As I don’t start university until September, I decided to start a new hobby – hopefully one that I will enjoy, learn and grow with. After a lot of debating and researching I finally purchased a Panasonic Lumix TZ8 (ZS5 if you live outside of Europe), memory card and case from Amazon.co.uk. I had read a lot of great reviews about the Lumix range, and the TZ8 provided me with a lot of manual control options normally found on more professional and expensive DSLR cameras, which will help me learn what each setting means and how it affects the overall image.
First of all I have to say that I am very impressed with the camera for the price I paid. The ‘Intelligent Auto’ mode works quite well, unless you give the camera a really high contrast scenario. There are a bundle of scene modes, including Panorama Assist, Baby, Pet, Sports, Sunset, Food, Party, Scenery and many more. The camera is also quite impressive with night photography, which is where a lot of small compact cameras fall down. The longest exposure on most compact cameras is around 15 seconds, however the TZ8 manages an impressive 60 second exposure; a tripod or steady surface is highly recommended!
I have spent the last couple of days taking multiple shots of the same subject, but with different settings such as Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO to try and understand how each of these changes manipulate the image. Most of my shots have been taken indoors as the weather hasn’t been too co-operative with my efforts to take up a new hobby.
Overall, I am really impressed with this small camera, it has so many great shooting features, not to mention HD video recording with sound, 16x zoom (12x Optical Zoom), simple controls and probably the best feature of all… it’s near pocket-sized and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg!
As I mentioned, the Lumix TZ8 is priced in the general consumer range, and has even taken a price cut with the new Lumix TZ18 and TZ20 models being released this year. The price tag really made the camera a solid investment, even if I do decide that photography isn’t for me, or simply don’t have the time to stick with it whilst at university, as I will still have a great, well priced camera for family and holiday occasions.
If you are looking at buying a new compact camera then I would definitely recommend the TZ8. The big brother of the TZ8 is the Lumix TZ10, and if you have a little more money to spend then you may find that this camera has some features which would be advantageous to you. The Lumix TZ10 has the same zoom range, lens and image quality as theTZ8, but with a few added features. such as Geotagging or a 0.3 inch larger screen. Alternatively, you may be able to find the Lumix TZ7 (the predecessor to the TZ8) for a bargain price on websites such as eBay. The TZ7 has great image quality, however it doesn’t have any manual controls – so if you want a general point and shoot camera, the TZ7 is better for your needs than a TZ8 or TZ10.
2 comments:
i am a great fan of lumix. i personally own lumix lx5 and it is my all around camera. i have a friend whos looking for a low end camera as a gift and just shared your blog to her. i believe this is the best gift idea :)
@Holiday Occasions - For a relatively inexpensive camera, I think the Lumix TZ8 is great and I would certainly reccomend it to anyone. Thanks for your comment, and for referring my blog!
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