Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5S 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
 | Average Customer Rating: Recommend Now you can fit sweeping landscapes into a single frame with the 28mm wide-angle setting. Pull in subjects from far away to capture even subtle facial expressions with the dynamic 280mm telephoto setting. Ideal for traveling, the DMC-TZ5 Lumix 9.1-megapixel digital camera combines a wide-ranging LEICA DC Vario-Elmar lens with a handy, compact body. The Extra Optical Zoom function also extends the zoom to as much as 16.9x, giving… Product details and pricing info |
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290 Customer Reviews Posted
- I dont really like it.
- I was expenting something else.
I got this camera i trade for my kodak M1033
AND now i feel bad i did.
I traded because of the 10x zoom.
i dont like the picture quality of this camera.
I only used for 2 days
maybe its me im not doing something right.
I own a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 and it was much better then this one (6 mp)
so i dont know. i may change my mind when i use it more. - 2008-11-01, 0 of 8 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Great pix, great lens
- Received the camera from AMAZON, loved the price, after pretty good comparative shopping, but the best is the camera itself. LUMIX TZ5 has a hard to find 10x optical zoom, for small digitals, optical stabilization - already seen excellent improvement over my previous Canon 550, in identical conditions. TO top it off, the TZ5 comes with one of the widest wide angles in the market for a digital point and shoot. The choices for programmable preselections are endless and very helpful. Battery life is OK. The user interface is OK, not sure if it is my learning curve as I have been a long time CANON user and I need time to adjust, or whether it is just a bit more complicated. Anyway, I am willing to spend more time in the user interface given the better overall quality and options I am getting. Sticking with the 5 stars, even though the AMAZON service and price demand their own separate 5 stars. NOTE: I ordered the camera with a next day delivery. It arrived 3 days later due to a shipping mix up, but AMAZON refunded me immediately all the shipping charges. I guess bad things happen, but the good response has to be there to make everything better.
- 2008-10-31, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Good camera
- nice all the way around. i used it recently to take pictures at the Renaisssance festival in texas...the only complaint i have so far is that the video (during the daytime outside) seems quite over-exposed (bright)...perhaps there is a setting to fix this, but i have yet to find it. Anyway, i'm Incredibly pleased with this camera...i was even able to zoom in far while someone was running around, take the pic almost instantly, and there was no blur with the flailing of his arms and legs. good stuff.
- 2008-10-30, 1 of 1 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- Fabulous Point & Shoot
- The Panasonic DMC-TZ5 is exactly the camera I was looking for. I can put in a pocket or purse and go. We just took it on a trip to Yosemite. It was very easy to use and the pictures are great! The 10x zoom is fantastic! I got a really good picture of the city of San Francisco -- from across the bay!! The image stabilization worked beautifully. We were on a tour boat in the bay in very choppy waters but you can't tell it at all from the photos of the Golden Gate.
Yes, it does have some purple fringing and it will tend to blow out highlights but for what it is I think it does a very good job and would highly recommend it. I gave it 4 stars just because of the fringing issue. - 2008-10-30, 0 of 0 people found this review helpful, Rated:
- tz5 - great camera, bad audio in video mode
- I wanted a compact camera with a good range zoom, hd video mode, great manual controls (with a good auto mode) & a larger LCD - and of course great photo capabilities.
Well, a camera like that just doesn't exist at the time of this review. The TZ5 is what I would consider the closest thing without breaking the budget.
I have used it for a few weeks, nearly non stop...here is my breakdown in order of most importance.
PROS --
1. the 10x Zoom is fabulous, especially with a camera this size. not to mention that it has great stabilization (the best I've ever seen) , great for video mode and low light conditions.
2. the intelligent Auto mode really does work well. the exposure, flash intensity & auto focus are consistently good in most all pictures (not as great in low light though, but still better than anything else under $300)
3. the LCD will make you completely forget there is no viewfinder (I rarely used one anyway) - it's so large and sharp, you really can see detail well.
4. best picture quality of any point & shoot I have used.
5. can zoom in and out & auto focus while in video mode
6. low light auto focus - this is very good as long as you aren't zoomed in and the subject is 4ft or so away. because of the infrared beam, it will consistently focus well even in near absolute darkness.
7. Accessories are cheap (an extra battery is only $8, and a good fitted hard case only $15)
8. $$$ - the price is sooo good right now, there really isn't anything that can compare to this camera's features (as long as those features are what you're looking for)
CONS - (if these are important to you, you might want to consider waiting for something else)
1. Video mode (audio) - this is absolutely the biggest downfall of the camera. to start things off the mic is in a stupid spot, and if you aren't covering it with your left index finger, there still is no shot of getting decent audio. ------- the audio sounds tin-like and full of background noise. it's also extremely muffled, so much so that it can be hard to tell what people are saying unless they are loud or really close. most everyone sounds like they have a mild lisp. (in ideal conditions, the sound is ok after I boost it with software)
(would it have been too expensive to put a better mic in this camera? I would have paid more for it without thinking twice)
2. Video mode (video) - although it is HD, the quality isn't that fabulous especially at data rates of upto 25mbs - which eats a 2gb sd card up in 8minutes - there's no way I can afford to keep the original files...they have to be converted to h.264 to save hard drive space. - the video also records bright light reflections as a white vertical bar from top to bottom of the video (ie - light from the sun & reflecting off of cars etc.)
3. Few/no manual controls - the manual controls are few and hard to use. I would have really liked manual focus on this camera. It would have given room for a lot more creativity - especially when zoomed in low light conditions, where the camera has a tough time focusing.
4. Zoom noise recorded in Video mode - most of the time a little zoom noise is recorded. while zooming back to 28mm loud clicks are almost always recorded at the very end - also the zoom speed isn't always smooth)
5. Low-light auto focus (while zoomed in only) - I think that most every compact has an issue with this. this camera is better than most I've used. It really has a tough time focusing on objects in low light conditions when the camera is zoomed past half way.
6. camera size - the camera is bigger than most point and shoots, it was bigger than I expected, but still fits in a larger pocket. (some compromises have to be made to fit 10x zoom in a camera)
I have much more to say, but I don't think too many people have that kind of time, so hear is a quick conclusion...
If you want a mostly pocketable camera that packs a 10x stabilized zoom, a great auto mode, a bright/large LCD, a zoomable video mode and beautiful pictures (compared to other point & shoots) and have no other requirements...this IS the camera for you...
If you want more manual control, a really good video mode and audio that you can hear without tons of background noise...you would be wise to look elsewhere.
IN SHORT - If you are buying this camera for it's HD video - DON'T!!!
8/10 stars - 2008-10-30, 3 of 3 people found this review helpful, Rated:
