Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6 Black £206.98 in Costco

Cheapest price I have seen so far.

good price by the looks, fantastic camera too.

What's improved over the TZ5? I have that and it's a great camera. Is the step up worth the extra (which seems considerable)?

Anyone know any deals on the TZ7?

TZ7 and not TZ6 is the real upgrade of TZ5... Linking DPreview...http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/comp...mczs1&show=all

Does anybody know if Costco are going to stock the TZ7?

Can't believe this isn't hot, best price anywhere else is £30 more.

TZ6 IS an upgrade to the TZ5 (I've seen both).

The 6 has a 25mm even wider lens and using the Ez function (3m pixels) you get an incredible 21.4x OPTICAL zoom. This is the best in any compact camera I have ever seen and one of the main reasons why I keep sticking with the excellent Lumix range.

Also it has 12.1mp and is a bit smaller than the 5 (evidenced by the slightly smaller screen at 2.7").

Minor design changes and they have dropped the max zoom button (which I like actually).

Oh and Costco customer service is superb, my friend just took a TZ5 back as she thought it had a fault where the menus came up when pressing the shutter button down half way, and Costco didn't even try it out they just refunded on the spot and she bought the TZ6 instead for the reported £206.

Heat and Rep buddy

I think you'll find the TZ7 has the larger screen, hence comment that the TZ6 is not the direct replacement for TZ5. Arguably it's the replacement for TZ4.

All great cameras though.

best price ive seen for this, brand new as well

these cameras are fantastic. best in the market if you ask me

hot for me

Very good price indeed for TZ6. Heat added!
Just make sure VAT is included in this price. COSTCO Often quotes the prices without VAT.

You may like to read this:

The 10-megapixel TZ6 succeeds the 9-megapixel TZ5, cramming an extra megapixel onto its CCD sensor for good measure, while the TZ7 is an all-new model that employs a 12-megapixel sensor with an effective output of 10-megapixels.

The main differences between the two new models is that the TZ7 is able to record HD video and can shoot in multiple aspects (4:3, 3:2 or 16:9), while the TZ6 offers 848x480 WVGA quality video and is able to capture images in standard 4:3, or 16:9 for viewing on a widescreen TV. As an added string to its bow the TZ7 can also be set to record a single image in all three aspects at once, thereby allowing the user to decide which one works best afterwards.

Reflecting the different shooting and video recording capabilities of each model is the choice of processing engines assigned. The TZ6 is powered by Panasonic’s Venus Engine IV engine and features a top ISO setting of 6400, while the more advanced TZ7 gets Panasonic’s Venus Engine HD to help out with its HD video capabilities. The TZ6 boasts a top burst speed of 6.5fps, while the TZ7 can manage 10fps.

One further difference between the two models is in the quality of the rear LCD. While the TZ6 features a 2.7in, 230,000-dot screen the TZ7 sports a 3in, 460,000-dot resolution screen.

I too am a very happy TZ5 owner.

If you are thinking of getting one of these TZs' worth mentioning that they take excellent HD movies that look great on the plasma compared to my old Canon Ixus 60 captures.
The max record time is 8.5 minutes and you need a 6x SDHC card but I picked one up last year for about £20 for 16GB. The time limit is because it writes to a 2GB mov file.

Anyone know if the TZ6 or 7 have overcome this yet ?

Hi
This may answer your question:

TZ7 records HD movies (1280 x 720-pixels) in AVCHD Lite, which lets you shoot beautiful HD video with almost twice the recording time compared to the conventional Motion JPEG. Optical zoom can be used when shooting motion images. TZ7 is also the world's first compact camera to feature Dolby® Digital Stereo Creator, which records dynamic, true-to-life audio that brings out the power of the HD video. The wind cut function minimises distracting sound from the background during audio recording.TZ7 is also the world's first compact camera to feature Dolby® Digital Stereo Creator, which records dynamic, true-to-life audio that brings out the power of the HD video. The wind cut function minimises distracting sound from the background during audio recording.

The Venus Engine HD, with its twin CPUs, has exceptional processing capabilities and low power consumption, enabling both HDMI support and HD movie recording in AVCHD Lite. It features effective noise reduction even at high ISO sensitivity levels. Connect to a Panasonic VIERA via an optional HDMI mini-cable, and use VIERA Link to run mixed slideshows of still and motion pictures. Or, insert your SDHC/SD Memory Card into an HDTV equipped with VIERA Image Viewer (SD Card slot) to playback pictures and movies. *must be recorded in AVCHD Lite *must be recorded in AVCHD Lite

No It's £178(ish) plus vat making the £206 vat inclusive price.

My TZ5 can do the 3 formats in one shot. And if I connect via a component cable I can view shots and videos in HD, but I note the 7 has an HDMI slot - much easier to use.
I now agree the 7 directly replaces the 5 and the 6 replaces the 4 - how confusing for customers - price I suppose determines which you buy.

Um, isn't that just digital zoom by a different name? You'd get the same result by cropping a higher resolution picture wouldn't you? The only difference is that the file size on the camera is smaller, which is of little significance nowadays.