Where's the TZ1??

[cvicisso]

This is killing me! While I'm waiting for the reviews to surface on this thing, I find myself wandering... maybe I'll go with the Canon A540 for price/expandability/AA batteries... or... maybe the Fuji F10/11/30 for size and the most incredible pocket-sized low-light performance on the planet... or maybe just get a SD-based 5MP camcorder like the Sanyo HD1...

I know, I know... none of those are even remotely in the same category as the TZ1 - which I'm pretty sure is in a category all its own (or will be when it's released!): the only pocketable ultra-zoom (although it's hard to visualize just how 'pocketable' it is) PLUS one of the few (but growing number of) digicams that can use the optical zoom while shooting video. With the exception of that whole non-AA battery issue that I promise NOT to get into here ;) , it's potentially my dream come true.

So where is it? It's now mid-March (Happy St. Patrick's Day BTW!), and I'm daydreaming...

[adamsfamily]

This is killing me!
You and me both!!!

While I'm waiting for the reviews to surface on this thing, I find myself wandering... maybe I'll go with the Canon A540
Don't do it... you know you'll regret it!!

for price/expandability/AA batteries... or... maybe the Fuji F10/11/30 for size and the most incredible pocket-sized low-light performance on the planet...
Ok, yes the Fuji F11 may be the most pocketable camera out there with the incredible low light solution, but the FZ30.... Pocketable??? I think not!!

or maybe just get a SD-based 5MP camcorder like the Sanyo HD1...
You know this just won't cut the cloth!!! Yeah it's good, but it's not what you want!!

I know, I know... none of those are even remotely in the same category as the TZ1 - which I'm pretty sure is in a category all its own (or will be when it's released!): the only pocketable ultra-zoom (although it's hard to visualize just how 'pocketable' it is) PLUS one of the few (but growing number of) digicams that can use the optical zoom while shooting video. With the exception of that whole non-AA battery issue that I promise NOT to get into here ;) , it's potentially my dream come true.
You damn right... they're not even close, so I'm still hoping it will be in a league of it's own and be true to Panasonics write up!!! And please, forget about the bugbear of AA batteries!!!

So where is it? It's now mid-March (Happy St. Patrick's Day BTW!), and I'm daydreaming...
I've just phoned Panasonic UK and they can only tell me it'll be available early april!!!

As for any reviews.... no-one seems to have it planned at all which is dissapointing, because I'd love to see their thoughts.

Hang on in their CVICISSO.... I'm sure it'll be worth it!!

[cvicisso]

Hang on in their CVICISSO.... I'm sure it'll be worth it!!I know, I know, but... EARLY APRIL??!! :eek: Man! I was hoping that it was only days away... now we're talking weeks again. :mad: I'll try to stay focused... but it's hard not to let my mind wander... Thanks for slapping me back into reality!! :D

Gotta stay on target... stay on target...

[cvicisso]

Ok, yes the Fuji F11 may be the most pocketable camera out there with the incredible low light solution, but the FZ30.... Pocketable??? I think not!!I concur. But I was actually talking about the upcoming Fuji F30 (http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/digitalF30Overview.jsp?item=I844732&dbid=844732urltype=overview&NavBarId=I844732). Same form factor as the F10/11 but now with ISO 3200 at full res! I love the tactic that Fuji is taking here and I wish more companies would follow suit: Upgrade the sensor, but stay out of the megapixel war and instead use the extra resources to increase low light sensitivity. I don't really need a bizillion megapixels, but it sure would be nice to shoot in a dimly lit room without a flash! But NEVER with an XD card!!! WHY Fuji?? WHY???!!

[adamsfamily]

My apologies.... I forgot about the new F30!!

I must say though I do agree, who needs anything bigger than 6mp and Fuji seem to be going along the right lines! If only the zoom was biiger, or it took conversion lenses... a 2x on this or the F11 would suit me to the ground! But alas it has the cursed XD card... hate 'em!!

Anyway, back on track please, the TZ1. Unfortunately it will be at least two weeks I feel, which is a bummer as I'm on me hols at the beginning of April and at this moment I don't have a camera... AAAaaarrrrrggggghhhhhh!!!

Come on Panasonic, get a move on!!

[pianoplayer88key]

I'd like to see something with a body like the Pana FZ1, but with the Fuji F30's sensor, and an F/2.0 (like Canon G series) or F/1.8 (like some older Olympus cameras) lens at wide, and preferably no more than an F/4.0 at telephoto. I would (SURPRISE!!) be willing to give up some zoom on the tele end, so long as I still have at least 144 to 180mm (35mm equivalent), and the lens is threaded. (an F/1.4 wideangle would be nice, even, as well as the ability to run 1 stop higher ISO for every halving of megapixels selected in the menu, and 1 or 2 stops higher for grayscale shots.) Oh, and the ability to take CF and AA batteries would be nice, too, and what's the chance that something like that, and a TC sufficient to bring zoom up to the 500 to 700mm range, and (if it doesn't take CF), 2 GB of memory cards, could be had for $500 shipped?

[Doug Lerner]

They go on sale here on the 24th. :)

Doug@Tokyo

[cvicisso]

They go on sale here on the 24th. :)

Doug@TokyoDoug, if I interpret your message correctly, the TZ1 will be available in Japan this Friday (24 March)? If so, that's great and thanks for the update! :D

If you do indeed get your hands on one, can you give us a preliminary look/feel report? I'm mainly curious how big/small this thing is going to be (it's hard to visualize), and just how much more portable/convenient it will be than my behemoth Canon S2 IS - which is collecting more and more dust since I rarely want to lug it around with me. If the TZ1 is still too big to be 'pocketable' (and I know it's going to be pushing it) then I might have to look elsewhere. Now that the Canon S3 IS is announced, the eBay value of my S2 is dropping daily, so that's the reason for my urgency. Thanks again!!

[adamsfamily]

I second that Doug,
The more you can tell us the better.....
I'm not worried about the size personally, theres nothing out there to beat the size with that lens so that works for me!!
It's the picture quality I want, and the high ISO. If noise is average if not better, then it's mine.... if it's bad, then I'm back to the board!!

WSo again, anything you can let us have will be VERY VERY much appreciated!!

[Doug Lerner]

It is now Thursday evening, March 23rd here in Tokyo and the TZ1 is scheduled to go on sale tomorrow, Friday the 24th. I've been checking out different cameras and specs and have almost certainly decided to go with the TZ1!

So tomorrow morning I'm going over to Shinjuku to Bic Camera and first try it out and if it looks good I think I'll get one - with a 2GB SD card to boot! :)

I'll let people know how it goes.

doug@been wanting another digital camera since my sister dropped my old Olympus Ultra Zoom 700 on the sidewalk a year and half ago. :)

[adamsfamily]

You're a lucky man Doug... we still have about two weeks minimum to wait here... still no confirmed date from Panasonic!!??

Good luck tomorrow, I hope it turns out to be exactly what you want as much as I'm hoping the same for myself!

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this little beauty.

[Doug Lerner]

You're a lucky man Doug... we still have about two weeks minimum to wait here... still no confirmed date from Panasonic!!??

Good luck tomorrow, I hope it turns out to be exactly what you want as much as I'm hoping the same for myself!

We look forward to hearing your thoughts on this little beauty.

Well, it's Friday morning! After doing a little bit of work :) I'm going over to Shinjuku to check things out.

I feel a little funny about buying yet another camera, since my cell phone here takes "pretty good" pictures and is 3 megapixels. And I also have a digital video camera.

But I really miss being able to take really nice zoom still pictures, like I did with my Olympus C700.

And my dog isn't getting any younger. :)

doug@figure people here would be very supportive of me buying a new camera

[Doug Lerner]

The camera itself seems very nice. I think I want one. But what mainly stopped me today was the price of the SD cards.

Panasonic recommends the 10 mb/s cards if you want to take full resolution, full frame video. But they are so expensive! It was $256 for the 2GB SD card alone!

So... much as I wanted to just take one home with me... I decided to come home first and check online and see if there are better memory card bargains out there.

I tried some photos in the store - macro and telephoto - using the stabilizer. I am happy to report that the stabilizer works really well.

doug

[cvicisso]

Doug - thanks for the report. I know that you'll be able to find much better fast SD card prices than that - just do a little digging online.

How big/small did the TZ1 'feel' to you? How easily would it fit in a jacket pocket? Pants pocket (probably not)? Can you compare its size [subjectively] to another camera that we may be familiar with?

Thanks again, Doug. You're the first at the scene!!

[Doug Lerner]

Doug - thanks for the report. I know that you'll be able to find much better fast SD card prices than that - just do a little digging online.

How big/small did the TZ1 'feel' to you? How easily would it fit in a jacket pocket? Pants pocket (probably not)? Can you compare its size [subjectively] to another camera that we may be familiar with?

Thanks again, Doug. You're the first at the scene!!

It felt pretty compact to me. As a matter of fact you are in luck there. I took a picture of it with my cell phone camera! :)

You can see it in my hand at the store at

http://lerner.net/doug/tz1.jpg

It definitely sticks out too much to fit into pants pocket. It's not "ultra thin" like Panasonic's 28 mm new model. But it would have been no problem at all to fit into my jacket pocket.

doug

[cvicisso]

It felt pretty compact to me. As a matter of fact you are in luck there. I took a picture of it with my cell phone camera! :)

You can see it in my hand at the store at

http://lerner.net/doug/tz1.jpg

It definitely sticks out too much to fit into pants pocket. It's not "ultra thin" like Panasonic's 28 mm new model. But it would have been no problem at all to fit into my jacket pocket.

dougDoug - THANKS! That's great for us that you took a picture of it like that! I agree - it looks pretty compact to me... unless of course you're 7 feet tall or something! In fact, based on your picture, I think I'm going to prep my Canon S2 for eBay. I'm betting the reviews on the TZ1 will be mostly favorable, and like I said, since the S3 is out, the longer I wait to ditch the S2, the less $$ I'll get for it.

Thanks again, Doug!! Great work. Any more info you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I know that it's not just me and adamsfamily that are interested in this thing!

[Doug Lerner]

Doug - THANKS! That's great for us that you took a picture of it like that! I agree - it looks pretty compact to me... unless of course you're 7 feet tall or something! In fact, based on your picture, I think I'm going to prep my Canon S2 for eBay. I'm betting the reviews on the TZ1 will be mostly favorable, and like I said, since the S3 is out, the longer I wait to ditch the S2, the less $$ I'll get for it.

