Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 review

Typical price: £190

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What is it: Compact 9-megapixel superzoom with 10x zoom

What we think: Its attractions are almost irresistible, but its performance is too sluggish

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Average user rating

8.8

excellent

Average user rating from 4 users

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 user reviews

Excellent

October 10, 2008

Posted by: cajon

"Perfect for me"

What I like:

Solid, good handling camera with a bright big screen and 28mm Leica lens. Control layout.

What I don't like:

Nothing really. Slight barrel distortion at 28mm if I'm picky.

Review:

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.