important. This means, above all, that I want to achieve high magnifications even from greater distances (1 m and more). This requires long focal lengths, and therefore the close-up limit at these focal lengths must be short enough for sufficient magnifications to be achieved. The lens of the Panasonic TZ202 has its "sweet spots" at 160 mm and 360 mm, where the minimum object width is about 11 cm - at 160 mm at a distance of 50 cm, at 360 mm at a distance of 1m.

Of course, high magnifications at the wide-angle end are also welcome if the objects are close enough and do not run or fly away (shading can be a problem, though). The lens magnifies the most at 28 mm (minimum object width 5 cm), where shading can be a problem.

Details can be found here.

 

The Viewfinder and Touchscreen

Viewfinder

Here are the technical data for the viewfinder of three of my cameras:

So, the viewfinders all have the same resolution, but offer a different magnification.

I like the Panasonic TZ202's viewfinder the least of the three. It has the lowest magnification, and often the view looks of pale and blurred.

Touchscreen

The Panasonic TZ202 is my first camera with a touchscreen - that I do not use. Since I look through the viewfinder with my left eye, my nose smears the screen und would also move the focus point...

 

What Is Missing or Could Be Improved (in My Opinion)?

In progress

 

Conclusions

These are just a few preliminary ideas, comment, habits, opinions, and so on. This page will therefore change and perhaps also grow a little over time...

 

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11.02.2019