Help! Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3K or Canon A720

[kiffrig]

Hi gang-

I thought I would post this question over here to see if anyone can help me make a decision. I currently have a Canon A700 and love it. It's been a great camera, provides tons of scenes/options, takes panoramic photos, and best of all it uses AA batteries. For most people, I know that AA batteries would seem like an inconvenience because you burn through them pretty quickly, but I really like the security and comfort of knowing that no matter where I travel, if I ran into a pinch, I could always buy AA batteries at just about any store, anywhere.

 

Hubby bought me the Panasonic TZ3K camera for Christmas and it's still in the box (I have 90 days to return it). I had asked for the Canon A720 for Christmas, but apparently there was some terrific deal on the Panasonic, so he thought he was doing me a favor. The new camera comes with a better zoom and basically all the same features (or more?) than the A720 would come with. My only real concern is the battery---it's not a AA battery camera. It's a lithium battery that has to be charged--hence, chancing that I might run out of battery juice while on an excursion, etc. I know I can buy another battery and keep it charged as my backup, and I am considering that.

 

Does anyone have any comments to help sway me either way? I need to decide whether I am returning this camera or keeping it because my 90 days is starting to run out.......

 

Thank you for any and all input provided!!!

[chucklet]

I have hte Lumix camera, and was a bit concerned about the battery capacity and form factor myself. As it turns out, the Battery has LOTS of capacity and I have never used it to the point of discharge and always managed to take pictures, even with flash. I do freshen the charge each night while at sea to be good to go the next day.

[pierces]

Both are good cameras. I wouldn't worry about AA vs. Li-ion batteries. I personally prefer the Li-ion battery in my Canon SD800.

 

I bought a Lenmar replacement battery for it as a spare because their brand is well-regarded and haven't seen a dime's worth of difference between the $40 Canon battery and the $15 Lenmar.

 

On a cruise, I carry a fully-charged spare in the pouch with the camera and leave a second spare in the charger in the cabin. Before I go out for the day, I put the pouched spare in the camera, the charged spare in the pouch and the one that was in the camera in the charger. That way I always start the day with two fully charged batteries. I've never run out of power in a single day.

 

Here's a link to the battery for your DMC-TZ3-K:

http://www.amazon.com/Lenmar-Lithium-ion-Camcorder-Equivelent-Panasonic/dp/B000GYW936/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1202854211&sr=1-3

 

Enjoy your ney toy!

 

Dave

[kiffrig]

Cool, thank you everyone for your responses! I am leaning more towards keeping the Panasonic now than I was before, but I do have some concerns about it dying after a year or so like the 2nd poster said. Ho-hum, decisions decisions.

 

If anyone else has more info to contribute to this thread, please do. I welcome any and all feedback on these cameras! thanks!

[kiffrig]

Okay gang, I finally opened up the camera box today and started using the new camera (Panasonic). The zoom is definitely better and the display on the back to view your images is much larger than the Canon. I'm not convinced I will like the battery situation....I charged it for a bit before using the camera (it was not fully charged, but 2/3 charged) and it seemed to run down pretty quickly. Maybe it was because I hadn't fully charged it, but it has me a bit concerned. I will definitely be buying some backup batteries to keep charged at all times.

 

The other thing I am not totally keen on is the panoramic photo option. The option is NOT on the camera itself, it's on the software they provide (ArcSoft). My last camera (Canon A700) had something called StitchAssist and it included a setting on the camera, itself, that helped you line up a panoramic photo while taking it and then you used the software on your computer to stitch them all together. On the new camera, there is no guideline to help you line up your panoramic photo, so it's a bit more of a guessing game on whether you have photos that will line up/overlap to create a panoramic photo. I suppose it's a small price to pay, but it was definitely a disappointment when I found that out today.

 

Anyone else have any feedback on these cameras? Canon A720 vs. the Panasonic Lumix TZ3K?

[Lsimon]

I looked extensively at the TZ3 last summer before going on a cruise trip to Europe. I really wanted a smaller more pocketable camera, so I was comparing it against one of the smaller Canon cameras, in my case the SD800.

