More nature images with the Panasonic ZS50/TZ70

D

dalethorn

Guest
I love this camera. I thought the ZS40 was good, what with the long zoom and reasonably good quality at full zoom, but this camera is distinctly better in one respect, unless I'm just imagining it - the images seem to "pop" better or have a more 3D look than the previous model - the ZS40/TZ60.

1 and 2: f6.4, 1/640, ISO 80.
3: f6.4, 1/125, ISO 80.
4: f6.4, 1/500, ISO 80.
5: f6.4, 1/125, ISO 80.

The moon image shows the resolution limit pretty clearly. I tried increasing the contrast enough to show some crater detail - this is one that should only be viewed at arm's length or further. Still, it's better at 12 mp than what I could get with the 18 mp ZS40. The white body of the egret doesn't show significant detail, but that's all I get with Program mode auto-exposure. The Dove's eye was in focus pretty much, but the body not so much (don't know why). The pelicans aren't as good as this camera can do, but they're my best so far - hand-holding the camera at maximum zoom and getting a good fix on the bird is really difficult, but I'll get better eventually.

image.jpg
image.jpg
image.jpg
image.jpg
image.jpg
 
Hi @dalethorn, I've just come across this forum when i put a search for tz-70 and found your posts. I bought a TZ-70 yesterday and was wondering how you got such a clear photo of the moon, also what setting do you suggest having it on for general night shots & capturing moving images such as my fast moving daughter ha ha. Thanks
 
Hi @dalethorn, I've just come across this forum when i put a search for tz-70 and found your posts. I bought a TZ-70 yesterday and was wondering how you got such a clear photo of the moon, also what setting do you suggest having it on for general night shots & capturing moving images such as my fast moving daughter ha ha. Thanks

The ZS50/TZxx series are still the all-around best cameras I think. For Moon shots I've done best with a slight haze over the crescent Moon (very slight), since I don't have a filter for the glare. Shutter Priority on 1/60 to 1/100, Aperature should go to minimum. Bracing the camera is essential if you don't have a tripod. Burst shooting is essential. I've gotten away with autofocus, but manual focus would be better if you can. Then in Post Processing, a steep gamma/curves process plus some attention to shadows and highlights etc. In the end though, it would be better to find a club that puts up telescopes outdoors for public participation, then shoot the moon through one of theirs using an adapter mount for the camera (or bring your own).

For most night shots I use a tripod, and when I'm in areas that have structures and tree branches that don't obscure the view, a table-top tripod or Gorillapod works. I've even improvised stabilizing the camera with wallets and stacks of coins etc. when I don't have the tripod. For faster-moving subjects in the day, locking the focus and then panning is the way I shoot. Fast moving at night - dunno.

Edit: If I remember correctly, for some night shots on low ISO the longest exposure I could get was 2 seconds, so I raised my ISO from 80 to 200. As long as I'm using a tripod anyway, I like to shoot with lowest-possible ISO.
 
Thanks for that, I'm not a whizz so I'll have to look at how to alter the aperture & shutter priority, I thought some settings did it automatically. For night shots do you just have the dial on scene then night scenery. These I did last night on program AE, one iso 400 & other 800, the camera did the other things necessary.
a64b6e68adde1f3eef722eeb747fff48.jpg

e0b5e37bc6a6e18a0be7c93afcfc338d.jpg
 
You can do way better on the moon shots. Try setting color in your editor to monochrome, then it will be much easier to adjust the highlights down and shadows up, without color issues.

BTW, the scene modes let the camera choose the ISO, which leads to bad noise in night shots, so I always set the ISO as low as possible, as long as I have a tripod etc. to steady the camera for time exposure.
 
Thanks Dale, too kind. For a simple person like myself when do you need the setting on shutter priority or aperture priority, which different settings/environments would you have these on. Whilst in shutter priority when is it best to have it on 1/25 etc or up to 1/250 etc. The same question really for aperture priority when would you set it low like f3.3 or high at f8 for example. Thanks for your help.
 
Thanks Dale, too kind. For a simple person like myself when do you need the setting on shutter priority or aperture priority, which different settings/environments would you have these on. Whilst in shutter priority when is it best to have it on 1/25 etc or up to 1/250 etc. The same question really for aperture priority when would you set it low like f3.3 or high at f8 for example. Thanks for your help.

Normally I don't do shutter priority. When I photographed surfers I used shutter priority, but I don't do that now. Now, it's necessary for time exposures, or unusual stuff like the moon. If you know you need to, then you still have to experiment.
 
What setting do you recommend having the TZ-70 on to get a sharp image such as a persons face and have the background misted or not in focus as much. I can't seem to get the aperture less than F3.3.
 
What setting do you recommend having the TZ-70 on to get a sharp image such as a persons face and have the background misted or not in focus as much. I can't seem to get the aperture less than F3.3.

Get closer, use macro, get farther away and try zooming - all experiments that produce different results. Just takes time to see what works best.
 
Back
Top