looking at this model or the TZ7 as a new riding camera- does anyone use one? what are your opinions? Is there any others I should consider before taking the plunge?

cheers in advance

Tz10 is very nice HD movies too and GPS

Have a look at the SONY HX5. Similar spec to the TZ8 and TZ10. I went for the Sony as it has a better burst mode – up to 10 shots a second at the full resolution, + 1080 HD video. In burst mode I think the Panasonics take fewer per second at not at full resolution (but my memory might be dodgy). HX5 has GPS too if that’s a requirement.

I bought an older TZ5 and it has an amazing zoom but thats about it, pretty average in other areas and my old sony focused faster which is my bigget gripe with it. As a travel camera it is superb.

Cheers guys, il have a look at the Sony- do they not require different memory sticks? I’ve got loads of SD cards…

Had a Lumix DMC-FS20. Great images easy to use. Dropped it once and the screen went. Was not cost effective to repair.

Have an old Canon Ixus 700. Dropped it, crashed with it, sat on it, got it wet. Still works fine. It’s old and slow like me but it functions.

I’ve got a TZ7 and I really rate it. HD mode is great and never felt the need for additional burst speed. See example of my mate in Spain earlier this month.

Skills and good looks by gothandy, on Flickr

And example of the HD video. it is hand held much better with a tripod if you can. I only really use it with the kids don’t have the patience required to set up shots.

We just ordered one for my sisters 40th present. Decided the extras on the TZ10 were unnecessary, the GPS is a gimmick and drains the battery and the AVCHD Lite looked like something she’d never use as you need special editing software and the inclination, HD Jpeg video will be more than good enough..
I already have a Lumix FZ18 and Panasonic cameras are great, they’re easy to use and the TZ8 is small/light enough to stick in a pocket. The processing and writing speed is fast aswell.
The reason for choosing the TZ8 camera are a combo of great reviews, personal experience of Panasonic Lumix cameras and ticking all the boxes on features we required.

I chose the TZ7 over the TZ8 on account of its better feature set. It’s mostly used as a “point and shoot” as I have a DSLR too. The iA mode makes a pretty good fist of anything it’s presented with.

Cheers guys

I use a DSLR too, so just looking for a decent point & shoot. I did have a ixus 75 until halfway through the summer. Dropped it and now doesn’t work- don’t like the newer canons, they seem just a bit too small.

The Lumix def looks like the main contender for replacement

I did this whole pondering about a month ago, and after some serious web review surfing ended up with the TZ7. Happy with my choice.

I have the TZ7 and rate it highly. My only gripe is the HD video doesn’t seem to work well with uploading to a Mac. I posted on here before and the recommendation was to use handbrake. That does work but is a bit time consuming. As I want ease of use above anything else i will probably buy something else now.

got the TZ8 – brilliant bit of kit

Got the older TZ5 and even that’s brilliant.

I got the TZ7. Superb for what i want. Small enough for the pocket, ang excellent pic & movies.

Can anybody tell me why you would need gps on a camera? If you dont know where you took the pic – odds are you wont remember where you last put the camera…

Can anybody tell me why you would need gps on a camera?

particularly as it’s simple to postprocess the GPS info if you carry a normal GPS, using the camera clock. I use gpicsync to EXIF label all my photos with where they’re taken

If you’re not bothered about HD video, then also consider Canon Powershot S90, there’s also the panasonic Lumix LX-3, both these cameras have bigger DLSR size sensors than normal on a compact, so in theory, the picture quality should be that bit better. We would have probably bought one of these two, but HD video was high on the list of requirements, and neither camera had HD.

I got the TZ7. Superb for what i want. Small enough for the pocket, ang excellent pic & movies.

Can anybody tell me why you would need gps on a camera? If you dont know where you took the pic – odds are you wont remember where you last put the camera…

deja vu…