The Panasonic Lumix TZ41 is currently the best camera in the compact segment.
The TZ41 offers an excellent 20× zoom that is usable due to optical image stabilization. It is compact, lightweight and has a reasonably sized battery.
Technical specification
| Name | Panasonic Lumix TZ41 |
|---|---|
| Model | Panasonic DMC-TZ41EG-K |
| Price | 259.03 Euro |
| Dimensions | 108.3 × 58.9 × 27.7 mm |
| Weight | 198g |
| Zoom | 20× |
| optical image stabilization | ✔ |
| Battery Power | 1250mAh |
| GPS Sensor | ✔ |
| Sensor | 1/2.3" MOS Sensor with 18.9 Megapixel |
| Video | 1920 x 1080 full HD video |
| Wi-Fi | ✔ |
| NFC | ✔ |
| LCD Monitor | ✔ |
| Internal Storage | 12 MB |
This camera is the same as the 'TZ40' which has an official data sheet and digitalkamera.de.
Model name
| Panasonic | Meaning | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Lumix | Compact cameras | |
| DMC | Digital Media Camera | |
| TZ | Traveler Zoom | SZ, TS, GM, LX |
| 41 | 40 seems to be the same as 41; 60, ... | |
| EG | European Union model | |
| K | Black colored | W = White, R = Red, S = Silver |
Criticism
Charger
Panasonic doesn't use the standard European charger / cable combination that is used for smartphones.
Software
The software is not available for Linux.
Linux
moose@pc08$ cat /etc/issue
Linux Mint 16 Petra
moose@pc08$ uname -a
Linux pc08 3.11.0-12-generic #19-Ubuntu SMP Wed Oct 9 16:20:46 UTC 2013 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux
and the camera as a USB device:
moose@pc08$ lsusb
Bus 001 Device 006: ID 04da:2372 Panasonic (Matsushita) Lumix Camera (Storage mode)
GPS Assist Tool
The GPS Assist Tool seems to update the camera's internal GPS information. It works like this:
- Connect the camera with the SD card in it to the computer.
- Start gpsasist.exe with wine.
LUMIX Map Tool
The LUMIX Map Tool should allow you to copy maps with information about the environment on your camera. It looks like this:
The drive detection for the SD card doesn't work on Linux, as you can see in the second image. So I have written a Linux version of that program which can be found on GitHub.
Example photographs
To compare the quality of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ41, I have shot the same photographs with my old Casio Exilim EX-Z200.
Macro photographs
Normal range photographs
Long-range photographs
Conclusion
Overall, the Panasonic Lumix TZ41 is a great camera. But the lack of a standard charger and a standard cable as well as the missing Linux software are a downer. This is the reason why I give it 4/5 stars.
More Information
Good German resources are:
- Chip.de: A review with some comparisons to other cameras.
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ41 - Mein Fazit: A very detailed video review.