Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 user reviews

jadecarrison 18 March 2010

Good: Great lense, large display on back, well built

Bad: Nothing really

Comment: Great camera!! Love it

pmw194 23 February 2010

Good: Most everything

Bad: Slow autofocus

Comment: Had this camera for about six months. Somewhat slow autofocus for movies, as stated in review. Other than that, it has taken great pictures no matter what the situation. High learning curve if you want to set some of the settings yourself. Certain settings require some digging to find. I mostly use the auto mode and it figures out the settings better than I could. Many preset scene settings which I haven't even got into fully. Have found the baby setting works good. Thankfully a printed manual is provided. Found that there are non-Panasonic batteries that will work in this camera at about half the price. I always carry a spare because the battery goes down quickly when taking video along with stills. All told, the best digital camera I have owned.

adrianmol 6 January 2010

Good: Superb camera will all the right features, very well made, 25mm wide angle

Bad: A bit chunky for my shirt pocket, Panasonic desktop software is average.

Comment: I've had Canon 35mm SLR's and digital cameras from Fuji and Canon. I bought the TZ7 based on reviews because I wanted a superzoom camera with a really wide, wide angle, long zoom and a good quality Video. Much as I love SLR’s I don't want to lug one around anymore.

I bought the TZ7 from Comet.co.uk and picked it up from a store 4 months ago. It is a delight to use. It does everything I could wish for. The photo quality is amazing. It will go from 25mm (35mm equiv) wide angle to full 42x zoom filling the screen with a TV satellite dish at 100 yards on full optical & full digital zoom at 3 megapixels. Even this extreme long telephoto shot, hand held with image stabilisation is as good as my 5mp camera phone. Everything in between on optical zoom is very high quality.

The HD video is very good. There are so user many options for taking photos if you want to use them. Or just set it to auto, click and the camera works it out for you.

I don't rate the Panasonic desktop software very high but I use windows picture viewer anyway. I do recommended you buy a fast SD card if you want to shoot video.

Brill!

Ravcro 1 September 2009

Good: size and zoom

Bad: nothing so far

Comment: I like the size, its small enough to take on vacations and not get in the way. I like the price I paid: 321 pounds -I looked for the best deal and I found this -
http://www.crazycameras.co.uk/panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz7-10mp-digital-camera-with-12x-wide-angle-mega-optical-image-stabilized-zoom-a-product_63367.html
I am only going to get 12-zoom and up now, its way better than my old camera which was 10. I know that some say you cannot notice the difference as much... I believe I see it for sure. Also the screen is 3 inches and for us blind as a bat folks -that works out well. Again still way better than the 2.5 inch.
I did not really find all the reviews helpful so I decided to post, I hope this helps someone.

msipal 1 September 2009

Good: photo and video quality, zoom, menu

Bad: -

interbear 27 August 2009

Good: Unrivalled compact flexibility

Bad: Battery life is too short

Comment: Superb camera in terms of the pocketable versatility it offers for both still photos and videos. The x12 zoom wide-angle lens means that the camera can deal with pretty much every shooting situation. It also delivers excellent image quality out of the camera, great for the "point and shoot" photographer, with a huge range of pre-set modes to choose from, or rely entirely on the automatic settings.

The one touch button for rapid video shooting is a great idea. Immediate videos in high-definition. Simple.

The 3 inch screen is a delight for both taking and viewing photos/videos.

All in all a very high quality and highly usable camera. I've ditched my DV camcorder and just use the TZ7 for everything now.

The only negative I've found so far is that the battery life gets nowhere near that quoted.....but that's easily solved by getting a spare battery.

seamus 6 June 2009

Good: Quality of photos and video.

Bad: Lack of controls and small grip

Comment: A high quality camera producing results ranging from good to excellent. Operationally the camera is generally fast and responsive. Start up times, focusing, flash charging, mode setting, menu changing and reviewing are all fast with responsice controls. Zooming in and out speeds are a little slower than I would have liked with zoom control being reasonably accurate but lacking fine control that can sometimes prompt you to reframe. The HD video is excellent, record in AVCHD for best quality giving richer colours, better colour saturation, a broader tonal range producing sharper video footage. Though there is a built in wind reduction filter it is not effective in open landscapes. CA (purple fringing) is exceptionally well controlled. As with all compacts the flash though giving exceptionally accurate results with no red eye in any test shots, the coverage is limited and only suitable for a use in the 1 to 3 metre range using ISO settings of 200 or below. (For best results this is the ISO range to use) Though some comments may seem too negative to give this camera a very highly recommended stamp of approval, I never the less do. I usually use cameras that are much higher spec than the TZ7 but cost over 3 times its current price. As a go anywhere compact, that is flexible and capable of delivering high quality photos and video, it is currently the best available and I expect to carry it with me more often when the larger camera gear is too obtrusive and or burdensome. A few reviewers have commented on the problems of editing the AVCHD files from the TZ7. I use Corel Video Studio Pro X2 (available for less than £60), I have not had 1 single problem inporting, editing or publishing the AVCHD or motion jpeg files to any format or recording medium.

tonywalk 29 May 2009

Good: Superb stills and amazing video

Bad: Would prefer the zoom to be under my thumb

Comment: I have wanted a hybrid compact for quite a while and had been eagerly reading reviews awaiting the right product.

Unfortunately, last year, my venerable Konica Minolta G600 started showing signs of age with the lens occasionally not extending on startup. So I was in the market for a new stills camera with a view to hopefully getting the good video mode too.

Top of my list was the Panasonic TZ5. Reading a few reviews and seeing some sample images ruled this out for not having great image quality. The other two options were the Fuji F100 and the Canon Ixus 960 and bought both for a shootout with the loser being returned. The Ixus 960 won as the Fuji was poor in both image quality and build.

Roll forward to this year. I hear about the TZ7. Perfect specs but will the image quality be as poor as the TZ5. I read the first review and pore over the sample pictures. They are excellent. Another review confirms this. A couple of movie samples later and I pull the trigger after finding a not too extortionate price online.

On receipt I carefully unpack my new baby. Build quality feels excellent and the shape of it reminds me of my old Olympus 35mm camera.

I take it out to a local beauty spot to take the shots I always take there as a repeatable test of the camera. I also take my Ixus 960 to take the same shots in the same conditions.

Once back home I am eager to see what the results are. I am not disappointed as the TZ7 stuns me with the quality of the images. The couple of movies I shot impress too. When I check the results against the same shots taken with the Canon, there is no comparison, the TZ7 is streets ahead.

I have recently taken my camera to a few gigs and have found it to be both pocketable and to take great pics. It also does a great job of getting the correct sound level on movie clips.

All-in-all I couldn't recommend this camera more highly.