Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 is an upgrade in the recent digital camera generation. The changes introduced include increased megapixel count (to 9-megapixel), improved movie mode and higher resolution screen. The new Panasonic has a full metal body that ought to be quite shockproof and easy to use menus with intuitive interface. Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 features 3-inch screen with 460K pixels resolution, 10x Leica optical zoom, MEGA OIS image stabilization. In addition to that TZ5 had 22 scene modes and the ability to record movies up to 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 fps.
As it has quite a large lest the weight is distributed unevenly, but thanks to the small rubbery grip it is easy to handle. The TZ5 will be available in three colors: blue, black and silver.
The image displayed on the 3-inch screen is bright and clear in all types of light. The flash is quite powerful and has the range of 5,3 meters at wide angle and 3,6m at the tele end. Yet be careful not to cover the flash with your fingers. It is easy to do so as it is placed near the grip, but it should come as no surprise, considering its small size. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 has several flash modes including Slow Sync and Red-eye reduction. All the controls are located where they should be for comfortable use and there are some dedicated buttons like the Easy Zoom button which lets you jump to the maximum zoom range at one press. There are also buttons for exposure compensation, flash, macro mode and self timer, all the back of the camera.
When it comes to the image quality the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 does a good job, although its electronics can’t keep up with the optics. Its not that it is bad – sometimes it simply takes some time. Thanks to numerous modes and setting allowing for manual control the image quality leaves nothing to complain about and the noise reduction is sufficient to improve the quality without sacrificing too many details.
Even though in low light the digital camera has pretty low reaction time, in normal circumstances it is satisfactory. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 has two continuous drive modes: ‘Burst’ and ‘Burst unlimited’ which take about 2,5 frames per second. After each burst there is about a second pause as the camera records the photos to the memory card, but after that you can shoot again. To sum up, although the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 has some disadvantages it is well worth the money and for sure it would be difficult to find something comparable in its price range. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 specification is as follows:
Source: Panasonic.