Panasonic Lumix DMCZS3 10MP Digital Camera with 12x

Pictures okay…video great…but had to return!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I purchased the DMC-ZS3 after MUCH research as I needed to replace my beloved Canon Powershot A620 (after we both suffered a nasty fall in the mountains). Unfortunately, Canon no longer makes the A620, nor do they make a replacement model in terms of size and features. Bought the ZS3 because of the size, type of lens, HD video, and quality of the LCD monitor. I compromised a viewfinder and the convenience of using AA batteries for size and hopefully, picture quality. I wasn’t blown away by the picture quality, but to be fair, only took about 40-50 shots. Took a short video, which looked great (maybe even spectacular) on my large screen TV, and sound quality was surprisingly good. BUT…..I was very disappointed in the battery life. Batteries exhausted after about 50 shots, 30 seconds of video, and maybe a combined 30-40 mintutes playing with the features (scrolling through menus, etc., but turning the camera on and off quite a few times). I had read enough to know that you can’t use one of the thousands of off-brand batteries sold on e-bay and elsewhere, so I ordered a genuine Panasonic battery from a very nice gentleman in Hong Kong. After I charged this replacement battery up and it wouldn’t work in my camera, I called Panasonic. The battery was the right model number, but I was told that Panasonic made a firmware upgrade to this camera and that the battery would no longer work in my camera. ALSO…Panasonic had not yet manufactured any replacement batteries that would work with the new upgrade, and would not have any available until 9/18/09…SO…it was impossible for me to have an extra battery to take with me on my vacation which starts on 9/20/09 (pausing a day at Disney World to charge my one and only battery was not an acceptable option!). I returned the ZS3 to Amazon several weeks ago for a full refund (Thanks Amazon!). I purchased a Canon SX10 instead (3X the size, 3X the weight, but lots of features I love including a swivel LCD, viewfinder, and AA batteries). I will have to say that the video on the Panasonic ZS3 (HD) is superior to the Canon SX10 (not HD). Haven’t used the new Canon enough to know if I’m really happy about picture quality yet. There were some things I really DID like about the Panasonic ZS3: super bright LCD, super light weight, and really user friendly menus and controls. I did accidentally hit the video button a few times….maybe it should be in a different place, but the camera is so small, I’m not sure where they’d put it. Didn’t like the proprietary cables (what is with that?) and of course, the battery issue was a deal breaker. I wouldn’t rule out purchase of a Panasonic camera in the future…if they make some changes, and would have kept this camera if not for the battery issue.

Awesome 21x zoom camera and HD camcorder that fits in my pocket!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
PROS:

I’m usually the camera and camcorder guy and my wife never takes out our old camera and camcorder before but with this new Panasonic camera, she takes it everywhere to shoot closeups of my kid’s soccer games and snaps pictures from afar with action shots with kids that are airborn and limbs/ball flying in midair. Although the camera is rated at 12x zoom at 10 megapixels, if you lower the megapixels down to 5 then you’d get 17x zoom. If you lower the megapixels down to 3 then you’d get 21x zoom.

The HD camcorder has unbelievable clarity and the microphone is clear. Be sure to buy SDHC memory card (not SD) with speed rated at Class 6 or higher or it won’t keep up with recording video. Also, your pc’s SD card reader slot will NOT read SDHC memory card so remember to buy an external SDHC card reader.

The included HD camcorder software figures out what your pc’s cpu is and adjusts the framerate. Turns out my 6 year old HP Pentium 4 2.5ghz pc is too slow so I went out and bought the new HP p6120f (AMD Quad 4 processor at 2.6Ghz, 6gigs RAM, 640gigs hard drive) from Staples for $[...] and the HD animation is smoooth. The software suggests a pc with at least a processor of 2 Core Duo 2.6Ghz to edit HD video.

The real test to determine if I were going to keep the camera came when I developed a photo onto paper to assess the picture quality. The picture was sharp so I decided to keep it and bought a spare Panasonic battery from Amazon for $[...].

This Panasonic’s twin is the German-made Leica D-lux4 camera that sells for $[...] (that’s $400 more than the Panasonic twin) which has a classic look and saves raw format with more manual adjustment features. So, you’re getting a very high-end camera. See Leica:[...]

Back in 2001, I bought a 3.3 megapixels Panasonic DMC-LC33 camera and it still works great today after 8 years (considering how many times I dropped it and my kid has fallen on it with while the lens were still out but the lens retracted just fine) so I know that it’s a quality dependable product, and that was with a plastic body.

