Panasonic TZ3 or Fuji S6000fd?

[Donato777]

Which of these two models do you recommend for image quality, especially in low light conditions? I would appreciate hearing from users of both models (or the TZ2, which is the same as TZ3 in the USA.) Thanks!

[bestfromnw]

panasonic has very noisey sensors, so for low light fuji is the way to go

[Donato777]

panasonic has very noisey sensors, so for low light fuji is the way to go
According to the professional and consumer reviews I have read so far, Panasonic dealt (finally) with the noise issue in the TZ3 by increasing its sensor size (Venus III) and images are reported to be excellent. See these links, if interested:
www.TrustedReviews.com -
Finally we come to picture quality, and this is where I have previously had the harshest criticism of some Panasonic cameras. In the case of the TZ2 however I found much that I liked, especially the superb lens. It’s the first time I’ve seen a compact super-zoom lens with a 28mm-equivalnet wide-angle that also has no barrel distortion whatsoever at wide angle. Not only that but it has excellent corner-to-corner sharpness with no trace of chromatic aberration. In fact I’d go as far as to say that it may be the best long-zoom lens I’ve ever seen on a compact camera, and one that lives up to its Leica badge.

www.PopPhoto.com -
Panasonic fixed the important things: The TZ3 features a 7.2 Megapixel CCD sensor backed by the Venus 3 processing engine, which dramatically reduces noise and improves overall performance. There's still no full manual mode, but it's not the end of the world -- but we'll get into that later...
There is only Slight barrel distortion (.11%) at the widest setting, 28mm, which is a true wide-angle lens -- not the 35mm or 38mm "wide" setting of most of its competitors . We're used to seeing results for wide settings on compact cameras that are up in the .30%s and beyond -- even for "wide" settings around 38mm. Consider that a score of .10% ranks "imperceptible" and a score of .11% ranks "slight" to get a better understanding of just how impressive this distortion control is. At 140mm and 280mm, it turns to Slight Pincushion (.16%, .18%). These are still very respectable results, but the barrel distortion control at wide-angle is amazing! We're not sure if Panasonic accomplishes this strictly by the optical characteristics, or if there is an in-camera distortion fix during image processing, and really, we don't care how they do it -- we're simply thrilled by the results!

[shahmatt]

Which of these two models do you recommend for image quality, especially in low light conditions? I would appreciate hearing from users of both models (or the TZ2, which is the same as TZ3 in the USA.) Thanks!

The TZ3 does seem to be a worthy camera. According to reviews, the noise problem has been improved, allowing decent images to be taken up to ISO800 (but I think Fuji would still be a bit better ISO wise). It also starts with a wide angle lens from 28mm up to 280mm. It doesn't have any manual features though.

I think size and weight ought to feature a lot in your decision. The Panasonic is teeny compared to the S6500FD. Trust me, hauling that weight along can be a mess, and for those quick time photos; carefully extricating the S6500FD from the bag and maneuvering into position takes time. For such a small camera, I think the Panasonic sounds great. If the price is right, go for it!

[bin20]

I'm also thinkin Fujifilm Finepix S6500fd , and TZ3 I dont know wich one to chose , I realy liked S6500fd i saw more images in this site it was good images.
but I read somthink in this site the S6500fd in hard to use it is that right?
Couse I am noob hehe this is my first time buyin camera lol.

[tim11]

TZ3 sample images are available now and one at ISO400 seems good to me. :)
Bin20: S6000fd is hard to use? It can be daunting for newbie but again all cameras in the same class are, but if you want to learn more about photography, there is no roundabout way.

[shahmatt]

I'm also thinkin Fujifilm Finepix S6500fd , and TZ3 I dont know wich one to chose , I realy liked S6500fd i saw more images in this site it was good images.
but I read somthink in this site the S6500fd in hard to use it is that right?
Couse I am noob hehe this is my first time buyin camera lol.

The S6500FD has a variety of modes ranging from full automatic to semi automatic to manual. Generally, I've found that the camera performs much better when in a semi-auto mode like 'Program' or 'Shutter/Aperture' priority or when in full manual mode, as automatic tends to use an unnecessarily high ISO's which result in noisy images. The Fuji isn't so hard to learn though, and the semi automatic modes like 'Program' make taking images a much easier experience. You can consider the S6500FD as a good camera to learn photography. It performs really well once you understand the various features.

The TZ3 is a full automatic camera, so you won't get the flexibility that you will find in the S6500FD. But its much smaller and lighter, and has decent reviews. The size and weight is very impressive. I have a sneaky suspicion that the TZ3 might become a very popular travel ultrazoom.

[bin20]

OK that is good info , I decided to buy S6500FD :) ,I hope that i will enjoy the some great pic from this camera ,

[Donato777]

I ordered the TZ3 today from Amazon.com for $306.94 shipped. It's about the same price as the Fuji S6000fd, but the TZ3 size was a deal breaker for me. I did not want to lug around a large, heavy camera and during my last vacation, it was a joy to slip an ultracompact in my pocket and take photos easily and quickly. Plus the photos on various forums show excellent image quality w/ the TZ3.