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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 (Black)

Manufacturer: Panasonic Part number: DMC-TZ5K

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$249.95 - $320.99 at 11 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 14 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Product series; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: Though it's not perfect, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5's compact midrange megazoom feature set puts it in a class with just its sibling, the TZ4, and should deliver a satisfying shooting experience.
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CNET editors' review

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 (Black)

price range: $249.95 - $320.99

Reviewed by: Lori Grunin
Reviewed on: 06/23/2008
Released on: 02/01/2008

The good: Attractive, functional design; generally above-average photo quality for its class; nice, useful feature set; lens can zoom during movie capture.

The bad: Aggressive smoothing reduces detail in indoor shots, even at low ISO sensitivities; modest performance; poorly placed microphone.

The bottom line: Though it's not perfect, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5's compact midrange megazoom feature set puts it in a class with just its sibling, the TZ4, and should deliver a satisfying shooting experience.

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Many might find the attractions of the 9-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 irresistible: it's compact enough to fit in a jacket pocket, yet packs a 10x zoom lens, complete with 28mm-equivalent wide-angle view and optical image stabilizer. It also has a 3-inch LCD and some very interesting shooting features.

Extremely similar to its less-expensive sibling, the DMC-TZ4, the TZ5 offers higher 9-megapixel resolution (compared with 8 megapixels for the TZ4), a 1280x720-pixel resolution movie-capture mode and a larger LCD (2.5 inches for the TZ4). Because of the higher resolution, the TZ5's performance is also rated a bit slower, with fewer photos fitting in its memory buffer, than the TZ4. Finally, it's about 0.01 inch fatter and at 8.4 ounces, 2 ounces heavier.

Because it lacks manual and semimanual exposure capabilities, the mode dial is fairly sparse. The Easy Zoom button makes a nice shortcut for getting from one end of the zoom range to the other.

A dial lets you switch among camera and movie modes, as well as two slots for program exposure (scene) modes--these have the same choices, but allow the camera to remember two of your last selections--Intelligent Auto and an odd Clipboard mode that captures low-resolution photos to internal memory for fast display.

The four-navigation buttons toggle among the exposure compensation, flash, macro, and self-timer options. Depending upon your current zoom, it automatically chooses standard or telemacro.

One of my few complaints about the design of the TZ5 is the placement of the microphone on the top left of the camera. Given that Panasonic states "do not block the microphone with fingers" five times in the manual, the company must be aware that there's a problem with its location. And despite the many warnings, my fingers still tend to wander over there while recording movies.

The Q(uick) menu button brings up a subset of options that are also available in the full menus: LCD brightness, picture size, aspect ratio, intelligent exposure, ISO sensitivity, white balance, AF mode--spot, face detect, 9-area, 3-area high speed, 1-area high speed, and 1-area--burst shooting and optical stabilization. The full menu adds more shooting settings--picture quality, Intelligent ISO, metering, continuous AF, intelligent exposure, color effects, digital zoom, minimum shutter speed, audio recording, AF assist, and clock set--as well as setup screens.

Several of the TZ5's options are quite useful. I especially like the minimum shutter speed setting; you can set it as slow as 1 second or as fast as 1/200, and though it doesn't prevent the camera from shooting when exposure drops below the threshold, it does blink a warning message. Intelligent ISO lets you set a maximum for the auto of ISO 400, ISO 800, or ISO 1600.

The various AF area-mode selections are pretty practical as well, though more for limiting the range of subjects the AF system chooses to focus on than for speed. For instance, the 9-area AF will frequently choose incorrect subjects, where the 3-area AF, which limits the focus areas to the middle row of the frame, will probably choose correctly more often (since most people simply point at their subject, which puts it in the middle of the frame). On one hand, the TZ5's face detection seems more robust and faster than other implementations I've seen; on the other, it still doesn't seem to be more efficient or easier than using center-spot focusing and recomposing.

