Smallest Camera! (1 Viewer)

I was at Best Buy the other day, and they were playing the movie “The Patriot” in the Magnolia section. Anyone seen that movie? Anywho, I was there because I’m buying a camera, but they don’t have a good selection, I don’t think. There’s a camera I’m looking at, the Panasonic DMC-TZ1. It has 10x optical zoom, and it’s really friggin’ small. There aren’t any reviews posted yet, because it’s so new…does any one here have this camera? Is it worth the 400 bucks?

Hi:

I found a review at Digital Photography Review here.

A camera that small with 10x optical zoom and optical stabilization, for only $400? Heckuva deal, in my book.

Edit: Actually, it's only $325 at B&H with rebate... tempting...

It should be noted that the link is to a press release, NOT a review.

BIG difference.

-Scott

DPReview should come out with a full review of that camera in a few weeks. In the meantime, here's what I would assume given the specs of the camera and the reputation of the manufacturer.

1. Panasonic makes great stuff and this should be no exception. Definitely one of the better point-and-shoot digicam manufacturers. To my mind, they're up there with Canon, Olympus and Sony.

2. A do-it-all 10x lens will have more problems (chromatic aberration, possible vignetting, distortion) than a "typical" (3x) lens. Whether it'll make a difference depends on how picky you are and how you'll use the camera. If it's just for snapshots that'll be printed no bigger than 5x7 it should be no problem.

3. I noticed that the lens begins at 35mm. Might not be wide enough for some people. And I would argue that the long end at 350mm is not very useful given the format of this camera. It would be very hard to hold steady and shoot at 350mm given the size of the camera.

4. A small camera will have a small sensor. The biggest problem with that is low-light noise. At any setting higher than ISO100, it'll have significantly more noise (graininess) that's unacceptable for most people. Hope for a lot of light or expect to use the flash a lot.

5. A small camera means that it'll have a weak flash close to the lens axis. Limited range (up to 15 ft probably) and there will definitely be a "flashed look" to your pictures.

6. But they have Image Stabilization--should help with the low-light problems of the camera....

7. Response times should be acceptable. What was a problem for older point-and-shoots has pretty much been solved.

It does indeed look very tempting as an all-in-one, travel camera as long as you realize its potential shortcomings.

Thanks for the advice Ari,
I would need a wide view, I'm sure that panasonic would come out with a wide angle lens soon, for the tz1. Other than that, I could suffice with a narrower lens than what I'm use to.
Thanks!
Rickie

Hmmm... Is Panasonic known for offering wideangle converters for their cameras, especially one as small as the TZ1? I wouldn't count on it, especially given the overall specs of that camera and the likely targeted market. If you need wider than ~35mm (in terms of 35mm format equiv), you should probably look elsewhere.

Personally, I highly doubt the TZ1 is a worthwhile camera for anyone who's more than just a rather casual snapshooter.

Hey Guys,
I was out today and was using the camera. You should buy this cam, the quality of video you can do on the pana tz1 is great. 30fps and it can do 16x9. Awesome! Plus, I wouldn't need the wide lens, it's perfect!
~R"