Hands On Review: Panasonic Lumix TZ5

The Swiss Army Knife of Cameras

I don’t want to be a spoil-sport, but I’ll start by being honest:  I’ve never been a fan of point and shoot cameras…… film, digital, or otherwise because I prefer control over automation.  In the days of film when I was not carrying my Nikon SLR System, I carried something smaller and lighter, but controllable and always close by for those unexpected times.  One of those was an Olympus 35RD,  a small, manual rangefinder focus that gave me some degree of control, and a tack sharp lens.   The days of film are fading into the sunset as digital photography becomes the mainstream.

So  now what will I do?

When I am really serious about photography and know exactly what I am after, I lug around one of those Sigma Foveon systems.  I’m not always able to be serious enough to lug the monster around but I always want to be ready to get off a couple of shots should the opportunity arise.  Enter the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5.  Like a Swiss Army knife,  the TZ5 performs the major tasks very well but with a price.

Physical aspects:  The TZ5 comes with it’s own carry pouch that easily slips onto my belt for carrying anywhere.  The pouch seems to do a good job of protecting the camera and is unobrusive but a tight fit and there’s no place to keep a spare battery.  Bear in mind, that for it’s small size, the TZ5 is a little heavy due to it’s far-reaching lens and it’s metal-clad body.  You know it’s there, but it’s still light enough to carry around all day.  I will be looking for a slightly larger belt pouch later on.   Controls are well-placed except for the zoom lever.  Somehow, I think the zoom control should be on the back, not on the top.  Despite it’s small size, the weight and solid feel of the TZ5 inspires confidence.  It does not feel like a toy.  Even in automatic mode, I feel like I’m still in some degree of control.

Important aspects and features:  Let’s start with the lens.  It’s a jewel.  It’s a Leica.  And it’s sharp enough to slice tobacco papers.  It starts at 28mm (35mm equivilent) and zooms all the way out to about 300mm.  Talk about reach!  Unfortunately, it’s also tied to a tiny processor  so common in point and shoot cameras which limits the full benefits of the lens.  A word of warning:  When you “reach out”  with that powerful Leitz Lens,  holding the camera steady without support will be next to impossible.  A tripod or monopod is absolutely necessary.  The whole idea of this camera is to keep weight and space at a minimum, so a lightweight monopod is ideal.  Get a good one and talk nicely to it.  You will find a few monopods large enough to serve as flagpoles or battering  rams.  Leave those alone.

There are a bunch of  selectable ”modes”  on this camera including scenery, face recognition, starry night, underwater, naked women (just kidding) etc., and that’s where using this camera can get downright confusing.  It starts with the dial on the top plate.  The first position is what I call “smart mode” and where I keep it set most of the time.  What it is, essentially, is a programmed setting.  The camera does (most) everything for you.  It’s for those times you have no time to think (or too damned old and cannot think) and must get the shot otherwise, there will be no shot.  You can turn off the flash, limit the ASA setting, and limit the lowest shutter speed, which is better than most programmed modes.   If you are too lazy to read the manual or if you simply have not had time to do so, you should use this setting.  Using the other modes will only get you into trouble at best,  jail at worst.

The second and third settings on the dial are duplicates called “scene1″ and “scene2″.  Remember all those various scene modes I mentioned?  Here’s your chance to be creative….if and only if you have read the manual.  Each scene mode has its own special functions and affects your photos in a special way.   You can program these two settings for the two types of photos you take the most or, by knowing how each mode works,  certain amount of creativity the designers of the TZ5 never knew they were giving you.  Experiment and see which ones will help you be more creative.

Next stop on the dial is video mode.  This is where you may take videos of the little yard apes for posterity.  If you have a high-def television in the house, you may record in high definition.   I have little use for video and can see no reason to buy a camera specifically made to take videos, but the TZ5 is a wonderful compromise.  If you will be taking a lot of videos, get a real video camera.  If you will be taking still photos 99% of the time and only need video capability once in a while, get the TZ5.

Finally, there’s a final (sixth) setting on the top dial that is for “memos”.   Now what in the cat hair is that useless thing for?   Is this to confuse me and make me look like a nitwit?  Thankfully, no.  It does serve a purpose.  Let’s say you are visiting Washington, D.C. for the first time and you have decided to ride the subway, like most everyone there does.  You are standing in a terminal and have absolutely no idea of which route goes where and wouldn’t you know it, the little maps of the subway system are all gone.  There’s a large map on the wall and stealing it is not an option.  In the memo section, you may take a quick photo of the wall map as a substitute.  The photo however goes into the internal memory of the camera instead of the memory card as a low  resolution photo and is kept separate from everything else.   You could take a regular photo of the map, but to get back to it, you would have to thumb through all your photos.  I have not used this feature yet, but it’s nice to know it’s there.

In summary, the TZ5 is jack of all trades, master of a few.  This is about as good as it gets with compact cameras.   The strongest point is the Leica lens.  It has a fantastic range (28mm-280mm) and is sharp as a tack.  Portability is another strong point.  Not the lightest compact nor the smallest, but close to it.  On the minus side, there is little if any manual control aside from selecting pre-programmed modes.   If I really need manual control, I’ll carry my “big-rig”.   Also, this thing only shoots in JPG format.  A RAW format option would be nice.  The TZ5 is a very complex piece of equipment and you will need to read the manual thoroughly to squeeze every feature.  Nor is the TZ5 cheap  at well over $250.00.  Beginners and snapshooters will be confused by all the features and probably not understand how to put them to good use.  The TZ5 is for pros and serious amateurs or anyone who wishes to carry a camera all the time and is willing to take the time to learn how to use it and willing to sacrifice control for convenience.