To measure and compare the Panasonic Lumix TZ1’s macro performance we photographed a custom chart using it and a number of rival models with their bundled lenses.

Each camera was positioned at a distance and set to a focal length which delivered the maximum possible reproduction.

The dark lines are 10mm apart and the result is not cropped. Smaller areas are preferred in this test.

The image left was taken with the Panasonic Lumix TZ1 in its Macro mode.

Switch the Lumix TZ1 to Macro mode and it can focus as close as 5cm when zoomed out to its widest angle. Using these settings it can capture an area measuring 70x52mm. While the specifications quote this closest focusing distance only with the lens fully zoomed-out though, it’s always worth nudging the focal length up until the camera refuses to focus anymore. We actually managed to keep the camera focused at a 5cm distance with the lens zoomed-into 10mm, or around 2x. At this distance it delivered an area measuring 40x30mm, pictured above. This is better than most cameras, although not as good as the Canon A620.