Thursday, 21. August 2008, 01:28:33
So I did indeed plump for the Panasonic TZ5 after many months of deliberating. Am I impressed? Yes, I am. Now it does have it's shortfalls, flaws and limitations. I didn't buy it with any delusions it'll produce DSLR results. I'm not that silly. But I would like DSLR quality, so anything less will leave me a little frustrated at times, but that's the compromise I've opted for.
What I do have is a camera that fits nicely in my pocket, is quick and easy to use and whilst it is a largely auto camera, does have enough settings to offer a little flexibility. There are numerous scene modes, and I can select the ISO. It's Image Stabilization works well and it's zoom is magnificent. But the biggest boon is its wide angle lens - It's nice to be able to fit so much more without having to step a hundred paces backwards to get everyone in a shot.
The shot below was at full 10x optical zoom, with the extra 6.9 digital zoom added on. It's not the perfect shot. But bear in mind this photo was taken through a glass window on the 104th floor of the Sears Tower in Chicago, of a stadium that must have been a mile or two away. To be honest I've over processed it through Photoshop - I could get it sharper, but I can't be bothered to do it again! But it does give an idea of what it can produce. And for a pocket camera, pushed to its absolute limit, I'm impressed! I'm looking forward to putting through a few of the aerial shots I took of the Grand Canyon region soon, some of which I think could be spectacular.
