Panasonic Lumix 9MP Digital Camera

"Camera is great. I recommend it mostly for on the spot pictures with friends/family."

"The Panasonic TZ5 is a fast, small, digital point-and-shoot with a Leica 10x optical zoom, and 3 inch high-resolution (470,000 pixel) LCD screen.



The 10x Leica optical zoom (28mm-280mm equiv.) is a delight to use showing no color fringing (truly surprising) that I could see, and amazing detail. And the camera is replete with features such as image stabilization (two modes), metering modes, auto-focus modes, three aspects ratios (4:3, 3:2, and 16:9), and HD video.



The Panasonic TZ5 lens exhibits exceptional sharpness and contrast even in the corners. As is typical of Panasonic cameras (TZ3, FZ8, FZ18, etc.), if you view your image at 100% on-screen you will see "noise" (similar to a fine-grain pattern) throughout your midtones and shadow areas. Shooting with a setting of FINE, the highest quality, and 9MP (full sensor), I found image noise is barely visible at 100% on large prints, and invisible on a 8x10 or smaller size prints. On an 11x14 print the image of 3,456 x 2,590 pixels is actually printing at 78%.



Noise becomes more noticeable at any ISO above 200. If you are more demanding of your images and want to minimize the effects of noise, I recommend Noise Ninja. I've gotten great results from it but it is not the only product on the market. Find something that you feel works for you. But again, some may not find the noise objectionable at all, particularly in prints.



AUTO program prioritizes shutter speed over lens opening (aperture) often setting it to the maximum, and SCENE modes change ISO (increasing noise) frequently to achieve its priority. There is manual mode and for those of us itching to control aperture settings it is a bit frustrating (even with a plus or minus two stop override) but the results are usually exceptional.



This is a terrific point-and-shoot Panasonic for a beginner, but also yields commendable results to those experienced or more demanding photographers if you can learn to accept the auto results."

"I purchased this camera as a gift for my wife. I own a Canon Rebel XTi digital SLR which is bulky and not meant to be a throw-in-your-purse-to-carry-around-all-the-time kind of camera. I had originally gone with pure brand name recognition and bought her a compact Nikon S550 10MP point and shoot. The image quality was horrible, grainy and even worse in low light. I did some online research and came across the Panasonic DMC-TZ5. Not quite as compact but many more features, not to mention the whopping 10X optical zoom. I purchased it from JR (which by the way had the best price by far) and my wife and I could not be happier. The camera has proved to be the one thing we never leave at home. It goes everywhere with us, and I no longer lug around my SLR. The image quality is phenomenal for a point and shoot. Several friends have gone out and purchased this camera after seeing or using ours. It is well worth the money."

"This camera is extremely versatile and compact. You are almost assured that your pictures are going to turn up beautiful, as long as you know how to compose the pic. The lens is sharp and the colors vibrant. Since I have it, I've taken more pictures than I've taken in a while. Because of its size, I keep it around, so I am Always ready to shoot when the opportunity presents itself.Great product!"

"I did hours of research before picking the Lumix. I bought it specifically for a vacation my wife and I took to French Polynesia. We toured the islands on a sailing ship (the Star Flyer) and I wanted a camera with excellent wide angle and telephoto features, reasonable cost and a good lens. The Lumix met and exceeded all my needs and expectations. It has excellent wide angle capability and much better than average telephoto range. I took hundreds of photos and was very pleased with its performance. I was unexpectedly surprised by its low-light and macro capabilities as well. I sell a lot of items on [...] am now using it for close-up photography for[...]sales and it has also replaced a Canon Digital Elf as my everyday camera for both [...] and personal use. I found its menus to be logical and relatively intuitive. Great camera for the money and, I believe, perhaps the most versatile compact digital on the market today."

"It's a versatile camera on land or underwater. Its Leica lens focuses from within inches to infinity and optically provides the equivalent of zooming a 35 mm camera from 28 mm wide angle to 280 mm telephoto. The controls are relatively foolproof so, unlike some point and shoots, you won't discover that you've accidentally switched it to make movies when you want to shoot still."

"I got my camera few weeks back. So far my experience with this camera is kind of amazing. The kind of options you get in this camera is hard to get in any of the competing cameras at this price range. Although it look small but its better then some of the high-end cameras.



