GerryInToronto
Member
I had the Canon G9 for over one month. I returned it. The drawbacks are listed elsewhere on this site. I bought it from a big box store. For one, it was so damn heavy. It rivalled a DSLR in functionality but lacked considerably in the lens set up.
Then I decided to do some further online research and visited my local camera professional shop.
My local camera store gave me the luxury to try out various cameras before buying.
They suggested I try the Fujifilm FD, the Canon 850, Nikons too. I had those for a few days and up to a week before they were returned for various reasons.
They told me "wait until I see the new Panasonic" that they saw at a show. It would blow me away I was told.
They gave me a TZ3 to try out and mentioned that it would be similar to it but add most everything it was lacking. I liked the extra long zoom and the 28MM lens. The size and weight were just about right.
About a month later the TZ5 arrived in their store. They had two dozen units pre-sold!
The camera is just about perfect as a P&S. It doesn't pretend to take on the DSLRs but then again Rolls and Ford are both cars. True they are both modes of transportation but there more to it than that. I think you get my point.
The high-resolution ultrabright screen, the 10x zoom, the 9 Mpixel CCD is ample. The ability to shoot HD video is an extra bonus which itself is worthy of a purchase.
Set the camera to iA (intelligent auto mode) and you're done. It takes care of everything. What your eyes see is what is recorded. You can set up various shots with different settings almost immediately. It has advanced red-eye correction.
I can typically shoot about 300-320 pictures before the battery needs topping up.
The large 3.0 inch High-resolution display is fantastic 460k pixels. You don't see that on too many cameras. The display has a "high angle" adjustment which allows you to clearly see the screen when you hold the camera high above your head. There are automatic level adjustments which dims or brightens the screen depending on the current requirement. Nice!
True 16:9 pictures (not the pseudo-cropping seen on 90% of the cameras)
True 30 fps video possible.
Dynamic 280mm telephoto setting.
Intelligent Scene Selector chooses the mode that best fits the situation
Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) helps prevent blurring from hand-shake.
Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur.
Advanced Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings.
There is a Clipboard function that allows you to take photos of maps, timetables and other travel info.
You can print titles and other characters on the photos you shoot with the Title Edit and Stamp. This is great for creating your own postcards from a vacation trip. Input your departure date and destination with the Travel Date Setting. Later, during photo viewing, the camera will indicate on which day of the trip each shot was taken and the location.
Some of the technical language was taken from the Panasonic website.
This is the best P&S to come out in years. Try it for yourself. You won't be disappointed
Problems:
The HD video mode seems to work best with automatic focus turned off. A new firmware version has resolved that issue.
Video only record mono audio. This can be corrected with most simple editing software. Simply select simulated "stereo" and you're done. Not really a problem unless you believe those who tell you it is. As a broadcast technician I can tell you that stereo microphones set less than six inches apart sound about the same as a mono speaker.
No hot or cold shoe.
No viewfinder. LCD screen only. (I don't use viewfinders anyway).
If not properly set up the camera gets noisy above 400 ISO.
Then I decided to do some further online research and visited my local camera professional shop.
My local camera store gave me the luxury to try out various cameras before buying.
They suggested I try the Fujifilm FD, the Canon 850, Nikons too. I had those for a few days and up to a week before they were returned for various reasons.
They told me "wait until I see the new Panasonic" that they saw at a show. It would blow me away I was told.
They gave me a TZ3 to try out and mentioned that it would be similar to it but add most everything it was lacking. I liked the extra long zoom and the 28MM lens. The size and weight were just about right.
About a month later the TZ5 arrived in their store. They had two dozen units pre-sold!
The camera is just about perfect as a P&S. It doesn't pretend to take on the DSLRs but then again Rolls and Ford are both cars. True they are both modes of transportation but there more to it than that. I think you get my point.
The high-resolution ultrabright screen, the 10x zoom, the 9 Mpixel CCD is ample. The ability to shoot HD video is an extra bonus which itself is worthy of a purchase.
Set the camera to iA (intelligent auto mode) and you're done. It takes care of everything. What your eyes see is what is recorded. You can set up various shots with different settings almost immediately. It has advanced red-eye correction.
I can typically shoot about 300-320 pictures before the battery needs topping up.
The large 3.0 inch High-resolution display is fantastic 460k pixels. You don't see that on too many cameras. The display has a "high angle" adjustment which allows you to clearly see the screen when you hold the camera high above your head. There are automatic level adjustments which dims or brightens the screen depending on the current requirement. Nice!
True 16:9 pictures (not the pseudo-cropping seen on 90% of the cameras)
True 30 fps video possible.
Dynamic 280mm telephoto setting.
Intelligent Scene Selector chooses the mode that best fits the situation
Advanced Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) helps prevent blurring from hand-shake.
Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur.
Advanced Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings.
There is a Clipboard function that allows you to take photos of maps, timetables and other travel info.
You can print titles and other characters on the photos you shoot with the Title Edit and Stamp. This is great for creating your own postcards from a vacation trip. Input your departure date and destination with the Travel Date Setting. Later, during photo viewing, the camera will indicate on which day of the trip each shot was taken and the location.
Some of the technical language was taken from the Panasonic website.
This is the best P&S to come out in years. Try it for yourself. You won't be disappointed
Problems:
The HD video mode seems to work best with automatic focus turned off. A new firmware version has resolved that issue.
Video only record mono audio. This can be corrected with most simple editing software. Simply select simulated "stereo" and you're done. Not really a problem unless you believe those who tell you it is. As a broadcast technician I can tell you that stereo microphones set less than six inches apart sound about the same as a mono speaker.
No hot or cold shoe.
No viewfinder. LCD screen only. (I don't use viewfinders anyway).
If not properly set up the camera gets noisy above 400 ISO.