CONS:

Only included an RCA cable to connect to my tv. Too bad it didn’t include an HDMI cable (mini to standard) so I ordered one from [...] for $[...] (ROSE RCW-H9039 6″ HDMI-MINI CABLE – Retail)

The included PhotoStudioFunHD software manual says that you should use this software to copy your AVCHD LITE format files to the pc and NOT use Windows Explorer to copy your files over or it will not be able to read it. I found out the hard way… however, all is not lost, you can download free trial of Sony Vega or other softwares at [...] then edit all your files and it doesn’t matter how you copied the files to your pc. When I opened Task Manager to see how much work my processors were doing, I noticed that the included PhotoStudioHD software was only using 1 processor whereas the Sony Vega software took full advantage of all 4 processors.

Clearing up some misinformation
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
There are plenty of well-written reviews about this camera on Amazon and elsewhere. I wanted to clear up two bits of common misinformation:

First, this camera works quite well with Macs. As long as you have ILife 09, IMovie imports video perfectly and you can edit it without problem. Photos of course work fine with IPhoto.

Second, there are now third-party batteries that work just fine in the camera, even with the latest firmware update. For example, search amazon for B002O12LPA, a POWWER-brand battery.

Overall, this camera works great! We’ve had four canon powershot’s in a row before this one, but their plastic bodies didn’t hold up to regular use – the one we bought just six months ago has crapped out again. This panasonic has a metal body and should hold up better. The picture quality is outstanding too. The HD video is very good and now we only need to tote around one device to disney instead of two!

Very pleased with camera, not with lack of memory
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I am very pleased with this camera as a whole. I was disappointed when I opened it to find it did not include a memory card or an HDMI mini-cable. This was not pointed out in the description of the product and I am not familiar with buying electronics so I didn’t even think about it prior to the purchase. With that said, I am pleased with the camera itself.

Love this camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Unbelievable camera, wonderful quality pictures, I-auto is amazing. I had SX-200 for 2 months and returned it, this camera blows it away.

Worth it.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I did a lot of research before I bought this camera. So, i felt that it was necessary to give back to the community for all the great posts. I just wanna say that if you are thinking about this camera you wont be disappointed. The only thing that I could find on the cons with this one is that the manual controls are limited, there is no view finder and the dials are close together, this is true but, by eliminating the view finder you make more room for the 12x lens. The dials are close together but they are really well designed. The dial on the right takes a little pressure to get it to move so your not just gonna flip though modes on accident unless you are on caffeine. Also the zoom control is like butter…….mmmmmm, great on toast. The controls are limited, but at least they are there in the sub menu! Once you know the way it operates you fly. It is a little bigger than I would have wanted but thats ok. I keep it in a clean glasses bag and throw it in my pocket. If i dont want anything in my pocket i put it in a soft/hard slim-fit case that straps to my belt. If you dont wear belts then I guess you would need a head sling like the porters in Peru.

Compared to whats out there right now its a great deal for what you get.

Like I said….worth it.

Even better than I imagined!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is everything I wanted and more! It takes beautiful pictures, it takes nice crisp movies, it’s small enough to carry around and the media is easy to upload into my computer. I was afraid after reading other reviews that it would be hard to upload the movies onto my computer. I have a Mac and all I have to do is plug it in and load the movies onto IMovie! The photos go straight into IPhoto! For someone like myself who wants high quality with ease of use (I do not need much manual control but I want my pictures to be great) it is perfect. I have only had it a week so I may discover other things about the camera that I will want to share but at this point it is a 5 star camera and exactly what I wanted.

best camera for photo and video.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
there have been a lot of outstanding reviews about this Lumix ZS3 as anyone can read on Amazon.com.I read all of them several times and decided to purchase one from Amazon.com.All I can say from my point of view is that all these reviews are true after I tested the camera out.From the astounding pictures and videos to the ease of use.I surely saw that The ZS3 outperforms my others cameras/camcorders ,those costing twice as much and built by more well known brands.Certainly this ZS3 has answered my needs and I am very happy with it.Amazon.com was the only place I can get this camera since none of my local stores would have it at the time.

both worlds
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
i was looking for a good camera that can take HD video as well and this Panasonic is doing a great job in both. Highly recommanded

camera ok … no tech support
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera two weeks ago. Used it for one day. I am a professional videographer. Won’t go into the still quality as I didn’t use it long enough to comment. The HD quality is adequate for utube HD but don’t expect HD quality for blue ray.

