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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7

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Features

Panasonic's TZ-series of Lumix cameras has established itself with consumers as the camera to go for if they want a compact long zoom shooter. However, its title is threatened by similar snappers such as the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS, Olympus Mju 9000 and Samsung WB550. Here's a quick comparison chart between the TZ7 and its competition.

Specifications/model Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ7 Canon PowerShot SX200 IS Samsung WB550
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 12 megapixels 12 megapixels
Dimension/weight 103.3 x 59.6 x 32.8mm/229g 103.0 x 60.5 x 37.6mm/220g 105 x 61.4 x 37.2mm/219g
LCD size 3-inch 3-inch 3-inch
Zoom/focal length 12x optical/25-300mm 12x optical/28-336mm 10x optical/24-240mm
Max. video resolution 1,280 x 720 pixels at 30fps 1,280 x 720 pixels at 30fps 1,280 x 720 pixels at 30fps
Image stabilizer Optical (via lens) Optical (via lens) Optical (via lens)
Memory media Internal and SD/SDHC card SD/SDHC card Internal and SD/SDHC card
Related links     Review Overview

The TZ7 appears to compete head-on with the Canon and Samsung point-and-shoots. However, one advantage the SX200 IS and WB550 have over the Lumix is that they offer manual exposure control, a feature which will appeal to enthusiasts. That said, the TZ7's 25mm lens with 12x optical zoom is a big draw, especially for consumers looking for a compact camera to bring along on travels.

A new feature Panasonic introduced earlier this year is AVCHD compression HD video recording. When we tested this on the rugged Lumix DMC-FT1, capturing clips in this format produced an uncommon .mts file which QuickTime and Windows Media Player were not able to playback. But you can use the bundled software, PhotofunStudio, to view and edit the recordings. If you're not comfortable with the new file format, there is an option to use Motion JPEG encoding instead, but take note that this setting churns out bigger files.

What we also like about the TZ7 is that it is able to zoom during video recording, and you can activate continuous autofocus in the menu so your homemade movies will stay sharp.

As with other Lumix cameras, the TZ7 comes with the intelligent Auto (iA) mode which analyzes the scene to determine the best possible shot setting. There are also two My Scene Modes on the mode dial, and you can pre-assign two commonly used Scene modes to them. There is also advanced face recognition which lets you register up to six profiles in the shooter. Exposure priority will then be given to these people when the camera detects them in future shots.



Tags: Mode, 360-degree, movie, compensation, Panasonic
 
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