* Panasonic DMC-TZ5

Basic Specifications

Resolution 9.10 Megapixels
Lens 10.00x zoom (28-280mm eq.)
Viewfinder LCD
LCD Size 3.0 inch
ISO 100-6400
Shutter 60-1/2000
Max Aperture 3.3
Mem Type SDHC / SD
Battery Custom LiIon
Dimensions 4.1x2.3x1.4in (103x59x37mm)
Weight 8.5 oz (240 g)
MSRP $350
Availability 03/2008

Panasonic DMC-TZ5
Overview

Panasonic released the TZ5 in March of 2008, updating the TZ3 with a new sensor, slightly new styling and a few new features.

The Panasonic DMC-TZ5 upgrades the 7.2 megapixel sensor of the DMC-TZ3 to 9.1 megapixels, but maintains the 10x Leica-branded optical zoom lens and Panasonic's signature Optical Image Stabilization (MEGA O.I.S.). The lens offers a 28-280mm zoom range, offering a true wide-angle option. Panasonic has trimmed the size and weight again: it's 0.6 an ounce lighter at 8.4 ounces (240g) and just a few millimeters thinner. It's still not comfortable in a shirt pocket, but it's definitely compact and portable.

Panasonic has made some subtle alterations to the body and interface dials to make it simpler and easier to use. The Panasonic TZ3 crammed 10 settings onto the main mode selector dial; the TZ5 removes four of these settings to the operation menu, and adds a dedicated image playback switch near where your right thumb will rest on the back of the camera body. The results is a less imposing selector dial, that also doesn't switch to playback mode when the dial gets accidentally turned. The Panasonic TZ5's 3.0-inch LCD screen is also maintained, but the resolution has increased from 230,000 pixels to 460,000 pixels, offering a much clearer and sharper playback image.

The DMC-TZ5 offers a first for Panasonic cameras: Hi-Def recording in its movie mode, at 1,280x720 pixels (720p). The addition of a new Component connection port allows you to view your Hi-Def masterpieces on your Hi-Def television. Standard movie mode recording is still available. The Panasonic TZ5's ISO sensitivity has also been pushed one more stop with a maximum sensitivity of 6,400 in a dedicated scene mode. Panasonic hasn't added manual controls to its feature set, preferring to aim this camera at the point-and-shoot market.

Panasonic didn't re-invent an already good camera, maintaining a versatile lens with amazingly little distortion, and its ease of use. Instead, they have improved what didn't work, and added Hi-Def movie recording, and a few new features to the Panasonic TZ5.

Panasonic TZ5
User Report

Look and feel. The Panasonic DMC-TZ5 is a box-style camera with an extending lens. The high-res 3.0" LCD screen dominates the rear of the camera; there's no place to fit an optical viewfinder, but with this screen and several options for determining the brightness of it, you don't feel like you need one. Controls are laid out intelligently across the top and rear of the camera; the battery and memory card are accessible from the bottom of the Panasonic TZ5. The tripod mount is tucked away on the extreme right of the bottom, meaning it's quite practical to keep the camera mounted on a tripod and still be able to change the battery or memory card.

The handgrip, long a feature of the TZ-series, has improved with each generation. On the original TZ1 there was nothing but the protruding groove of the camera to hold onto, and the slick finish of the camera made it a bit slippery at times. Panasonic addressed this problem by adding a small horizontal strip of texturized rubber to the front of the grip, giving the fingers something to grip; they have further improved this on the Panasonic TZ5 by putting the strip in the vertical orientation. Your fingers naturally find the strip with your index finger resting on the shutter release button. One-handed operation is quite feasible, but for most shots you'll find yourself using your other hand to support the camera while you make adjustments to settings. It's worth noting that there isn't much real estate left on the front of the Panasonic TZ5 to place the flash; you have to make sure your middle finger is out of the way, or you might end up partially obscuring the flash.

Panasonic has made a few adjustments to the number and layout of controls on the Lumix TZ5. Gone is the image-stabilization button, replaced with an E.Zoom button which allows the user to instantly zoom to the maximum range and back again. The zoom function of the camera is quite good, with the zoom rocker providing a very responsive level of acceleration. It's not terribly fast, taking about 2.5 seconds to go from 28mm to 280mm, but then, the lens is fairly beefy.

Panasonic has also added a dedicated recording/playback switch to the Panasonic TZ5, just above the notch where you rest your left thumb on the rear of the camera. Everything else remains unchanged from the TZ3; the zoom rocker is still a trigger collar surrounding the shutter release button, and an on/off switch is tucked in between the shutter button and the mode selector dial.

A four-way direction pad and central button control the Panasonic TZ5's menu navigation. The only other change of note is that Panasonic has helpfully labelled the microphone area of the top of the camera, as a visual cue to not cover the mic during video or audio recording.