I used the camera one day when multi-colored lines started to appear on the LCD screen. Now I can only see a shadow of a picture on the screen. Now the real frustration begins. After 4 days and hours on hold with PANASONIC, I have not spoken with a tech support human. Once I got an administrative person but they are in the phillipines and sent me to the same cue and I hung up after another hour. When you call tech support, they say an agent will be with you in 8-10 minutes. An hour later after listening to the recording over and over no one ever comes. It is like they are torturing you!! This is the tech support number listed on the manual that comes with the camera.

I approve professional camera purchases for our company. I not only won’t recommend PANASONIC, I don’t even want to hear the name PANASONIC after this!!

Red Hot!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
What a nice surprise! Love the wide angle capability and optical zoom. You also get HD video. It’s a little bulky for a compact camera, but given the features I mentioned, that’s ok. My wife loves the red color. On the downside, there’s not a lot of user functions, but if you love point and shoot, it’s the camera for you. Got a great deal on the price for a gift at Christmas AND free shipping!

panasonic Zs3
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
the panasonic lumix ZX3 is a great camera I love great pictures for a very good price

Easy and Powerful
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera for our recent trip to Italy. I wanted a camera that was very easy to use and took good photos. I don’t know anything about photography, it’s not a hobby of mine at all, and I wasn’t interested in learning. I just wanted photos to remember our trip and share with friends. I also wanted to avoid the huge wait between pictures that our old digital camera had.

This camera is very easy to use. I never took it off of the iA mode. The only thing I adjusted was turning off and back on the auto-flash option when in places that allowed non-flash photography only. It’s really easy to toggle it … two button presses.

The pictures of ruins in Rome, art and buildings in Florence and landscapes everywhere look great. I purchased an 8GB card to go with it and that was plenty of space for our pictures (I think it would have held about 1200). I took perhaps a thousand over the two-week trip (but we uploaded them to a computer periodically and subsequently deleted them from the memory card, which is very easy to do).

The iA mode does really well with varying lighting conditions. Only the very darkest corners of churches disallowing flash photography were a problem for the camera. I was very pleasantly surprised that it was able to take such good photos of some very dark places without flash. The only caveat here was I had to hold my hand pretty steady to avoid blurring.

My largest criticism is that the battery does not charge via the USB connection. There is also still some pause between pictures, but I don’t know if this is adjustable … I never tried to find out because the pause showed me the previous picture, which is what I wanted (and may be it’s only function). The battery lasted a full day, but not much more. I turned the camera on and off depending on what we were doing. I didn’t try to adjust the power-saving options because the battery never ran out if I started the day with a full charge (at the end of one day it ran out because I hadn’t charged it the previous night).

We didn’t use the software that came with it, just imported the photos into iPhoto.

I am very happy with the camera. It is almost exactly what I wanted and worked great throughout the trip.

Super compact travelling camera!!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great camera that takes fantastics photos and videos.

A few irritating things are related to the video mode:

1) The ‘video record bottom’ is placed so I sometimes start recording video when not expected. I would prefer a seperate video mode on the dial-selector like in previous models!

2) you max can take 8 min HD video due to the 2 GB record limit (due to the eFAT32 format) – tried to reformat my 16 GB card to NTFS, but that is not supported by the camera.

But overall a GREAT camera that I only can recommend you to purchase!!

A fine camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I wanted to write this review in part to counteract the reviews that complain about Panasonic’s customer service.

I bought this camera in Sept 2009. I love it! Used it to lakes lots of photos in many different conditions. The menus are pretty easy to use, and in general the camera has good ergonomics. I was very happy with the image quality, although at very high ISO the noise in the images is pretty bad. The zoom is really great for a camera this size.

Immediately after a trip during winter break, the camera failed, having the “bad lcd” syndrome that others have described. (Actually, my wife’s FZ30 had the same thing happen, but after three years of pretty hard use. We got that one fixed — required new lens unit and new circuit board.) As soon at the ZS3 failed, I packed it up and sent it off to the Panasonic Service Center. I received the replacement refurbished unit today, just two weeks after sending the camera in. No muss, no fuss. I ended up with a silver camera instead of a blue one, but that I can stand. And they also included a very nice leather case.

So I can’t give the camera a top rating on construction. But I can report that the Panasonic Service Center did exactly what they said they would do, and they did it in a reasonable time frame.

It’s a shame that the Panasonic cameras seem prone to this kind of failure. But I still like the camera!

Dont Expect Too Much From It
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Been using it for 3 weeeks. Some points from me.

