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"If it's not the perfect camera, it comes darn close" on by Psych Doc
Pros: Great lens, Wide angle capability, HD video, intelligent auto everything, face detection, image stabalization, etc.
Cons: AF assist weak, hunts for focus in low light, high shots ISO's are noisy
Summary: I came from a Sony DSC-V1 which was a terrific camera in it's day. It's downfall was a tiny little LCD screen and a limited zoom range that ended at 35mm on the wide end. I wanted a camera that went down to at least 28mm and had a clear, large LCD. I looked at the Canon 870IS and the Nikon P-80 but settled on this. Why? The Canon's LCD was not as clear as the Lumix and it had a limited zoom range on the top end. And, to be honest, it didn't have some of the 'bells and whistles' that the Lumix did. The Nikon was really not pocketable and has been getting horrible reviews all over the internet since it's recent introduction (Amazon, DPReview.com, etc.). It seems that Nikon really knows how to do dSLR's but comes up way short in the P&S category. I also briefly considered the Fuji 100SD but rejected it due to well known problems with pink banding and purple fringing. If you like to do a lot of low light, higher ISO photography though, the Fuji should be on your very short list.
I know a number of people have complained that the TZ5 is 'not as small' as they thought/hoped it would be. C'mon guys, this thing has a 10x zoom that goes down to 28mm!!! Something with those capabilities is never going to be the size of a credit card! And the thing for me is that I just can't stand geometric distortion and the Panasonic/Leica is a real champ in this regard. There's nothing worse than that horrible barrel distortion you see in so many wide angle lenses. This one has none of that. The trade off is that it gets iffy at higher ISO's. You can effectively prevent this by setting the camera to never let the ISO get above, say 400. The camera allows you to do this. The Optical Image Stabilization ("OIS") is really superb as are the exposure options. And, of course, the face recognition is a great new development that Panasonic has implemented quite well in this camera.
Now to it's video capabilities. It'll shoot 720p HD video in 16:9 which is awesome if you have a HD TV which is, of course, 16:9. Just be sure to turn off "auto-focus" when in video mode or the camera will constantly be 'hunting' for the right focus. It's depth of field is excellent so it'll be in focus most of the time anyway.
Just a couple of nits. The low light assist lamp is not terribly effective (nowhere near as good as the one on my Sony DSC-V1) and the camera sometimes takes a second or two to find the right focus in low light. And I wish there was a way to more easily control/allow for long shutter exposures as I love night photography. As it is, you have to set the camera to "Starry Night" (one of the scene modes) to get shutter speeds longer than 1 second. Not that big a deal and certainly a minor criticism of such an excellent overall camera.
Oh, and one final thing...the build quality is superb. Everything about this camera just shrieks "quality." Great job Panasonic. All at a price point of <$300. Incredible! -
"Excellent photo quality and versatility in a compact digital" on by Lis Ette
Pros: Beautiful photos, excellent 10X zoom, 28m wide angle is great, small, easy to use
Cons: Movie mode zoom is slow, but then again, how many digital photo cameras have a zoom in movie mode?
Summary: To view some photos I took with the Lumix TZ5 click on this link, and make sure you view in full screen::
http://www.photoworks.com/photo-sharing/shareSignin.jsp?shareCode=ACF7F02C5F5&cp=ems_shr_alb_pml&cb=PW
To view a video of "Frisky" the dog taken with the TZ5, click on this link:
http://www.vimeo.com/1461466
You'll see mixed reviews on the quality of the photos, but I find the quality outstanding for a compact camera, or for any camera for that matter. The photos that you'll see are all taken in the easy mode, which is called "IA" for Intelligent Auto, and they were all taken without flash - even the one inside the screened porch.
What I love most about this camera is it's ability to keep the subject in focus, even when the subject and/or the photographer is moving! I shot a butterfly fluttering around, with the zoom (in IA mode) and it came out perfectly in focus. The photo of the horse & buggy was also taken effortlessly in IA mode with the zoom. Photos from the airplane, perfect, even took a few from the moving car and there was no blur (not in the samples)! Amazing. Colors are bright and clear, and you can choose how vivid you want them to be. These photos were taken in "standard" color, incidentally. It picked up all the hues of the sunrise in the harbor and sunset on the beach.
The zoom works beautifully, very smooth and quiet. Again, automatic focus in zoom (and otherwise) is the best I've seen in any camera of this size and price range.
I love the wide angle lens. It captures so much more than I'm used to and gives a really nice, almost dimensional look to the photos.
The battery life is pretty good until you use the movie mode, and that does take a lot out of it. It's a good idea to have an extra one ready just in case.
The ergonomics are excellent, easy to shoot with one hand, and easy to navigate the menu.
The LCD screen, as you know, is one of the best out there. It works well in sunlight, and if the day is very bright, you can adjust the contrast and make the screen darker if needed. Beautiful resolution when playing back your photos on the LCD screen!
The movie feature is also quite good FOR A DIGITAL PHOTO CAMERA. The zoom is slow (which it states in the manual), but the pictures are clear. HD mode does take a lot of memory and battery obviously, but it's a great feature to have. I shot some whales from the shore with zoom at 10x and they came out pretty well even though they were quite far away (contact me if you'd like to see that video). I took the movie of Frisky indoors in the evening with the regular lighting in the home and it I think it looks very good.
In conclusion, I highly recommend the Panasonic DMC-TZ5. It is not a digital SLR, but has many of the features without the bulk or the price, so it's great for travel. I have an SLR and an older 5MP compact digital, but I never expected this much photo quality out of a compact.
Bravo Panasonic! -
"Broke in 6 months, Panasonic NO HELP!" on by SoCalKen
Pros: Long 10x Zoom
Cons: Poor Operation in Low Light, Weak Construction, Short Battery Life
Summary: Bought in December, stopped working June! I take great care of my equipment and
LCD screen internally cracked, sent to Panasonic and they would not honor
warranty. Even when the camera worked the battery life was awful and the low
light weaker than any camera I have ever used. I am semi pro and have Nikon,
Canon and Sony cameras that all work better. Sony, Canon & Nikon service
exceptional. Panasonic the worst ever! DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA or anything from Panasonic because if it breaks for any reason they will not honor warranty! -
"nice ! I have the wi-fi version." on by clubland
Pros: videos are great-crisp and clear. I don't miss having a view finder.. Screen is nice and large. Interesting to snap a picture from a video during playback by hitting pause.
Cons: Don't know what I am doing wrong, but some of my pictures have too much red in them-not red eye, just a reddish tinge. I don't know what to change to fix this. Wish the sound was a little louder.
Summary: I wish someone could tell me if, after the picture has been taken, and we can zoom in on it, is there a way to snap this picture. My 12 yr. old Sony had this option and it was great. Am i missing something. I can't find it in the book or is there no way to do this?
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"It's fantastic!" on by Picture Mom
Pros: It's so clear! It does everything for you! Perfect point and shoot!
Cons: No color enhancement feature
Summary: We recently received the camera after doing much research. We wanted one with a good zoom and image stabilization. We got it! Driving down the road, 60 mph I took a picture of a road sign at about 7x zoom and it came out clear as day! I was shocked! I have young kids who don't like to stand still, so that's a big selling point for me! I also took a picture out the window and it came out clear with no glare! I am very impressed! One last thing--any camera I have ever used has given my son red eyes. Something about his eyes! Every camera except this one! If the picture is taken too quickly, without allowing it to auto focus, it will shoot red eyes. But if you allow it to focus, none! Fantastic camera for anyone who wants great pictures without much work! I am VERY impressed!
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