Thanks again, Doug!! Great work. Any more info you can provide will be greatly appreciated. I know that it's not just me and adamsfamily that are interested in this thing!

I'm not 7 feet tall. I'm just 5' 8" tall and my hands are just normal size. :)

Like I said, I am definitely interested too. I just want to see if I can get a good-priced SD card first. But the cherry blossoms are about to bloom, so there is that pressure! :)

Let's see - other info:

* With just the built-in memory (like in the store) and at default settings the camera just holds 6 full resolution photos.

* The menus seemed to be easy to follow - even in Japanese. :)

* I was surprised at how little the zoom actually extends from the body at 10x optical. It must be that clever thing done with prisms.

* The zoom and focus and startup and shooting operations seemed perfectly fast to me, though I have not compared to anything else lately.

* After taking a photo there was a noticeable pause if you wanted to immediately switch to review mode to look over your pictures. Nothing like the saving time on my cell phone though.

* I tried taking macro and zoom photos in the store. With the stabilizer off the zoomed photos were sort of blurry. With the stabilizer on - it was like a miracle. Every one came out perfect! That is what I'm really looking forward to. I love long zooms! (Does anybody know how nice the "extended optical zoom" is?) Also the macro shots all came out perfectly. (Of course, everything looks perfect on a 2.5" screen I guess!)

* I tried the digital zoom to 40x but the quality was nothing to write home about. :)

* I tried the "power LCD" mode and it definitely gets much brighter. I compared the visibility to my cell phone (which has a 2.5" wide color screen) and it was much easier to see than my cell phone under the store lights. But I still wonder a bit how easy it will be to see out of doors in bright sunlight without a viewfinder. (The lack of a viewfinder gives me some pause, since I am 49 and have started to need reading glasses. I found myself removing my eyeglasses to read the screen comfortably. :))

* I tried the "high angle" mode and, sure enough, the LCD because nearly invisible straight on but very clear at a high angle. I can't really imagine using that feature much though.

Anyway, not a bad report for 15 minutes playing around in the store.

doug

p.s. In Japan the body colors offered are silver, a dark blue and champagne gold. In the U.S. they have black instead of the gold. The blue looks sort of cheesy I think. But my first choice wasn't silver. I sort of wanted the black... Hmmm...

[adamsfamily]

Thanks for the initial thoughts Doug,


Like I said, I am definitely interested too. I just want to see if I can get a good-priced SD card first. But the cherry blossoms are about to bloom, so there is that pressure! :)... Cost of this doesn't worry me, I'll be getting a 1GB and that'll be enough!

Let's see - other info:

* With just the built-in memory (like in the store) and at default settings the camera just holds 6 full resolution photos. Who uses the built in memory??

* The menus seemed to be easy to follow - even in Japanese. :) Thats good, I want this to be a family camera that everyone can understand.

* I was surprised at how little the zoom actually extends from the body at 10x optical. It must be that clever thing done with prisms. And the folding optics.....

* The zoom and focus and startup and shooting operations seemed perfectly fast to me, though I have not compared to anything else lately. This is one thing that is of major importance to me... I want/need fast, especially minimal shutter lag!
Do you think it came close to Panasonics claims of 0.008 lag with 0.5 seconds between shots?
Did you try the continous mode?

* After taking a photo there was a noticeable pause if you wanted to immediately switch to review mode to look over your pictures. Nothing like the saving time on my cell phone though. When you say noticeable... 1 second, two, three???

* I tried taking macro and zoom photos in the store. With the stabilizer off the zoomed photos were sort of blurry. With the stabilizer on - it was like a miracle. Every one came out perfect! That is what I'm really looking forward to. I love long zooms! (Does anybody know how nice the "extended optical zoom" is?) Also the macro shots all came out perfectly. (Of course, everything looks perfect on a 2.5" screen I guess!) . Yummy yummy... Image Stabiliser... I'm never turning it off! (unless I'm on a tripod of course) Can't comment on the "extended zoom" quality, but it would appear that a 3mp picture will only give you 12.5x Optical, so I can't see the point personally, 10x will be just perfect for me!!
I'm glad to hear the macros looked good as well.

* * I tried the digital zoom to 40x but the quality was nothing to write home about. :) . Another feature I've never used, so it can be as useless as it wants to be!!

* * I tried the "power LCD" mode and it definitely gets much brighter. I compared the visibility to my cell phone (which has a 2.5" wide color screen) and it was much easier to see than my cell phone under the store lights. But I still wonder a bit how easy it will be to see out of doors in bright sunlight without a viewfinder. (The lack of a viewfinder gives me some pause, since I am 49 and have started to need reading glasses. I found myself removing my eyeglasses to read the screen comfortably. :))

* I tried the "high angle" mode and, sure enough, the LCD because nearly invisible straight on but very clear at a high angle. I can't really imagine using that feature much though. Power LCD sounds good, but we will have to wait until someone gets one and tries it outdoors!!
As for that High Angle mode, it'll be used alright, especially at my sons TKD Gradings!!

So, from Dougs quick 15 minute review (thanks Doug, now get back there and buy it!) It looks like the following important points (to me) are covered....

1. Speed seems fast, would like some confirmed figures though and info on continous
2. Picture quality seems good
3. Zoom is great
4. Pocketable
5. High angle mode great

And lastly, the only thing left for review is the noise level and picture quality at higher ISO 800.

I'm plumping for the black one too,

[Doug Lerner]

Well, I wouldn't call my 15-20 minutes playing with it a full report. And one caveat - yes, the photos looked great. But remember, I only saw them on the 2.5" camera display itself. So just take that in mind.

I unfortunately didn't try the continous mode.

I didn't really try to time things like lag either - I paused myself between shots to see what the camera was doing. :)

By "noticeable time" between going into "review mode" I mean, oh, a second or 1.5 seconds. It wasn't "instant" going into review mode from camera mode.

Everything else seemed very fast.

Maybe I'll drop by again tomorrow. :)


doug@thinking I could probably also get by with 1GB...

[cvicisso]

Panasonic recommends the 10 mb/s cards if you want to take full resolution, full frame video. But they are so expensive! It was $256 for the 2GB SD card alone!Doug - not sure if you've had any luck finding a fast/cheap SD card yet, but after browsing for a minute in the 'Memory Cards (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=37)' forum, I quickly found a 11MB/sec 2GB Ridata SD card for $71.99 at Newegg.com. Don't know what the implications of getting one to Japan are, but surely you can find something in the same price ballpark can't you? :confused:

Here's the deal at NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820183006).

Thanks again for the scoop! :D

[Mike63]

When I wanted to test a camera, I used my own card to take the pics with then brought the card home and checked out the pics on the computer monitor. This may help you to. Any size card will do to check the actual picture quality. I have taken many pictures and thought they were perfect focus only to find that they were not when viewed full screen (19"). This was not my camera's fault though. Good Luck

[Doug Lerner]

Doug - not sure if you've had any luck finding a fast/cheap SD card yet, but after browsing for a minute in the 'Memory Cards (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=37)' forum, I quickly found a 11MB/sec 2GB Ridata SD card for $71.99 at Newegg.com. Don't know what the implications of getting one to Japan are, but surely you can find something in the same price ballpark can't you? :confused:

Here's the deal at NewEgg (http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16820183006).

Thanks again for the scoop! :D

Thanks for the link!

It's easy to get stuff to Japan. I just have my sister in Boston send it to me. :)

doug

[adamsfamily]

I like the encouragement Cviciso, keep it up and Doug will have one at home in no time!!!

[ljubom]

Hi,

I'm sure some review sites from Japan will publish in-depth reviews soon. With help of The Fish (http://babelfish.altavista.com/) we could have some infos soon.

Only question is: do somebody knows some good Japanese review sites, especially some which will cary DMC-TZ1 review?

BTW, I'm waiting in Europe for release (mid of April?).

Bye,
Ljubo

[ljubom]

One site with DCM-TZ1 review is:

http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0603/24/news100.html

The Fish http://babelfish.altavista.com/ gives a rough english translation, but there are some pictures too :)

Bye,
Ljubo

[Doug Lerner]

Hi,

I'm sure some review sites from Japan will publish in-depth reviews soon. With help of The Fish (http://babelfish.altavista.com/) we could have some infos soon.

Only question is: do somebody knows some good Japanese review sites, especially some which will cary DMC-TZ1 review?

BTW, I'm waiting in Europe for release (mid of April?).

Bye,
Ljubo

Nice photo samples there. The ISO 80-200 shots in particular looked extremely beautiful. From 400 I think you can start to see some degredation.

Very impressive!

doug@going back to Bic Camera today :)

[Doug Lerner]

I did end up getting one today. :)

I just took a few shots so far. Almost every one has come out fine I think!

Here are a few samples:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-1/

Note that these are not originals. These are screen captures off my monitor, which is why they are relatively small.

Tomorrow after taking some more I'll upload some originals.

doug

[Doug Lerner]

I think the quality of the movies are great!

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-movies/ShinjukuEki.MOV (6.8MB)

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-movies/HirokazuAtWendys.MOV (8.9MB)

doug

[cuznvin]

I am so glad I found this site. I have been going to dpreview and have sent them over 20 emails asking for help with registration. I did not get ONE reply.(webmaster, complaints, etc.) Anyway, I have been waiting for any info on this camera and happy to see your post doug. You have made up my mind to buy this camera. I hope I am able to buy it before my May vacation. Amazon.com shows it available May 1 and that wont cut it for me. Keep those pics coming and thanks again doug.

[jpmccormac]

One site with DCM-TZ1 review is:

http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/lifestyle/articles/0603/24/news100.html

I downloaded the ISO 400, 800 and 1250 images from here and they are pretty good overall. I worked on them w/ PSP X, Neat Image and Noiseware, but the in-camera noise reduction is quite good. The ceramic images are not the best test subjects though. I'd like to see outdoor images in bright light to see what the CA looks like.

TZ1 is an appealing camera for travel, however....
- the lack of (at least) aperture priority gives me pause;
- the lens is not quite wide enough at the short end.

The LX1 (at low ISO) on the other hand is a killer camera.

[cuznvin]

I just thought of something I am interested in. How will the 16:9 images on the TZ1 compare to those on the LX1? Will they be acquired the same way?

