Overview
The Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ7 is a 10 megapixel digital camera with a 12x, ultra wide angle lens. Other features include High Definition movies with stereo sound. You can also zoom in and out while shooting a movie. I also like the high quality, 3 inch LCD screen. Panasonic has also equipped the Lumix DMC TZ7 with image stabilisation.
Why Buy The Panasonic DMC TZ7
The picture quality is hard to beat in this category. I also like the look of the features. If you like shooting short movies it is difficult to find a more comprehensive set of features in a compact digital camera.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
10
12x
3 inches
103.3 x 59.6 x 32.8mm
206g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
3cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom):
The Lumix DMC TZ7 manages to pack plenty of colour and brightness into this photo. There is a crispness to the photo that is hard to find with smaller compacts and this illustrates the advantages that can be found where larger size lenses are used.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom):
Digital cameras with wide angle lenses tend to find focusing difficult when the lens is not zoomed in at all. With a minimum focal length equivalent to 25mm in 35mm format the Lumix DMC TZ7 has an even wider lens than normal. There for I am very impressed and surprised to see just how sharp this photo is.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom):
One of the factors that I like is that the sharpness of these images only has minimal fall off as you reach the edge of the photo. With the lens fully zoomed in the overall level of detail in the shot is again striking, although there is a small amount of definition lost where the sun falls on the boats. As I often see from cameras with longer lenses in this test there is a touch of purple fringing. This is quite minor and will only become an issue with very large prints.
Outdoor 4 (Building):
This is another shot where the sharpness of the photo is some way above average. You will be hard pressed to find a compact camera capable of taking sharper shots than these.
Portraits
Outdoor Portrait:
As I have found with other Panasonic digital cameras colours can be quite strong. In this picture I have used a white balance setting of shady and this has given the picture quite a warm glow.
Indoor Portrait with Flash:
The flash unit produces a strong burst of light. This certainly lights up the photo well. The lighting is also evenly distributed. Perhaps the Lumix DMC TZ7 overdoes the power a touch as some of the light can be seen reflecting back off the face into the lens.
Indoor Portrait without Flash:
Here the camera does well once again. The photo is brighter than many digital cameras manage. There is also a good level of detail in the shot. You should be able to produce some pleasing window lit pictures.
Macro, Colours and Noise
Macro:
I feel that the macro shot often tells us quite a lot about the overall quality of the lens. Not surprisingly this is another sharp photo suggesting you should be able to produce close up shots in most situations.
Colours:
Colours are vivid. To me they stay within the boundaries of the amount of strength I like to see in a shot. They lack some of the more subtle, natural feel produced by Nikon and Canon cameras, but you are assured of photos with plenty of power.
ISO 400 and ISO 1600:
As you would expect noise starts to show in darker areas at ISO 400. Colours remain true at this level, but start to break up as you push ISO to its limits.
Summary
As you can see I am very impressed with the quality of the photos produced by the Lumix DMC TZ7. It copes very well with most photo opportunities.
Style
For such a long lens this is a very compact digital camera. The lens unit dominates the front of the camera. There is also a small grip area on the front to help you hold the camera steady.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.33 seconds
9.53 seconds
0.47 seconds
12.41 seconds
2.78 seconds
Ease of Use
There is plenty to get to know, so it will take longer to learn how to get the most out of the Lumix DMC TZ7 than with some of the more basic point and shoot cameras.
Points I Like
Picture quality - movie mode - LCD screen - very wide lens - small size for length of lens
Where it Could Improve
Nothing springs to mind.
Verdict
I really like the Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ7. It scored very well for picture quality. It has a good range of features and is not too challenging when it comes to ease of use. I am happy to recommend this camera.
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
Top Rated Cameras in this Category
Fuji Finepix F550EXR Rating 86/100
The Fuji Finepix F550EXR gets more or less anything right. There is competition in this group of cameras, but this camera is just about as good as any. Picture quality is up there with the best and you will find the features on offer very hard to beat.
Read Review: Fuji Finepix F550EXR Review
Sony DSC HX5 Rating 86/100
There is so much to like about this camera. It has a great range of features, handles well and can take high quality photos in most situations. Features include GPS tagging. This helps to make the Cybershot DSC HX5 a great choice for anyone who is travelling or going on holiday.
Read Review: Sony DSC HX5 Review
Fuji Finepix F80EXR Rating 86/100
The Finepix F80EXR is difficult to beat when it comes to picture quality. Throw in an enticing set of features and Fuji are on to a winner. I found it easy to find my way around the camera and it looks good too.
Read Review: Fuji Finepix F80EXR Review
Related Pages
Panasonic DMC TZ7 Review Panasonic DMC TZ7 Specification Panasonic DMC TZ7 Sample Images Panasonic DMC TZ7 Features Canon Powershot SX200 IS vs Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ7 Fuji Finepix F70exr vs Panasonic Lumix DMC TZ7
Review Date
June 2009
