Technical Forum

Canon Powershot SX 200

or

Panasonic DMC TZ5 ?

Any views, advice , or experience with either would be very welcome.

Thanks.

I would go with the Canon (my personal preference as I think it to be a better camera)

Unlike Chris, we prefer Panasonic. We had very similar dilemma in 2005, and in all of the reviews Panasonic had a few more "pros" than Canon of a similar range. The main one was Leica produced lenses and some king of "amortize" which was praised. We are very, very satisfied with our Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30. We use it for a bit more than 4 years, 90% for tourist photos and fun, but it was more than good enough for all of our professional works, we needed camera for.

Thanks guys.
Seems like they are both excellent cameras.
Today I'm going to look at both and see which handles better for me.

Go with the Panasonic. I have owned a number of Canons and have had quality problems with all of them (usually after shortly after the warranty expired). Service on the gear was not impressive either.

We have owned a number of Panasonics and they are all still working without any issues. I find that you generally get more camera for the same price with a Panasonic versus Canon and Nikon when you look at the point and shoot class.

Hello, Grumpy Diver - Ilove your name.

Thanks for the advice but it's too late.

I bought the Canon yesterday. Just feeling my way with it right now but so far it's superb.

A perfect blend of point and shoot and SLR that I can carry in my pocket.

Sticking with the brand you're familiar with is a huge advantage in finding your way round the menu.

Thanks everyone for input and suggestions. They were very helpful in deciding what I actually wanted from a camera right now.

Will post some shots with it later.

Thank you - on the name. People that know me think it is rather fitting.

Good luck with your new camera, and yes, I had not realized that you were already familiar with Canon. A shorter learning curve with a new piece of equipment is always a good thing.

The important thing is not the camera, but what you do with it. The price of the camera, has nothing to do with how well you compose, and in photography, that is all that really matters. With photography, you will find one of two thngs happens - either you will find your new purchase just about right and you will go along taking pictures happily for years, or you will outgrow it an invest in more sophisticated gear that better suits your needs.

In the future, when you are looking at cameras, check out some of the online camera review sites - wwww.dpreview.com is one of the better ones.

GrumpyDiver :)