Performance turns out to be this camera's Achilles' heel. By the numbers, it's just a tad slow--nothing egregious, but overall more sluggish than its competitors, and about the same as the TZ3. In CNET Labs' performance tests, it took about 2.4 seconds for the TZ5 to wake up and shoot. Time to focus and snap under optimal conditions ran about 0.7 second, while that ran 1 second in lower-contrast circumstances. It required 2.1 seconds to shoot 2 sequential shots, which bumped to 2.5 seconds with the flash enabled. The TZ5 has two burst-shooting modes, a standard and Free; the latter adjusts white balance and exposure between shots. The standard, faster mode is fixed to a 3-shot maximum at highest quality, and tested out at 2 frames per second. We didn't test Free, which can shoot until the card fills, because it's slow enough that the buffer never becomes the bottleneck. The battery is CIPA rated at about 300 photos, a quite reasonable figure for its class.

The TZ5's large LCD remains viewable in bright sunlight, and Panasonic has a specific setting that improves viewing when holding the camera off-angle, above your head. However, in addition to modest test performance, I frequently found the TZ5's autofocus behavior slowing me down. With point-and-shoot models I try to prefocus as frequently as possible, since that speeds up shooting. For whatever reason, either a twitchy forefinger or odd shutter behavior, the TZ5 often insisted on refocusing just before shooting even after I'd prefocused. And not just a minor tweak--occasionally it would hunt the entire focus range again. And every now and then it shot without locking focus at all.

Overall, despite excessive image noise on certain types of photos, the TZ5 produces very pleasing photos with which most shooters will be happy. Even in bright, contrasting light exposures look good, colors appear saturated and relatively accurate, and when it focuses correctly, the TZ5 produces sharp photos that you can print as least as big as 11inches by 14 inches. (For more on photo quality, click through to the slide show.)

In addition, the TZ5 delivers very nice movies--provided you don't put your fingers over the microphone--in both the wide-aspect 1,280x720 and VGA modes. (Connecting directly to an HDTV to view the 16:9 recordings requires an optional, proprietary component video cable.) Plus, unlike many competitors, it can zoom while recording over its entire range. It records QuickTime Motion JPEG movies, with a 2GB maximum on clip size; clips run about 11 minutes per gigabyte for the HD clips and 28 minutes per gigabyte for VGA. Panasonic also recommends a 10MB/sec or faster SD card for movie capture.

Although we've yet to test the TZ4, based on its specifications and my experiences with the TZ5, you may be better off saving the $50 to $100 and sticking with the cheaper model. Still, as far as truly compact megazooms go, these two are pretty much your only options, and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 acquits itself well.

Shooting speed (in frames per second)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Flash shot-to-shot time

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS

4.33

1.7

0.5

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10

1.7

1.82

1.4

1.1

0.5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

2.3

2.41

1.3

0.6

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5

2.4

2.52

2.1

0.7

Typical continuous-shooting speed (in frames per second)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3

2.5

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H10

2.1

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS

0.8

See pricing

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 14 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 14

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6 stars

TZ3 "dumbed-down" - The TZ5 is A Disapppointment !!!!

by karlviehe on April 27, 2008

Pros: Construction, LCD

Cons: What were the Panasonic Engineers/Prodcut Desginers Thinking

Summary: With relatively minor improvements, the TZ3 could have been taking to the point of an effective "pocketable" substitute for a DSLR .... but .....

This camera is a step back from TZ3.

...

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Summary: With relatively minor improvements, the TZ3 could have been taking to the point of an effective "pocketable" substitute for a DSLR .... but .....

This camera is a step back from TZ3. I would recommend purchasing the TZ3, not the TZ5.

1 ) The implementation of the macro .... a command dial control selection on the TZ3 .... is quite inconvenient on the TZ5 .... and the macro focus performs inconsistently ....

2 ) The product designers' kids must not play sports ..... there is no Tv ( shutter speed ) selection .... and the programmed sports mode is way too slow to capture action in most sports ( and no-one in Pansonic tech assistance seems to know what the programmed shutter speed is ) ....

3 ) video capture is limited to 7 mins in best quality HD ... and 15 mins in SD ..... great if your kids play 6 minute soccer games ... These limitations did not exist in the TZ3. With 32 GB SDHC cards available, such limitations are unacceptable. Moreover, AVCHD, increasingly supported by the industry( and by Pansonic ) would have been the better video format.