[cvicisso]

Doug - congratulations!! :D We're all extremely jealous!! If you get a chance, it seems that many people are interested in the low-light capability. Maybe you could take a few pics at high ISO for us?? :o Also, I'm kind of interested in this 'Extra Optical Zoom (http://panasonic.co.jp/pavc/global/lumix/tz1/10x_zoom.html)' that stretches max optical zoom out to 12.5X (at the expense of 2 megapixels of CCD). Any more info on response times would also help, and finally, if you are able to send any more pictures of the camera itself... perhaps next to some common object that we can all identify (like a CD or ipod or something)? Thanks Doug - and congratulations again!

Anybody want a good deal on a Canon S2 IS...? :o

[Doug Lerner]

I am so glad I found this site. I have been going to dpreview and have sent them over 20 emails asking for help with registration. I did not get ONE reply.(webmaster, complaints, etc.) Anyway, I have been waiting for any info on this camera and happy to see your post doug. You have made up my mind to buy this camera. I hope I am able to buy it before my May vacation. Amazon.com shows it available May 1 and that wont cut it for me. Keep those pics coming and thanks again doug.

Actually, I had the same experience with dpreview and my frustration with them and my desire to communicate and share with other people let me here. :)

doug

[Doug Lerner]

TZ1 is an appealing camera for travel, however....
- the lack of (at least) aperture priority gives me pause;
- the lens is not quite wide enough at the short end.

The LX1 (at low ISO) on the other hand is a killer camera.

It's a matter of one's shooting priorities.

I have always been more interested in long zooms than in wide shots. So the choice was very clear to me - I wanted a camera, first and foremost with (1) long zoom and (2) image stabilizer.

By the way, I've had cameras with more manual settings before, but I found I essentially never end up using them, so the multitude of scene modes is actually better for me, in practical, every day use.

doug

[Doug Lerner]

Doug - congratulations!! :D We're all extremely jealous!! If you get a chance, it seems that many people are interested in the low-light capability. Maybe you could take a few pics at high ISO for us?? :o Also, I'm kind of interested in this 'Extra Optical Zoom (http://panasonic.co.jp/pavc/global/lumix/tz1/10x_zoom.html)' that stretches max optical zoom out to 12.5X (at the expense of 2 megapixels of CCD). Any more info on response times would also help, and finally, if you are able to send any more pictures of the camera itself... perhaps next to some common object that we can all identify (like a CD or ipod or something)? Thanks Doug - and congratulations again!

Anybody want a good deal on a Canon S2 IS...? :o

I'm going to try some experiments today with the "extra optical" zoom. I'll try to take a series at 5 meg with a full range of zooms and then at 3 meg with a full range of zooms.

The camera itself is comfortably compact. I don't know HOW compact some people want, but this is definitely compact!

It definitely fits easily into my jacket pocket. In fact it gets lost in there.

It even fits into my shirt pocket - though I think it would feel bulky to carry around there. Same with my pants pocket - though I would never carry a camera around there.

Here are two photos of the TZ1 I just took with my cell phone on top of a DVD, for size comparison:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-misc/tz1ondvd-1.jpg

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-misc/tz1ondvd-2.jpg

doug

[Doug Lerner]

Somebody was asking about the low light and high ISO capabilities.

First, I distinguish between the two. I was very interested in night time capabilities, with long shutter speed and low ISO because I sometimes like to take long exposure pictures like that and hate it when a lot of noise creeps into a photo.

I did one like that using the night vision mode last night. This is at night mind you, using just ambient and a low level streetlight:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-misc/lowlightA-nightscene.jpg

This next one is taken in my living room of my dog using the "high sensitivity (high ISO)" mode. It kept my dog still, but you can see a quality degradation when looking at it at this size.

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-misc/lowlightB-highISO.jpg

I think I would try to keep such shots at a minimum.

For comparison, here is the same scene indoors of the same dog :) with the normal flash on in standard automatic mode:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-misc/lowlightC-withflash.jpg

doug

[Doug Lerner]

I took a bunch of pictures this morning while walking Tao. First, the screen was no problem at all in the sunlight - even on the regular display mode. With the power LCD mode it was even easier to see. So my apprehension about that was resolved.

The camera was very fast, including zoom, taking pictures, changing settings, etc.

Anyway, I took a bunch of photos in groups of 6:

* 5MB resolution, wide
* 5MB resolution, 10x optical zoom
* 5MB resolution, 40x zoom with digital
* 3MB resolution, wide
* 3MB resolution, 12.5x ex optical zoom
* 3MB resolution, 50x zoom with digital

You can see them at:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-ZoomTests/

My own impressions:

(1) All the optical pictures - 5MB or 3MB, wide, 10x optical zoom and 12.5x ex optical zoom look great to me.

(2) I personally cannot tell any difference between the 5MB or 3MB results, even in the original photos. So I'm just going to leave the camera on 3MB mode and take advantage of the better 12.5x zoom reach.

(3) The digital zoom is more "hit and miss", especially if things are moving in the wind, like the cherry blossoms were. With subjects with less detail, like the plant stalk, or objects that are very still, like the rock in the river, it is worth having a digital extra zoom photo sometimes for the fun of it.

(4) The optical image stabilizer works amazingly well! I didn't have one optical zoomed photo go bad, even though I could physically see the image moving around in the screen before shooting it when at a large zoom.

(5) Also, after taking all those photos the battery is still showing full charge. (The battery is really tiny and lightweight. I got an extra one just in case.)

Anyway, I'm very pleased!

doug

[cuznvin]

Thanks SOOO much.Pics look awesome. Now I will be drooling until I get mine! What SD card are you using? Are the wide shots considered 16:9? Im not a professional ( as you can see) LOL.....

[Doug Lerner]

Thanks SOOO much.Pics look awesome. Now I will be drooling until I get mine! What SD card are you using? Are the wide shots considered 16:9? Im not a professional ( as you can see) LOL.....

I'm not a professional either. I have just always loved taking photos.

I remembered that I had an SD card in my digital video camera, so until I get a "high speed, high capacity" one I'm using that. It is a SanDisk 256MB card I bought a couple of years ago.

Checking my settings here, I see that my aspect ratio was set at the default 4:3. I haven't tried the 16:9 setting yet.

doug

[cuznvin]

Great. I'd love to see some 16:9 when you get the chance. Much appreciated..

[jpmccormac]

By the way, I've had cameras with more manual settings before, but I found I essentially never end up using them, so the multitude of scene modes is actually better for me, in practical, every day use.
doug

Good point, Doug. The TZ1 is - for all its functions - a P&S and one that should be well received. With all its modes I'm surprised it doesn't have a panorama assist mode. The ones on Canon's Powershots works nicely. Or did I miss something?

[jwmraz]

Doug,
I really appreciate your pictures and information on this new Panasonic. I'm like the others who are really interested in this camera.

I have a couple of questions that I was hoping you could answer, sir.

1. My wife likes to scrapbook pictures of our kids and wants a camera that will enter a date stamp on the front of the photos when they're printed out. Yours don't seem to have a date stamp on them. Is there a setting shown in the camera's printed manual that allows this function to be activated?

2. I have an older Canon Powershot S30 that doesn't take very good pictures indoors with the flash. Would you mind posting some more pictures indoors, taken with a flash? The ones of your dog seem good, but I'd just like to see some other subjects, as well, if possible, to see how the camera performs.

Best regards and thanks in advance for your help!

[Doug Lerner]

Doug,
I really appreciate your pictures and information on this new Panasonic. I'm like the others who are really interested in this camera.

I have a couple of questions that I was hoping you could answer, sir.

1. My wife likes to scrapbook pictures of our kids and wants a camera that will enter a date stamp on the front of the photos when they're printed out. Yours don't seem to have a date stamp on them. Is there a setting shown in the camera's printed manual that allows this function to be activated?

2. I have an older Canon Powershot S30 that doesn't take very good pictures indoors with the flash. Would you mind posting some more pictures indoors, taken with a flash? The ones of your dog seem good, but I'd just like to see some other subjects, as well, if possible, to see how the camera performs.

Best regards and thanks in advance for your help!

It appears there is such a feature. I haven't tried it because I hate ruining my pictures with stamps like that! :)

Mine seems to be good with flash indoors so far. I'll try to post some more.

doug

[Doug Lerner]

Here are some 14:9 aspect ratio tests I just took.

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-aspect14by9/

All were taken with 3MB resolution and all zooms were in optical range.

Note that when you are in 14:9 at 3MB you no longer can use the extended optical zoom range of 12.5. You are limited to the standard 10x optical zoom.

Many of the photos on this page are wide/zoom pairs, so try and catch that.

I especially like the way the colorful flowers turned out!

doug

[mynicksnix]

Good point, Doug. The TZ1 is - for all its functions - a P&S and one that should be well received. With all its modes I'm surprised it doesn't have a panorama assist mode. The ones on Canon's Powershots works nicely. Or did I miss something?


Panasonic brings along a software Panorama maker. I haven't tested it with my FZ5, but I think software would be easier than hardware in this.

[jpmccormac]

Is there a setting shown in the camera's printed manual that allows this function to be activated?

Maybe. Check the page (URL below) of the TZ1 site for an explanation of the "Travel Functions" that include viewing the date an image is taken. However, it appears that unless you have a PictBridge enabled printer, you cannot have the date printed when you make a print of the image. See more here:
http://panasonic.co.jp/pavc/global/lumix/tz1/travel_functions.html

Of course, you can add a date to an image in post processing software like PSP or PaintShop PRo, etc. Pansonic will probably have a TZ1 manual online in PDF format in the near future.

[adamsfamily]

Doug,
Been away for the weekend and come back to a highjacked thread!!

What started out to be about 3 or 4 us discussing this seems to have exploded since you purchased yours... (Congrats by the way)
They're obviously the silent type that have sat back and watched the banter on the TZ1 and now they know someone with it... they're going crazy...

AND RIGHTLY SO!!!

From what I've seen of your pictures, this camera seems to be doing all of the right things for us... and very well too!
I see you ended up with the silver in the end... I still want that black one!

Theres no updates on the Panny UK site as yet, but I'm watching, waiting, ready to pounce!!

Anyway, if you get chance, i see someone has asked for a few more indoor shots which would be nice.... if you can, some samples with and without flash for comparison... and you know my last request...speed....

Any info you can let me have on start up, lag and shot to shot on continous would be greatly appreciated.

Well done again on your purchase and as Cvicisso says... we are all VERY jeaulous!
Enjoy.

[cuznvin]

Doug,

Thanks for the 16:9 shots. They look great. Would anyone like to comment on how you think they compare to the 16:9 images the LX1 produces?

