Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 user reviews
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User reviews4
ignota 31 July 2009
Good: great travel camera
Bad: n/a
Comment: Great piece of travel kit. My TZ5 has been everywhere with me, thousands of miles giving great pictures in demanding conditions. I don't see this wonderful camera just through the anorakist prism. Yes it has a great zoom facility; and a superb HD video capability; a Leica wide angle lens etc. Importantly, the TZ5
has proved itself a rugged travel companion for me and given great service in awful weather and good , and come back with wonderful pictures!
cajon 10 October 2008
Good: Solid, good handling camera with a bright big screen and 28mm Leica lens. Control layout.
Bad: Nothing really. Slight barrel distortion at 28mm if I'm picky.
Comment: I bought a TZ5 after spending hours on this site reading endless reviews of various manufacturers digital compacts. I wanted a 'snapshot camera' to compliment my Nikon D80s and whittled it down to a shortlist of four or five.
The Panasonic won on handling, (others like the Ixus 860IS I tried were more like trying to take pictures with a wet bar of soap), picture quality, which is excellent from the Leica optic and its 28mm widest angle lens, (which is still too rarely found in compacts), and solid build quality. The camera feels good in the hand and doesn't take an age to set up or alter.
The two mode settings on the control dial are a godsend, I had mine on 'sport' and 'soft skin' as well as 'normal' for my grandson and was delighted with the crisp, well saturated results.
The retailer in London had discounted the camera and threw in a Sandisk 4GB SDHC card on top for a third of the usual price so I got myself what I considered to be a considerable bargain for a shade over two hundred quid.
In your review you criticise the startup time but I was honestly surprised how quickly my camera came to life, focused, and grabbed the first shot. I was expecting the Panasonic to be slow and fussy, but it isn't. I easily captured several photos of my three year old grandson in succession at play and believe me he doesn't stay in one place for very long!
I'm delighted with my TZ5, it's ideal for me anyway. I'd recommenend one of these little machines to anybody considering a compact, it's a good performer, well built, well designed, and great value for money.
dave56 10 October 2008
Good: Compact considering the size of the zoom, Picture quality
Bad: auto focus in low light
Comment: Great camera the Zoom is excellent , picture quality is very good .The problem with the auto focus in low light has been improved greatly by the firmware update which I recently downloaded.
The camera has plenty of features which are useful.
I was nearly put of this camera by some reviews on the internet, but decided to go into a local retailer and check it out after spending 45 mins checking it out I decide it was for me after all.
I can only say that I am delighted with this camera and the zoom is excellent, I have always wanted a decent zoom camera but was not prepared to carry around an SLR heavy weight . This camera is light in weight compact and easy to use.
rodburnman 5 August 2008
Good: Compact, stylish and easy to use
Bad: Price - a little expensive - but worth it
Comment: After many years of being loyal to Canon my last model "died" after only 18 months of use, so I decided to try a Panasonic and and I am very pleased with it. I would recomend the DMC-TZ5 it is an excellent camera.