 

I'd previously used a little larger Panasonic Camera, the FZ5 (older verisoni of the current FZ8).

 

I really wanted to like the TZ3 as it has a wonderful feature set, but in some cases I've not been thrilled over the color of my older FZ5. I actually bought both cameras (the TZ3 and SD800 and took a bunch of side by side comparisons). In general I found that the Panasonic cameras had a bit sharper optics, and the zoom feature of the TZ3 is really nice. However, I felt that the Canon's pictures had a much more pleasing overall. I felt that many of the Panasonic's pictures needed a little bit of color correction with photo software on the computer, but that the Canon's photos were great as is. I was probably also influenced by the smaller, more pocketable, size of the Canon (not an issue with your choices), but if the image quality was solidly there I would have stuck with the TZ3. I returned the TZ3 (and ate a 20% restocking fee) and kept the Canon.

 

So my spin is that I prefered the Canon photos overall. I'll also say that I'm much more of a snapshooter than a real photographer, although I certainly enjoy working with my cruise photos. I really want to enjoy the Panasonic cameras more as they really have nice features and great lenses on them, but right now my personal preference is the Canon cameras.

[SakeDad]

I've had the Panasonic FZ20 for a couple of years now and it's a real workhorse for me. You can see many of my pics at my galleries below (not Bora Bora as that was 35mm) The batteries are an issue if you take as many pictures as me. I pretty much never put the camera down when traveling. I took over 8,000 pictures in two weeks in China. I carry 3 extra batteries that I can always charge as well as a small charger that I can plug in anywhere. You can get good, inexpensive extra batteries on Ebay.

Hope this helps.

[ahl]

I've had a Panasonic DMC-TZ3 for almost a year. I previously used a Canon A40 and an A85. I've been very pleased with the Panasonic and its Leica lens. I liked the Canons, but I like the Panasonic's wide-angle capability, its zoom, better ability to take photos under low light conditions, and greater number of megapixels (less pixilation in low light). So far, the rechargeable battery has not been a problem. On a trip, I do recharge it every night. Criticisms I have are that it does not have viewfinder and may not find the correct exposure in very bright and intense light conditions.

 

Photos from our 2007 cruise (taken with the Panasonic DMC-TZ3) and 2006 cruise (taken with the Canon A85) are at my webshots site.

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/ahl961

[chipmaster]

Hi gang-

I thought I would post this question over here to see if anyone can help me make a decision. I currently have a Canon A700 and love it. It's been a great camera, provides tons of scenes/options, takes panoramic photos, and best of all it uses AA batteries. For most people, I know that AA batteries would seem like an inconvenience because you burn through them pretty quickly, but I really like the security and comfort of knowing that no matter where I travel, if I ran into a pinch, I could always buy AA batteries at just about any store, anywhere.

 

Hubby bought me the Panasonic TZ3K camera for Christmas and it's still in the box (I have 90 days to return it). I had asked for the Canon A720 for Christmas, but apparently there was some terrific deal on the Panasonic, so he thought he was doing me a favor. The new camera comes with a better zoom and basically all the same features (or more?) than the A720 would come with. My only real concern is the battery---it's not a AA battery camera. It's a lithium battery that has to be charged--hence, chancing that I might run out of battery juice while on an excursion, etc. I know I can buy another battery and keep it charged as my backup, and I am considering that.

 

Does anyone have any comments to help sway me either way? I need to decide whether I am returning this camera or keeping it because my 90 days is starting to run out.......

 

Thank you for any and all input provided!!!

 

Both cameras will do you good. Difference these days are so subtle that its a argument for arguments sake. I think you should look at size and conveniece of use as two main factors. Another should be startup time and focus. As cameras have advanced those are the important things in my mind. Don't bother with Megpixle as the swing factor.

 

As to AAs vs. custom batteries, both are fine. I'd suggest you get a pair good rechargeable AA's and recharger of course for the canon and also spring for a spare battery if you keep the Panasonic. It may seem like a lot for a backup if juice runs low, but for that 30 bucks extra worst case think of being at some special place and watch your camera die and lose that "kodak moment" Is it sad that in 10 years that won't mean a thing to most....