Problems
As noted above, the TZ5 is a step back from TZ3 in terms of functionality ..... notwithstanding the gain of 2 megapixels of resolution ......

I recommend buying a TZ3 ..... which is an excellent camera. The TZ5 should have improved on it, but failed to do so .... a big disappointment ..... !!!

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15 out of 22 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great camera all-around, esp. for its size

by Tokyo_Ben on June 11, 2008

Pros: 10x optical zoom in a super compact; HD video; easy to use.

Cons: Video time limit, not great in low lighting or high-speed situations.

Summary: When I started looking at the market for digital cameras, I had three criteria: Small form, good optical zoom, and HD video. My dad told me there's no such ...

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Summary: When I started looking at the market for digital cameras, I had three criteria: Small form, good optical zoom, and HD video. My dad told me there's no such camera. Well, come April, this camera was released and I had already been looking at it. 10x optical zoom in such a small camera is amazing, and HD video on top of that!

I wanted a small camera because I plan on doing some traveling, and I hate feeling like a geeky tourist having to pull out a big, awkward camera everywhere. This thing is sleek, beautiful, and nothing to be ashamed of showing off. The HD video amazes my friends and family. I plan on traveling in Greece soon, and Japan and Korea in the future, and this will be the camera I take with me. I don't regret my purchase one bit.

That being said, there are some criticisms I will make, since some people want different things from a camera.

First, this camera is not good at shooting in low light, indoors, etc. It will up the ISO, then run the photo through an in-camera noise filter, also removing/blurring some detail. I will use a tripod when shooting at night (which won't be often) and manually set the ISO. Of course, there's always flash.

Second, when shooting video, if you use zoom, the microphone will pick up some of the internal noises (it's kind of loud; big lens and all). This is even more of a problem if you Cover the microphone with your Finger! So be careful.

And last, I can tell you that this camera won't be the best at capturing high-speed situations in photos. But to counter that, I would just switch to video. There may still be some trouble with a lot of motion, but really it's give-and-take. You get a lot for your money, but you have to consider what situations you want to use this camera for.

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. And did I mention decent price?

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7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

best compact camera for wide angle and zoom

by primaz on July 28, 2008

Pros: easy to use wide angle, huge zoom and HD video

Cons: some reviewers reviewed the noise as if this was NOT a compact camera; the camera takes good pictures if set right at low light for most users

Summary: I think this is the best compact digital camera on the market. I've read many reviews and the best pre-purchase was reading many of the forums which hundreds of ...

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Summary: I think this is the best compact digital camera on the market. I've read many reviews and the best pre-purchase was reading many of the forums which hundreds of real users posted their experience and actual pictures such as dpreview forums. I then realized things like the noise comments are camera nuts comparing this to a non compact camera! I am not a camera expert but the noise is over rated and in most cases barely noticable unless you blow it up over 8 x10 and that is only in limited conditions as the camera takes fabulous pictures. The zoom is incredible along with the wide angle lense. The menu is easy to use and the preset settings are very impressive with even a preset for fish tanks! I took a picture of my reef and no glare and the best aquarium photo I've ever taken!

In summary 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 vitually dummy proof capabilities. for the camera nuts you have to check out some of the dpreviews forum users whom have played with the settings to take magazine quality pictures. For those folks you can change white balance, iso, shutter speed, and other settings but for the average person the IA mode and presets makes it a perfect point and shoot!

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4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

Unbeatable Value. HD Video, 10x Zoom, in your pocket!!

by robstak on November 29, 2008

Pros: Shoots HD video at 720p/30fps - 10x zoom in point and shoot frame - You can zoom while taking video!!! - IMHO most features available for your $$$.

Cons: No optical viewfinder - No manual focus - No video camera lights

Summary: I'm no fanboy of Panasonic; I'd never even heard of Lumix before I started shopping for a new digital camera about a year ago. The blogs reported about ...

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Summary: I'm no fanboy of Panasonic; I'd never even heard of Lumix before I started shopping for a new digital camera about a year ago. The blogs reported about 2 cameras that were coming out that shot HD video, a feature I absolutely wanted, this and the Cannon. The TZ5 also came with a 10x zoom, as well. This is definitely a rare feature, and I can't remember how many times I cursed my old Pentax for only having 3x. The icing on the cake was the availability to zoom while recording video! This feature is awesome and essentially makes your picture camera a camcorder.

