12 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Finally .. I found a camera I love !
Date of Review: Jan 22, 2007
The Bottom Line: 10x optical zoom outstanding, and movie function surprisingly useful - Stabilization is key. Larger than tiny cameras, but still quite portable. Plus feels more comfortably solid while taking pictures.
This is my first update of this review. Knowing the careful and time-consuming studying I did, I want to give up-to-date feedback to others. Prior to purchasing this camera, I was critical and returned my Canon SD640, a nice small camera which I feel produces blurry pictures. I then did more research and ordered the Lumix TZ1.
This camera (Lumix TZ1) has now taken over 100 pictures for me, as well as a few 5-minute movies, and I LOVE IT more as time goes on. The 10x optical zoom is outstanding, allowing me to easily and crisply move in on many subjects, and the movie capability is surprisingly useful, though that was not a primary thought when I purchased the camera. Both of these features I am sure are as good as they are because of the presence of IS (Image Stabilization). Three out of four pictures thus far are "keepers."
I would recommend this camera to anyone. Though larger than the really small cameras like the SD640, it is still quite portable (purse or belt with case below), and it feels much more comfortable and solid while taking a picture. This feeling is echoed by my wife, who now uses the camera as much as me.
I will also endorse the recommendation of "tcchou71" in his wonderfully thorough review that you adjust the color effect to "warm" to achieve life-like hues and ensuring a more natural feel to subjects (people or things). Otherwise, there is a tendency to blue-ish shading. Thanks, TCCHOU71, you have now made a great camera JUST ABOUT PERFECT. That adjustment is easy as pie using the simple screen menu.
My wife told me this weekend that, after one month, this camera has already paid for itself in more enjoyable pictures than our previous two digital cameras (both Canons). As a result, we now take more pictures, knowing the quality of the resulting snapshots.
EXTRA's . .
The Lumix TZ1 uses inexpensive SD memory (two 1G cards on sale at Best Buy/CompUSA for $19) and a battery which is readily available on the net (BestBat.com .. quality brand x .. 2 for $25). The camera takes at least 100 pictures on one charge, and having an extra battery makes running out of power a non-issue. Also, I found a great non-bulky bag at Target into which this fits perfectly; "Case Logic" brand .. it even holds the extra battery in a little internal pull-up holder. Good luck, everyone.
