Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TZ5 9.1 MP Digital Camera - Silver

I own several digital cameras, from DSLR down to compact pocket models. I bought the TZ5 as an all-purpose utility camera for day-to-day carry. Let me say that I have had this camera for only 3 days, so this is strictly a "first impressions" review.

I was hesitant to buy another Panasonic because of a warranty problem with a Lumix DMC-FZ5, for which I had to pay over $100 toward repairs that were done within the warranty period. I contacted Panasonic twice, and they never even replied. So, if you buy a Panasonic Lumix, hope to heck that you don't need warranty work done.

The past problems notwithstanding, I found the TZ5 at an exceptionally good price, coupled with a 10% coupon from PayPal, so I jumped on it.

In the short time that I've had it, I've made about 200 shots, trying out various features and putting the little machine to the test.

Big plusses: 10X zoom, super-sharp lens, ultra-close macro focus, two user-definable scene modes, excellent color rendition.

Minuses: Neither of these are biggies, but the camera is surprisingly heavy for such a small package, and it isn't as small a package as many others. HOWEVER, I don't think there's anything smaller that has a 10X lens.

If you study reviews of this camera on the web, you will find all Lumix cameras getting some black marks for "noise." Yes, I know what "noise" is, and both my Lumix cameras do show some noise - but only when the camera is set at 400 ISO or higher, AND I got for prints larger than 5 X 7, or click zoom repeatedly when the picture is displayed on the screen. In my opinion, a snapshooter who normally has prints made at 4" x 6" will never see this "noise." If your intent is to make 16 x 20 prints, then you shouldn't be buying a snapshooter's camera to begin with.

There's no point in my naming all the features of the camera; you can get those off Panasonic's web site - and many sites that offer the camera for sale. If you're looking for a travel oompanion that can make excellent photos under a wide range of conditions, including zooming out to 10 power, or close-focussing on a tiny flower, this may be the ideal selection.

Just hope that you don't need repairs (and, honestly, I have no reason to believe that the Lumix's are any more repair-prone than other brands.)

I'm your regular guy who loves capturing random funny moments with my friends, vacation footage, & whatever gets my attention. The problem is I couldn't find a camera small enough (with high quality) to carry around with me. Even the most compact camcorders were bulky in my pocket and eventually I gave up. When my digicam broke, I looked at pocket camcorders, but the still image quality was grainy. I looked at digicams, but the video quality left something to be desired. Figuring I had no choice but to settle, I narrowed down my search to a fuji finepix z200, the kodak zi6, and the flip HD.

As I was on ebay looking for the best prices, I happened to chat with a buddy who told me about the Lumix TZ5 his parents gave him for his trip to Australia. After being amazed with the features, especially the 720p HD capture, the 10x optical zoom, and the 9.1 megapixel camera, I looked up reviews, saw some sample clips on youtube, and was convinced. After I got my camera, I took it to vegas to break it in.

The results? The 3.0 inch screen display was brilliant, I shot videos and pictures for two straight days without switching out the battery, and best of all, the video quality was amazing. I found everything I was looking for and couldn't be happier!!

The Lumix digital camera has the performance and wide range of focus that my old SLR camera previously delivered. The Lumix DMC-TZ5K is many time better because of the high-resolution digital images it produces, the small size, and ease of use. Oh yes, and features, features, features!

Such features at 10 times optical zoom really set it apart from comprative cameras. But only after reading the manual did I discover that, by turning on Digital Zoom and combining it with the optical zoom the camera can deliver up to 67 times zoom! The pictures at that magnification are sharp and clear, with the anti-shake technology built in.

The large 3" screen with self-adjusting brightness make it easy to use in bright sun or indoors. Time-lapse photography is also a snap with great results. For this price point, you cannot outperform the Lumix DMC-TZ5K 9.1 megapixel camera. What an outstanding value this is.

RussReeder2000

Was looking to buy a more portable camera for times when lugging the Digital SLR just wasn't convenient... found we were missing pictures because carrying the camera around was a pain unless you were going out to specifically take pictures.

Selected this model because of the 10x optical zoom and the 9mp resolution.

Camera is nice, feels solid. Optical zoom is great and the focus time is in line with other models we have looked at.

No viewfinder for those who like it or want to save battery life with the LCD off, but the LCD screen is large and bright (little trouble in strong sunlight) and the time from totally off to first shot is very fast (barely over 2 seconds) so you don't need to leave the camera on all the time.

Lots of options in the menu for those looking to dabble with specific settings, but for this camera we were not looking for SLR type of control or photos... more recreational point and shoot type of usage so I have not played with the options much.

It certainly is not the smallest of the ultra thin point and shoots, about 1" thick with an extra 1/4" at the lens, but it would easily slip into a pocket and feels study enough that it would take some jostling (didn't test that extensively).

The one improvement would be that the lens cover could be a little more rugged... it slides open when you touch with a finger which raises some concern about tossing this in a purse or cargo pocket with other items... a more rugged snap open cover might provide more portability options. As it is, the lens cover opens with a power on contributing to the quick first shot so I guess that is another trade off.

If you are looking for a portable version of your SLR, the optical zoom and features make this one a good solid buy.

Awesome camera!
I did about 3 months of research before settling on this model.
Buy this, if you want a camera compact enough to fit in your pocket and has a lot of functionalities only available with SLRs (but definitely not an SLR).

Other cameras that came close were:
Canon PowerShot 9.0MP Digital Camera (SX110 IS),
Sony 9.1MP Digital Camera With 15X Optical Zoom (DSC-H50),
Panasonic Lumix 10.1MP Digital Camera (DMCFZ28K),
Canon PowerShot 10.0MP Digital Camera (A2000 IS).

You might also want to take a look at them (all extended zoom type).
The main factor that made me choose this over the first 3 was it was small enough to fit in your pocket. Last one is about the same size, but less functionality and 6x zoom.
Sony DSC-H50 probably gives the best quality pix, but won't fit in your pocket (at which point, I rather just buy an SLR).