More of an incremental upgrade than an entirely new camera, the TZ30 has the same resolution as its predecessor, the TZ20, and essentially the same body design. Most changes to the new model are superficial, although it’s slightly larger and heavier than the TZ20, mostly because of its longer lens. On the front panel, the only obvious change is shifting the AF-assist/self-timer LED to the opposite side of the lens, just next to the flash.

The control layout on the rear panel is largely unchanged, although the Exposure button now does double duty, accessing the Map function in playback mode. The 3-inch touch panel carries over from the TZ20.

The mode dial on the top panel has received a minor redesign, with two Custom modes (C1 and C2) and a new Creative Control mode replacing the MS1 and MS2 and Cust settings on the TZ20. There’s been a minor reshuffling of the grilles for the stereo microphones and speaker. But otherwise, nothing has changed.

Functions unchanged since the TZ20 include the iAuto and P, A, S and M shooting modes, GPS tagging, Power O.I.S. stabilisation, 3-inch/460K-dot LCD monitor and Full HD video recording capabilities. The ability to record 3D still pictures (but not video clips) is essentially the same as in the TZ20.

The ‘Intelligent Resolution’ processing technology introduced with the TZ10 is also provided in the TZ30. This function can be used to improve the apparent sharpness of still images or, with the new Intelligent Zoom setting, increase the zoom magnification from 16x to 21x.