 We liked Panasonic's TZ3 when we reviewed it last year, so we were pleased to see that Panasonic didn't change much when updating the line with the TZ4 and TZ5. Still packing the same 28mm wide-angle, 10x zoom Leica lens, Pansonic beefed up the TZ5's sensor while leaving well enough alone. The form factor seems identical, but the display jumps from 2.5-inches to a massive 3-inch LCD with an astounding 460,000 dots of resolution. While not exactly able to playback video in 720p resolution (which it records in), it is certainly the sharpest LCD we've seen. The aforementioned HD video recording is impressive, especially since the camera allows zooming during recording; even more impressive is how smooth the zoom works, as we were able to zoom in and out with minimal choppiness. We also liked how the continuous auto focus maintained focus without depressing the shutter, saving valuable time when trying to take the perfect shot. Probably the most interesting feature of the TZ5 was the extra optical zoom, which provided additional optical magnification, extending zoom up to 16.9x (at a reduced resolution of 3-megapixels) using the center part of the CCD sensor. Release: March 2008. Price: $350.
Pros: Excellent wide-angle Leica lens, 720p video, beautiful LCD screen
Cons: Extremely heavy for its size
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