Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6: Hit for 6

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6 is the latest in the TZ series of cameras with long zooms in small packages

Richard Trenholm

Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.

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Richard Trenholm

March 9, 2009 11:19 a.m. PT

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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6 was announced alongside its bigger brother, the TZ7, back in January.

The 10.1-megapixel compact superzoom packs a whopping 12x optical zoom and includes the ever-reliable Panasonic Mega OIS system for keeping shaky hands from ruining pictures, especially at longer zooms.

The shutter can fire at speeds of between 8 and 1/2,000 seconds, or you can set the camera up on a tripod and fire a long exposure in starry sky mode for 15, 30, or 60 seconds. Burst mode will also fire 2 frames per second.

The TZ6 doesn't manage high-definition video, unlike its flashier sibling the TZ7. You get 4:3 VGA-resolution 640x480 pixels or smaller, at 30 frames per second. But you can use the optical zoom while shooting, which is unusual.

The TZ series has had the compact superzoom segment to itself for a while, but this year's crop of new cameras has seen some challengers to the crown. The Kodak EasyShare Z915, Samsung WB550 and Canon PowerShot SX200 IS have all been announced in recent weeks, and all pack 10x or 12x zooms in small packages.

Click on our gallery to take a look around the TZ6.