Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ5

The Panasonic Lumix is a very versatile camera. Auto mode seems to cope well with nearly all conditions. Easy to carry in hand. Auto focus and stabilization work well. Very good zoom. Very poor sound in video mode though.

I can honestly say that for the situations I want to use it in, this camera is perfect: Huge zoom, Wide angle lens, HD video, compact form. This camera takes great pictures, great wide angle pictures, easy to use and the perfect travel camera. The HD video is nice for occasional use but the primary strength is the photo picture ability for wide angle, zoom, and virtually dummy proof capabilities. for the camera nuts you have to check out some of the previews forum users whom have played with the settings to take magazine quality pictures. The battery lasts a long time, too. I love the pictures I take with the camera! The TZ-5 gets my recommendation.

I bought this camera as a point-and-shoot for holiday snaps and other spontaneous shots, so was looking for something versatile that would fit in my pocket.

The TZ-5 is easy to use, thanks to an attractive and intuitive on-screen interface. There's no touch screen but the navigator buttons allow very fast operation. The flip side of this is that settings can be changed accidentally when you have the camera in your hand. I was very disappointed to find out that a large quantity of my summer holiday snaps were taken at 0.3MP, when I had thought it was set to 9MP.

The main settings include a wide choice of scene modes, a fully customisable mode and an 'intelligent auto' mode which guesses what kind of screen you're trying to photograph and chooses the most appropriate scene mode and settings for you. It does a pretty good job of this and I have been able to rely on it most of the time.

The screen itself is large, bright and very clear. This makes it very easy to show others your pictures straight away without having to explain to them what's in the photo.

The 10X optical zoom is smooth in operation and combines well with the optical image stabiliser to create clear images at full magnification. At the other end of the scale, the wide angle is better than most compact zoom cameras, and you can quickly move between each extreme with one press of the 'E Zoom' button.

The video mode includes a 720P high definition option. The results are not as good as the video you get from a good SD camcorder but do look significantly better than the clips I've seen from any other still camera, especially when viewed on a widescreen TV or computer monitor.

Overall, the DMC-TZ5 lives up to expectations as a versatile compact camera. The picture quality isn't as good as you'd get from a more serious camera, such as a Canon Powershot, but the combination of pocket-ability and features allow to take it virtually anywhere and capture a vast range of shots and clips.

I have always been an SLR man and when my last one broke I could not afford to buy a new one. A friend came over to stay from Canada and had a realy good compact. After searching the net and reading reviews I decided on the TZ5. I havent looked back it goes everywhere with me now and I love it. I have had mine for about two months now..

It's not the smallest compact but then the 10x zoom needs space. It's not too big though, it's small enough to live in my jacket pocket (with small case for addition safety).

The results so far make me feel that my pre-purchase research paid off and it's producing the good for me. The pictures are very good (when I do my bit, image stabilization can only do so much).

The iAuto mode works very well, the Auto mode adds a little flexibility and the scene modes (that I've tried) have worked to make life easier in those situations, (I've found Party mode handy and the Portrait mode worked too).

Where I go, it comes with me.

Bought it in New York for $320 it works out cheaper here great, recommened buy. Good screen, Fanatasic image quality, easy to use and never regret buying this quality piece of techno.

I've had this camera for 1 month now and don't regret buying it.

The 10x zoom and quality of pictures is great. All this in a small package that goes in your pocket. I highly recommend this camera to everyone that needs a compact camera

Overall, still the next best thing to a Leica M8 at 1/30 the price.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ5 zoom works on movie imagesAutomatic settings just fantasticSimple layout and controls are deceptive as more functionality than TZ3 model is present I should know I have both models.