[cuznvin]

*****duplicate********

[mynicksnix]

Pansonic will probably have a TZ1 manual online in PDF format in the near future.

I've found one! The belgians always offer manuals first.

http://support.panasonic.be/shop/data/User_manual/Digitalstill/IM-DMCTZ1_UK.pdf

[mynicksnix]

Doug,

Just like all other visitors I greatly appreciate your posts. I already ordered the TZ1 and I don't think I will regret it.

I've read the manual and have got a request:
Can you please make 2 pictures to compare the natural and vivid option(Pict.Adj)??

The manual says the natural option makes the image softer (lower noise), the vivid option makes it sharper (higher noise, which can be removed with software!).
I'm very curious how many sharpness remains when using the vivid function...

[cuznvin]

Where did you order yours from? I need to get mine before May 4!!!

[mynicksnix]

Don't know where you are from....but I live in Holland.
Here it will be (fully) available in the middle of April (@ the place where I bought it).....although some retailers say on their websites it will be available from the beginning of April (silver edition at least).
Hopefully I am high on the orderlist now.....I heard some have been delivered already. I'll definitely post some images when I get mine.

Hopefully you can also get hold of a TZ1 before May 4 at your country!

[Doug Lerner]

Hi, people. I'll try to post some more tests today.

For anybody who has the English manual in electronic form, can you tell me how to get it?

Somebody was asking about "lag time" from power on until you are able to shoot. I just tried it. As far as I can tell there isn't any lag time. It must be a very small fraction of a second. The instant I turn the camera on, and I mean the very instant, the display is on and I can immediately press the shutter and immediately take a picture.

doug

[California]

Hi, people. I'll try to post some more tests today.

For anybody who has the English manual in electronic form, can you tell me how to get it?Thank you for sharing your new camera with us! The photos are excellent and your use mirrors how I intend to use one.

I can't wait to get one. Your generosity has made the wait a little more bearable.

I found English-language manuals on Panasonic-UK's site.
panasonic.co.uk / Customer-Support / download-centre.

Unfortunately there are four versions with the same title and date, you have to keep downloading blindly until you get the one you want. I kept vqt0v40.pdf, (US version) 9.696mb after unpacking, and vqt0v60.pdf (UK version) 9.360mb. The manual for the pc connect software is smaller, 4mb.

Is that lens cap leash much of a nuisance?

[Doug Lerner]

Thank you for sharing your new camera with us! The photos are excellent and your use mirrors how I intend to use one.

I can't wait to get one. Your generosity has made the wait a little more bearable.

I found English-language manuals on Panasonic-UK's site.
panasonic.co.uk / Customer-Support / download-centre.

Unfortunately there are four versions with the same title and date, you have to keep downloading blindly until you get the one you want. I kept vqt0v40.pdf, (US version) 9.696mb after unpacking, and vqt0v60.pdf (UK version) 9.360mb. The manual for the pc connect software is smaller, 4mb.

Is that lens cap leash much of a nuisance?

Thanks for the info on the manual.

The lens cap leash is ... typical. It's one of the first things I connected to make sure I don't lose it! :) It's ok.

I wish it had an automatic lens cap like some cameras do, but I guess they figured that is just one more mechanical thing that can go wrong?

doug

[Doug Lerner]

This turned out really well - an old Roman coin I own:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-misc/maximianus.jpg

I can see it better in this photo than looking at the coin in real life! :)

doug

[jpmccormac]

Just looked at the review of the Pana FX01 (28-102mm) at dpreview.com. The images at high ISO - > ISO 400 look very, very noisy. ISO 400 images aren't very good either. It shares the same small 1/2.5" CCD as the TZ1. Details here:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06021404panasonicfx01.asp

I'm torn between the LX-1, TZ1 and Fuji F30.:confused:

[Doug Lerner]

My own tests with very high ISO also show quite a lot of noise. I would try to avoid very high ISO in general. Even with a film camera! :)

doug

[cuznvin]

Just looked at the review of the Pana FX01 (28-102mm) at dpreview.com. The images at high ISO - > ISO 400 look very, very noisy. ISO 400 images aren't very good either. It shares the same small 1/2.5" CCD as the TZ1. Details here:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0602/06021404panasonicfx01.asp

I'm torn between the LX-1, TZ1 and Fuji F30.:confused:

Difference is the TZ1 has the Venus III where the others do Not. LX1 has lots of complaints about noise and the F30 doesnt have the zoom of the TZ1, which is what I am looking for

[cvicisso]

Difference is the TZ1 has the Venus III where the others do Not. LX1 has lots of complaints about noise and the F30 doesnt have the zoom of the TZ1, which is what I am looking forI didn't realize that, but it looks like you're right. So, what is the difference between the Venus III of the TZ1 and the Venus Plus of the LX01?

[Doug Lerner]

This is a test of setting the picture adjustment to natural (from standard) and taking a picture indoors without a flash.

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-misc/tz-natural1.jpg

doug

[cvicisso]

For anybody who has the English manual in electronic form, can you tell me how to get it? Doug - not sure if you found the English manual yet, but post #50 (http://dcresource.com/forums/showpost.php?p=113544&postcount=50) from this thread had a link directly to one. I downloaded it and it worked great. Very informative.

Here's the link directly to the .pdf file (http://support.panasonic.be/shop/data/User_manual/Digitalstill/IM-DMCTZ1_UK.pdf)

[Doug Lerner]

Doug - not sure if you found the English manual yet, but post #50 (http://dcresource.com/forums/showpost.php?p=113544&postcount=50) from this thread had a link directly to one. I downloaded it and it worked great. Very informative.

Here's the link directly to the .pdf file (http://support.panasonic.be/shop/data/User_manual/Digitalstill/IM-DMCTZ1_UK.pdf)

Thanks! Yes, I got it.

I read the manual once already in Japanese, but it is comforting (and quicker!) to read it in English and catch things I missed the first go-round! :)

For example, using the English manual I just noticed that if you take photos with the camera side-ways, when you play them back they are automatically rotated for you so they appear vertical. I thought that was sort of cool. (With that mode on they are also automatically rotated in the image itself, when you transfer it to your computer).


doug

[cuznvin]

I didn't realize that, but it looks like you're right. So, what is the difference between the Venus III of the TZ1 and the Venus Plus of the LX01?

According to Panasonic:


Venus Engine III
The Venus Engine III inherits the conventional Venus Engine II's quick response and high quality image output, yet dramatically reduces noise levels. This makes it possible to shoot at ISO 800 in full resolution.

[cuznvin]

This is a test of setting the picture adjustment to natural (from standard) and taking a picture indoors without a flash.

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-misc/tz-natural1.jpg

doug

Looks good to me for an indoor pic without a flash. I think your pup is getting tired of being the subject..LOL

[Doug Lerner]

Looks good to me for an indoor pic without a flash. I think your pup is getting tired of being the subject..LOL

Tell me about it! No matter how good the camera, it is still hard to get him to "look this way!" when I want him too.

At least with this camera the response time is faster than with my cell phone camera, so I've had somewhat better luck in catching him.

doug

[cuznvin]

Hold up some sushi!!

[Doug Lerner]

Hold up some sushi!!

Oh, I do that trick all the time. :)

doug

[Doug Lerner]

They had some strange looking made-in-China ones on sale online here in Japan that boast 22.5 Mbps speed - 2GB for about $80. But the online reviews about it were good, and it comes with a 100% compatibility guarantee, so I figured why not. :)

doug

[cuznvin]

uh oh..pup is going to be a video star when you get the card!

[California]

So, what is the difference between the Venus III of the TZ1 and the Venus Plus of the LX01?From what I've been reading, one of the improved features in Venus III is programming to reduce blotchy noise in low light photos at the cost of sharpness. This can produce a photo that looks ok printed small, maybe 4 x 6, if the only alternative is no picture.

Doug's second photo in post #36 shows focus softening in the gray exercise bike (?) behind the dog, compared to the next picture which portrays that object realistically. I think this is a real-world example of high-ISO filter processing.

[Doug Lerner]

There are various autofocus settings. The 9 area one is sort of cool to watch work.

But I have a question. For single area AF, there are two settings:

1-area-focusing:

"The camera focuses on
the subject in the AF
area on the center of
the screen. "

and

1-area-focusing (high speed):

"The camera quickly focuses on
the subject in the AF
area on the center of
the screen. "

1-area-focusing is set by default. Why wouldn't you want to use the high-speed version though? Is it "faster but not as robust" or something?

doug

[mynicksnix]

I found the answer to your question Doug:
"if you take the picture of subject with fast movement, you can select the normal 1-point AF mode, which does not have any screen-freeze while focusing"

So if subjects are moving, don't use fast focussing......that sounds logical

Found it on:
http://panasonic.co.jp/pavc/global/lumix/tz1/shooting_functions.html


Thanks for the natural photo by the way! Looks good. Can you try out the vivid function also? If possible, on the same object?
Then we would be able to compare the standard, vivid and natural noise settings.
Could you please try to make 3 outside photo's as well? Hope I don't ask to much of you. But I'm sure I am not the only one who is curious.
If it really works, it's not just something........ it would make everybody happy.......(the detail lovers AND the noise haters)

The much more expensive FZ30 :eek: offers a manual noise setting as well (will be more effective probably, but still...... :D ).

[Doug Lerner]

Taken just a few minutes ago in my neighborhood. All no flash. I used "night scenery" mode and just set the camera on a convenient wall somewhere and pressed the shutter.

Next time I'll try the self-timer.

I especially love the way the 2nd photo came out!

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-NightShots1/

doug

p.s. I'll try more stuff tomorrow - the requested "vivid" shots, etc. :)

[mynicksnix]

Thanks Doug!
Looking forward to tomorrow. Although I haven't got a clue when that starts for you.....being on the other side of the world.
But I'll try to be patient......

The 2nd photo is indeed the best looking one.
Are all the night shots taken with ISO 80?

[adamsfamily]

Somebody was asking about "lag time" from power on until you are able to shoot. I just tried it. As far as I can tell there isn't any lag time. It must be a very small fraction of a second. The instant I turn the camera on, and I mean the very instant, the display is on and I can immediately press the shutter and immediately take a picture.

doug

It was me Doug.... and thanks for the response on it. So it would appear to be as fast as Panasonic advertise.....

Can you get the dog to chase a ball and try some shots on continous mode sometime.... I'd like to see how fast it is on this as they boast 3 shots per second, max 5 shots........I'll send a bag of biccies over for him/her?

