I have owned two prior digital cameras- the first was a Canon that took good pictures, but was too bulky to pocket around and required AA batteries to power it. The second was a Sony CyberShot DSC-W150 that took crappy, blurry pictures in low light. Needless to say, I felt an upgrade was in order.
So I'm going on an east coast trip next month. My buddy and I are avid baseball fans. One problem: as we do not always have great seats, taking close-up pictures of ballplayers is a real pain with 99% of the compact point and shoots out there. This is because the camera's size will only allow it 5X optical zoom. You can combine this with digital zooming, but I don't need to tell you how terrible and pixilated this looks. Thus my conundrum. So I really wanted a compact, pocketable camera with a long range optical lens, without having to lug around an expensive digital SLR.
Enter the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. When I read the specs on it, I was in awe. 10 megapixel, 12X OPTICAL zoom. Here's the sweetest part about the zoom- if you planning to use smaller prints (i.e. 4X6), you can quickly adjust the camera's Megapixel (MP) count from 10 to 7, 5, and 3 to yield maximum OPTICAL zooms of 14.3, 17.1, and 21.4 respectably, without much loss of detail on such prints. I wish Panasonic would have allowed the camera to adjust the MP count automatically as you zoom, but it's not too much trouble to change the MP settings manually from the quick menu.
Another great feature: the camera's screen is beautiful at 460,000 pixels, twice the count as the rival Canon Powershot SX200 IS (more on that camera later). From the moment you view your first picture, you'll quickly notice how much sharper photos look on this camera. It's a nice convenience to view photos on the camera in a manner closer to the quality that will actually be seen when you're viewing them on the computer (and ultimately printing them).
I also want to give Panasonic kudos for the build quality and compactness of this camera. The ZS3 is a replacement for the popular TZ5 model, which was 9MP and 10X Optical Zoom. So they increased the resolution, and added a wider range lens, and REDUCED the size by .4 cubic inches. Specifications aside, I was more than pleased that this camera will comfortably fit inside my jeans pocket. It's a bit bulkier than an ultracompact for sure, but not objectionably so. Note that the SX200 is a full 2.0 cubic inches thicker, another reason I passed on the Canon. Here's a few more reasons the Canon falls short: the Canon has a cheesy looking popup flash that sticks out at the top of the camera, whether you're using flash or not (bad design decision). It has less rated battery life than the Lumix. Also, when shooting video, the Canon does NOT allow you to use optical zooming.
Photo quality on the Lumix is excellent, although I've only snapped samples around my place so far. However, I've taken quite a few pictures at low light, and at maximum zoom levels to try to get a bad shot. So far, there's none to be found. I'll put this through its paces more when I travel next month, but I'm extremely pleased so far. As for video shooting, I've sampled it a bit, and it seems pretty solid. The camera gives you the choice of shooting video in its touted AVCHD Lite format (ideal for watching it on your TV in HD with an optional mini to standard HDMI cable), or JPEG if you prefer to email video clips to friends. This year's model also added stereo sound on video playback versus last year's monaural effort. One thing I found a bit strange, was the incredibly slow zooming when shooting video. I guess Panasonic was trying to give the user a more controlled, deliberate zoom, but unlike the snappy photo zooming, it's a bit slow for my liking.
Some other minor quibbles: The dial that controls the shooting mode is extremely loose. If you lightly rub it against anything (a camera bag, your pocket), there's a good chance it will shift. When you turn the camera on, it will digitally tell you what mode you're in, but it's still annoying when it happens by accident. Second, when making a quick zoom on an object, it will appear blurry on the camera's screen until the shutter button is pressed. There are modes to continually focus the object when zooming, but this drains the camera's battery life more rapidly. It would be nice if this feature was incorporated automatically without any such sacrifice.
Also, I'm not a huge fan of the included PhotofunStudio software bundled with this camera, as there are other, more compelling programs to view, edit, and print photos (I like Canon's Zoombrowser program better). Finally, this is not the camera to buy if you're into manual controls. There's a ton of preset scenes that can be used (nighttime, portrait, baby, sunset, food, etc.), and you can adjust items like flash, white balance, and max ISO level, but this is meant to be a simple point and shoot for casual photographers. Note that the Lumix has an intelligent auto mode (IA) that will analyze the shooting conditions and pick the right scene, flash, and exposure without any adjustments by the user. This camera screams simplicity, but there's enough tweaking on the Normal and Scene modes to keep the vast majority of amateur photographers happy.
Regardless of these nitpicks, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is an awesome camera, unbeatable for those that want the best of both worlds- a great zoom lens and compact body. It's a bit pricey at $399, but you're getting quite a lot of camera for your hard earned dollars. I have no doubt that my third digital camera is a terrific buy and a long-term staple for my travels.
