Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5S 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) by Panasonic
|
List Price: Our Price: $119.99 You Save: $229.96 (66%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Digital Camera See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
Digital camera reviews of Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5S 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)
Digital camera Review: Best camera for the money with amazing features. Love this camera.
Summary: 5 Stars
Several years ago a professional photographer and photo historian turned me on to the great combination of a Leica lens and Panasonic electronics. I was able to take digital photos with the equivilant of a 35-450 mm close up to long lens...without a tripod due to photo stabelizing software. I was able to take photos of the bride at the alter in low light and from far away...just hand held with great effect. And...as an opportunistic photo shooter...I was so grateful for the fast "shutter speed" rather than the "click and wait" experience I'd had with other digital cameras...All in all it felt like the best of a reflex camera without the hassel of multiple lenses. This new phenom..the Lumix..even let me take great sound videos...at football games...at great distances...All in all amazing. But the camera was like a full sized reflex camera..Lighter weight to be sure, but bulky.
Now..here comes the tz5. It has all the advantages I've listed..and even a few more...like wide angle exposure capacity...all the way to 10X zoom...in a palm sized version...for half of the price of the earlier camera. I can and do carry it with me all the time to take advantage of great shots, great light as and when it is available. I may not get the respect of the onlookers compared to using a big pro looking camera...but the result is the same...and I aways have the camera with me so don't end up regretting missing a great shot. For those of you who have been doing point and shoot...you'll love the professional results you get with a Leica lens. For those of you who have been using high end cameras...you'll love that you can get the same results with a point and shoot camera with artificial intelligence and a great lens...without any of the hassle of weight, multiple lenses, tripod etc.
This is a great travel camera...many of my best photos are just snapped through a train or bus or car window...with far way views brought close with amazing resolution. But because of the superior lens it also takes professional looking high quality close up or portrait photos just using available light in doors.
This is a rave review... I almost witheld one star because the small format of the camera doesn't feel as comfortable to me as a larger one yet..and I miss being able to see through a viewer when in bright daylight. But to be honest those are difference between a large camera and small one...so that would be stingy. Love this camera.
Digital camera Review: Better Performance than I Expected for the Price!
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this camera! I typically use a Canon EO 20D which I LOVE but sometimes it's more than I want to carry around and not the most convenient to use in some situations. I was looking for a small compact camera that I could easily tuck into a small purse or a deep pocket but one that would also give me fantastic pictures. A friend of mine had this camera and I was impressed with the long distance shots she was getting without difficulty. After researching the different cameras on the market and asking friends about the small cameras they were using, I decided that this camera met the requirements I had of a small camera and I have not been disappointed. I was looking for the ability to get those distance shots and this camera sounded like the one to choose if that was an important feature. Someone else mentioned that they don't like it when reviewers mention that they did a lot of research but then don't mention the cameras they reviewed. Since I didn't try out any of those cameras, I can't give a review of the products. I primarily looked at as many published reviews by reputable sources that I could find, talked with different camera vendors, and spoke with many friends who have owned a variety of cameras. Again, other than the lack of a view finder, this camera seemed like the most appropriate for my needs and the purchase priced seemed right since it was well under $300.00 when I purchased it.
A number of reviewers mentioned the problem of not having a view finder when you are in bright sunlight. I found the same to be true when outside on a dark night with little light available. Without a view finder, I cannot always see the subject I'm trying to photograph under these conditions. Amazingly, I've been able to take great pictures with little difficulty by aiming in the direction of my subject and shooting. Not only am I able to capture the pictures I desire, the flash has been sufficient to get very nicely lit pictures when I actually expected them to turn out to be too dark. Friends of mine who have other popular compact cameras have been impressed that my pictures are so much better than theirs under these conditions.
I have had the camera for a little over six weeks and have taken approximatey 1000 pics so far under a variety of conditions and am quite pleased with how my pictures have turned out.
I agree with reviewers who suggest that buyers purchase a backup battery and the SD Extreme III 8 GB card. I take a lot of pictures and have had to change batteries at times and was glad I had the back up battery when needed.
My life has been very busy lately so I haven't had a chance to really review the manual and try out all the features of this camera so the fact that I'm so happy with this product already is significant. Once life slows down and I have the time to really test the various features of this camera, I believe I'll find that I'm even happier with my purchase.
Digital camera Review: Buyer Beware
Summary: 1 Stars
I've had this camera for 2 years. About 6 months ago, I noticed if I zoomed, the camera would say to shut it off and turn it back on.
About 3 months ago, the flash stopped working.
After googling, these are very common problems, which is nice if you are Panasonic and charge to fix this, but not so great if you are the customer.
Yesterday the camera stopped turning off unless I removed the battery.
I loved the camera while it worked. But after emailing Panasonic, they want me to mail them the camera (at my cost), and they will send me a refurbished one at my cost. I have not received what the cost is or if the refurbed camera is under warranty. After googling again, if you mail your camera back in, you'll have to pray for them to "realize you did this" and to get another camera.
I should have bought a Canon or a Sony.
Digital camera Review: Buyer Beware
Summary: 1 Stars
The camera worked well until an internal defect in the display made it unuasable. It looked like it was cracked from the inside. I didn't drop the camera or abuse it in any way. I tried returning it to the Panasonic exchange center in MaAllen Texas, but they wouldn't honor the warranty. The defect occurred only 9 months after I bought the camera, well within the one year warranty.
I liked the quality of the pictures, but Panasonic is shooting themselves in the foot (no pun intended) with their useless customer service program. I will never buy another Panasonic product again and will only buy from companies that firmly stand behind their products.
Digital camera Review: Camera has Bugs
Summary: 1 Stars
got it as a gift, first, i prefer a peep hole to frame my pictures, which this camera doesnt have, making any camera with a peep hole better. Second, many times i have seen the camera act up. sometimes it switches off and does some kind of thing where it zooms in then zooms in and shuts off, sometimes i delete pictures and it leaves black boxes on my memory cards that say "error" when i look at them, didnt read the 500 reviews but my experience with this particular camera has been that problems exist, it is not perfect, look elsewhere if you want a product that doesnt suck