Customer Rating: 
Summary: Just what I expected
Comment: I did a lot of research before deciding on this camera. There really aren't many options if you want a compact camera with a big zoom lens. I have had the camera for a couple of weeks and have really enjoyed using it. The overall performace is great, it looks good, and it has a nice size and feel. The video is quite good for digital still camera (this isn't a camcorder). The major weakness I have noticed so far is what I had read about before I purchased it: it doesn't take great pictures in poor lighting. While the pictures aren't terrible in such conditions, it is noticeably worse than other environments. This is THE camera for casual users or for someone like me who can't afford multiple cameras, wants good pictures with a lot of zoom, and needs a compact camera size.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Ditto...Excellent camera
Comment: My girlfriend has been trying to get me to start taking pictures again and gave me this camera for Christmas. The manual was a tad daunting at first...but a few hours later I was happily shooting away. I learned photography on a SLR (do we say analog camera now?). The TZ5 was very easy to migrate to from an SLR. Do get the memory cards...the on board memory will hold less than 12 high-quality photos. The other positive reviews will give you the technical perks and potholes. Excellent choice.....
Customer Rating:
Summary: Happier with my Canon SD870 IS
Comment: I bought the Panasonic TZ5 because I usually buy Canons and wanted to see what else was available in the compact camera market. I wanted a camera that was lightweight and pocketable - two words that I would not use to describe my Canon G9. I wanted image quality that was good enough "as is" - clear detail and accurate color without requiring me to fix it. I was not concerned with lots of manual control - I have my G9 in my bag (but not my pocket).
I was not especially impressed with the TZ5 when I played with it at the local Best Buy, but I attributed that to the floor model being pretty beat up. After receiving one from Amazon, I compared the results with my wife's SD870 IS; both inside the house and outdoors. Indoor pictures were very yellow with the TZ5 - none of the white balance settings yielded good results. Outdoors, the TZ5 tended to wash out images and lose fine detail. In automatic mode, the Canon consistently turned out better pictures (in my opinion) than the Panasonic.
In the end, I'm going to return the TZ5 and get an SD880 IS. The Canon is smaller, lighter, and produces better looking pictures; too bad it can't also have that fantastic 10x Leica zoom lens.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice all around point/shoot
Comment: Great all around camera with wide angle to 10x zoom range. The flash is in an awkward place near the grip, very easy to block. Next purchase will be slr, this is my interim step.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Looking for a compact Ultra-Zoom camera? Buy this one!
Comment: We got this for Christmas to replace, or I guess supplement our Nikon D70S D-SLR, which is a great camera, but too bulky, cumbersome, and has too many bells and whistles for just casual photography. We were looking for a different camera that was easier to use, a lot smaller, but still had good image quality and long-telephoto capabilities without having to lug around a 2-lb 70-300mm SLR zoom lens. We settled on the Panasonic DMC-TZ5. I looked at the Canon Power Shot SX110IS (a great camera by the way) after narrowing it down, and the Panasonic won out, mostly due to it's smaller size, and the price was right. Retailers offer this camera at anywhere from $299-329. Costco sold it in a blister back for $239.
This is a great camera. The body is constructed of aluminum and sturdy plastic, so it should last a long time and hold up to mild bumps and bruises. It's not that compact, unlike some of the Olympus, Casio, Sony, Canon, and Kodak cameras out there, but then again, they don't offer a 10X zoom capability. It's small enough to fit into a purse, or a coat pocket, but don't plan on putting it into your pants pocket.
It's loaded with useful and easy-to-use features. With 10 megapixels, it's an upgrade from the TZ3 and 4 models, which had 7 and 8 megapixel CCD's. it also has an improved software package, which is designed to address a glaring problem found in the other DMC models. It will also shoot 720i high definition video (1280x720 DPI) at 30 frames per second.
Although this is what I consider to be an easy-to-use point-and-shoot camera with a lot of automatic functions, it's still got some level of manual control. On the outside, it doesn't get any simpler than this. Looking at the top of the camera, there's a function dial with only 6 positions, an on-off switch, "e-zoom" button, shutter release, and zoom rocker. On back is the 3" TFT LCD screen, a switch that changes from camera mode to photo playback, multifunction D-pad, a display and quick menu buttons.