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This Item  Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Black) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $149.99 | -10% $179.99 List: $199.99 | -17% $149.00 List: $179.99 | -9% $499.99 List: $549.99 | $64.99 | -26% $39.99 List: $53.99 |
| Delivery | Get it May 14 - 15 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 13 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Image stabilization | ||||||
| Zoom | ||||||
| Picture quality | ||||||
| Easy to use | ||||||
| Value for money | ||||||
| Sold By | good_stuff_ | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Amazon.com | Pandos-US | Yuruida |
| display type | — | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD |
| display size | 3 inches | 3 inches | 3 inches | 3 inches | 2.8 inches | — |
| lens type | zoom | Telephoto | Wide Angle | Macro | Fisheye | — |
| zoom type | Optical, Digital | Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom | Digital Zoom | Digital Zoom |
| shooting modes | Scene | Panorama, Automatic, Easy | — | Movie, Auto, Manual | Automatic | Automatic |
| connectivity tech | HDMI, USB | wired, wireless | USB | Wi-Fi, Micro HDMI, Micro USB, Bluetooth | Type C | USB |
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Customer Review: Bought mostly for shooting video at concerts
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It's David to Canon & Nikon's DSLR Goliaths
I have finally settled on a camera. I have tried many, from the higher echelons (Canon DSLRs) to the low-end (Canon SD1000), trying to alternately to get the most photo pizazz and then to just get the most enjoyment out of them as fast & painlessly as possible. It always seemed that it was one or the other: have a camera that could take good pictures with a long lens but put up with the hassle of transporting it and operating it, or have an easily-pocketable camera that will not be up to par in a lot of situations and thusly miss a lot of potential shots.Then my significant other stumbled upon these Panasonic Travel Zooms. I was apprehensive at first, so I let her be the guinea pig. After she received hers I took it away and played with it myself. I was impressed enough that although I had recently gotten a new DSLR (again) to replace a broken low-end Pocket Camera (SD1000) that I bought because I was initially tired of lugging around a large DSLR that I never took out of the bag in the first place, I decided to SELL the new DSLR and get one of the Panny's for myself.The largest lens you're getting for a DSLR is going to be in the 300mm range. To get much longer a reach you have to deal with an enormous lens that you probably can't afford and is too bulky to be with you at all times. With the Panasonic, I get the same focal range at the long-end -- 300mm -- and can skinny down to 25mm at the short end.The images are very good -- not as good as a good DSLR shot, missing some clarity at 100% magnification -- but for the needs of the masses they are far more than adequate in quality. The colors are realistic & warm. The videos are sharp and clear as long as you're not trying to focus on heavily backlit subjects, as the camera will choke on the dust on the lens that gets lit up. But otherwise, if you have a program that can load the videos you'll be impressed (iMovie '09 on the Mac can import them fine, VLC player can play them although in my experience isn't as good as iMovie's quality).I'm not going to delve into the specifics of each mode as it's been done many a time. Suffice to say that there's multiple modes and the "Intelligent Auto" mode is great for quickly getting good shots without fuss, which is sort of what this camera is all about and what other pocket cameras strive to be. Instead I want to explain my rationale for moving to this camera, and what functions and qualities I touch on will be touched on!I went back & forth from DSLR to pocket cameras. Reason being, I wanted at times to have fine control over my shots to really make them shine and wanted them tack sharp (DSLR), and at other times I just wanted to be able to take a picture and load it onto my computer and share it and look at it without loads of aftershot post-processing. It was always one or the other. The biggest problem was that the DSLR -- while it took great shots -- is bigger, bulkier, and requires more of you pre- and post-processing to get those shots. The pocket camera however, is easy to pull out and take that shot of the moment, and most of the time its quality is 80-85% at least of the shot you'd have gotten with the DSLR; its real drawback was the lack of effective range, and losing shots of BALD FREAKIN' EAGLES just beyond those trees, if only you had a DSLR and a lens...I tried to just jump back to a DSLR after playing around with a pocket camera until I killed it. I thought that for sure, I would be happier having the range, and I could put up with the initial time & effort investment as well as the post-processing requirements to have that extra 15-20% quality back. But I was wrong. As the saying goes, "the best camera is the one that you have with you," and to that I would add the trailer "and are willing to take out of the case."I settled on the ZS3 because it has successfully managed to fill the roles of both long-range DSLR & quick-draw pocket camera rather well with very insignificant costs: it's as pocketable as the pocket cameras but has the range of a long lens DSLR setup! the quality is better than a regular pocket camera if not quite on par with a DSLR rig, but for the slight (ever so slight) quality hit, you are removed from all the pre- & post-processing requirements of a heavier-duty camera setup.The HD video capabilities put it in a class by itself right now -- you can't get the lens reach AND video quality that this camera offers short of the Canon Rebel XTi (arguable) or the mid-range Nikon DSLRs right now, which to compete would need a good 300mm lens which would put the total cost well above the $1K mark with just ONE lens and only half the lens range of the Panny, and it