(If you’ve ever used any DSLR camera, please skip this review, as u will be disappointed by the image quality of this camera)

Hardware:

1. Wide Leica Lens – Big Eye!! Cant love it more (5 star)

2. Panasonic Body – Quite disappointing one, esp the dial, very loose fit. (3 stars)

3. Body size – bulkier than expected, can be classified as (semi compact) (4 stars)

Performance:

1. Good Image presents only under ISO 100 (3 and a half stars)

Any picture taken using iso 100 and above proved to be coarse.

Reason: Small cheap CCD sensor. This CCD sensor cant match the lens, I reckon this as a design flaw. I think Panasonic probably had to cut down the overall building cost to ensure profit. FUJIFILM’s 200EX has a better sensor.

2. Reliable Face Detection (5 stars)

Makes point-and-shoot more enjoyable. Even in some very dark environments, it still works!! yes, very dark, I mean it!)

3. Very Underpowered Flash (BE VERY AWARE OF THIS) (2 stars)

One very obvious FLAW of this model!! For most of the indoor lighting conditions, pictures would incline to be underexposed.

4. Clear Large Screen (resolution can be larger…) (4 starts)

5. Speed (4 stars)

Start up in 2 secs, focusing getting slow and inaccurate in poor lighting condition. Electronic Shutter could be faster…)

Overall (3 stars with reservation)

Its been over-hyped. Thought this camera is a good attempt from Panasonic, but still cant beat some of Canon’s premium wide angle compact models(such as SD850 IS).

I am a journalist and probably will stick with Canon as my 2nd camera (expecting S90)

Bells and Whistles But Little Else
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
After spending a huge amount of time going through countless reviews I finally bought the ZS3 from a wholesaler with a 3 month return policy. Glad I did. It’s going back tomorrow. Although the zoom was nice, Panasonic missed the boat on basics like clean focusing and noise in most iso settings.

Today I took the ZS3 and my seven year old Fuji 3800 to a local park and spent about 2 hours shooting the same scenes with both cameras. No contest. The aging Fuji’s shots were clean and well focused. With the ZS3 it was a crap shoot. Sometimes it was almost equal to the Fuji, but on most shots it was very disappointing. Also found the lens took too much time to retract, often hesitating and then finally retracting. Yes, the Fuji is bulky,and has trouble focusing in low light, but it runs quite nicely on four AA batteries (which unfortunately must be removed between sessions).

Next on the hit parade will be the Canon G11. Should be better in low light, and the fold out LCD screen is very seductive. My recommendation is to pass on this ZS3.

A Fantastic Little Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am a professional portrait photographer who is incredibly picky about cameras. I’ve owned 3 point-n-shoots in the last few years, because I am also a Mom and wanted something small to keep in my purse for the random moments when my DSLRs weren’t around. Every one of those cameras drove me batty and proved a waste of my money. I decided to give the pocket camera One More Try when I read about the ZS3, especially with its inclusion of HD Video. I LOVE this camera! Love it!!

On my family beach vacation, I only broke out the DSLR twice for some artistic shots of my kids. The ZS3 stayed in my beach bag the rest of the time, and I am thrilled with the shots it captured. The images are clear, crisp, with beautiful color and detail. The exposures have been excellent. The 12X zoom is a great reach, and the shots are still clear zoomed in. The shutter lag on this camera is better than any PNS I’ve ever used. It’s no SLR, but it’s darn good for what it is! The burst mode also works great for stopping the action. And the HD video is just as great. I don’t know that I’ll bother picking up my camcorder again now that I have this.

My only two minor negatives: the video record button is in an awkward spot, and I’ve accidentally hit it a few times just holding the camera. But it’s not bothersome enough that it would affect my 5-star rating for the camera. Negative #2 is the ACVHD Lite video/software which is not Mac compatible. All of my computers are Mac, so this hiccup is disappointing, but again not bothersome enough to alter my opinion of the camera. I just shoot regular HD video instead and the problem is solved for me. Ok, so maybe I’d give this camera 4.5 stars if I could, but 4 stars would be too low so I stuck with 5.

I never imagined I could like, much less LOVE, a point and shoot camera like I do this one. It’s fantastic.

Perfect Camera for Travel!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera for a trip to Europe. My SLR was simply too large to lug around, and my tiny Canon took horrible low light pictures.

