Hi everybody,

I’ve just spent the last 2 days shooting comparison photos with both a Canon A710IS (7MP, 35-210mm zoom) and a Panasonic TZ3 (7MP, 28-280mm zoom). I’ve posted two galleries of full size, unedited photos of the same scene taken by both cameras. One of the two galleries also contains a third photo of each scene taken with the LX2. All the shots are at ISO 80/100, except two photos of a dark interior that were taken at ISO400. I also have the ISO800 pair of this scene, which I can post if there’s any interest.

http://www.pbase.com/viztyger/image/76961033/medium.jpg

As much as possible, comparison photos were taken with the same exposure. However, sometimes the TZ3 required one third stop more exposure than the LX2 or A710IS.

Have a look at the full size images produced by the A710IS and the TZ3 which both have a 7MP sensor. How do you feel the image quality compares?

http://www.pbase.com/viztyger/tz3_vs_a710is
http://www.pbase.com/viztyger/tz3_vs_a710is_vs_lx2

My first impression is that the Canon images are better straight out of the camera. In comparison, the TZ3 images look quite soft. They are just as detailed but need to be sharpened to have the crispness of the A710IS’s images. The Canon images are warmer, the Panasonic images cooler. I haven’t been able to determine which colours are more accurate.
Canon also allows you to change each image parameter individually, giving you the ability to refine the output to individual taste.

The A710IS’s images don’t have as harsh a contrast as the TZ3. Unfortunately, the TZ3 doesn’t give you any control over contrast, so shadows areas are often a little dark for my taste. The LX2, on the other hand, does allow you to lower contrast.

At higher ISOs, the differences become more pronounced. Here I definitely prefer Canon’s approach. Noise is visible, but colours are more saturated and they don’t bleed like in the TZ3 images.

The A710IS images do have some purple fringing, but it’s not all that noticeable. The TZ3 images have virtually no fringing.

As to the cameras themselves, comparisons are not that fair since the TZ3 is considerably more expensive (EUR 380,- vs. 255,-) The Panasonic has a much better build quality, being made almost exclusively of metal. I don’t mind the plastic of the A710IS that much, although it is more prone to scratches.

Bigger differences are found in the quality of the screen and the zoom range. The Canon screen is very poor in comparison to the TZ3’s excellent screen. The TZ3’s screen not only has a higher resolution, but it is larger, brighter, has more contrast and more saturated colours. Occasionally, the preview image on the A710IS’s screen becomes washed out: very difficult to see in the bright conditions I was photographing in. Often I try to frame things very accurately, so a poor screen is a large problem for me.

Another big difference is the TZ3’s wide angle. It’s an absolute must for the architectural photography that I do quite a bit of. The TZ3’s wide angle is even more useful than that of the LX2: if I need a little more height, I can always trade in a little bit of width by switching from 16:9 to 4:3 while still maintaining a wide angle of 28mm. I love this feature!

Still, the Canon offers very good image quality, ability to fine tune image parameters and even manual control. It’s exposure metering also seems to be somewhat more reliable, requiring less exposure compensation than on the TZ3 (keeping in mind that I only had the A710IS for two days) Impressive, even more so when you consider the price.

If I had to choose either the A710IS or the TZ3? I would have to buy the TZ3 again; for my photography I definitely need a wide angle and an excellent screen to judge compositions on.

Kind Regards,

Björn

galleries: http://www.pbase.com/viztyger

http://www.pbase.com/viztyger/image/70082616/small.jpg