Testseek.com have collected 40 expert reviews of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 / DMC-ZS5 and the average rating is 80%. Scroll down and see all reviews for Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ8 / DMC-ZS5.
April 2010
(80%)
40 Reviews
Average score from experts who have reviewed this product.
Users
(93%)
241 Reviews
Average score from owners of the product.
80010040
The editors liked
Easy to use
Clearly marked controls
Very good image stabilization
Metal tripod socket is wellcentered
Compact and attractive body design
12x Leica Elmar zoom with 25-300mm range
Power Optical Image Stabilization (O.I.S.) (supposedly better than previous generation)
Extensive autofocus modes
Include face recognition
Aspect ratios include 4
3
2
...
12Xopticalzoom lens with excellent autofocus
Practically silent zoomlens motors
Manual aperture
Shutter
And exposure controls
12x optical zoom lens with excellent autofocus
Practically silent zoom-lens motors
Ease of use
Broader than average focal range
Reliability
Sharp and colourful results on almost every occasion
Lots of features to experiment with
Manual
Semimanual controls
25mm-equivalent wide-angle lens with a 12x zoom
Fully manual PASM exposure modes
Effective optical image stabilization
Quiet 12x optical video zoom
340 shots from a fully charged battery.
Build quality
Creative control
Costeffective
The editors didn't like
No optical viewfinder
No support for RAW file format
Mediocre picture quality in low light
Flash may be too close to grip for some hands
Motion JPEG movies only (no AVCHD Lite option)
No dedicated movie button
Sprawling Menu system
Tends to clip highlights
But that's not unusual for digicams
Yellows are noticeably undersaturated and ha...
Sometimes has trouble with extreme macro shots
Images often look underexposed
Maximum aperture is f3.3
Bottom Line
The Lumix DMC-ZS5 brushes aside most fancy extras and gets down to brass tacks. Its manual controls and fast-focusing 12X-optical-zoom lens make it a big step up from 2009's Lumix DMC-ZS3.
Ease of use, broader than average focal range, reliability, sharp and colourful results on almost every occasion
No dedicated video record button, playback needs a separate button
Yes it's slightly bigger and bulkier than competing 'fashion' compacts with 3x optical zooms but the TZ8 from Panasonic can still fit into a jacket pocket and trouser at a push. That broad focal range, decent lens, plus a sensor not especially over-b...
Abstract: With a 12x optical zoom and 25mm wide-angle lens, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 means business. But did it bring the goods to the table? Find out in our full review, complete with video and image samples.
Compact, 14x zoom, good focusing, high-definition video recording in ACHD Lite
Poor mid-to-high ISO performance, soft image quality at smallest aperture, E.Zoom button is redundant, changing shooting modes alters the lens position, no dedicated video recording button
We were excited to see if Panasonic could improve on last year's excellent Travel Zoom camera, the LUMIX DMC-TZ7, but alas the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TZ8 falls short. The only improvements over its predecessor are a higher megapixel count and better placemen...
Not as luxurious as the TZ10, but delivers high quality photos and videos, a big zoom and a pocket-friendly design at an extremely attractive price ...
Pluses, Picture quality up to 400 ISO, Priority modes and automatic subject tracking when focusing, Good optical stabilisation, Versatile 12x zoom on a compact body, Instant switching from wide angle to telephoto
Minuses, Performance at highsensitivities could be better, Graphic interface a little outdated, E.Zoom function is disappointing, Video recorded in Mjpeg with mono sound, 230,000pixel screen
Abstract: Panasonic's TZ range of compacts has produced cameras with impressive zoom lengths for a fair few years now, of which the TZ8 is one of the latest additions. This slim camera somehow manages to contain a 12x optical zoom, making it TARDIS-like in its abil...
Build quality and controls; manual aperture and shutter-speed control; lens range and quality; value for money
Too many confusing and competing options
We can't give the TZ8 the same rating as the TZ10 simply because it doesn't have quite as many cool features, but it's better value for money. Its true strengths are the design, the controls and the lens quality, rather than Panasonic's increasingly c...
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 gets our recommendation as a dual-purpose camera for stills and video, thanks to its silent, quick-focusing, and far-reaching zoom lens. You may want to look elsewhere if you're craving wow-factor features, and you may want...
We were excited to see if Panasonic could improve on last year's excellent Travel Zoom camera, the LUMIX DMC-TZ7, but alas the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TZ8 falls short. The only improvements over its predecessor are a higher megapixel count and better plac...
