Electronics

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4K 8.1MP Digital Camera with 10x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black) Now you can fit sweeping landscapes into a single frame with the 28mm wide-angle setting. Pull in subjects from far away to capture even subtle facial expressions with the dynamic 280mm telephoto setting. Ideal for traveling, Panasonic’s DMC-TZ4 Lumix 8.1-megapixel digital camera combines a wide-ranging LEICA DC Vario-Elmar lens with a handy, compact body. The Extra Optical Zoom function also extends the zoom to as much as 15.9x, giving you even greater telephoto power. Set the TZ4 to iA mode and let the five Intelligent Auto functions team up to help prevent shooting errors. Intelligent Exposure corrects lighting differences, so images come out just the way you see them; Intelligent Scene Selector chooses the mode that best fits the situation; MEGA Optical Image Stabilization helps prevent blurring from hand-shake; Intelligent ISO Control helps prevent motion blur; and Face Detection helps produce clear portraits by optimizing the focus and exposure settings. The Intelligent big bright 2.5″ LCD adjusts brightness automatically as the ambient light level changes, so images are clear, bright and easy to see. f=4.6-46mm (35mm equiv - 28-280mm) Focal Length 2.5 Diagonal Polycrystalline TFT LCD Display (230K dots) Focusing Area Normal - Wide 50cm/Tele 200cm - infinity, Macro/Intelligent AUTO / Clipboard - Wide 5cm / Max 200cm / Tele 100cm - infinity 8 - 1/2,000 sec. Starry Sky Mode - 15, 30, 60sec. Shutter Speed Auto / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 (High Sensitivity Mode - Auto(1600 - 6400) ) ISO 27MB Internal Memory (additional memory recommended to store more photos and video) Built-in Microphone and Speaker SD/SDHC, MultiMedia Card Slot Built-in Flash with Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Forced Off modes DC Input, AV Output (NTSC/PAL), HD AV Output (Component), USB Connections PictBridge Compatible Approximate Battery Life - 300 Shots (CIPA Standard) Approximate Unit Weight -
Customer Review: Good value
I recently purchased this Lumix and find it easy to use and a good quality for a digital camera. I like the 10x optical zoom and the variety of settings that are available. It is a good solid camera, although a bit heavier than most current digital cameras on the market. I looked at several cameras and narrowed it down to a Canon and the Panansonic. The Lumix was the winner because of the zoom. It is a clear and crisp picture. It is also easy to use without even working through the manual. Not sure yet about the battery life. I hope that the lithium ion rechargeable battery has a lot of pictures in it before needing recharging since it doesn’t use regular rechargeable batteries. I find this to be a possible negative since I can’t carry extra AA batteries like my last camera.
I would recommend this camera because I feel it is a good quality camera at a reasonable price.
Customer Review: Comparative Review: Panasonic Lumix TZ4; Canon SD 800IS and Canon SD850IS
I decided to do a little test comparing the SD 800 IS (28mm to 105 mm), SD 850 IS (35mm to 140 mm) and the Panasonic Lumix TZ4 (28mm to 280 mm). I just wanted to make sure that I got the camera that was right for me.

As part of the test, I took about 70 photos with each camera in various lighting conditions, indoor lighting behind, indoor lighting in front, outdoor, zoom, wide angle, etc. Because I usually use only 4×6 prints, I printed all the photos in 4×6 prints at a local photo lab. There was no post photo processing on any of the photos. I just wanted to see the results right out of the camera so to speak.

Thus, to me, the test was as real world as possible because that is how people use the camera, you don’t shoot screens of color swatches, you shoot people, things, landscapes, grass, etc. Printing it out at a photo lab let me see the pictures as best as they could be. All cameras were set on full auto and no special modes were used for any of the shots.

The results were very intersting but hardly surprising. With the exception of a somewhat noticeable difference in the telephoto and zoom ranges, at a 4×6 size, there is essentially no discernable difference in the pictures generated by the Canon SD 850IS and the Canon SD 800IS. There was no difference indoors, outdoors, or anywhere else. This is not surprising, because the cameras are very very similar, use the same processor, and only differ in the lenses.

The Panasonic was another story. It exhibited performance issues, had zoom hunting, poor focus, fringing, etc. on the indoor shots. Outside, with plenty of light, it performed very well and produced excellent photos, but because I don’t shoot exclusively outside, that was a deal killer for me. You basically cannot shoot anything moving indoors with this camera. Based on the reviews, I understood that this camera had limitations, but did not realize how much the processor hobbled this camera’s indoor performance.

Here’s the Review for the Panasonic Lumix TZ4:

PROS:

LENS: The quality and range of this lens are ideal. That is the absolute best part of this camera. Wide angle lens is a real treat in a point and shoot sized camera. I shot many group shots with this camera and everyone of them fit in the picture, and I did not have to walk back any steps (or wedge myself into a corner, etc. to do it). Also, outside, and especially outside, it is amazing what you will fit into a picture. There is absolutely no distortion with this lens. The outside pictures are superb.

ZOOM RANGE: You will not find better.

FEEL: The feel of this camera is of a well built quality piece. The grip is excellent and it feels good in the hand.

FAST: Pretty fast for a point and shoot. Not as fast as the Canons.

SIZE: The smallest superzoom anywhere. Smaller than Canon’s superzoom the SX-1000. Looks better too.

LOOKS AND FEEL: I absolutely loved the looks and feel of this camera. It reminded me of my old SLR. It had a nice heft to it, and the controls were laid out nicely. Also love the fact that it was black and made of good quality materials.

BATTERY: Battery life is very good. Took almost 200 shots and did not even come close to using up the battery.

FLASH: Flash is very strong for a camera this size. Reaches rather far, but will not illuminate an object at the end of the 10X zoom.

CONS:

PROCESSOR: This camera is a grand slam waiting to happen if they can just put in a better processor. On indoor pictures, there is no ability to take a good candid with the camera because it hunts for focus and zoom for too long. Many of the pictures that were taken exhibited astounding amounts of fringing, or were out of focus. Because I was looking for a camera that I needed to take many indoor candid shots (where people are moving around and not posing), this was a deal breaker for me.

On outside shots, where you have plenty of light and if people don’t move around too much, the camera takes excellent pictures. Many of the professional reviewers lament Panasonic’s heavy handed noise reduction, but you don’t see anything on the outside shots. This zoom range is an unbelievable asset to have outdoors.

Overall, many reviewers labelled this a “travel camera” and it is easy to see why. It is durable, has a great lens, and will take excellent sightseeing photos. For that purpose, it is highly recommended. I knocked it down to three stars because I need a camera that does it all very well, and the indoor performance of this camera was disappointing in view of how much I really wanted to like and keep this camera.

Hope this helps and best of luck in your shopping!

NEW YORK/ATLANTA, Oct 31 (Reuters) - U.S. shoppers who crave electronics goodies, but are increasingly short on cash, may sacrifice a gym membership or movie popcorn just to get a new gadget like the “Google phone” this holiday season. Tightened U.S

State Dept. Goes Around Media’s ‘Filter’ ( WaPo ) - Washington Post
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack has long had it up to here with some in the mainstream media — the regulars who cover the department and travel with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice — complaining that they’re constantly pushing to be

First Look: Simplifi, dock, card reader, and USB hub - MacNN
One of the biggest flaws of Macs is that they don t include built-in media card readers. This makes sense, given the bewildering array of different media cards available and the fact that media card readers offer more slots than anyone could

Tags: digital camera accessories, digital cameras, digital camera, cheap digital camera, best digital camera