Panasonic rolled out numerous point-and-shoot digital cameras today, and we think this TZ5 is the best of the lot. Sure, it's a capable camera with all the right numbers including a 10x optical zoom, 28mm wide-angle lens, 3-inch viewscreen and a gracious-plenty 9.1 megapixel imager. What we really like is its ability to shoot image-stabilized 720p high definition video, and its price of $350.

Since most camcorders end up sitting on the shelf, having HDTV shooting capability on a still camera you're already carrying around is a big plus—you're more likely to use it if it's there in your hands. Making its video viewing easier are Panasonic's excellent VIERA Plasma HDTVs we saw earlier this month at CES, letting you plug in this camera's SD memory card and instantly watch your HD videos and slide shows of your pics in the correct 16x9 aspect ratio. This is going to be good! We can't wait until the TZ5's March release.

via Panasonic