doesn't fit in a pocket (unless you have extremely large, freakish pockets ;-) ).To me it seemed that in order to outshoot the ZS3 in both stills & motion pictures, I'd have to aim a little higher in the DSLR market than where I was and talk myself into investing more into lenses as well. All that money spent it would seem, just to equal the power & ability of what Panasonic was able to fit into my shirt pocket, and for 1/4 the proposed cost either Canon or Nikon was asking me for. It was a no-brainer.If you're in that boat, if you're looking to get that one shot that you missed with the other pocket cameras but you're also quite tired of carrying around a BIG DSLR and missing the shots anyway because you aren't taking it out of the bag, let me assure you that the ZS3 is a very capable shooter. The focus time leaves a little to be desired sometimes, but digital shots are dirt cheap with a 16GB card inside so I just try try again and I find I'm rarely disappointed at any missed shots. The sharpness I get is on par with my old Canon DSLRs and far exceeds my experience with other pocket cameras.I cannot recommend this camera enough. My only compliant -- besides the focus time -- is lack of GPS tagging, but alas, for the cost, I can't complain too much. If you're still lugging around that DSLR to take pictures of your dogs & family & your trips? Shame on you. this review was long enough that you should have hit "add to cart" a long time ago.
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Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2009
The quality of my vacation photos and videos were amazing! I was able to record a video of the mating dance of two blue-footed boobies, iguanas fighting, and sea lions and penguins playing. My landscape photos have such detail that it's hard to believe these were not taken with a more expensive SLR digital. When I returned home, I projected the video onto a giant classroom screen during a lecture and the quality was amazing. Everyone asked what type of camera I was using! I connected the camera to my Samsung 46 inch 1080i HDTV. The photos and videos looked so good I couldn't believe they were really MY photos!
The large 3 inch LCD monitor on the SZ3 is large enough to review photos and videos so I could easily determine which photos and videos were worth keeping while I was still on vacation. The size and quality of the LCD was even good enough replay videos and scan through photos for fellow travelers.
The 12X optical zoom on this camera allowed me to zoom up on animals and landmarks otherwise too far away to photograph. I did not try out the 21X extended optical zoom. Thanks to the setting made for photos from airplane windows, my on-flight photos turned out better than any on-flight photos I've ever seen.
There is a setting on the camera that allows you to hold the shutter down. It will continue to take photos until you release the shutter. This allowed me to take photos of animals in motion and later choose to save which photo caught the animal in that "ideal" position! No more pushing the shutter only to have the subject move and you've missed the shot! If you don't want to change settings on the camera, there is an "Intelligent Auto Mode" that adjusts automatically to light, movement, scenery (adjusts to take sharp pictures near and far landscapes), recognizes faces to adjust light to create optimal settings for portrait lighting, etc.
The FACE RECOGNITION setting isn't always accurate. I tried to train it to recognize my dad, and several other faces were later incorrectly identified by my camera as "Dad." Hopefully re-training it will resolve that glitch. I eventually had to turn off. It was even labeling photos of women as "Dad"!
The Travel feature allows you to set the dates of your vacation into the camera memory. It also allows you to change the time zone during your vacation and automatically returns to "home" clock at the end of the 'Vacation mode dates'. This creates a time stamp that is not only accurate to your vacation time zone, but allows you to record when & WHERE each photo was taken! This is especially great if your travels include several cities or islands. The on-screen menu tells you what day of your trip you are on (Galapagos Day 1, Galapagos Day 2, etc.). It's really nice for later when you are trying to sort through photos and remember what day and where they were taken. Especially when you have more than one SD card!
You can increase the size of the on screen menu to a larger font if you have problems with reading small print.
I have to say I was impressed with the different settings for taking photos of babies, sunsets, portraits, food, etc. It was amazing how many differnt settings were available and the instruction book gives great hints on how to maximize the use of each of those settings. I think this is one of the best instruction manuals I've seen for cameras.
Again, my only hesitation with this camera is with the battery, and it's more of an idealogical complaint against Panasonic. I just don't think they should create a camera with a battery that is so difficult to find and doesn't have a compatable generic. SO.........WARNING!!!!!!!!! THE ONLY battery that is compatable with this camera is the Panasonic Lumix DMW-BCG10PP. USE CAUTION when ordering batteries advertized on Amazon's website that claim to be compatible with this camera. I ended up going on vacation without a second battery and due to the high volume of photos and videos I was taking each day I ran out of battery before the end of the day. Luckily most days I had a lunch period where I was able to recharge the battery. The instructions say you can get 300 photos from a battery charge, but I got more than twice that amount and somedays got almost three times that many. Still, If I didn't recharge mid-day, I ran out of battery before I ran out of photo opportunities each day. I'm sure it's because I took those shots so close together. One battery is probably good enough for almost every situation except special vacations where photos are a huge part of your day! ENJOY!
