[gunner84]

hi

im looking for a new digital compact camera for a beginner.

and ive narrowed it down to the panasonic lumix tz3 and the cannon powershot g9,

both cameras seem to have good ratings and i like the fact the g9 has a viewfinder , now the g9 is a bit more expensive but im swaying towards it, has anyone got any advice on these?

cheers

[Andy98765]

Here is an excellent site http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html with the G9 showing as top of the pops in its category.

[GarryF]

Well I own the G9 so I'm probably biased

If you want a camera that has good zoom range then TZ3 is better with 28-280mm. G9 only has 35-210.

G9 wins on image quality, raw, controls, build quality, hot shoe (430EX can make a massive difference to shots in doors.)

have a read of the reviews at dpreview.com G9 one only came out on Friday

[Pirate!!]

Ahoy!

Toughie . . for a beginner you say . . . tougher still. Many have the TZ3 on this forum. For a beginner . . . I guess there's a learning process or just put it into AUTO mode (which can be hit-and-miss at the best of times).

TZ3 has image stabilisation too and 10x optical zoom, though I would thoroughly research both and try and get 'hands-on' before deciding.