What sold me on it was the lens. It's unusual for digital camera of this nature to have a premuim lens set. It's a 10X optical zoom wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens, which is a step above the branded-lenses that come with most cameras. It offers 4.7-47mm (28-280mm 35-mm equivalent with an effective focal-length of F3.3-4.9) with optical image stabilization. Only Sony and Kodak include these (Some of Sony's better camera include Carl Zeiss lenses, and Kodak uses Schneider-Kreuznach lenses). These are high-end lens sets, and they make the most of the small CCD's found in compact cameras. This lens is so good, that the camera's imaging software struggles to keep up with the optics. It wouldn't be unfair to say that the camera can't make the most of the optical quality of the lens!
With the function dial in the "IA" setting, just point and shoot for very good pictures. There's some manual control in this mode, but to make the most of the camera's capabilities, it needs to be in the normal picture mode. ISO, white balance, exposure compensation, shutter speed, and flash are all adjustible, which is good, because although Panasonic has addressed the problems of the TZ4, they are still present in the TZ5. The problem is lots of noise at high ISO (above 400), and lots of sharpening and noise compensation to boot. I don't recommend using this camera at any ISO above 400 unless you're shooting in bright sunlight or under good indoor lighting. 200-400 ISO works just fine, and leaving the ISO in automatic mode helps a lot. White balance is also adjustible, but again, leaving it in automatic works fine.
At high zoom, there's the usual non-SLR ghosting and barrel distortion, but it's not as bad as in other mega-zoom cameras in my opinion. The optical image stabilization works great and is absolutely necessary for high-zoom. The LCD is broght and the resolution is excellent at 460,800 DPI.
Overall, despite the persistant noise problems, this is an excellent camera, and takes great pictures for such a small CCD. It's not a D-SLR or SLR replacement, but a good stand-by when lugging around a SLR isn't possible ror practical.
Summary: Just what I expected
Comment: I did a lot of research before deciding on this camera. There really aren't many options if you want a compact camera with a big zoom lens. I have had the camera for a couple of weeks and have really enjoyed using it. The overall performace is great, it looks good, and it has a nice size and feel. The video is quite good for digital still camera (this isn't a camcorder). The major weakness I have noticed so far is what I had read about before I purchased it: it doesn't take great pictures in poor lighting. While the pictures aren't terrible in such conditions, it is noticeably worse than other environments. This is THE camera for casual users or for someone like me who can't afford multiple cameras, wants good pictures with a lot of zoom, and needs a compact camera size.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Ditto...Excellent camera
Comment: My girlfriend has been trying to get me to start taking pictures again and gave me this camera for Christmas. The manual was a tad daunting at first...but a few hours later I was happily shooting away. I learned photography on a SLR (do we say analog camera now?). The TZ5 was very easy to migrate to from an SLR. Do get the memory cards...the on board memory will hold less than 12 high-quality photos. The other positive reviews will give you the technical perks and potholes. Excellent choice.....
Customer Rating:
Summary: Happier with my Canon SD870 IS
Comment: I bought the Panasonic TZ5 because I usually buy Canons and wanted to see what else was available in the compact camera market. I wanted a camera that was lightweight and pocketable - two words that I would not use to describe my Canon G9. I wanted image quality that was good enough "as is" - clear detail and accurate color without requiring me to fix it. I was not concerned with lots of manual control - I have my G9 in my bag (but not my pocket).
I was not especially impressed with the TZ5 when I played with it at the local Best Buy, but I attributed that to the floor model being pretty beat up. After receiving one from Amazon, I compared the results with my wife's SD870 IS; both inside the house and outdoors. Indoor pictures were very yellow with the TZ5 - none of the white balance settings yielded good results. Outdoors, the TZ5 tended to wash out images and lose fine detail. In automatic mode, the Canon consistently turned out better pictures (in my opinion) than the Panasonic.