The picture quality IMO is amazing. I constantly get compliments about them, and am able to do a lot of cropping etc; however, Im sure most cams output good quality at 9MP. Ill defer to CNET on that issue, but I'm certainly happy with it...

Now things that annoy me: no optical viewfinder- meh I don't really miss one, but some ppl might be annoyed by it. In the camera's defense, the screen is SUPER bright and SUPER crisp (i think it was the highest resolution at the time). No manual focus... this one kinda upsets me. my old optioS had a basic manual zoom function that i LOVED (I'm certainly no professional, but I'd consider myself a hobbyist). Alas, there is no manual focus here. in fact everything is pretty much automated for you. so if you don't know jack about cameras this is good for you, if not, you can change the ISO, flash, focus settings, but no manual focus. No video camera light. I don't know any point and shoots that have this, but CMON ppl! I'd love to take video at night. Finally, I think it shoots in H.264, but I hate using QuickTime, I'd rather it record to Divx directly...

Here are some example shots I've taken (last one is a video):
http://flickr.com/photos/robstak/2441745295/in/set-72157604732261074/
http://flickr.com/photos/robstak/2483601950/in/set-72157605001595717/
http://flickr.com/photos/robstak/2485882077/in/set-72157605001595717/

In summary, I absolutely LOVE this camera, and couldn't recommend it more... It has its shortcomings, but as point and shoots go I dont' see a better value. I shopped for a replacement for my optioS for months and months and waited till this came around (if only it still fit in an altoids tin, lol). So look at this and look at the Cannon, but my money is on the TZ5

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great pics in most situations

by workenchina on November 18, 2008

Pros: I bought this camera to travel with. It is compact with a huge screen and intuitive controls. The anti-shake compensates well when zoomed in to 10x. The battery lasts a long time, too. I love the pictures I take with the camera!

Cons: Focus is too automatic. I cannot control the F-stop to control the focus of the camera. That is my only complaint and I have had the camera for almost 4 months.

Summary: Bottom line is if you are looking for a traveling camera to take solid, good-looking pictures, this is your buy. I usually set the dial on "Intelligent Auto" and let ...

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Summary: Bottom line is if you are looking for a traveling camera to take solid, good-looking pictures, this is your buy. I usually set the dial on "Intelligent Auto" and let the camera take care of itself. However, there are enough preset functions built into the camera that I haven't found a need to mess with too much of the nitty-gritty. I do have a complaint about the focus, but read about that above. The TZ-5 gets my recommendation.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Sharp pictures, needs viewfinder

by drengr on September 1, 2008

Pros: I think the pictures are incredibly sharp even in difficult lighting situations.

Cons: No viewfinder

Summary: In very sunny conditions the LCD screen is reflective so all you see is YOURSELF!!!! Pictures are a complete SHOT IN THE DARK---at least with older, less capable models the ...

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Summary: In very sunny conditions the LCD screen is reflective so all you see is YOURSELF!!!! Pictures are a complete SHOT IN THE DARK---at least with older, less capable models the LCD just grayed out so that sometimes you could catch a glimpse of a shadow to center a shot. Until they figure out a filter for sunlight o the LCD screen these cameras NEED A VIEWFINDER!!!!!

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

The best at this size!

by tarponfisher on August 24, 2008

Pros: Zoom, LCD, ease of use

Cons: Microphone, Speed

Summary: If looking for a camera that is small but has the flexibility to provide great zoom and a large LCD, this is the one. Although the speed was not super ...

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Summary: If looking for a camera that is small but has the flexibility to provide great zoom and a large LCD, this is the one. Although the speed was not super fast, it is certainly manageable. The Zoom is simply awesome! I traded this in for a five year old Olympus Camedia with 10X zoom, and its amazing how much better this camera is. Picture quality is excellent. Yes the microphone is on a bad spot, however if you want great video and sound capture, your probably not looking for a camera like this anyway.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

In the top grouping of compact cameras.

by PlatinumXP on August 5, 2008

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 (Black)

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