It's said that smartphones are overtaking the bottom end of the compact world, so when it comes to buying a more serious dedicated compact camera there's a lot to think about. A model such as the Panasonic Lumix TZ40 has a wide-ranging 20x zoom that can deal with 24mm wide-angle shots for those group photos, or extend right through its 480mm equivalent to snap those far-away subjects large in the frame.
Built-in image stabilisation moves the lens by microscopic amounts to counteract any wobbly handshake, while the super-fast autofocus and hands-on touchscreen control is about as good as we've seen from a compact camera.
All that delivered from a small-bodied and pocketable model that can be carried anywhere. There's even built-in Wi-Fi and NFC for sharing pictures via a smartphone.
The TZ40's combination of 20x optical zoom, an excellent image stabilisation system and Venus processing engine open up a world of imaging potential. We've snapped close-up, from afar, in all manner of conditions and, despite some picky image quality quibbles when viewed at absolute scale, the overall sense is that pictures are good. The near-£300 price isn't small, but considering what's on board we think the TZ40 is worth every penny.
Built-in image stabilisation moves the lens by microscopic amounts to counteract any wobbly handshake, while the super-fast autofocus and hands-on touchscreen control is about as good as we've seen from a compact camera.
All that delivered from a small-bodied and pocketable model that can be carried anywhere. There's even built-in Wi-Fi and NFC for sharing pictures via a smartphone.
The TZ40's combination of 20x optical zoom, an excellent image stabilisation system and Venus processing engine open up a world of imaging potential. We've snapped close-up, from afar, in all manner of conditions and, despite some picky image quality quibbles when viewed at absolute scale, the overall sense is that pictures are good. The near-£300 price isn't small, but considering what's on board we think the TZ40 is worth every penny.
