Even a dummy like me can take good pictures with the Panasonic DMC-TZ4

I bought my Panasonic DMC-TZ4 (black) about a year ago, last summer - when my Kodak Ezshare camera was just no longer cutting it for what I wanted. My needs are pretty simple, a million pictures of my kids to share, blog, and someday scrapbook with. Not knowing what camera to get, I left the decision up to my husband and we went to costco together - we came home with this Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4 digital camera.  At the time, I think it was close to $200 (or slightly over).  My in-laws recently purchased a newer model of the same camera and spent less, as it is with electronics.

I have been very happy with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4 digital camera and how easy it is to use. Before reading the manual I was able to figure out the basics.  It is not difficult nor timely to change the modes - of which it has several including (portrait, soft skin, self portrait, scenery, sports, night portrait, night scenery, food, party, candle light, baby (2), pet, sunset, high sensitivity, high speed burst, starry sky, fireworks, beach, snow, aerial, underwater). You can set 2 different modes as preferred  (scn1, scn2) or opt for iA mode which is the intelligent auto focus.

Generally I find that I am safe if I take pictures in this iA mode for 90% of my pictures.  Only occasionally do I get a blurry picture which is more a result of a fast moving subject and me not getting the picture taken in time before my kid moved! Still, unlike my previous camera I have found that it takes the picture quickly without a big delay so I have less blurred pictures and disappointment.

I really do like that this camera has built in face detection for up to 15 faces and will focus accordingly automatically. This is great for group shots, or in my case pictures of my 2 children of which one is half the size of the other one - so where should the camera focus?

One thing that I didn't expect to use, but use a lot is the ability to capture quick movies.  Capturing movie is as easy as taking a picture. Once downloaded from the camera to my laptop they can be easily uploaded to YouTube, facebook, or what have you. They are already in quicktime format and are equal or better to the movies that come out of my Flip Mino camera.

One biggie for me is that this digital camera is purse friendly.  It comes with a case, but more often than not it is in my purse and not in the case - who knows where the case is. Well, both the on/off button and the playback/picture mode are sliding controls and not pushbutton which makes it harder to accidently turn and leave the camera on inside my bag or delete pictures without confirmation -- both things that I have been known to do with my previous cameras.  In playback, you can delete a single picture or series of pictures but it takes multiple button presses so I am less likely to Delete All instead of deleting a single offending picture.

In terms of the "specs" of the camera - it is 8.1 megapixel. Yes, better is available but this is pretty detailed and suitable for enlargements. It also has a 10X optical zoom (LEICA lens) for those close up shots.  There is no viewfinder on this camera, only the LCD display which is large (2.5"). If left on in between shots, the bright display does cut into the battery life.

Still, the battery life is decent and I can get a couple hundred pictures before needing to recharge the battery. To recharge you do need to take the battery out and use the included charger. You cannot charge it with the battery in the camera. It fully charges in under a few hours and there is an indicator light on the charger to let you know it is ready.

This camera comes bundled with easy to use PhotoFunStudio software which has your basic photoediting tools. Or, you can use any software of your choice once you have downloaded the photos to your computer via the mini USB cable.

Overall - a year later - I am still very happy with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ4 digital camera. It isn't real large, fits in my purse - and still looks as good as it did the day I bought it.. thousands of pictures later. For a camera happy mom, student, or traveler -- this is an affordable and easy to use camera that takes a very nice picture.

Manufacturers Specs of this camera:
• 8.1 Megapixels
• 10x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom
• 2.5" Intelligent LCD Display
• MEGA O.I.S. Optical Image Stabilizer
• Face Detection AF/AE
• Intelligent Auto Technology
• High Speed Response
• Special Travel Functions