Interface. Panasonic has introduced a new Quick menu interface system with the DMC-TZ5, which overlays the most common settings onto the LCD screen. Pressing the Q.Menu button introduces a menu bar to the top of the LCD screen, allowing the user to change nine settings on the fly without having to enter the main menu screen. Specifically, the user can change the Panasonic TZ5's image stabilization mode, burst shooting mode, focus mode, white balance setting, ISO setting, intelligent exposure mode (either on or off), aspect ratio, quality setting, and the LCD power mode. In some modes however, there will be fewer options available for the user to set, as the scene modes take away some of the burden of decision-making. The best thing about this new menu is that because it overlays the LCD screen, you can see the effect your new setting will give you in many cases. For example, you get a visual demonstration of the effect of the image stabilization mode you're selecting; choosing one aspect ratio over another will show you exactly how it will look on screen. It's a very quick and effective way of changing settings, and the user is guided through these settings with short but instructive bits of text.

I actually found that the Panasonic TZ5's Quick menu setting was preferable to using the standard menu system to make these changes, as it offered slightly more information regarding one setting over another. For example, if you want to change the focus mode, you have six options to choose from: in the regular menu, you are presented with icons only; with the quick menu, you get the same icons, plus a line of text at the bottom of the screen that describes the selection.

The Panasonic TZ3 introduced the option to display a live histogram during shooting, and it's still available in the TZ5. It's not incredibly advanced, but it does give you an accurate representation of the various levels of luminosity in an image: shadows, mid-tones, and highlights.

The menu system maintains a virtual mode dial that first appeared in the TZ3. The menu appears briefly whenever you rotate the physical mode dial, so there's never any question of what mode you're in. It is important to note that the SCN1 and SCN2 selections actually activate the same menu selection, the Scene mode. The only difference is that each maintains a separate memory of the last scene setting you used. So if you want to quickly flip between Scene modes, you just have to switch between the two selections on the mode dial. What I didn't like about it was that you had to confirm the scene selection prior to shooting: the scene selection menu comes up automatically and you have to press the shutter button or menu/enter button to begin shooting.

Panasonic TZ5 Basic Features

* 9.1-megapixel, 1/2.33-inch CCD sensor delivers image resolutions as high as 3,456 x 2,592 pixels

* 10x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28-280mm

* 4.0x digital zoom

* 3.0-inch color LCD monitor (460K pixels)

* Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 60 seconds, depending on mode

* Aperture range from f/3.3 - f/11, depending on zoom position

* Built-in flash with 5 modes plus Red-eye Reduction

* 50MB internal memory

* Power from 1,000mAh proprietary lithium-ion battery

* PictBridge compatible


Panasonic TZ5 Special Features

* Face Detection

* 23 preset Scene modes including "Clipboard" mode

* Movie mode with sound, and Hi-Def movie recording (1280x720p)

* Voice Memo option for still images

* Two Optical Image Stabilization modes

* Macro and Self-Timer modes

* Adjustable ISO from 100 to 1,600 equivalents, 1,600 - 6,400 in HI-SENS mode, plus 3 auto-ISO settings

* Adjustable white balance with five settings, including a Custom adjustment

* Overlaid "quick menu"

Panasonic TZ5 Conclusion


Pro:

* 10x optical zoom with true 28mm wide angle
* Almost distortion-free lens
* Excellent quick menu system
* Compact body for zoom range
* Optical image stabilization
* Sturdy build
* Big, 460,000-pixel, 3-inch LCD
* Easy to Use
* Simple mode for handing the camera off to the less experienced in the family
* Ability to limit ISO in Auto and Intelligent ISO
* Very good Automatic White Balance
* Fast startup for a long zoom
* Good shutter lag for a long zoom
* Blazing shutter response if you prefocus
* Almost two frames per second at full resolution (1.87)
* Twenty-three Scene Modes
* Fast download speeds
* Good macro performance
* Good print quality at ISO 100 up to 11x14; ISO 1,250 good at 5x7
* Above average battery life

Con:

* Anti-noise processing muddles detail at all ISO settings
* Moderate chromatic aberration at wide angle and telephoto
* High contrast in harsh outdoor images
* Somewhat subdued color compared to other cameras in this class
* Flash coverage is uneven at wide angle, and insufficient at telephoto
* Cant delete photos just taken without going to playback mode, unless in self-portrait mode
* Hi-definition video recording requires fast SD memory card
* Moderately soft corners
* Flash doesn't throttle down well in Macro mode
* Flash power does not adjust noticeably
* Poor low light performance at low ISOs
* Continuous mode performance is slower than the TZ3, offering 1.87 fps to the TZ3's 2.99 fps.