Cheers

[Doug Lerner]

Thanks Doug!
Looking forward to tomorrow. Although I haven't got a clue when that starts for you.....being on the other side of the world.
But I'll try to be patient......

The 2nd photo is indeed the best looking one.
Are all the night shots taken with ISO 80?

All the night shots were taken with "night scenery mode", so whatever that sets it at... Let me see if the info is with the photo files...

<pause to check>

Yes... it appears they are all ISO 80.

doug

[Doug Lerner]

It was me Doug.... and thanks for the response on it. So it would appear to be as fast as Panasonic advertise.....

Can you get the dog to chase a ball and try some shots on continous mode sometime.... I'd like to see how fast it is on this as they boast 3 shots per second, max 5 shots........I'll send a bag of biccies over for him/her?

Cheers

Get Tao to chase a ball? Oh my lord. ROTFL. :) :) :)

Hahahahahaha.

I'll tell him you said that. :p

I have hard enough of a time trying to get him off the electronic blanket so I can get into the futon at night. :)

doug

[Grisby]

Doug, thanks for sharing your TZ1 experiences. I am also considering this camera as a b'day present for my wife (and occasional use by me). I was wondering if you would you recommend this camera for a non-technical, semi-klutzy wife who takes mostly indoor people flash pictues?

I was also wondering if you would check if the high angle viewing mode also works well at low angles, (e.g. when looking down at the camera held at ground level? I'd love to be able to easily take shots of my small scale garden railroad trains rolling along the tracks looking up from ground level. With my SLR I have to lay on the ground and strain my neck backwards.

Thanks

[Doug Lerner]

Doug, thanks for sharing your TZ1 experiences. I am also considering this camera as a b'day present for my wife (and occasional use by me). I was wondering if you would you recommend this camera for a non-technical, semi-klutzy wife who takes mostly indoor people flash pictues?

I was also wondering if you would check if the high angle viewing mode also works well at low angles, (e.g. when looking down at the camera held at ground level? I'd love to be able to easily take shots of my small scale garden railroad trains rolling along the tracks looking up from ground level. With my SLR I have to lay on the ground and strain my neck backwards.

Thanks

I think the indoor flash worked fine on people. At least it did on a friend, Hirokazu, who came over:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-misc/HirokazuFlash.jpg

With my dog, I thought the flash may have been a bit overpowering, and thought that the flash off worked better.

I just tried the "high angle mode" test you suggested and NO (!) if you have it set on high angle mode it looks clear when the camera is held up high, but the screen becomes completely invisible if you hold it in the opposite direction, way down low.

However, with the high angle mode turned off (just normal view) I think the camera is perfectly visible at both high and low angles. :)

doug

[John_Reed]

That would let "high angle" work at ground level, wouldn't it? Question, Doug? For your shots at 1 second, does the camera follow the shot with a "wait" period for dark frame subtraction? I notice you have a lot of shots at 1 second, which is about where my FZ30 "crosses over" and starts to do DFS on each shot.
Your experiences are wonderful with this camera. I couldn't resist, have one on order for myself, even though I don't really "need" one. Is Panasonic giving you a commish? ;-)

[overseas]

That would let "high angle" work at ground level, wouldn't it?

Hi, John_Reed. I've seen this "high angle mode" on the lumix fz7 and it also worked above one's head only. But I think it should be possible to take advantage of this mode at ground level by holding the camera "upside down".

overseas (from old Germany)

[Doug Lerner]

That would let "high angle" work at ground level, wouldn't it? Question, Doug? For your shots at 1 second, does the camera follow the shot with a "wait" period for dark frame subtraction? I notice you have a lot of shots at 1 second, which is about where my FZ30 "crosses over" and starts to do DFS on each shot.
Your experiences are wonderful with this camera. I couldn't resist, have one on order for myself, even though I don't really "need" one. Is Panasonic giving you a commish? ;-)

If it is high angle mode and you put the camera way down low instead you would need to turn the camera upside down in order to be able to see the screen.

By the by, I can somewhat understand the need for high angle mode like above a crowd at some event. But I can't picture a need for why you would need the camera way down low when your head simultaneously also can't be way down low...?

Sorry - I don't understand your other technical question about the 1 second, DFS, etc. all all. :)

No - no commission from Panasonic. :)

doug

[Doug Lerner]

I posted them to

http://www.towncrossing.com/.5989d1e0/509

These were all taken with no flash. The ISO turned out to be 200 and the shutter speed was a relatively slow 1/15 second.

This probably also shows the ability of the stabilzer, since usually at 1/15 second you would expect a great amount of blur.

doug

[John_Reed]

If it is high angle mode and you put the camera way down low instead you would need to turn the camera upside down in order to be able to see the screen.

By the by, I can somewhat understand the need for high angle mode like above a crowd at some event. But I can't picture a need for why you would need the camera way down low when your head simultaneously also can't be way down low...?

Sorry - I don't understand your other technical question about the 1 second, DFS, etc. all all. :)

No - no commission from Panasonic. :)

doug
In my original subject line, I stated that if you wanted "high angle" to work at ground level, you could do so by holding the camera upside down. The poster who was curious about that was worried about having to get down on the ground to shoot photos from that level.

As for the "Dark Frame" stuff, the question is, after you take one of those 1 second shots, is there a 1 second delay right afterwards before you can shoot again? If so, that would be for the Dark Frame subtraction. What that is: First the image is shot for the full shutter interval (say 1 second). Then, the shutter is closed, and the camera shoots another image, this time of the "Dark Frame." When it's through with that, it subtracts the second image from the first one to reduce the noise in the desired image. I would be surprised if the TZ1 DIDN'T do this, as it seems to be part of every Panasonic camera I've owned, from the FZ1 onwards. Thanks for your answers.

[Doug Lerner]

In my original subject line, I stated that if you wanted "high angle" to work at ground level, you could do so by holding the camera upside down. The poster who was curious about that was worried about having to get down on the ground to shoot photos from that level.

As for the "Dark Frame" stuff, the question is, after you take one of those 1 second shots, is there a 1 second delay right afterwards before you can shoot again? If so, that would be for the Dark Frame subtraction. What that is: First the image is shot for the full shutter interval (say 1 second). Then, the shutter is closed, and the camera shoots another image, this time of the "Dark Frame." When it's through with that, it subtracts the second image from the first one to reduce the noise in the desired image. I would be surprised if the TZ1 DIDN'T do this, as it seems to be part of every Panasonic camera I've owned, from the FZ1 onwards. Thanks for your answers.

I still am not sure what you mean... I don't think I took any shots that were particular 1 second long... Some were night exposure multiple seconds though - is that what you mean?

I don't remember a "dark frame" sequence, though I notice on the very long night exposure shots it does do *something* and asks you to wait while it is doing some signal processing.

doug

[Doug Lerner]

As requested, I did a test of the "burst sequence" feature that lets you rapidly take multiple pictures per second (2 or 3 depending on setting).

I took these with the "unlimited" mode that lets you keep shooting as long as you want until the memory card is filled:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-Burst/

My impressions:

* Cool! I never did that before. It was, indeed, very fast!
* I think they came out perfect!

doug

[Doug Lerner]

* I am pleased about not only the results and the speed, but also the selecting/setting/changing modes all seems well thought out and everything seems easy to get to. For example, in that last test, changing to the "burst sequence" mode is just a simple button on the back. Even doing things like changing between 5MB and 3MB picture sizes is easy to do in the menus, with minimal hunting around. It helps that the wide/tele dial also lets you change pages in the menu, so you don't have to scroll through each item to find things.

* I wanted to mention that I'm still on the first battery charge! Yesterday it dropped from "full" to a "2/3rds full" indicator and still remains there, even with all the tests I've done, including those two movie sequences. I'm impressed that such a tiny, extremely light battery has such a long lifetime.

doug

[California]

As requested, I did a test of the "burst sequence" ... "unlimited" mode that lets you keep shooting...

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-Burst/

My impressions:

* Cool! I never did that before. It was, indeed, very fast!
* I think they came out perfect!Incredible! The flower and the burst set, all look excellent. Doug, thank you for posting these.

Apparently the TZ1 has been released only in Japan. In the US, Amazon now shows 'Release Date: June 1' and I think that is more credible than individual camera shops' projected release dates.

Does anyone have any earlier realistic release date outside Japan?

[adamsfamily]

Incredible! The flower and the burst set, all look excellent. Doug, thank you for posting these.

Apparently the TZ1 has been released only in Japan. In the US, Amazon now shows 'Release Date: June 1' and I think that is more credible than individual camera shops' projected release dates.

Does anyone have any earlier realistic release date outside Japan?

I echo those words Doug.

Big thanks for doing the burst mode for us. Shots look great, and you're report that is fast... very fast, is good enogh for me!! It would now appear that this beauty ticks all my boxes!!

Release date in UK is still showing and confirmed verbally by Panasonic as early April.. Come on Panasonic, get a move on!!!

[blackbird]

Thank you so much doug for the first hand review. Really appreciate it. From what I see(your photos) and read about the TZ1, it is a very nice camera. Think I can live without the manual mode. I'm currently using the Sony T9(gosh... it's only 3months old), which I will be selling off to get the TZ1. A few questions doug, does the TZ1 body feels solid? And also the lens cap, does it hv a loop/hole so that we can tie it to the camera body? Otherwise, it would easily get lost.

[jpmccormac]

Does anyone have any earlier realistic release date outside Japan?
B&H PhotoVideo says it will have the TZ1 in stock in May. They always post reliable info. about inventory. They will have all three colors. Here's a link:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=989&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=product.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=tz1&image.x=9&image.y=6

They are my preferred reseller (extremely reliable service during and after sale.)

[jpmccormac]

I've looked at the pdf manual for the TZ1 and there's no Stitching or Panorama mode, which isn't a big deal IF the TZ1 had some way to lock exposure, which is important when shooting several images to stitch together for a panorama shot. Anyone have any ideas or work arounds on this issue? The LX-1, with full manual control, may be the only alternative...:confused:

[adamsfamily]

Someone posted a few posts back that Panasonic ship software that allows you to do this on the PC... ok, maybe not as effective as on camera stitching, but it must work ok.......??!!

[guxu]

Registered just because of this thread ;)

Panasonic.com said they will ship TZ1 on 4/28/2006. :(

[mynicksnix]

Yes, that was me.
The software is called "Arcsoft Panorama Maker".