In the end, I'm going to return the TZ5 and get an SD880 IS. The Canon is smaller, lighter, and produces better looking pictures; too bad it can't also have that fantastic 10x Leica zoom lens.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Nice all around point/shoot
Comment: Great all around camera with wide angle to 10x zoom range. The flash is in an awkward place near the grip, very easy to block. Next purchase will be slr, this is my interim step.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Looking for a compact Ultra-Zoom camera? Buy this one!
Comment: We got this for Christmas to replace, or I guess supplement our Nikon D70S D-SLR, which is a great camera, but too bulky, cumbersome, and has too many bells and whistles for just casual photography. We were looking for a different camera that was easier to use, a lot smaller, but still had good image quality and long-telephoto capabilities without having to lug around a 2-lb 70-300mm SLR zoom lens. We settled on the Panasonic DMC-TZ5. I looked at the Canon Power Shot SX110IS (a great camera by the way) after narrowing it down, and the Panasonic won out, mostly due to it's smaller size, and the price was right. Retailers offer this camera at anywhere from $299-329. Costco sold it in a blister back for $239.
This is a great camera. The body is constructed of aluminum and sturdy plastic, so it should last a long time and hold up to mild bumps and bruises. It's not that compact, unlike some of the Olympus, Casio, Sony, Canon, and Kodak cameras out there, but then again, they don't offer a 10X zoom capability. It's small enough to fit into a purse, or a coat pocket, but don't plan on putting it into your pants pocket.
It's loaded with useful and easy-to-use features. With 10 megapixels, it's an upgrade from the TZ3 and 4 models, which had 7 and 8 megapixel CCD's. it also has an improved software package, which is designed to address a glaring problem found in the other DMC models. It will also shoot 720i high definition video (1280x720 DPI) at 30 frames per second.
Although this is what I consider to be an easy-to-use point-and-shoot camera with a lot of automatic functions, it's still got some level of manual control. On the outside, it doesn't get any simpler than this. Looking at the top of the camera, there's a function dial with only 6 positions, an on-off switch, "e-zoom" button, shutter release, and zoom rocker. On back is the 3" TFT LCD screen, a switch that changes from camera mode to photo playback, multifunction D-pad, a display and quick menu buttons.
What sold me on it was the lens. It's unusual for digital camera of this nature to have a premuim lens set. It's a 10X optical zoom wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens, which is a step above the branded-lenses that come with most cameras. It offers 4.7-47mm (28-280mm 35-mm equivalent with an effective focal-length of F3.3-4.9) with optical image stabilization. Only Sony and Kodak include these (Some of Sony's better camera include Carl Zeiss lenses, and Kodak uses Schneider-Kreuznach lenses). These are high-end lens sets, and they make the most of the small CCD's found in compact cameras. This lens is so good, that the camera's imaging software struggles to keep up with the optics. It wouldn't be unfair to say that the camera can't make the most of the optical quality of the lens!
With the function dial in the "IA" setting, just point and shoot for very good pictures. There's some manual control in this mode, but to make the most of the camera's capabilities, it needs to be in the normal picture mode. ISO, white balance, exposure compensation, shutter speed, and flash are all adjustible, which is good, because although Panasonic has addressed the problems of the TZ4, they are still present in the TZ5. The problem is lots of noise at high ISO (above 400), and lots of sharpening and noise compensation to boot. I don't recommend using this camera at any ISO above 400 unless you're shooting in bright sunlight or under good indoor lighting. 200-400 ISO works just fine, and leaving the ISO in automatic mode helps a lot. White balance is also adjustible, but again, leaving it in automatic works fine.
At high zoom, there's the usual non-SLR ghosting and barrel distortion, but it's not as bad as in other mega-zoom cameras in my opinion. The optical image stabilization works great and is absolutely necessary for high-zoom. The LCD is broght and the resolution is excellent at 460,800 DPI.
Overall, despite the persistant noise problems, this is an excellent camera, and takes great pictures for such a small CCD. It's not a D-SLR or SLR replacement, but a good stand-by when lugging around a SLR isn't possible ror practical.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) Reviews: Page 2 of 65
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |