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Excellent value for the specs
Strengths: See below
Weakness: See below
I've only owned one other digital camera, a Canon a60. Although it was only 2mp it took some great photos (still does even after 7,000 shots). However, I wanted a new one and did research for about 3 months before deciding which one to buy. I was looking for a pocketable camera that preferably ran off AA's instead of a proprietary li-ion, and could use a SDHC card. I was also looking for a camera that had a nice wide-angle lens and took true widescreen (16:9) photos - which really narrowed it down. I really liked the TZ5 w/ the 720p video, but the twice-as-much price and extra heft and battery steered me towards this little guy. Here are my pro's and con's:
Pro's:
- 5x optical at full resolution, 8x at 2mp (which still takes decent pics, just not as good as my canon at 2mp). There's also an easy-zoom button that auto zooms to 5x then 8x with just one press each time. The third press will put back to the wide-angle.
- size (very pocketable - much better than my a60 which was pocketed itself for the longest time)
- lightweight
- Runs off 2 aa's - in fact... I swear I've taken over 800 shots on my new set of Sony Ni-MH's (2600 or 2700 mah), but I'll just have to test that out again in case I did switch them at some point.
- Venus IV engine vs the older Venus III for better images
- Optical Image Stabilizer
- boot-up time (from off to shot taken)
- looks and price (both subjective)
- great video (including the ability to do it in 16:9)
- As mentioned above - ability to take true 16:9 images (all the way up to 7mp I believe)
- full manual control, minus focus (something even the TZ5 doesn't have!)
- Easy to use with intelligent auto function that will select the scene mode for you (which has worked really well so far)
- 32mm wide angle lens to capture more. Works great for group photo's or 16:9 outdoors shots.
- Leica lens (although that's like saying your speakers or receiver is "THX certified" - it's all subjective).
Cons:
- Slow shot-to-shot when using the flash
- photo's don't have the canon color (subjective) - they just seem a bit dull.
- blurry shots in low-light condition (more so than my canon a60, but better than my folks' SD400).
- More noise than I'd like. It makes the 8mp necessary if you'll be cropping any of them.
All in all I still think this is the best camera you can buy if you're looking for the same specs I was. I've recommended it to family and friends and even my girlfriend wants one (and she is very careful with big purchases). One way to tell you got a good deal is that the price actually goes UP 2 months after you bought it (especially if it's anything to do with technology). I'm actually surprised it's priced so low with it's bigger brother the LZ10 priced a lot more for just a few more bells and whistle's. If the big optical zoom, wide-angle or 16:9 capabilities aren't necessary than compare image quality to canon's before buying this. Everyone's opinion on a 'good picture' is different, judge for yourself. Otherwise, you'll be happy with this purchase just like I am!
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