I've just bought a Panasonic TZ20 (PAL version) to use as a 'pocket' camera because my DMC-FZ50 is too heavy and bulky to carry all the time.

I chose Panasonic when buying a smaller camera because the Leica lens on the FZ50 has been excellent in all respects for my use.

I did a quick test the next day to see that everything works and posted the results below. I'll try to add more later.

So far it is looking good for a 'point and shoot' type camera and is producing the results I hoped for.

Contrast test above.

This photo was taken hand held using the automatic focus, light and shutter settings. Lens set at full wide angle. The subject was in filtered light with bright and dull areas to test the contrast ability of the lens and processor. Click below to see the original with no image or colour adjustments, or a 50% reduced copy for faster download.

Reduced size image 2160 x 1216 pixels, 740kb.

Original image 4320 x 2432 pixels, 4.22mb.

Full shade test above.

This photo was taken hand held using the automatic focus, light and shutter settings. Lens set at full wide angle. The subject was in full shade to test the ability of the lens and processor to reproduce poorly lit subjects. Click below to see the original with no image or colour adjustments, or a 50% reduced copy for faster download.

Reduced size image 2160 x 1216 pixels, 884kb.

Original image 4320 x 2432 pixels, 4.63mb.

Zoom test 1. Street scene at wide angle.

This photo was taken hand held using the automatic focus, light and shutter settings. Lens set at full wide angle. The subject was chosen as an example to show the difference between wide angle and maximum zoom. Click below to see the original with no image or colour adjustments, or a 50% reduced copy for faster download.

Reduced size image 2160 x 1216 pixels, 914kb.

Original image 4320 x 2432 pixels, 4.66mb.

Zoom test 2. Lake bridge scene at wide angle.

This photo was taken hand held using the automatic focus, light and shutter settings. Lens set at full wide angle. The object was to photograph a distant bridge over a narrows on a large body of water. Click below to see the original with no image or colour adjustments, or a 50% reduced copy for faster download.

Reduced size image 2160 x 1216 pixels, 990kb.

Original image 4320 x 2432 pixels, 4.95mb.

Summary

The LUMIX TZ20 is thicker, heavier and feels more solid than the original TZ model I used. It is still small enough to carry in a shirt pocket which is my main reason for buying one. It is producing photos as good as if not better than I expected for a small, pocket size camera. The images at most distances are clear and sharp with accurate colours.

The noise level in dark areas is about the same as I have seen in other digital cameras. I've made a couple of short FullHD 1920 x 1080 movies and they look excellent when played back on my computer monitor. I haven't posted any because the file sizes are HUGE! I'll try to make some lower resolution ones later.

I've not used a tripod on any of the above shots because it defeats the purpose of having a pocket camera, but in my experience with the FZ50, a tripod becomes more essential the more you zoom. On the other hand I wouldn't attempt to make movies without using a tripod or similar sort of support.

So far the only downside is the lack of a viewfinder. Images in the view screen are extremely hard to see in bright sunlight.

Second contrast test.

This photo was taken hand held using the automatic focus, light and shutter settings. Lens set at full wide angle. The subject was in filtered light with bright and dull areas to test the contrast ability of the lens and processor. Click below to see the original with no image or colour adjustments, or a 50% reduced copy for faster download.

Reduced size image 2160 x 1216 pixels, 890kb.

Original image 4320 x 2432 pixels, 4.60mb.

Close-up test.

This photo was taken hand held using the automatic focus, light and shutter settings. Lens set at full wide angle. The subject was placed 200mm in front of the lens to test its close-up ability. Click below to see the original with no image or colour adjustments, or a 50% reduced copy for faster download.

Reduced size image 2160 x 1216 pixels, 485kb.

Original image 4320 x 2432 pixels, 4.38mb.

Zoom test 1. Street scene full zoom.

This photo was taken hand held using the automatic focus, light and shutter settings. Lens set at full 16x zoom. Being able to identify the bricks in the wall of the house a kilometer away was unexpected. Click below to see the original with no image or colour adjustments, or a 50% reduced copy for faster download.

Reduced size image 2160 x 1216 pixels, 981kb.

Original image 4320 x 2432 pixels, 4.77mb.

Zoom test 2. Lake bridge scene at full zoom.

This photo was taken hand held using the automatic focus, light and shutter settings. Lens set at full zoom. The distant bridge is well defined and I can even see the handrailing. Click below to see the original with no image or colour adjustments, or a 50% reduced copy for faster download.

Reduced size image 2160 x 1216 pixels, 610kb.

Original image 4320 x 2432 pixels, 4.61mb.

Macro test.

The photo at left was taken hand held using the fully automatic settings with the lens set at wide angle. The test was to photograph an object closer than 100mm and activate the macro feature of the TZ20.

It worked as designed and the macro indicator light came on automatically. Unfortunately I have deleted the original by mistake. Click the image at left to see a larger, cropped copy of the original with no image or colour adjustments. Image size 1920 x 1080, 277kb.