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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5A 9MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Blue) Sale: Too low to display
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Product Description 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 you even greater telephoto power. Set the TZ5 to iA mode and let the five Intelligent Auto functions team up to help prevent shooting errors. Intelligent Exposure corrects lighting differences, so images come out just the way you see them; Intelligent Scene Selector chooses the mode that best fits the situation; MEGA Optical Image Stabilization helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur; and Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings. The TZ5 can record motion images with sensational 1280 x 720 HD resolution at 30 frames per second (fps). f=4.6-46mm (35mm equiv - 28-280mm) Focal Length 3.0 Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (460K dots) Focusing Area Normal - Wide 50cm/Tele 200cm - infinity, Macro/Intelligent AUTO / Clipboard - Wide 5cm / Max 200cm / Tele 100cm - infinity 8 - 1/2,000 sec. Starry Sky Mode - 15, 30, 60sec. Shutter Speed Auto /100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode - Auto(1600 - 6400) ) ISO 27MB Internal Memory (additional memory recommended to store more photos and video) Built-in Microphone and Speaker SD/SDHC, MultiMedia Card Slot Built-in Flash with Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off modes DC Input, AV Output (NTSC/PAL), HD AV Output (Component), USB Connections PictBridge Compatible Approximate Battery Life - 300 Shots (CIPA Standard) Approximate Unit Weight - 0.507 lbs
| 9-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-sized prints |
| 10x optical zoom Leica DC lens; Face Detection |
| New Panasonic Venus Engine IV improves noise reduction, elevates the detection accuracy and corrective effects |
| 3.0-inch LCD; Mega O.I.S. and Intelligent ISO |
| Captures images to SD memory cards (not included) |
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Customers Reviews  2008-09-08 Much better than expected, but not perfect I assume anyone who's reading this review already has looked at the specs, so I won't regurgitate them. I did a lot of research and went through a couple of cameras (Fuji F100fd, Cannon SD770IS) before I settled on this one, and I'll explain why I settled on this one above the other two. My main criteria were:
1. Picture quality
2. Low-light performance
3. Speed (boot up, focus speed, etc.)
I first bought the Fuji F100fd because of its low-light performance. I found that although low-light performance was good, it wasn't as good as it was hyped up to be. ISO 400+ pictures were a bit grainy -- much better than my previous Canon SD450, but not near as good as I had expected. In decent light, the picture quality was superb, the best of any point-and-shoot I've used. However, the killer was speed. The focus and time-to-shoot was too slow, and by the time it actually took the picture the moment was gone most of the times. So this wasn't working for me.
Having owned two Canon Powershots before, I knew what I was getting when I swapped to a SD770-IS. Overall it's a great camera, and takes very nice pictures, almost as nice as the F100fd. The speed is superb, as expected. However, it does very poorly in low light, and you basically have to plan on using the flash all the time. My camera also did poorly in bright light, most of the pictures in sunlight were over-saturated. (The front panel of this particular camera was popping out a little, a manufacturing defect, which may have affected the light meter on the camera). Given the issues in low and bright light and the front panel problem I decided I would try something else.
I read reviews that the TZ5 pictures were noisy, so I was a little apprehensive about picture quality when I got the camera. It's somewhat true, if you zoom 16X you'll see the pictures get a little grainy. But after having some developed into prints, you can't tell at all on the prints. This would only be a problem if you needed to blow the prints up into poster size. So aside from being able to see grainyness when you blow the picture way up, the picture quality is really good.
The TZ5 did much better than expected in low light - almost as good as the F100fd. There is more noise than the F100fd, but the overall picture tone and sharpness are still excellent.
I was very happy with the speed. Almost as good as the Canons, much better than the Fuji. So this was the keeper for me.
There a lot of other things that I was very pleased with. I'm particularly pleased with its continuous shooting mode - you can take rapid continuous shots indefinitely at about 2 photos per second. So if you're shooting kids, it's the perfect feature to make sure you catch that one split second smile.
It's pre-set white balance is mediocre, but using a custom white balance the pictures are excellent. The image stabilization is excellent.
The face detection is ok, it doesn't work if the face is pointed a little sideways, or the face is partially obstructed.
The battery life is not bad, but not fantastic. But since I don't use the flash much I've never run out of charge.
The video is pretty good, but it has its set of flaws. Although it records in 720p resolution, the quality is not as sharp as you would expect from a 720p movie. It looks equivalent a 480i video (in sharpness), so it's about as good as a decent 480i camcorder. It records in motion jpeg (quicktime .mov container), which means the video files are much larger than they would be using mp2, mp4, or h.264, and only devices that play quicktime will be able to play it right off the camera. The microphone isn't very good, so make sure you're close to the subject matter. The zoom using video is very slow, and the focus is slow (goes in and out) for a few seconds whenever the zoom changes. All that being said, it's great to have video recording - the convenience of having it my camera resulted in me not using our camcorder since I got the TZ5. I end up taking more video and photos.
