There is something to keep in mind though: the Panther came out after the Tiger had been in service. It was the response to the challenge presented by the T-34, so it had already benefited from battlefield experience and newer technology. After all, they eventually 'replaced' the Tiger I with the Tiger II, because the big cat was already showing its age. Given a lighter, faster tank, the Germans managed to pack the same amount of armour (roughly in the 100mm range IIRC), and with a 75mm gun, they managed to give it a more powerful weapon with a longer, flatter trajectory. Clearly, the Panther had an edge simply because it was the newer vehicle. Of course this was after all the initial kinks had been worked out, lol.
On the other hand, maybe reputation does have something to do with it. The Tiger was the only true heavy tank with a devastating gun/armour combination during that time (1942) when the heaviest thing the Allies could throw at it was the KV-1/2 (which I feel was undergunned for its class) or, worse, the Sherman or the Grant/Lee in North Africa. By the time the Panther came out, the Germans were already fighting an uphill battle, so the Panther was forced to fight defensively for most of its career. Its performance (or non-performance) at Kursk probably didn't help either.
I would personally prefer the Panther, again, simply because it was the newer tank-- just never mind the large shot trap just over the glacis plate.
Anyway, that's my two cents.