Its wide angle lens allows you to capture a scenery photo just like a Professional Photo.



I looked for a small but very capable camera for last 4 months. I evaluated each of my short listed cameras of different brands like Sony, Canon, Nikon, Kodak. My criteria for selecting the camera are, compact size, feature, video recording, battery, night picture, wide lens, professional lens.



Before buying this camera I used a Nikon and also a Canon but this one is superb. Small but powerful and packed with 10x optical zoom. The Intelligent sensor tracks multiple faces in a group photo session and adjust the focus individually.



This Camera teach you something i.e. Small is fun and easy to use and (this one comes) with all the feature and quality of a bigger camera.



Look at some of the close up photographs i got

from this camera....



You would never regret after buying this Camera."

"As part of my job, I often need to take pictures indoors, under poor lighting. This is the first hi-resolution "point and shoot" digital camera I have found that performs well under those conditions.



Most digital cameras are unable to take good pictures without a flash and with a flash they will wash out the foreground while leaving the background too dark. That's not a problem with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 - it is able to take great pictures in low light without having to use a flash.



I have used this camera without a flash inside manufacturing facilities with horrible lighting and still gotten great pictures. I have also used the camera to take pictures of my daughter's band concert in a dark auditorium - without a flash - and still got bright, good quality photos.



I have also used this camera for recording video - the resolution and quality are excellent.



The camera has several features which make it easy to get a great picture in a variety of conditions. The optical image stabilization, auto-focus assist lamp, and intelligent auto make this camera a joy to use.



The responsive CCD, 10x optical zoom and Leica lens give clear, bright, vibrant pictures. Most cameras that have such a great zoom and picture quality are too large and awkward to be practical for quick shots and comfortable carry, but the DMC-TZ5 is still small enough to fit comfortably in a pocket. I find myself taking it nearly everywhere.



This is a great "point and shoot" camera - the best I have tried. It is not, however, a professional quality camera and has only a few manual controls. There is no manual focus, shutter, or aperture control.



Another drawback of such compact, "point and shoot" camera is that the screen does not swivel, so it is more difficult to get those shots from the back of a crowd. Also, there is no optical viewfinder for use in bright sunlight - which can make it difficult to see the image on an LCD screen.



Fortunately, the DMC-TZ5 has a very large and bright screen which is more visible under these conditions than the smaller, dimmer screens found on other compact cameras.



When I was price shopping for this camera several sales people told me that the battery would only last "15 to 20 minutes" and recommended purchasing a spare battery. I have not found the battery life to be a problem. I have used the camera for several hours without having to recharge the battery. I have taken several pictures and a few videos as well as playing the videos on the camera all with very little drain on the battery. The only thing I found that seemed to dramatically affect the battery life was using the flash. If you will be taking a lot of flash pictures you will probably want to invest in a spare battery.



Overall, this is an absolutely amazing camera. It's small size and fantastic functionality can't be matched by any other "point and shoot" camera I have tried - none of the others even came close."

"The more I use this camera the more I like it! Outperforms a Sony 12MP I purchased before this. My old Nikon DSLR took amazing pictures and the Sony was a downgrade. Finally the TZ5 has trumped my trusty DSLR. I have not found anything worth nitpicking with this camera except the A/V access door. I've put some scotch tape over it to keep it from opening and accidentally getting broken off as it is the Achilles heal with the camera. EVERYTHING else is rock solid including performance and features. READ THE MANUAL before you buy this! You will find features not listed that increase the cameras value! Overall I love it and my wife digs the simplicity and beautiful pictures we've taken of our Infant Twin Boys. Rock on Scuba and Ice Man!"

"The picture quality surprised me in a good way. The night shots are amazing. I have the camera for about a month now, I took it on a cruise and took about 600 pictures. I took one picture on the same setting to see the differences and clarity and on the right settings it impressed me. I had a canon power shot prior and even with the red eye on most pictures came out with red eye and were grainy. This camera is very clear and the pictures look very professional. No red eye. =) The only problem, if you want to call it that is it could be a little smaller for my taste. I assume it's the size it is due to the far zoom range. I'd recommend it.

the pictures I'm showing you are unedited so you can see the quality. The snail in that picture is about the size of my pinky nail."