I tried it out with my FZ5. It works great (see the picture below - 2 photo's merged.....don't look at the quality, small JPG...).
You can make horizontal and vertical panoramas, 360 degrees, and also tile format.

By the way, in Holland the TZ1's are delivered in the middle of April.

[jpmccormac]

The software is called "Arcsoft Panorama Maker".

I tried it out with my FZ5. It works great (see the picture below - 2 photo's merged.....don't look at the quality, small JPG...).
You can make horizontal and vertical panoramas, 360 degrees, and also tile format.

Yes, I'm aware there are many software solutions for creating panoramas. But, as you can see from the panorama image posted above, the foreground is way underexposed due to the high EV background. Unless the camera has manual controls to obtain the desired exposure, one often ends up with several images to combine that have different exposure levels. Correcting the exposure in post processing can be a nightmare.

[adamsfamily]

Thanks for the reminder MyNicksnix.

I think you're picture looks pretty reasonable to me.. quality is good, yes theres is slight underexposure in the foreground, but nothing to create song and dance about. Thanks for sharing it with us.

JPMCCORMAC, by the sounds of it, you may want to consider a different camera... at the end of the day, you're getting a P&S camera that has been beefed up with the OIS, High ISO and BIG ZOOM!! No other bells and whistles, and frankly I don't think it needs it...

If you want to be more creative, or have more control... look at some thing like the FZ30

[Russ-Austin]

Hello,

I've had the same trouble as others on this thread have mentioned registering for dpreview.com so I thought I'd register here and post this reply I got on 3/24 from the Panasonic USA employee who sent the original press release stating that the TZ1 would be available in March:

Hi Russell,

The camera is shipping this month and should be at retail locations like
Circuit City and www.panasonic.com/lumix (http://www.panasonic.com/lumix) within the next couple of
weeks.

Best regards,
Will

[California]

... I thought I'd ... post this reply I got on 3/24 from the Panasonic USA employee who sent the original press release stating that the TZ1 would be available in March:The camera is shipping this month and should be at retail locations like
Circuit City and www.panasonic.com/lumix (http://www.panasonic.com/lumix) within the next couple of
weeks.Yes - but - only today did they finally put an 'add to cart' icon next to the description at www.panasonic.com/lumix (http://www.panasonic.com/lumix). That leads to 'Check availability' which reports 'Ships on or about 04/28/2006'.

I just now looked at Amazon.com: 'will be released on May 1, 2006'

We're almost there....

[Russ-Austin]

Also, 6ave.com claims to have received them today but they say they won't ship for 4 days for some reason.

[adamsfamily]

As requested, I did a test of the "burst sequence" feature that lets you rapidly take multiple pictures per second (2 or 3 depending on setting).

I took these with the "unlimited" mode that lets you keep shooting as long as you want until the memory card is filled:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-Burst/

My impressions:

* Cool! I never did that before. It was, indeed, very fast!
* I think they came out perfect!

doug

Doug, I have replied already on these, but jsut wanted to reiterate how good I think the burst shots have done... and I loved your comments under "My Impressions"
I see you used the "unlimited setting" for these, does that mean you just kept your finger on the shutter and it kept taking these nine shots until released? If so, it's better than I thought... you hardly miss a frame in the sequence you show, maybe 1/8th second between shots which is just great and will capture my kids and dog brilliantly!!!
Can you tell me what the other options are for multi shot when you have time...

Boy oh boy I can't wait....
Phoned Panasonic UK, and they still can't give me a firm date, only that they expect it to be end of first week or beginnig od second in April.... which doesn't help me on my hols next week!!:mad:

[Doug Lerner]

Thank you so much doug for the first hand review. Really appreciate it. From what I see(your photos) and read about the TZ1, it is a very nice camera. Think I can live without the manual mode. I'm currently using the Sony T9(gosh... it's only 3months old), which I will be selling off to get the TZ1. A few questions doug, does the TZ1 body feels solid? And also the lens cap, does it hv a loop/hole so that we can tie it to the camera body? Otherwise, it would easily get lost.

Hi, blackbird.

The body does feel very solid to me.

And yes - the lens cap has such a hole and the TZ1 comes with a lens cap string and the first thing I did was attach it. :)

doug

[mhcomp]

I wanted to thank everyone (esp Doug) who has posted here. I have been searching for my first digital and was disappointed by the cons for the cameras that I was looking at. This one (TZ1) looks great and it was especially neat to be able to see the pictures that Doug posted. What do they say-a picture is worth a thousand words. I will await the reviews but as I said, this looks like the one!

[Doug Lerner]

Doug, I have replied already on these, but jsut wanted to reiterate how good I think the burst shots have done... and I loved your comments under "My Impressions"
I see you used the "unlimited setting" for these, does that mean you just kept your finger on the shutter and it kept taking these nine shots until released? If so, it's better than I thought... you hardly miss a frame in the sequence you show, maybe 1/8th second between shots which is just great and will capture my kids and dog brilliantly!!!
Can you tell me what the other options are for multi shot when you have time...


Yes - with the unlimited setting I just kept my finger on the button and it took all 9 shots until I released.

All the sequence modes are:

High Speed - Takes 3 pictures/second.
Low Sped - Takes 2 pictures/second.

With the above two modes, you can shoot a maximum of 3 photos in fine quality mode or 5 photos in in standard quality mode.

Unlimited mode - Takes approximately 2 pictures/second, to the maximum of the memory card.

And then there is all sorts of fine print about the photo conditions, like speed, ISO setting, whether you use the flash or not, how much of the memory card is full, etc.

doug

[stoker]

I got excited about 6ave.com but the human I talked to said the TZ1 was on the way--just like every body else--

Doug--great work on your analysis--have an FZ20 and can't wait to get the travel cam--

Thanks a bunch for all the info--

[cuznvin]

As requested, I did a test of the "burst sequence" feature that lets you rapidly take multiple pictures per second (2 or 3 depending on setting).

I took these with the "unlimited" mode that lets you keep shooting as long as you want until the memory card is filled:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-Burst/

My impressions:

* Cool! I never did that before. It was, indeed, very fast!
* I think they came out perfect!

doug


Very Cool Doug! Do you have any idea why that lady on the bike is wearing a surgical mask???

[Doug Lerner]

Very Cool Doug! Do you have any idea why that lady on the bike is wearing a surgical mask???

It's very common to see that during this time of year to protect hay fever sufferers from pollen in the air.

doug

[cuznvin]

It's very common to see that during this time of year to protect hay fever sufferers from pollen in the air.

doug

Maybe thats what I need now! AAaaaachooo~

[overseas]

I wish to thank you, Doug, for sharing your TZ1 pics, movies and experiences. Thus I've learned a lot about this astounding little camera. :) "Unfortunately" right before having found this thread I ordered the FZ7 and I am looking forward to the day the postman will ring. :D Last but not least please send my regards to Tao! Thanks again and greetings from Germany!

overseas

[Doug Lerner]

I wish to thank you, Doug, for sharing your TZ1 pics, movies and experiences. Thus I've learned a lot about this astounding little camera. :) "Unfortunately" right before having found this thread I ordered the FZ7 and I am looking forward to the day the postman will ring. :D Last but not least please send my regards to Tao! Thanks again and greetings from Germany!

overseas

I will pass your regards on to Tao, but I'm afraid he does not have a language center in his brain. :)

I had some difficulty trying to decide between the TZ1 and FZ7 myself!

I'm sure you will enjoy yours too!

doug

[overseas]

I will pass your regards on to Tao, but I'm afraid he does not have a language center in his brain. :)

Maybe it'll be necessary to do some translation into "Sushi language" :D :D :D

overseas

[Doug Lerner]

Maybe it'll be necessary to do some translation into "Sushi language" :D :D :D

overseas

He does seem to understand food, that is true!

doug

[berth]

Here in France too, some are really waiting for the TZ1. This thread (should I say review?) helps us to wait and it brings a lot of scoop every new day. Many thanks to everybody who makes this thread very exciting, specially to Doug (our guru ;) ) who really is a nice fellow. Thanks to him, I just feel as if I was already using the TZ1.

Anyway, I still have a big problem. Will I have the black or blue one? :)

Berth

[Doug Lerner]

Here in France too, some are really waiting for the TZ1. This thread (should I say review?) helps us to wait and it brings a lot of scoop every new day. Many thanks to everybody who makes this thread very exciting, specially to Doug (our guru ;) ) who really is a nice fellow. Thanks to him, I just feel as if I was already using the TZ1.

Anyway, I still have a big problem. Will I have the black or blue one? :)

Berth

Here in Japan they don't have the black one!

Instead, they have "champagne gold", which was a nice, calm color and the one I went for.

doug

[adamsfamily]

Thanks for the heads up on the consecutive shooting mode Doug...
as for the fine print... standard! They all have their figures with little stars next to them so you have to read the fine print, but the prooof is in the pudding as they say.... and your shots seem to be proof enough for me!!!

I noticed someone asked you about the feel of the camera, and your response was it felt solid.

I was just wandering how it felt in terms of plastic... only i didn't really like the feel of the FZ5 (sorry any FZ5 owners watching this thread) as it felt very plastic, almost as much as a Kodak....

[overseas]

i didn't really like the feel of the FZ5 (sorry any FZ5 owners watching this thread) as it felt very plastic, almost as much as a Kodak....

You're definitely right! In my eyes, the FZ5 (and the FZ7 as well) has the look an feel of a plastic toy. Nothing to counterbalance its small weight at least by the impression of a high-quality material. But at the end, that's no real argument for me against these cams.

overseas

[Doug Lerner]

Thanks for the heads up on the consecutive shooting mode Doug...
as for the fine print... standard! They all have their figures with little stars next to them so you have to read the fine print, but the prooof is in the pudding as they say.... and your shots seem to be proof enough for me!!!

I noticed someone asked you about the feel of the camera, and your response was it felt solid.

I was just wandering how it felt in terms of plastic... only i didn't really like the feel of the FZ5 (sorry any FZ5 owners watching this thread) as it felt very plastic, almost as much as a Kodak....

