Panasonic's European TZ travel-zoom variant — 10MP CCD, 12x 25-300mm, 3in LCD, WVGA video, 2009.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ65 was a 2009 addition to the TZ travel-zoom range, sold in selected European markets alongside the better-known TZ6 and TZ7. It occupied a slot between the two: it shared the larger 3.0-inch screen of the TZ7 but recorded standard-definition video like the TZ6, and it is a distinct model from both rather than a simple rebadge.
It used a roughly 10-megapixel CCD producing 3648x2736 images, in front of which sat the TZ-series 12x zoom covering a 25-300mm equivalent range at f/3.3-4.9. The rear carried a 3.0-inch LCD, shutter speeds ran from 60s to 1/2000s, ISO spanned 80-1600 with a high-sensitivity mode to 6400, and video was recorded as 848x480 WVGA Motion JPEG. Storage was SD/SDHC/MMC plus about 40MB internal memory, power came from a proprietary lithium-ion pack, and the body weighed 206g.
Like its TZ siblings, the TZ65 suited travellers wanting one pocketable camera to cover wide-angle scenes through to distant subjects. It offers the same lens reach as the popular TZ7 at typically lower used prices, with the trade-off of no HD video mode; buyers who mostly shoot stills lose little.
Used examples should be checked for smooth zoom operation across the long 12x range and for the dreaded system error messages that afflict ageing travel-zooms. Confirm the correct Panasonic lithium-ion battery and a charger are present, test the SD slot, and look for pressure marks or bleed on the 3-inch LCD. As a market-limited model, boxed UK examples are less common than TZ6/TZ7 equivalents.