Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ50 Review

For beginners or anyone that just wants to "point-n-shoot" there's the IA (Intelligent Auto) exposure mode. The camera sets almost everything for you.

IA Quick Menu options:

O.I.S. - Mode 1, Mode 2
Burst Shooting - Off, On, Unlimited
Aspect Ratio - 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Image Size - 9M, 5M, 3M, 0.3M
LCD - Off, Auto Power LCD, Power LCD, High Angle

Normal mode (the red camera icon on the mode dial) is also an automatic exposure mode, but the user has a wide array of menu settings available (see below.) The screen here shows the flash is set to Auto, image size is 9M, image quality is Fine, the battery level is 2/3 full, ISO is at 100, Auto LCD mode, there's room on the SD card for another 820 shots and the image stabilizer is set to Mode 1 (shaking hand icon).

When the shutter is half-pressed and the auto focus is achieved, the AF target brackets in the center turn green (red if AF fails) and a focus confirmation "green dot" is displayed. The shutter speed and aperture will also be displayed.

Program Quick Menu options:

Stabilizer - Off, Mode 1, Mode 2
Burst - Off, Burst, Unlimited
AF Mode - Face Detection, 9-Area, 3-Area High Speed, 1-Area High Speed, 1 Area,
Spot
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set
ISO - Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Intelligent Exposure - On or Off
Aspect Ratio - 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Image Size - 9M, 7M, 5M, 3M, 2M
LCD - Off, Auto Power LCD, Power LCD, High Angle

Normal Menu options:

Picture Size - 9M, 7M, 5M, 3M, 2M, 0.3M
Quality - JPEG Fine or Standard
Aspect Ratio - 4:3, 3:2, 16:9
Intelligent ISO - Off, Max 400, Max 800, Max 1600
ISO - Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set
Metering Mode - Evaluative, Center, Spot
AF Mode - Face Detection, 9-Area, 3-Area High Speed, 1-Area High Speed, 1 Area,
Spot
Continuous AF - On or Off
Burst - Off, Burst, Unlimited
Intelligent Exposure - On or Off
Digital Zoom - On or Off
Color Mode - Standard, Natural, Vivid, B/W, Sepia, Cool, Warm
Stabilizer - Off, Mode 1, Mode 2
Min. Shtr Speed - 1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/15, 1/30, 1/60, 1/125, 1/200
Audio Red. - On or Off
AF Assist Lamp - On or Off
Clock Set - Set the time and Date

Moving the Mode Dial to the SCN position gives access to 23 scene specific modes that are optimized for a variety of shooting environments. You can choose from Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Self-Portrait, Food, Party, Candle Light, Fireworks, Starry Sky, Beach, Aerial Photo, Snow, High Sensitivity, Baby1&2, Underwater, Sunset, Pet, Hi-Speed Burst, Multi Aspect.

Pressing the 4-way controller "Up" gives you access to to the exposure menu. Pressing it again takes you to the Auto Bracket menu.

Pressing it "Right" brings up your flash options.

Pressing it "Down" enables macro mode. In macro mode the camera will focus as close as 5cm.

Pressing it "Left" will give you the self timer options.

Movie mode captures QuickTime video at either 4:3 (640x480 / 320 x 240) or 16:9 (848x480) aspects with audio (the built-in microphone and speaker is located on the top on the camera.) You can also choose a frame rate of 30 or 10 frames per second. The TZ50 also includes an HD 1280x720 (720p) video mode with a selectable frame rate of 30 or 15fps. The length of capture is limited only by the amount of available memory, with a maximum clip size of 2GB. Note: you can only record the HD or 16:9 aspect movies when using a memory card.

Movie mode Quick menu options:

Stabilizer - Off, Mode 1
AF Mode - 9-Area, 3-Area High, 1-Area High, 1-Area, Spot
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Shade, Halogen, White Set
Aspect Ratio - 4:3 or 16:9
Picture Mode - 4:3 (VGA 30fps, VGA 10fps, QVGA 30fps, QVGA 10fps); 16:9 (16:9H 30fps, 16:9H 15fps, 16:9L 30fps, 16:9L 10fps)
LCD Mode - Off, Auto Power LCD, Power LCD, High Angle