Panasonic Lumix TZ40 or ZS30 as it's known in North America

Panasonic Lumix TZ40, Panasonic Lumix ZS30, Lumix TZ40

The Panasonic Lumix TZ40 - ZS30 as it's known in North America, is the latest version of the company's hugely popular travel zoom-camera. Announced in January 2013, it comes exactly one year after its predecessor, the best-selling TZ30 & ZS20, and like that model the TZ40 / ZS30 becomes the first of the new crop of pocket super-zooms to reach the market.

The most important specification of any super-zoom is of course the optical range, and for the new TZ40/ ZS30 Panasonic has decided to stick with the same 20x zoom of last years model, equivalent to 24-480mm. Panasonic has however improved the image stabilization with a new five - axis correction system that claims to particularly benefit movie shooting.

Inside there's a new sensor with 18 Megapixels-four more than last year's model, coupled with claims of improved noise reduction. The touch -screen resolution has been doubled from 460k to 920k dots, the built in GPS enhanced with support for the Russian GLONASS system, and at long last there's a play button to replace the switch on-earlier models. The big new feature though is built-in Wi-Fi with NFC. A free app allows you to wirelessly remote control the camera along with browsing and copying images with a compatible smartphone. You can alternatively upload to computers or direct from the camera to sharing and social services. Meanwhile NFC handles the initial Wi-Fi negotiation on compatible devices with a simple tap. As before, there's also a more affordable version, the TZ35/ ZS25, which shares the 20x zoom range, but lacks the Wi-Fi, NFC and GPS, along with employing a lower resolution 16 Megapixel sensor and 460k screen. In my in-depth review I'll test out all the features, new and old, and compare the TZ40 / ZS30 against its rivals from Canon, Sony and Panasonic itself to help you choose the best pocket super-zoom!

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Panasonic TZ40 / ZS30 design and controls

The Lumix TZ40 / ZS30 is clearly based on the same shell as its predecessor with the core controls occupying the same positions as before. The official specifications describe the body as being 108x59x27.7 mm - that's 3mm wider, 1mm taller and half a mm thinner, but most of this is down to cosmetic differences.

Panasonic Lumix TZ40 / ZS30 GPS features

The Lumix TZ40 / ZS30 inherits the built-in GPS receiver of its predecessor, which allows it to record location and time details for each image and store them in the standard EXIF header. These can then be cross-referenced by a built-in database of landmarks to display location information or your location on-screen using a basic map; you can of course also use the location details to plot your position on mapping software on your computer later.

Panasonic Lumix TZ40 / ZS30 lens and stabilization

The most important specification of any super-zoom camera is of course its optical range and for the TZ40 / ZS30, Panasonic has adopted the same 20x range first seen on last year's TZ30/ ZS20. This shouldn't come as a surprise as manufacturers often deploy optics across two generations before updating. This strategy can of course lead to a rival jumping ahead, but the gamble paid off for 2013 as both Sony and Canon have also kept the same 20x zooms as their 2012 models.

So like its predecessor, the Lumix TZ40 / ZS30 sports an equivalent range of 24-480mm, allowing you to easily capture expansive views at one moment, before zooming-in to grab distant detail in the next. It's a powerful and compelling range to have at your disposal in a pocket able camera. The closest focusing distance remains 3cm with the lens zoomed-out to the widest angle. You can see an example of the handheld pan and zoom below.

Panasonic Lumix TZ40 / ZS30 lens and stabilization : http://youtu.be/7uJwqEeyFAs

In the video above I held the TZ40 / ZS30 by hand and merrily panned from side to side, while also zooming through the entire optical range. After the TZ30 / ZS20 I expected the worst, but was delighted to find the newer model coping much better. Now this is just anecdotal evidence as I didn't have the older TZ30 / ZS20 on hand to perform a side-by-side comparison, but during my time with the TZ40 / ZS30, I definitely experienced much less of the horizontal jitter which ultimately made the long zoom range more usable than before.

Panasonic Lumix TZ40/ZS30 Specifications

Image Sensor: 18.1 million effective pixels.
Sensor: 11mm CMOS.
Metering: Multi, centre-weighted, spot.
Lens: Leica DC Vario-Elmar f3.3-6.4/4.3-86mm (24-480mm as 35 SLR equivalent)
Exposure Modes: Auto, Program AE, shutter and aperture priority, manual.
Shutter Speed: 15-1/1200 second.
Memory: SD/SDHC/SDXC plus 12 MB internal.
Image Sizes (pixels): Stills: 4876×3264 to 480×480.
Movies: 1920×1080, 1280×720, 640×480, 320×240.
Continuous Shooting: 5 and 10fps.
Viewfinder:7.6cm LCD screen (920,000).
File Formats: JPEG, MPO 3D, MPEG4, AVCHD.
ISO Sensitivity: Auto, 100 to 6400.
Interface: USB 2.0, HDMI mini, DC input.
Power: Rechargeable lithium ion battery.
Dimensions: 1205x59x28 WHDmm.
Weight: 198 g (with battery and card).