Cameras and travel photography forum

I think the best digital camera out there is the Panasonic Lumix TZ5.. I have had two now and absolutely love it. Its not too slim, but worth the extra size for the quality of picture. Have convinced two friends to get the same camera, and they love it too.

You won't go far wrong with any of the Canons or Nikons around that price.
And as kbarnard points out the Lumix TZ5 is a gem of a camera, with a huge zoom range for its size.

Not hugely slim but with the best photo quality you'll get for the size. Panasonic LX3, can't recommend it highly enough.

I disagree. The Mju is NOT waterproof!!

I'm on my third Mju now...started with an Mju 770 which leaked after a couple of weeks had have been given two replacement Mju 1030s under the guarantee. Two wrecked cameras due to water leaking into the battery and USB compartments while snorkelling. The only way I can keep the latest one from a similar fate is to protect the USB port and battery compartment with heavy duty electrical tape every time I go in the water...not ideal but it seems to stop more than a few drops of water getting in. The latest one nearly got wrecked too... the warning that the battery compartment came on the minute I put it in the water. I'd just taken a picture on dry land, no warning then, and the battery compartment definitely WASN'T open! Nevertheless it was full of water and a 2Go card got ruined. Managed to dry it out and get the camera to work again but it's definitely not as waterproof as it says on the box.
The waterproof seals are totally inadequate, be warned!

I've met many people who've had the same problem with this camera. Do a user search and you'll see lots of complaints. Here's one example but there are others.

http://shopper.cnet.com/digital-cameras/olympus-stylus-1030-sw/4014-6501_9-32818788-2.html?info=user&tag=uo;page#info-3

The guarantee doesn't cover being stuck without a camera on your trip so this year I took the (wise) precaution of buying a second camera in case the Olympus leaked again.

I hesitated between a Canon SX110 and the TZ5 ... both have 10x zooms, large bright screens and get good reviews. I opted for the former and I'm very pleased with it. Unlike the TZ5 it has manual controls (which I will get round to learning how to use one day) and I prefer the image quality of Canons. The TZ5 does have the advantage of having a wide angled lens but it was also considerably more expensive. Another thing I like about the Canon is the fact that it uses rechargeable AA batteries which saves having to cart a dedicated camera battery charger about. 2500mA rechargeables give you plenty of battery life but you can even use ordinary AA batteries in an emergency.

Sounds like you were lucky. If I was buying a waterproof camera for snorkelling today I'd probably try the Canon Powershot D10. But I'm stuck with my (4th) Olympus....will see how tough the mju Tough 8000 is!

http://www.cnet.com.au/canon-powershot-d10-339294897.htm

However the Canon D10 isn't slim. The Olympus is splashproof so yes, good for Songkran but if you don't need the waterproof feature then there are cameras that can give you better image quality on the market, not to mention a larger optical zoom.

Another Panasonic, the ZS3 sounds like a pretty good small camera. 12X optical zoom, wide angle lens and CNET seems to think image quality is even better than the TZ5.

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs3/4852-6501_7-33543456.html?tag=mncol;rnav

Which camera?

After several 35mm SLR & more recently digital pocket camera's, my camera repairman told me which way to go.

First:

The slimmer the digital pocket camera, the less likely it will take long range pictures (ie. anything over 3X).

ps. most happy-snaps only need about 3megapixels for 6x4 size quality. So, looking for a (say) 8MP doesn't necessarily enhance the outcome, and the extra 'space' needed on the memory card merely means more memory space is required.

Second:

the slimmer the camera, the more likely of lens movement failures. To take a decent photo, the length between the front lens and the recording plate (rear) needs to replicate the actual length. So, a 200mm 'length' should be 200mm, but with modern technology, can be reduced. But, only so much. So, to get the 'actual' length of the zoom needed into a small package, the manufacturer needs to have several extendable components (often 3, sometimes more).

The slimmer the camera, the more likely there will be more extendable components, and a greater propensity for failure (often from embedded grit, etc).

Third:

Digital camera's are essentially 4 components:

a housing
a (set of) lenses
a mini computer (to record the 'photo'), and
a light meter.

Many 'big name' manufacturers do one or more parts, but few do all.

For example, most light meter units are made by Canon. So, it doesn't matter if you buy a Panasonic, Canon, Sony or similar, they all use Canon light meters.

The 'issue' for repair is whether the manufacturer allows a repairman to actually repair. For example, in Australia, Panasonic honour their warranty's, but don't provide parts to repairers other than a few mechanical parts. So, for Panasonic digital camera's, if it fails within the warranty period, it is merely replaced. After warranty has expired too bad, so sad.

So, if you want a camera that CAN be repaired, go ask a camera repairer in your home country. I learned the only one in Australia is Canon.

Cheers

Good old black is the most readable...

Posted from within Vietnam.

I bought the newer version of the Pansonic Lumix TZ5 as a fair number of people I know rated the TZ5 highly and the reviews sounded good. it's the TZ7 (or ZS3 in the US). I used to have a 3 optical zoom camera and found it just didn't cut it for the nature photos. I didn't want the weight of an SLR but really wanted at least 10 optical zoom and a camera with HD video recording so i also didn't have to lug the videorecorder around. The camera hasn't disappointed. It's slightly bigger than my last one but still pocket size. I reckon if you can get the older model (TZ5) for a bit less I'd just go with that as the extra 2 optical zoom and 2MP ain't worth the price premium. If your talking $200-$300 US dollars then the TZ5 will and tZ7 might fit into the price range.