Panasonic ZS60 Review

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Basic Specifications
Full model name:	Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS60
Resolution:	18.10 Megapixels
Sensor size:	1/2.3 inch (6.2mm x 4.6mm)
Lens:	30.00x zoom (24-720mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	EVF / LCD
Native ISO:	80 - 3200
Extended ISO:	80 - 6400
Shutter:	1/16000 - 60 sec
Max Aperture:	3.3
Dimensions:	4.4 x 2.5 x 1.5 in. (112 x 64 x 38 mm)
Weight:	9.9 oz (282 g) includes batteries
Availability:	03/2016
Manufacturer:	Panasonic
Full specs:	Panasonic ZS60 specifications

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Panasonic ZS60 (Black)

Panasonic ZS60 (Black)
Panasonic ZS60 (Silver)

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18.10 Megapixels	30.00x zoom	1/2.3 inch size sensor

Panasonic ZS60 Review -- First Impressions

by Mike Tomkins
Preview posted 01/05/2016

Updates:
02/09/2016: First Shots added

Are you looking for a camera with a powerful zoom lens in a pocket-friendly package? In 2015, Panasonic catered to this need with its Lumix ZS50 digital camera. A year later, it follows up with the Panasonic ZS60, offering a far-reaching 30x optical zoom lens in a pocket-friendly body weighing just under 10 ounces (282 grams), ready to shoot with battery and memory card.

The Panasonic ZS60 is based around an 18 megapixel, 1/2.3-inch High Sensitivity MOS sensor and the company's Venus Engine image processor. That's a fair step up in resolution from the 12-megapixel sensor of the ZS50, and returns to the same resolution as the earlier ZS40.

As in that camera from the 2014 model year, the Panasonic ZS60 looks to offer fairly swift performance. Together, the image sensor and processor yield a manufacturer-rated full-resolution burst speed of five frames per second with autofocus between frames, or as much as 10 fps without. And if you're willing to switch to an electronic shutter, you can push this even further to as fast as 40 fps, though at an unspecified lower resolution.

Catering to your need for zoom, the Panasonic ZS60 offers up a Leica DC Vario-Elmar-branded 30x optical zoom lens which provides everything from a generous 24mm-equivalent wide angle to a very powerful 720mm-equivalent telephoto. Maximum aperture falls from f/3.3 at wide angle to f/6.4 at telephoto. If this optic seems familiar, that's for good reason: With a total of 12 elements in 9 groups, including five double-sided aspherics, it looks to be the exact same optic used in both earlier models.

Also retained from the earlier ZS-series models is the Panasonic ZS60's five-axis image stabilization system, which helps to reduce the impact of blur from camera shake -- something that will be pretty important towards the telephoto end of the lens' range. But where the earlier cameras had a 23-area Light Speed-branded autofocus system, the ZS60 upgrades this with a new 49-point Light Speed AF system. As well as being more point-dense, this contrast detection-based autofocus system now includes Panasonic's clever Depth from Defocus technology to speed focus acquisition. Also provided are both face and eye-tracking functions.

On the rear panel of the Panasonic ZS60, you'll find an electronic viewfinder based around a 0.2", 389k-dot dot LCD panel with a field-sequential design. What this means is that every pixel switches between red, green and blue colors alternately at high speed, providing full color information at every pixel location and thereby increasing the perceived resolution (1,166k-dot equivalent, according to Panasonic). If you prefer to frame at arm's length, the rear-panel LCD monitor is still a three-inch, 3:2-aspect type with a resolution of 1,040k-dots. Both the viewfinder and display look to be unchanged from those in the ZS50.

As with its predecessor, the Panasonic ZS60 boasts integrated Wi-Fi connectivity with which to get photos onto your Android or iOS smartphone or tablet. However, Android fans will miss the NFC radio of the ZS50, because the ZS60 no longer offers this feature for quick Wi-Fi connection setup. Instead, Android users will use the same QR code pairing as do iPhone users. It's certainly better than pairing manually, but requires a bit more user intervention than the earlier NFC pairing solution.

Of course, ultra high-def video is the latest must-have feature, and the Panasonic ZS60 doesn't disappoint in this area. Not only can you now shoot 4K video at a rate of 30 frames per second in MP4 format, but also Full HD video at 60 fps. And for the first time in its megazoom lineup, the ZS60 also offers up both 4K Photo and Post Focus functions.

The 4K Photo function allows easy extraction of 8.3-megapixel stills from 4K videos. If rolling shutter isn't a concern for your subject, this can be a huge advantage as it takes your reflexes out of the equation almost entirely. The Post Focus function, meanwhile, varies focus during 4K video capture, and then lets you indicate which subject should have the sharpest focus post-capture. The video is then analyzed, and the frame with the sharpest focus in this area retained.

Available from mid-March 2016, the Panasonic ZS60 will be sold in either silver or black body colors. Pricing in the US market is set at around US$450 or thereabouts.