Well, now we are getting way into the realm of subjective here. It feels solid to me. Is it plastic? It feels metallic to me. It may be plastic, but I thought it was some sort of brushed metal. Does anybody know for sure?

doug

[blackbird]

Well, now we are getting way into the realm of subjective here. It feels solid to me. Is it plastic? It feels metallic to me. It may be plastic, but I thought it was some sort of brushed metal. Does anybody know for sure?

doug

According to this reviewer/site, it stated that the TZ1 body is made from metal.
It's here.. http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Panasonic-Lumix-TZ1-First-Impressions-Review-/Design--Layout.htm
"The TZ1’s metal body has a plain look with a very simple design. Its relatively traditional aesthetics are made a little more interesting with the silver and black color offerings.". I think this is the first site to give a full review on the TZ1. :) Hope this helps.

[adamsfamily]

Helps... helps.... it's fantastic!!

Well done Blackbird!!! Oh this just gets better and better....

[blackbird]

No problem. :) . I've been looking high and low for the TZ1 review. Hoping to sell my Sony T9 soon and by next month, my 20D will hv a new partner. :D . Here's another site that shows the TZ1 images... http://www.flickr.com/photos/minami/tags/tz1/ can anyone verify that the shots are indeed from TZ1? Can't check the exif.

[ljubom]

There are some interesting pictures in full resolution (2560x1920) and with all meta-data (ISO, F-number, Exposure, etc.) at

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/longterm/2006/03/29/3539.html

There is a kind of purple fringing at picture with the statue (see tree branches). I'm not an expert, so I don't know if this is ok for cameras from this class and in such conditions (strong background light).

I hope there will be soon a full, "multi page" ;), review here on dcresource (or on some similar in-depth review site).

Note: You can translate the page in almost-english with the fish: http://babelfish.altavista.com/

[mynicksnix]

When you take a close look at this picture (from the same website), you can see at the right that it doesn't look good either.

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/parts/image_for_link/47807-3539-13-1.html

Somebody at the DPREVIEW forum pointed to that.
I seem to be the only one who is accepted at that forum :D :cool: ......

At Dpreview they are also talking about noise mostly. So I'm actually still hoping to see the natural/vivid/standard comparison soon......hint hint! ;) Maybe the manual noise settings also affect the deficienties on the 2 photo's.

[mynicksnix]

No problem. :) . I've been looking high and low for the TZ1 review. Hoping to sell my Sony T9 soon and by next month, my 20D will hv a new partner. :D . Here's another site that shows the TZ1 images... http://www.flickr.com/photos/minami/tags/tz1/ can anyone verify that the shots are indeed from TZ1? Can't check the exif.

No, you can't save the file decently (only 1 kb file, that doesn't open).
So not sure it's really TZ1.

[ljubom]

When you take a close look at this picture (from the same website), you can see at the right that it doesn't look good either.

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/parts/image_for_link/47807-3539-13-1.html


Hmm, it is interesting that fringing is visible in left low corner and right side looks ok (always on bordeer between white background and object in the foreground).


Somebody at the DPREVIEW forum pointed to that.
I seem to be the only one who is accepted at that forum :D :cool: ......


I didn't have any problems to subscribe to dpreview forum (few days ago).


At Dpreview they are also talking about noise mostly. So I'm actually still hoping to see the natural/vivid/standard comparison soon......hint hint! ;) Maybe the manual noise settings also affect the deficienties on the 2 photo's.

[Dmares]

Hi All
thank you all for the input in these pages. I lost my Pentax 550 and am on the search for a new digi camera. The only thing I am missing with the Lumix is the CCD chip. My Pentax had 1/1.8 and most cameras today have 1/2.5 meaning that the pictures do have quite some noising.
So far the pictures I have seen seem very good with low noise. A sales person told me that Panasonic has problems with the color as the japanese love hard color and especially with blue ? He recommended Canon A700 ( 1/2.5 CCD) if I would rather take the A620 with 1/1.8CCD.
Does any one have experience with pictures taken by Optio 55o and the Lumix DMC tz1. Are they as sharp as the ones from Pentax ?

The camera will probably arrive beginning of April here in Germany

Cheers
Dennis

[bobm59]

Yes - with the unlimited setting I just kept my finger on the button and it took all 9 shots until I released.

All the sequence modes are:

High Speed - Takes 3 pictures/second.
Low Sped - Takes 2 pictures/second.

With the above two modes, you can shoot a maximum of 3 photos in fine quality mode or 5 photos in in standard quality mode.

Unlimited mode - Takes approximately 2 pictures/second, to the maximum of the memory card.

And then there is all sorts of fine print about the photo conditions, like speed, ISO setting, whether you use the flash or not, how much of the memory card is full, etc.

doug

First post also! Doug, you have been quite generous with your samples and thouughtful replies. This thread has sealed the deal for a TZ1. I'm on my second Nikon now, but this Panny looks like the real deal for me. Congrats on the acquisition!

...now, can we see some samples of cats, food carts, baseball players, and young women taken in low-light outside, after 5pm without flash? ...just kidding!:D

[ljubom]

At www.dpreview.com there is a discussion about pictures from http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/longterm/2006/03/29/3539.html . Some people are speculating that used DMC-TZ1 is a pre-production unit.

It will be interesting if somebody with tz1 (Doug? :D ) posts similar full resolution pictures (e.g. very bright background, some trees in foreground, see http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/parts/image_for_link/47805-3539-14-2.html or a building with bright background, see http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/parts/image_for_link/47807-3539-13-1.html).

[bobb2233]

Just joined the forum to keep up with the news on the TZ1. Noted today, that a company in Japan is selling TZ1s on E-Bay at above list plus shipping. Looks like the Japanese model with English instructions. Only if you are desperate to have one in a hurry. Me, I'll wait till the US model is available.

[mystro544]

Just joined the forum to keep up with the news on the TZ1. Noted today, that a company in Japan is selling TZ1s on E-Bay at above list plus shipping. Looks like the Japanese model with English instructions. Only if you are desperate to have one in a hurry. Me, I'll wait till the US model is available.

You mean the US Warranty right?

I see you can order from Panasonic direct on this camera for $349, much better then the ebay price..shipping is delayed to approx 5/1/06 if ordered today. B&H and Costco will likely be somewhat lower priced but atleast you can order right now via direct it seems.

Anyone ever order thru panasonic direct before..I'm assuming it'll be full USA warranty?

[mystro544]

* I'm impressed that such a tiny, extremely light battery has such a long lifetime.

doug

Credit panasonic's innovative low power demands for this.Testing with the LCD mostly on will be interesting..not sure if this aspect of technoligy has changed though?

[Doug Lerner]

Somebody was curious about how good the chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is, so I did a few tests:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-chromatic/

Most (all?) long zoom lenses experience chromatic aberration to some extent when shooting at tele something that has a bright background. So I tried to find a couple of examples of that.

A couple of the zooms experience a small amount of aberration, and a couple didn't at all.

At any rate, it is MUCH better aberration than my old Olympus Ultrazoom C700! :)

doug

[ljubom]

Somebody was curious about how good the chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is, so I did a few tests:

http://lerner.net/doug/TZ1-chromatic/

Thanks Doug, great pictures. The only problem is, I can download only downsampled versions (0.8 MP). It will be interesting to have full resolution pictures, at least for some of the pictures (e.g. for Realtor sign, 5MB, wide), because then can we compare them directly to the pictures from http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/longterm/2006/03/29/3539.html


Most (all?) long zoom lenses experience chromatic aberration to some extent when shooting at tele something that has a bright background. So I tried to find a couple of examples of that.

I look a bit into review galery of Canon S3 and DMC-FZ30 (here on dcresource). There are some examples where it can be seen that there is no much of chromatic aberration at wide.


A couple of the zooms experience a small amount of aberration, and a couple didn't at all.

At any rate, it is MUCH better aberration than my old Olympus Ultrazoom C700! :)

I think it will be also much better than my Olympus C-220 (also known as D-520) :)

[Doug Lerner]

Thanks Doug, great pictures. The only problem is, I can download only downsampled versions (0.8 MP). It will be interesting to have full resolution pictures, at least for some of the pictures (e.g. for Realtor sign, 5MB, wide), because then can we compare them directly to the pictures from http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/cda/longterm/2006/03/29/3539.html



I look a bit into review galery of Canon S3 and DMC-FZ30 (here on dcresource). There are some examples where it can be seen that there is no much of chromatic aberration at wide.



I think it will be also much better than my Olympus C-220 (also known as D-520) :)

But wide pictures usually don't experience chromatic aberration, do they? Isn't it more of a zoom phenomenon?

doug

[ljubom]

But wide pictures usually don't experience chromatic aberration, do they? Isn't it more of a zoom phenomenon?

Probably it is possible to choose where to have most of chromatic aberration when optical system is designed, but I'm not a expert :rolleyes:

However, I asked for full resolution pictures to check that TZ1 has no aberration either at wide or at tele settings (I do not expect complete absense of aberration at all focal distances). The picture I'm refering to is taken at wide setting, and there is chromatic aberration clearly visible (but maybe they used pre-production TZ1 for test)

[Doug Lerner]

...just taken during Tao's late afternoon walk...

http://lerner.net/doug/LateAfternoonWalk/

Don't you love the last one, of the foliage in that warm golden sunlight?

And with this batch, the battery finally dropped from 2/3rds full to 1/3rd full, so I'm going to switch to my backup battery and charge this one!

doug

[Doug Lerner]

Probably it is possible to choose where to have most of chromatic aberration when optical system is designed, but I'm not a expert :rolleyes:

However, I asked for full resolution pictures to check that TZ1 has no aberration either at wide or at tele settings (I do not expect complete absense of aberration at all focal distances). The picture I'm refering to is taken at wide setting, and there is chromatic aberration clearly visible (but maybe they used pre-production TZ1 for test)

I put those 8 image originals into a zip file (about 14MB) and you can grab them from lerner.net/doug/Lumix20060331-1.zip to check them out if you like.

doug@glad I have 1 Gigabit/sec fiber optic up and download at home :)

[berth]

Don't you love the last one, of the foliage in that warm golden sunlight?

Thank you Doug. Glad to know that Tao has got many friends around there :)
You're right, it's a nice picture.

Berth

[adamsfamily]

...just taken during Tao's late afternoon walk...

http://lerner.net/doug/LateAfternoonWalk/

Don't you love the last one, of the foliage in that warm golden sunlight?

And with this batch, the battery finally dropped from 2/3rds full to 1/3rd full, so I'm going to switch to my backup battery and charge this one!

doug

So how many shots did you get out of your first charge then Doug cos I've lost count!!

