Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic DMCTZ5 Digital Camera - Black (9.1MP, 10x Optical Zoom) 3.0" LCD

Three issues have constantly plagued me when taking pictures - having access to a decent zoom lens, low light performance and shaky hands! What I wanted was a camera that could address all three issues without costing an arm and a leg with the additional benefit of being presented in a compact form. Quite a few people said get a DSLR - I think the 'compact' bit eluded them.

I looked at a few super zoom cameras - the FZ28 and SX10 IS looked good but when I saw the size of the cameras without the lens barrels extended I had to discount them. As I attend a fair number of gigs, portability is essential. So I was left pondering the bewildering landscape of compact cameras.

After much research and testing, the DMC-TZ5 came out trumps for a number of reasons. The quality and speed of the 10x zoom is magnificent. The E-zoom button is fantastic in getting a maximum zoom of 10x at the touch of a button and zooming out again. One thing worth noting is that by pressing the e-zoom button again after it reaches 10x, you will get an additional optical 6.9x zoom but at the expense of being only able to take 3M photos. You can select any part of this additional zoom range but it's a bit hit and miss with the manual zoom control ring. As for the digital zoom - some things are never meant to work properly and I wouldn't even contemplate using digital zoom as the picture quality really does nose dive.

Add in image stabilisation (which is crucial in taking pictures and videos with the zoom) and the camera delivers amazing results. The colours practically leap off the screen. The flash could be stronger for indoor shots but a bit of image manipulation in Photoshop or other image editing program should brighten up those shots. The wide angle lens is a bonus. The menus are relatively straight forward but some of the button presses are a bit strange. I expected when I accessed a menu, pressing the Select button would take me into additional options - no, it threw me straight out! You eventually get used to it but to me it's a bit of an annoyance.

The 3" display screen is superb. There's a great function enabling you to take pictures by holding the camera high above you and still view the screen content.

There are a number of settings on the camera which allow you to either take out all the guess work from taking a photo or by using a manual function. The all singing, all dancing iA setting is very good for most occasions. There are a number of different presets such as night time, portrait etc. There's also a burst mode feature - okay, it isn't nowhere near the levels of a dedicated DSLR but it's there if you want it. The macro function on the camera is fantastic. Night time performance is pretty good although when you get to ISO 800 and above, well, the results aren't great.

So what about video? This isn't a camcorder so don't expect camcorder like results. The sound is recorded in mono but the picture quality is very good for a compact camera. An added bonus is that the zoom function is available when filming. One word of warning though - make you have a class 6 SDHC card in the camera because the high quality mode takes up a lot of space and has to write lots of data to the card in a small amount of time.

Portability is brilliant. Admittedly it isn't as slim as most cameras but at a push, it'll fit my trouser pocket.

Battery life isn't bad. I managed to get approximately 300 shots on a full charge.

All in all, I'm delighted with this camera despite a few shortcomings. The 10x zoom has really delivered excellent results and I think at the end of the day, I won't need anything else unless Panasonic deliver a 20x zoom version in the same body shell.

This was a present from my husband, and my first "serious" digital camera - and I love it!

Menu is very easy to use, very good results in the iA mode, but I also like playing about with the Scenes - using them more than I first thought I would to excellent effect.

Highly recommended

I originally ordered the new Canon from QVC (about £220) and although it was very small, perhaps too small, I found the menu system confusing. After returning it I set about trying to find a replacement for the 4 year old Panasonic that stopped working (unusual for a Panasonic). Originally I was put off because the TZ5 is bigger than the smallest compacts more easily pocketable in a coat pocket than shirt pocket. I need not have have worried as the Pansonic is certainly easily carried around without being an encumbrance. My definition is "do you know you are carrying it" and the answer to this is "no". In its favour the menu system is easy, the wide angle is great and the zoom is fantastic for such a small camera. It's HD movie mode promises to be a bonus. It feels robust in use and because it's a little larger than the real "tinies" it's actually easier to use and handle. The large screen is very detailed and a great improvement in clarity (460k I believe, whatever that means)

After lots of research on suppliers I actually bought from Big City Digital (co.uk). I called them after a credit card query and got them easily and the camera and accessories arrived the following day, all at a price beating cost. I recommend both the supplier and the camera

The first time I took this camera out in public (a bbq) and snapped a few photos, I had at least 3 people asking for its details with intent on buying it next day - it's that good. They were far from the last folks to show real surprize at the quality of the images. And the thing just looks great too - a fine 3 inch screen against matt black finish with brushed-silver dials and lens (Leica. German). There's a welcome solidness to it too, with just enough weight to suggest real quality. When you switch it on, you quickly realise it's as well designed on the inside too: the menu options are easy to navigate and require only common sense. It took me just minutes to get to grips with the multi-page layout...NOT THAT IT MATTERS! You'll never go there again! Why? The iAuto function! Select "iAuto" and, as far as I can see, you'll never touch the dials/menu again. In this function I took photos in countless settings both indoors and out, and was truly amazed at how the camera nailed it every time - fairgrounds, mountains, sunsets, my son's leaping around, parties etc. It appears to have a fill-in flash function, as even with a strong light source behind the subject, the final image is balanced. The ONLY thing you might want to do is cancel the "forced-flash" when taking shots of movement when there's plenty light around (and that's but one-button away). Take the ease of use, the truly wonderful quality of the photos and the sheer pleasure of the x10 optical zoom, and you have a marvel of a camera. One last thing - the choice of memory card should NOT be a casual affair. On recomendation I bought the Sandisk Extreme III (it's pretty cheap with Amazon...and incredibly expensive without!). This allows you to use what panasonic call the "burst" option - just hit the button and the camera will take (what sounds like) 2 photos per second without hiccups. Until now, I had just put any old sd card in my camera...big mistake! If you want a camera able to beautifully record both your family and travel highlights, look no further.

I am not going to waste time repeating the specs you can get anywhere on the internet. But this camera is superb. The only issue I have seen so far is slightly oversaturated colours when taking indoors pics but this is a tiny issue. The AI mode works effectively and I am truly happy I chose this camera over others. Yes it won't give you the pics a DSLR will in certain conditions but it gets damn close. The main reason for my review is to suggest the Lowepro Rezo 30 case, I went through every case in Jessops trying them for size. It's a snug fit and has a small compartment on the front for a spare battery and memory card.