The one real issue with the camera is that it doesn't take good pictures when there is a bright background. With the Canon and Fuji, I would simply use the flash to make sure I didn't end up with a silhouette. And they both did a great job illuminating the subject matter at an appropriate light level. The TZ5 does a really poor job with this. You still end up with under-illuminated subject matter. I've tried a bunch of different settings and still have the issue, which is a real shame.
But overall, I'm very pleased with the camera. It's probably the best point-and-shoot that approximates the functionality of a DSLR. So this one is a keeper for me. |  2008-09-08 Lumix DMC-TZ5A This camera is awesome! The zoom is significantly better than you find in most cameras in this class. It is a breeze to use with a simple on screen menu, beautiful color display, and a great range of shooting senario settings. The face detection technology works great too. I bought this to do my daughter's senior pictures and they came out like a professional had done them. It is amazing that so many high quality features can be packed into this small camera. I did alot of research before purchasing it and couldn't be happier with my decision. Great camera! |  2008-09-08 Awesome! I had a very difficult time deciding which digital camera to choose. I wasn't sure where do begin my research. As always I read the product reviews offered by the Amazon customers. So far, I haven't regretted a single purchase. I am in love with my new panasonic lumix! At first, I thought Panasonic? but after reading the reviews I had to try it. I love all the photos that the camera takes. Even at night the picture is outstanding. I am a beginner photographer and I am still learning all the features. I even like how the camera plays back the photos with a slideshow and music. I say go with the panasonic and you will not be disappointed! The wide zoom angle is terrific and the photo face detection is very helpful! A+ Panasonic |  2008-09-07 Excellent versatile camera! Excellent quality pictures in all types of lighting, indoor, backlight, outdoor etc. Intuitive menus, good stabilization even at max zoom.
Best feature is the 28mm equivalent lens, which is very hard to find in a point and shoot digital camera. Screen appears to be excellent quality.
The only improvement I would recommend is a view finder.
|  2008-09-07 Nice Zoom but Still shutter lag is too long Nice camera with a great zoom. This is the main reason I purchased the camera. I just wish someone would invent a camera of this class that had a shutter that fired instantly. Battery life is not real impressive. I got about 100 to 150 pictures before the battery started to run low. I never totally depleted the battery, but had to modify my picture taking once I noticed the low battery indicator. | |
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Panasonic Digital Cameras: Lumix DMC-LZ3 and LZ5Hello, people! Today I’d like to introduce you a comparison of two Panasonic digital cameras of LZ-series.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3 is a 5 megapixel digital camera with a 2.0 inch LCD display. The LZ5 has a 6 CCD megapixel imager and a 2.5 inch LCD screen.
The both models feature a 6x Optical Zoom lens with a built-in MEGA O.I.S.(Optical Image Stabilizer) and a High Sensitivity mode (ISO 1600), that make possible to take pictures of moving subjects and in low light situations.
The LZ3 and LZ5 spot the image stabilization system and the enhanced Sensitivity mode. These two features are essential for taking sharp and clear images in different situations.
MEGA O.I.S. is the image stabilization system that has two corrective modes. The system prevents graininess and blur caused by hand shaking. Besides, thanks to this feature, the cameras produce perfect shots even in dim light and at night and allow shooting at slow shutter speeds.
The new models have the improved ISO range, which records at up to 1600. The enhanced High Sensitivity mode reduces a handshake effect and improves images of moving subjects.
The DMC-LZ3 and LZ5 incorporates 6x optical zoom lens (equivalent to a 37 – 222 mm zoom on a 35 mm film camera), that can be extended up to 8.3x (7.5x for LZ3) in 3-Megapixel image. The Extra Optical Zoom function allows you to easily capture and magnify subjects in distant locations, as well as to take impressionable photos with soft-focused backgrounds.
The LZ3 and LZ5 models are also equipped with the Venus Engine Plus, that improves image processing in both speed and image quality. It saves energy consumption, making the battery more durable. (The DMC-LZ3 and LZ5 use 2 AA batteries).
The large 2 and 2.5 inch LCD screens are perfect for recording and composing shots as they allow the display of images even in tiny thumbnail size. Besides, the High Angle LCD function makes the cameras easy to view from bottom angle.
The LZ3 and LZ5 have 14 Scene Modes, that help you to get high quality pictures. Thanks to the Simple Mode, the cameras are very easy to use, as it makes most settings automatically. The Movie Mode with built-in microphone records in VGA size at 30 fps.
The cameras are supplied with 14 megabytes of internal memory, and there is a function that makes it possible to copy photos from the built-in memory to the SD Memory Card and vice versa.
The LZ3 is available in silver and the LZ5 – in silver and black. They measure 100 x 62 x 45 mm (3.94 x2.44 x 1.77 inch) and weigh 183g. (LZ3) and 186g (LZ5).
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3, Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5, Panasonic digital cameras, digital cameras comparison, digital camera
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