|
| 
 enlarge | Brand: Panasonic
Category: Photography
List Price: $299.95
Buy New: $199.99
You Save: $99.96 (33%)
New (33)
Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 134
Color: Black
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Optical Zoom: 10
Display Size: 2.5
Maximum Focal Length: 47
Minimum Focal Length: 4.7
Maximum Resolution: 8.1
Has Red Eye Reduction: Yes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 2.3 x 1.4 x 4.1
MPN: DMC-TZ4K
Model: DMC-TZ4K
UPC: 037988987696
EAN: 0037988987696
ASIN: B0011Z6D86
Release Date: March 7, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 THRILLED absolutely THRILLED June 24, 2008
I am thrilled. I was so upset when my other camera died. I had NO IDEA which camera to choose. I researched as much as possible and always ended up with this one on my list. I am a scrapbooker and NEED my pictures to come out well...and they did. The first time I used it was at my son's first grade picnic. I had just gotten it and had not even read the manual. I just put it on the automatic setting and hoped for the best. I downloaded the pictures that night and printed up some for the kids in his class. Their parents RAVED about the quality. My husband has read bits and pcs of the manual (I must confess...I still haven't read the manual) and made a cute little video using pictures and music...done directly on the camera. I am truly thrilled with this purchase. If you are iffy about buying this camera...trust me...BUY IT...you will be glad you did.
Awesome camera! June 22, 2008
My husband and I purchased this camera to be a cheaper, more portable camera than our DSLR. It has turned out to be a wonderful purchase! The camera has the amazing 10x optical (not digital- this will not change the image quality) zoom which has proven to be awesome! We got to test it out yesterday at a wedding at the results were phenomenal. The pictures were clear and bright and the colors were vivid. The video mode was extremely impressive. We took just a short clip of the actual vows at the wedding, and watched it on our LCD TV and found it to be pretty darn sharp and not very grainy what-so-ever.
We have yet to mess around with the settings too much, but the iA (intelligent automatic) seems to work just fine. It definitely appears to have some varying settings, but it still is a point and shoot and will not replace an SLR, but it is a wonderful companion to one. We are very, very pleased and would recommend to anyone.
 Good but not great. June 20, 2008
Picture quality is great in good lighting. In lower light, it's not great, but I've seen far worse. Every once in a while, after taking a photo, I can't get it to take another photo until I do something with the controls. Haven't figure it out. I haven't played with it long enough to rule out user error, but it is annoying watching people's smiles go stale. Anyways, for the price, I'm not complaining. Seems like one of the better deals in it's class. I'm going to keep using it ... maybe even read the manual one of these days. The IA setting isn't that great.
Good value June 19, 2008
I recently purchased this Lumix and find it easy to use and a good quality for a digital camera. I like the 10x optical zoom and the variety of settings that are available. It is a good solid camera, although a bit heavier than most current digital cameras on the market. I looked at several cameras and narrowed it down to a Canon and the Panansonic. The Lumix was the winner because of the zoom. It is a clear and crisp picture. It is also easy to use without even working through the manual. Not sure yet about the battery life. I hope that the lithium ion rechargeable battery has a lot of pictures in it before needing recharging since it doesn't use regular rechargeable batteries. I find this to be a possible negative since I can't carry extra AA batteries like my last camera.
I would recommend this camera because I feel it is a good quality camera at a reasonable price.
 Comparative Review: Panasonic Lumix TZ4; Canon SD 800IS and Canon SD850IS June 17, 2008
34 out of 34 found this review helpful
I decided to do a little test comparing the SD 800 IS (28mm to 105 mm), SD 850 IS (35mm to 140 mm) and the Panasonic Lumix TZ4 (28mm to 280 mm). I just wanted to make sure that I got the camera that was right for me.
As part of the test, I took about 70 photos with each camera in various lighting conditions, indoor lighting behind, indoor lighting in front, outdoor, zoom, wide angle, etc. Because I usually use only 4x6 prints, I printed all the photos in 4x6 prints at a local photo lab. There was no post photo processing on any of the photos. I just wanted to see the results right out of the camera so to speak.
Thus, to me, the test was as real world as possible because that is how people use the camera, you don't shoot screens of color swatches, you shoot people, things, landscapes, grass, etc. Printing it out at a photo lab let me see the pictures as best as they could be. All cameras were set on full auto and no special modes were used for any of the shots.
The results were very intersting but hardly surprising. With the exception of a somewhat noticeable difference in the telephoto and zoom ranges, at a 4x6 size, there is essentially no discernable difference in the pictures generated by the Canon SD 850IS and the Canon SD 800IS. There was no difference indoors, outdoors, or anywhere else. This is not surprising, because the cameras are very very similar, use the same processor, and only differ in the lenses.
The Panasonic was another story. It exhibited performance issues, had zoom hunting, poor focus, fringing, etc. on the indoor shots. Outside, with plenty of light, it performed very well and produced excellent photos, but because I don't shoot exclusively outside, that was a deal killer for me. You basically cannot shoot anything moving indoors with this camera. Based on the reviews, I understood that this camera had limitations, but did not realize how much the processor hobbled this camera's indoor performance.
Here's the Review for the Panasonic Lumix TZ4:
PROS:
LENS: The quality and range of this lens are ideal. That is the absolute best part of this camera. Wide angle lens is a real treat in a point and shoot sized camera. I shot many group shots with this camera and everyone of them fit in the picture, and I did not have to walk back any steps (or wedge myself into a corner, etc. to do it). Also, outside, and especially outside, it is amazing what you will fit into a picture. There is absolutely no distortion with this lens. The outside pictures are superb.
ZOOM RANGE: You will not find better.
FEEL: The feel of this camera is of a well built quality piece. The grip is excellent and it feels good in the hand.
FAST: Pretty fast for a point and shoot. Not as fast as the Canons.
SIZE: The smallest superzoom anywhere. Smaller than Canon's superzoom the SX-1000. Looks better too.
LOOKS AND FEEL: I absolutely loved the looks and feel of this camera. It reminded me of my old SLR. It had a nice heft to it, and the controls were laid out nicely. Also love the fact that it was black and made of good quality materials.
BATTERY: Battery life is very good. Took almost 200 shots and did not even come close to using up the battery.
FLASH: Flash is very strong for a camera this size. Reaches rather far, but will not illuminate an object at the end of the 10X zoom.
CONS:
PROCESSOR: This camera is a grand slam waiting to happen if they can just put in a better processor. On indoor pictures, there is no ability to take a good candid with the camera because it hunts for focus and zoom for too long. Many of the pictures that were taken exhibited astounding amounts of fringing, or were out of focus. Because I was looking for a camera that I needed to take many indoor candid shots (where people are moving around and not posing), this was a deal breaker for me.
On outside shots, where you have plenty of light and if people don't move around too much, the camera takes excellent pictures. Many of the professional reviewers lament Panasonic's heavy handed noise reduction, but you don't see anything on the outside shots. This zoom range is an unbelievable asset to have outdoors.
Overall, many reviewers labelled this a "travel camera" and it is easy to see why. It is durable, has a great lens, and will take excellent sightseeing photos. For that purpose, it is highly recommended. I knocked it down to three stars because I need a camera that does it all very well, and the indoor performance of this camera was disappointing in view of how much I really wanted to like and keep this camera.
Hope this helps and best of luck in your shopping!
|
|
|
|
Information about prices, products, services and merchants is provided by third parties and is for informational purposes only. Electronics-vault.com does not represent or warrant the accuracy or reliability of the information and will not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this information or any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use.
|
| |
