Color:Black Media:Electronics Autographed:No Memorabilia:No Batteries Included:No Floppy Disk Drive:None Includes Software:Yes Optical Zoom:10 Digital Zoom:4 Connectivity:AV Display Size:3 Maximum Focal Length:47 Minimum Focal Length:4.7 Maximum Resolution:9.1 Has Red Eye Reduction:Yes Shipping Weight (lbs):0.7 Dimensions (in):2.3 x 1.4 x 4.1
Product Description 9-megapixel effective recording * 10X optical zoom (4X digital/40X total zoom) * 3" color LCD screen with automatic 10-step brightness adjustment * optical image stabilization * wide-angle lens for shooting landscapes and large groups * 35mm equivalent focal length: 28-280mm * top JPEG resolution: 3648 x 2736 * face detection adjusts focus and exposure settings for better portraits * scene recognition identifies shooting conditions and selects optimal settings * intelligent ISO detects subject movement and adjusts camera settings to prevent blur * high sensitivity mode for better low-light and flash-free shooting * variable ISO sensitivity (film speed equivalent) settings * variable burst mode lets you select shooting resolution and speed (up to 10 frames per second) *
Much better than expected, but not perfectSeptember 8, 2008 I assume anyone who's reading this review already has looked at the specs, so I won't regurgitate them. I did a lot of research and went through a couple of cameras (Fuji F100fd, Cannon SD770IS) before I settled on this one, and I'll explain why I settled on this one above the other two. My main criteria were:
I first bought the Fuji F100fd because of its low-light performance. I found that although low-light performance was good, it wasn't as good as it was hyped up to be. ISO 400+ pictures were a bit grainy -- much better than my previous Canon SD450, but not near as good as I had expected. In decent light, the picture quality was superb, the best of any point-and-shoot I've used. However, the killer was speed. The focus and time-to-shoot was too slow, and by the time it actually took the picture the moment was gone most of the times. So this wasn't working for me.
Having owned two Canon Powershots before, I knew what I was getting when I swapped to a SD770-IS. Overall it's a great camera, and takes very nice pictures, almost as nice as the F100fd. The speed is superb, as expected. However, it does very poorly in low light, and you basically have to plan on using the flash all the time. My camera also did poorly in bright light, most of the pictures in sunlight were over-saturated. (The front panel of this particular camera was popping out a little, a manufacturing defect, which may have affected the light meter on the camera). Given the issues in low and bright light and the front panel problem I decided I would try something else.
I read reviews that the TZ5 pictures were noisy, so I was a little apprehensive about picture quality when I got the camera. It's somewhat true, if you zoom 16X you'll see the pictures get a little grainy. But after having some developed into prints, you can't tell at all on the prints. This would only be a problem if you needed to blow the prints up into poster size. So aside from being able to see grainyness when you blow the picture way up, the picture quality is really good.
The TZ5 did much better than expected in low light - almost as good as the F100fd. There is more noise than the F100fd, but the overall picture tone and sharpness are still excellent.
I was very happy with the speed. Almost as good as the Canons, much better than the Fuji. So this was the keeper for me.
There a lot of other things that I was very pleased with. I'm particularly pleased with its continuous shooting mode - you can take rapid continuous shots indefinitely at about 2 photos per second. So if you're shooting kids, it's the perfect feature to make sure you catch that one split second smile.
It's pre-set white balance is mediocre, but using a custom white balance the pictures are excellent. The image stabilization is excellent.
The face detection is ok, it doesn't work if the face is pointed a little sideways, or the face is partially obstructed.
The battery life is not bad, but not fantastic. But since I don't use the flash much I've never run out of charge.
The video is pretty good, but it has its set of flaws. Although it records in 720p resolution, the quality is not as sharp as you would expect from a 720p movie. It looks equivalent a 480i video (in sharpness), so it's about as good as a decent 480i camcorder. It records in motion jpeg (quicktime .mov container), which means the video files are much larger than they would be using mp2, mp4, or h.264, and only devices that play quicktime will be able to play it right off the camera. The microphone isn't very good, so make sure you're close to the subject matter. The zoom using video is very slow, and the focus is slow (goes in and out) for a few seconds whenever the zoom changes. All that being said, it's great to have video recording - the convenience of having it my camera resulted in me not using our camcorder since I got the TZ5. I end up taking more video and photos.
The one real issue with the camera is that it doesn't take good pictures when there is a bright background. With the Canon and Fuji, I would simply use the flash to make sure I didn't end up with a silhouette. And they both did a great job illuminating the subject matter at an appropriate light level. The TZ5 does a really poor job with this. You still end up with under-illuminated subject matter. I've tried a bunch of different settings and still have the issue, which is a real shame.
But overall, I'm very pleased with the camera. It's probably the best point-and-shoot that approximates the functionality of a DSLR. So this one is a keeper for me.
Lumix DMC-TZ5ASeptember 8, 2008 This camera is awesome! The zoom is significantly better than you find in most cameras in this class. It is a breeze to use with a simple on screen menu, beautiful color display, and a great range of shooting senario settings. The face detection technology works great too. I bought this to do my daughter's senior pictures and they came out like a professional had done them. It is amazing that so many high quality features can be packed into this small camera. I did alot of research before purchasing it and couldn't be happier with my decision. Great camera!
Awesome!September 8, 2008 I had a very difficult time deciding which digital camera to choose. I wasn't sure where do begin my research. As always I read the product reviews offered by the Amazon customers. So far, I haven't regretted a single purchase. I am in love with my new panasonic lumix! At first, I thought Panasonic? but after reading the reviews I had to try it. I love all the photos that the camera takes. Even at night the picture is outstanding. I am a beginner photographer and I am still learning all the features. I even like how the camera plays back the photos with a slideshow and music. I say go with the panasonic and you will not be disappointed! The wide zoom angle is terrific and the photo face detection is very helpful! A+ Panasonic
Quite likely to be THE BEST family cameraSeptember 7, 2008 My father bought this camera and I was so impressed with it during his visit that I just had to share the fact that I bought one myself. The HD video is impressive - it has almost all of the functionality of a digital camcorder because you can zoom while shooting the action! This is great for sports plays or concerts. Also... IMPORTANT update for those buying this camera... There is a firmware update to improve its auto-focus. Go to http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/support/Drivers-and-Downloads/list-75480-Lumix+Digital+Cameras and then be sure to click on the link to get the detailed instructions for how to update your camera. I stumbled upon this info by accident and wanted to share it with you.
Excellent versatile camera!September 7, 2008 Excellent quality pictures in all types of lighting, indoor, backlight, outdoor etc. Intuitive menus, good stabilization even at max zoom.
Best feature is the 28mm equivalent lens, which is very hard to find in a point and shoot digital camera. Screen appears to be excellent quality.
The only improvement I would recommend is a view finder.
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