Easy to use digital Camera with great HD video!~But CAUTION when order replacement batteries!
Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2009
I purchased this camera just before I left for a trip to the Galapagos Islands. I'm not a whiz kid when it comes to cameras, but I knew the Galapagos Islands would have once-in-a-life-time photo opportunities that I didn't want to miss due to poor quality equipment or equipment that was too complicated for me to use. This camera DELIVERED on all my needs! (except battery incompatibilities, mentioned later!)I recommend spending an hour or two with the camera and instruction book. The 130 page instruction book was easy to navigate through, but it takes a while to familiarize yourself with everything this amazing little camera is capable of doing!!Reviewed in the United States on October 14, 2009
The quality of my vacation photos and videos were amazing! I was able to record a video of the mating dance of two blue-footed boobies, iguanas fighting, and sea lions and penguins playing. My landscape photos have such detail that it's hard to believe these were not taken with a more expensive SLR digital. When I returned home, I projected the video onto a giant classroom screen during a lecture and the quality was amazing. Everyone asked what type of camera I was using! I connected the camera to my Samsung 46 inch 1080i HDTV. The photos and videos looked so good I couldn't believe they were really MY photos!
The large 3 inch LCD monitor on the SZ3 is large enough to review photos and videos so I could easily determine which photos and videos were worth keeping while I was still on vacation. The size and quality of the LCD was even good enough replay videos and scan through photos for fellow travelers.
The 12X optical zoom on this camera allowed me to zoom up on animals and landmarks otherwise too far away to photograph. I did not try out the 21X extended optical zoom. Thanks to the setting made for photos from airplane windows, my on-flight photos turned out better than any on-flight photos I've ever seen.
There is a setting on the camera that allows you to hold the shutter down. It will continue to take photos until you release the shutter. This allowed me to take photos of animals in motion and later choose to save which photo caught the animal in that "ideal" position! No more pushing the shutter only to have the subject move and you've missed the shot! If you don't want to change settings on the camera, there is an "Intelligent Auto Mode" that adjusts automatically to light, movement, scenery (adjusts to take sharp pictures near and far landscapes), recognizes faces to adjust light to create optimal settings for portrait lighting, etc.
The FACE RECOGNITION setting isn't always accurate. I tried to train it to recognize my dad, and several other faces were later incorrectly identified by my camera as "Dad." Hopefully re-training it will resolve that glitch. I eventually had to turn off. It was even labeling photos of women as "Dad"!
The Travel feature allows you to set the dates of your vacation into the camera memory. It also allows you to change the time zone during your vacation and automatically returns to "home" clock at the end of the 'Vacation mode dates'. This creates a time stamp that is not only accurate to your vacation time zone, but allows you to record when & WHERE each photo was taken! This is especially great if your travels include several cities or islands. The on-screen menu tells you what day of your trip you are on (Galapagos Day 1, Galapagos Day 2, etc.). It's really nice for later when you are trying to sort through photos and remember what day and where they were taken. Especially when you have more than one SD card!
You can increase the size of the on screen menu to a larger font if you have problems with reading small print.
I have to say I was impressed with the different settings for taking photos of babies, sunsets, portraits, food, etc. It was amazing how many differnt settings were available and the instruction book gives great hints on how to maximize the use of each of those settings. I think this is one of the best instruction manuals I've seen for cameras.
Again, my only hesitation with this camera is with the battery, and it's more of an idealogical complaint against Panasonic. I just don't think they should create a camera with a battery that is so difficult to find and doesn't have a compatable generic. SO.........WARNING!!!!!!!!! THE ONLY battery that is compatable with this camera is the Panasonic Lumix DMW-BCG10PP. USE CAUTION when ordering batteries advertized on Amazon's website that claim to be compatible with this camera. I ended up going on vacation without a second battery and due to the high volume of photos and videos I was taking each day I ran out of battery before the end of the day. Luckily most days I had a lunch period where I was able to recharge the battery. The instructions say you can get 300 photos from a battery charge, but I got more than twice that amount and somedays got almost three times that many. Still, If I didn't recharge mid-day, I ran out of battery before I ran out of photo opportunities each day. I'm sure it's because I took those shots so close together. One battery is probably good enough for almost every situation except special vacations where photos are a huge part of your day! ENJOY!
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E. Liu
This was good, but now my phone takes better pics
Reviewed in Canada on August 11, 2015