Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) by Panasonic
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Digital camera reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)
Digital camera Review: 2nd Lumix
Summary: 5 Stars
I used to be an avid 35mm SLR photographer. Got tired of dragging around a big camera. Have had a number of digitals but wanted a good compact one for a trip to Bolivia two years ago. My daughter works for a huge advertising company and said the "Geeks" there used Panasonic Lumixs. While the Canon always got the best reviews, this one ran a close 2nd or third. I bought it for the Leica lens, large display screen and the ease of operation. Had good results and liked it. Alas, this winter snowboarding in the mountains, I crashed and landed on my camera!.(I thought I had it protected!) I cracked the digital display screen. Rather than pay to have it fixed, I ordered a new one from YA YA. It arrived in 4 days, and the price was right. (The upside is now I have 2 batteries and 2 chargers.) P.S. For sale: One lumix camera, hardly used W/O camera Review: 4.5 stars, great camera, see sample pictures uploaded.Summary: 5 Stars I saw some pictures taken with the Sony DSC bridge camera and I thought the pictures, while good, weren't as crisp as I'd like so I decided to look at the Lumix cameras. Both Lumix cameras, the TZ5 and FZ18 (bridge model) Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ18K 8.1MP Digital Camera with 18x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) are great. I wanted a camera with more zoom than the 3x or 4x on most point & shoot cameras. I owned a Leica point & shoot when film was still the way to go and always loved the great pictures I got from that camera so the Leica lens was a great draw. You may have to use a tripod or monopod to steady your camera at full zoom to get a nice shot--if you don't care for this consider sticking with more MPs with less zoom and crop--you should be able to crop quite a bit and still get a decent shot. I don't recommend using full optical and digital zoom with any camera as the pictures get more "grainy", but if you have to get that tight shot you have that option.
Pros for TZ5: Ready to go out of the box in iA (intelligent autofocus) mode--goes automatically from landscape to macro and mega OIS stabilization is very good. Has 10x zoom and can go to full zoom using optical & digital zoom (I believe this gives you 28x). Has an E.Zoom button that will take you to full optical and/or extended zoom using optical and digital zoom without having to use the zoom lever. Amazed at how well the macro mode worked and loved the options to switch to wider panorama type shots. There are 2 other scene modes you can program & save with your preferences so you can quickly & easily shift to your pre-adjusted modes using the camera dial. Large LCD screen. Menus were relatively easy to learn and can easily switch to different camera options. Pictures were crisp and clean. You can also be creative using B&W, sepia, and vivid and other camera options. Burst mode and bracketing options available. Small size you can fit in your purse or pocket. If you prefer to have some options but don't want to fuss a lot with a camera this is a great point & shoot camera.
Cons for TZ5: The FZ18 shots at lower light had noise, but still not bad for a point & shoot and not a big issue unless you do a lot of low light shooting. You can also try high sensitivity and sport scene options to as well as focusing options to get better indoor or low light shots. Details in dark colored models were not as easily seen on LCD--I couldn't see the details clearly on some skinny red orchids and just pressed the shutter on faith--I still got some nice detailed shots. Also, autofocus didn't do as well on dark colored objects and in dim light. Pale yellow didn't photograph as well in iA--at least not close up--I had to step back to get better color rendition on a pale yellow hibiscus. LCD has clear, shiny "window" over it that helps brighten and sharpen the image, but gets "fingerprinty" and may scratch--I use a microfiber eyeglass cloth to keep it clean.
I uploaded photos, mostly of flowers and plants I photographed in my yard so you can judge--the photos are un-retouched and not cropped. The day was bright & hazy, a breeze blowing so the flowers were not always sitting still. All were taken handheld. There is one handheld, indoors in dim light of my laptop screen.
I have not used the video function so can't comment on it. I also haven't used all the scene options so I can't say if all work well. Backlight function worked pretty well.
I notice the silver TZ5 camera is cheaper than the black for some reason--if you don't mind silver and want to save a few bucks, that may be the way to go. I will leave some comments on the FZ18 for those that want some info on that camera.
Verdict: A KEEPER. Much better than the previous Canon Power Shot I owned, which was slow and clunky.
Thanks to everyone for posting their pictures and comments on Amazon, I appreciate the assistance and I hope I have been of some help to other consumers in return.
Digital camera Review: 5 stars plus applause to Amazon
Summary: 5 Stars
OK, I've had a couple of weeks now to play around with this camera and I am 100% satisfied. I have owned a number of digital cameras over the years (let's see...Ricoh, Kodak, Canon, Casio, Nikon...even tried an Olympus once) and this camera is the best of them all. Sure, advancing technology contributes to that overall sense of "best", but the large lcd display, among other things, just blows me away. The camera is a tad bulky but that is to be expected with a 10x zoom. There are so many incredible features packed into this little jewel of a camera. I am sorry for those who find/found it disappointing. Maybe you just got a lemon. I honestly believe this will be the camera that will keep me happy for many years to come.
i just got this camera yesterday...i charged up the battery and starting playing with the camera late last night. I already know I adore this thing. The zoom, the feel of the unit, the menus, wow. Oh, and I suppose the "pictures" are kind of important too? :) I've only taken a few but they are wonderful. There are lots of picture modes left to try...I love taking sepia tone photos so I know that will be a blast for me. Thanks, Amazon, for bringing it to me at a price no one else can touch! Amazon ROCKS. So it's early Sunday morning so hopefully I can find lots of time to play with my new toy. :)
Digital camera Review: A Great Camera!
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased my TZ5K just prior to leaving for a 20 day cruise from Japan to Kodiak and disembarking in Vancouver B.C. I hurriedly read the Users Manual and started taking pictures. Like most sophisticated digital cameras it has a multitude of features so I'm still learning. The results have been great. I purchased a 16 GB San Disk Ultra ll memory chip so I would have plenty of memory as I like to take high resolution pics. I took over 1,000 still pictures and a dozen or so movie clips lasting as long as 2 minutes. I was surprised to see that I have only used about 5 GB of my memory.
Of course all of the pics that I shot aren't keepers, I left them on the disk so I could see how long my 16 GB chip was lasting.
The primary features I like are of course the 10X optical zoom, 9 mega pixel resolution and the 28mm wide angle capability without changing lenses. The various settings for sports, photo, pets, children etc. are very handy. I currently have a Nikon D-50 SLR and the new Lumix TZ5 is much handier to take on hikes eliminating the need to pack a heavy camera bag with extra lenses.
Digital camera Review: A fabulous camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fabulous camera. Fantastic zoom. Best feature is "wide angle."
Flash is powerful, but controlled well. Best I've had on a small camera.
DMC-TZ5k Being replaced by a new model with even better specs.