[mynicksnix]

I put those 8 image originals into a zip file (about 14MB) and you can grab them from lerner.net/doug/Lumix20060331-1.zip to check them out if you like.

doug@glad I have 1 Gigabit/sec fiber optic up and download at home :)

Downloaded your large size pictures Doug. Thanks! :) But only at #193 and #195 (in my eyes)there seems to be noticeable aberration - a little blue and pink on the wires ........ the rest of them look brilliant to me! Did anyone else notice aberration elsewhere?

There has got to be a reason that your pictures look this awesome :eek: and the ones on other websites don't.......maybe they were indeed shooting with a prerelease model (as Ljubom stated).......

Is your camera still on "standard" mode by the way? Or did you leave it at "natural"?

[Doug Lerner]

Downloaded your large size pictures Doug. Thanks! :) But only at #193 and #195 (in my eyes)there seems to be noticeable aberration - a little blue and pink on the wires ........ the rest of them look brilliant to me! Did anyone else notice aberration elsewhere?

There has got to be a reason that your pictures look this awesome :eek: and the ones on other websites don't.......maybe they were indeed shooting with a prerelease model (as Ljubom stated).......

Is your camera still on "standard" mode by the way? Or did you leave it at "natural"?

I only have taken one "natural mode" picture so far. All the rest have been standard (which is where I just confirmed it is still set).

doug

[Doug Lerner]

So how many shots did you get out of your first charge then Doug cos I've lost count!!

210 stills plus those two movie clip tests. But I still had a good 1/3rd charge left because after taking all those it has *just* dropped from 2/3rds charge to 1/3rd.

doug

[adamsfamily]

Absolutely fantastic....

I say again... beter and better, but they're still not darn well released here!!!

[Dmares]

Hi all,

I must admit - thanks to Doug - that this camera seems to be equally good as my Pentax was. I jusr phoned with our retailer and he told me that the camera probably will arrive midst of April. Price will be between € 380 to € 429.- here in germany

Am eager to try it out.

[jpmccormac]

Doug,

Thanks for posting the outdoor images. Control of CA is very good.

The overall picture quality reminds me (unhappily) of prints made from the old Kodak Gold 400. Sharpness is good, but dark shadow detail and muddy colors seem predominate. Maybe this is a factor of camera settings. Does anyone else notice this? The images do respond well to post processing.

[mynicksnix]

I didn't notice it, I think the Outdoor pics look great too (but I'm a newbie)...........

I can't remember having seen a full size high ISO photo........
........are there any?

[sympvibe]

Hi Doug,

joined this forum as I've been following the development of the TZ1. Wanted to say thanks for providing the sample pics, and taking the time to help out the rest of us who are interested in this camera!

When you have some time, I wondered if you wouldn't mind posting a couple more movies - say, in low light and/or in wide-VGA mode? The ones you posted looked so good before!

Thanks,

Jim

[lorien]

hi @ all here!

*i must say the 12,5 ext. optical zoom is in reality a digital zoom... @@@ 5Mpix (base)
*it is a real (ext) optical zoom... @@@ 3Mpix (base)
what i mean is:
take a shot with 5Mpix (10x) and a shot 3Mpix (12,5x) with the same objecttarget...
after that crop ("close-up") the 5Mpix (2560x1920) to a 3Mpix (2048x1536) with the same range how the shooted 3Mpix (12,5x).
and now compare the new 3Mpix with the shooted 3Mpix (12,5x) !
it's the same quality for me...
it's a nice trick of panasonic...
i tested it with doug's: P1000064.JPG and P1000066.JPG in full resolution...
try it out...

hmmm i must decide me between a 10x zoom and the super-ccd-hr from fuji - the best chip at this time for me...
compare:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfx01/page9.asp

i know i know the fx01 is powered by venus plus only - and tz1 by venus III BUT i think it'll don't reach the super-ccd-hr from fuji...

fuji or pana - pana or fuji (FinePix V10 for example)...
more zoom or more details - lesser noise or opt. image stabilizer...

i don't know....

greetz from berlin/germany

[bobm59]

210 stills plus those two movie clip tests. But I still had a good 1/3rd charge left because after taking all those it has *just* dropped from 2/3rds charge to 1/3rd.

doug

Great pics and thanks for all the info.

[mynicksnix]

hi @ all here!

*i must say the 12,5 ext. optical zoom is in reality a digital zoom... @@@ 5Mpix (base)
*it is a real (ext) optical zoom... @@@ 3Mpix (base)

fuji or pana - pana or fuji (FinePix V10 for example)...
more zoom or more details - lesser noise or opt. image stabilizer...




Nice work - testing the 12,5 extra zoom..... It is indeed just a slight advantage....you proofed it only saves time on pc adjustments.....

I think you should not compare the 38 mm. V10 with a 28 mm. Panasonic camera (FX01). Compare it with the FZ5 instead.
See http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz5/page7.asp

On noise the V10 might still perform a little better.....but it isn't that significant.......considering the huge advantages of the TZ1:
- 10x zoom (instead of 3.4x)
- SD instead of XD
- OIS (functions great)
- speed advantage
- zooming while in movie mode
- more manual settings / display info

Of course it is just what you like. If you prefer a small camera, you'll be better of with the V10........otherwise.....I say: go for the TZ1!

[Russ-Austin]

FYI: Circuit City online store has the silver one in stock. They say if you order today by 1 PM EST with express shipping you'll receive it on Monday.

Russ

[cvicisso]

*i must say the 12,5 ext. optical zoom is in reality a digital zoom... @@@ 5Mpix (base)
*it is a real (ext) optical zoom... @@@ 3Mpix (base)
what i mean is:
take a shot with 5Mpix (10x) and a shot 3Mpix (12,5x) with the same objecttarget...
after that crop ("close-up") the 5Mpix (2560x1920) to a 3Mpix (2048x1536) with the same range how the shooted 3Mpix (12,5x).
and now compare the new 3Mpix with the shooted 3Mpix (12,5x) !
it's the same quality for me...
it's a nice trick of panasonic...
i tested it with doug's: P1000064.JPG and P1000066.JPG in full resolution...
try it out... Interesting idea... and I am certainly no expert, but I'm not sure that I completely agree with your logic. I think that most of what you said is essentially true (with regard to cropping the TZ1 images), but I still consider it an 'optical' zoom because there is no interpolation. With a digital zoom, the zoomed image is interpolated 'up' to the 'base' resolution (5MP in the case of the TZ1). The result is a 2560x1920 image. With the TZ1 however, a smaller portion of the CCD is being used (3 out of 5MP) and it stays that way (2048x1536)! THAT'S why the quality of your cropped 5MP image is the same as the 3MP image - because they ARE the same! That's the beauty of it!! If we were able to look at a 'digitally' zoomed image and compare with a cropped full resolution image, I think you would notice considerably less sharpness because of the interpolation.

Of course, as you've correctly inferred, you could just crop your 5MP images and get exactly the same result as the 12.5X 3MP 'Extra Optical' zoom, so I'm not sure how practical it is in the end. Maybe to help 'visualize' the final picture when shooting (instead of visualizing the chopped image)? I don't know... but I still don't consider it a 'digital' zoom - for the reasons I've given above.

Of course, I could be completely wrong... :D

[lorien]

@cvicisso

yes yes you're full right!! i was to fast with writing and to slow with thinking! :D

it is no "digital" zoom - it's a "cropped" zoom!

the advantage is lesser memory for save the pictures, but if i take the 5Mpix shot, i can decide home what area of the pix i'll zoom to the final 12,5x.
if i take the 12,5x outside the filesize is lesser, but i must decide me for a motive in the moment of shoot....

conclusion: the 12,5x zoom don't bring me more details of an object and that should be the target of an OPTICAL zoom...


@mynicksnix

okay, i wait for a prof. test and then it is the tz1 in 99% .
unfortunately there are no gold-tz1 in germany, black and silver only... :(

[berth]

Of course, as you've correctly inferred, you could just crop your 5MP images and get exactly the same result as the 12.5X 3MP 'Extra Optical' zoom, so I'm not sure how practical it is in the end. Maybe to help 'visualize' the final picture when shooting (instead of visualizing the chopped image)? I don't know... but I still don't consider it a 'digital' zoom - for the reasons I've given above.

I do not completely agree with you. I've studied pictures TalaPhoto0007 and TalaPhoto0010 that represent a kind of "guardrail" over a bridge. These are pretty good pictures to check the zoom effect since it has many regular high frequencies.

Obviously, the 12.5x is not a digital zoom but an actual optical 12.5x one: in the picture where it is used, you have details that you don't (and can't) have with zoom x10 whatever any post-processing.

My opinion is that the genuine optical zoom inside the TZ1 is a true 12.5x one. But for an (still) unknown reason (but I guess mechanic) they can't project (properly) the whole optical image on the ccd when using the 12.5 zoom factor.

Berth

[jpmccormac]

Details here:
http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39005881,39311371-39098162p,00.htm

[ljubom]

@cvicisso
it is no "digital" zoom - it's a "cropped" zoom!

the advantage is lesser memory for save the pictures, but if i take the 5Mpix shot, i can decide home what area of the pix i'll zoom to the final 12,5x.
if i take the 12,5x outside the filesize is lesser, but i must decide me for a motive in the moment of shoot....

conclusion: the 12,5x zoom don't bring me more details of an object and that should be the target of an OPTICAL zoom...


You are right for tele setting, but on wide Panasnic is doing some trics and actually compressing image from 5MPix to 3Mpix. See http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz30-review/index.shtml for some explanations of "cropped zoom" :)

But your conclusion is valid, cropped zoom is a software feature and thus it can be done off-line (if you have appropriate software).

[ljubom]

I put those 8 image originals into a zip file (about 14MB) and you can grab them from lerner.net/doug/Lumix20060331-1.zip to check them out if you like.


Thank you very much. I looked mostly on P1000192.JPG (1x zoom) and P1000193.JPG (10x zoom), both are 5 Mpix. And, like you write in a previous post, at wide I can't find any chromatic aberration :D , and at tele, there is a some aberration, however for me it is completely acceptable.


doug@glad I have 1 Gigabit/sec fiber optic up and download at home :)

Whow! 1000x faster than my 1Mbit/s :eek: . Is this usual in Japan, or you are paying a fortune for the fast net?

[Doug Lerner]

Thank you very much. I looked mostly on P1000192.JPG (1x zoom) and P1000193.JPG (10x zoom), both are 5 Mpix. And, like you write in a previous post, at wide I can't find any chromatic aberration :D , and at tele, there is a some aberration, however for me it is comple