the boomer live

We decided to buy a new “point & shoot” digital camera for our upcoming  Azamara Cruise to South America.  The choice has been narrowed down to the Canon Powershot SD870 IS & the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3.

Both cameras have very good reviews and have wide angle lenses (28mm equivalent) which is good for shooting scenery and indoor groups. We went to Circuit City and looked at both cameras, here is our pro’s & con’s of both cameras.

Canon Powershot SD870 IS: Pro’s:   3” LCD, Bright clear LCD, Smaller form factor Con’s:   Limited telephoto, Price $329.00 after discounts Circuit City

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3:    Pro’s:   16:9 video format, 28mm and very long telephoto, Price; $230 @ Amazon.  Con’s:   Smaller LCD, No zoom when videoing, Larger form factor

Conclusion:  We have been using a Canon G2 digital camera for about 4 years and have been very happy with the results  so we were leaning towards the Canon.  However these two cameras are so close in performance, after we left Circuit City we decided to get the Lumix TZ3, the price difference swung the decision.  But….wait, it ain,t over till the fat lady sings.  When we got home we checked the prices on Amazon one last time….and the Canon had come down to $299!  One last change of mind, the Canon wins….for us!  If you take a lot of medium to long telephoto shots the TZ3 will probably be your choice. Update 11/23/07: Changed mind again just ordered the TZ3 from Amazon, as you can tell these 2 cameras are really close in specs and performance.