Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 Review
Review Date: May 12th 2008
Author: Mark Goldstein
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Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 9M Fine (3456 x 2592 pixels) JPEG image
size option, which
gives an average image size of between 4-5Mb.
Noise
There are 5 ISO settings available
on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 which you can select at any
time if the camera is in the normal shooting mode. There
is virtually no discernible noise at the slowest settings
of ISO 100 and 200, and ISO 400 also looks very good, which is a definite improvement on the previous DMC-TZ3 model. Noise
and slight loss of detail is apparent
at ISO 800, particularly in the shadow areas, and at the fastest setting of ISO 1600
image quality has deterioated quite a lot as the camera blurs
detail
to try and hide the noise. There is a High Sensitivity mode that goes up to ISO 6400, but it
should be avoided at all costs as the results are terrible. Here are some 100% crops
which show the noise levels for each
ISO
setting:
Sharpening
Here are two 100% Crops which have
been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand
image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the
camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting
and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like
Adobe Photoshop. Unfortunately you can't change the in-camera
sharpening level.
Chromatic Aberrations
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 dealt very well with chromatic aberrations during the
review, with limited purple fringing present around
the
edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, especially
at the telephoto end of the 10x zoom.
Macro
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 offers
a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that
is 5cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle.
The first image shows how close you can get to the subject
(in this case a compact flash card). The second image is
a 100% crop.
Flash
The flash settings on the Panasonic
Lumix DMC-TZ5 are Auto,
Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye
Reduction, Forced Off. These shots of a white coloured
wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Auto
Flash - Telephoto (280mm) |
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And here are some portrait shots.
As you can see, neither the Flash On setting or the Red-Eye
Reduction option caused any red-eye.
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Flash
On (100% Crop) |
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Flash
- Red-Eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
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Night Shot
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 maximum
shutter speed is 60 seconds in the Starry Sky Mode scene
mode (there are also 15 and 30 second options) and 8 seconds
in the Night Scenery mode, which is good news if you're seriously
interested in night photography. The shot below was taken
using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 100. I've included
a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.
The camera takes the same amount of time again to apply noise
reduction, so for example at the 15 second setting the actual
exposure takes 30 seconds.
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Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Anti Shake
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 has an
anti-shake mechanism, which allows you to take sharp photos
at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test
this, I took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the
same settings. The first shot was taken with anti shake
turned off, the second with it turned on. Here is a 100%
crop of the image to show the results. As you can see, with
anti shake turned on, the images are much sharper than with
anti shake turned
off. This feature really does seem to make a difference and
could mean capturing a successful, sharp shot or missing
the opportunity altogether.
Overall Image Quality
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 produced
images of very good quality during the review period.
The Panasonic
Lumix DMC-TZ5 dealt extremely well with chromatic aberrations,
with limited purple fringing effects appearing only
in high contrast situations. The built-in flash worked well
indoors, with little red-eye and adequate exposure. The
night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed
of 60 seconds allowing you to capture plenty of light. Anti-shake
is a feature that sets this camera apart from its competitors
and one that works very well when hand-holding the camera
in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of
the zoom range. Macro performance is average, allowing you
to focus as close as 5 cms away from
the subject. The images were
a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening
setting and ideally require
some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop,
as you can't change the in-camera setting. The
1/2.33 inch, 9.1 megapixel sensor used in the Panasonic Lumix
DMC-TZ5 produces noise-free images at ISO
100 and 200, with ISO 400 also looking good. ISO 800
does have some visible noise and softening of fine detail, and ISO 16000 is even noisier,
but overall the DMC-TZ5 improves on the previous DMC-TZ3 model.
 PhotographyBLOG
is a member of the DIWA
organisation. Our test results for the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 have
been submitted to DIWA
for comparison with test results for different samples of
the same camera model supplied by other DIWA
member sites.
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