Pros: The Lumix’s wide-angle lens is amazing because it allows you to capture so much of a scene, and in low light situations the pictures are spectacular. The anti-shake feature works like gold (I tend to be a little shaky), and it focuses wonderfully. The IA (intelligent auto) feature is great – it almost always selects the right scene mode. You can turn off flash and it recalls that setting. The 12X OPTICAL zoom allows you to take detail pictures from a distance. Best of all, the camera is small enough to throw in a bag or a jacket pocket.

Cons: In bright situations, sometimes the lighting is a little wonky and it is impossible to specifically adjust. In fact, the colors overall are a lot less saturated than a typical camera takes (probably more natural, in reality, but I like saturation). There is basically no manual control. It’s too big to fit in a woman’s jeans pocket.

I will admit it was an investment on my part, but I would definitely say it was worthwhile. It allowed me to take 2,000 pictures of my trip, the battery lasted for 2 to 3 days at a time (constantly turning the camera on and off), and let me capture scenes I never would have been able to otherwise. If you have the money, go for it!

Love this camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Camera arrived quickly and was easy to set up. Make sure you get a large memory card for this as a 10MP camera creates large files. I work on a MAC and the camera was recognized automatically. The zoom is incredible and the video works fine. Very impressed with this camera.

Garbage pictures and panoramas, better have a good SD card
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
As I became dissatisfied over time with the jpeg artifacts in my images on my Canon cameras, I began looking for solid images on other point ‘n’ shoots. [...] and Steves Digicam websites gave very positive reviews and showed excellent images from the Lumix ZS3. I emailed Panasonic because of my concerns about creating panoramas and stitching images: most digitals put a limit on how many images you can take in a pano, and Canon does not. Panasonic assured me this camera had no limits, just like Canon cameras.

I’ll leave it to the other reviews on the shortfalls of this camera which are many. However, I found the build and the ergonomics to be overall pretty good compared to most such cameras at this level of capability.

Here come the reasons to not buy this dog:

1. Image quality: just awful. While it balances light well and the modes for various scene settings are really quite good, what difference does that make when all the images are buried in jpeg artifacts? Even in high lighting situations the noise is ridiculous! Neither Steves Digicams nor the [...] websites mentioned this, and their sample images don’t show it. Either they are in the employ of Panasonic or they were sent premium versions of the camera that do not reflect the mass produced item.

2. Panoramas: Limit to your pictures is about 5, then you have to start all over. Not good if you’re trying to do a 360 scene or a large montage. Panasonic outright lied to me. Not a good reflection on the company at all.

3. HD movie mode- it may indeed work, but if you don’t have a high speed SD memory card, you’ll get 3 seconds before it stops. Be prepared to upgrade whatever cards to you have to something better.

“FANTASTIC” Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I took the Panasonic and a Olympus on a trip two week trip Uganda — the clarity and richness of the pictures from the Panasonic, both still and movies, are unbelievable! The camera is easy to use, particularly in rough jungle atmosphere. When in the movie mode, the HD pictures are clear and true, with the sound bring the shots back to life. At this price, you cannot beat this camera. Next time we travel, I am leaving my Olympus at home!

Just do it!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Blue)

I am so in love with this camera, it’s not even funny. I am NOT a pro, nor want to be, just wanted a camera which I could point and shoot and get a good quality photo and video.

I love that the video has zoom, that is what I was waiting for. Took some videos and pictures of my son and they came out excellent.

No more out of focus or too far of a image that you cannot identify the person in the picture.

Since it’s small, you can have it in your purse or in your pocket. I have mine with me at all times now.

This is my 3rd Lumix and hope to be like that for a long while. It’s expensive, no doubt, but I looked at it as an investment and I am confident I did the right thing.

I was debating between the ZS3 and the SX200 Canon, after lots of research I went with the ZS3. The 3 major reason were:

1) Canon has the flash were your finger goes.

2) The Lumix can produce a HD “light” video (which I can keep and show on TV with very high quality or convert it to a good youtube video and upload for others).

3) The zoom on the video. Ahhhh what a bless!!! Finally we can have a video with the zoom.

So for all the above reason I say, the ZS3 is the camera to have.

very good camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Very good camera. The best is the movement stabilizer, which helps a lot for taking night scene pictures. The difference with the night pics taken by my old Lumix LZ2 is huge.

It has a great wide angle. I was taking a picture of a very tall cathedral and I could take it from just a few steps, while everybody had to take the same picture from almost 100 meters away. However, this reduces the effect of the 12X zoom. Anyway is a very large zoom.

Very good quality videos and easy to take them. The display is great and pictures look incredible good on it, they look better than in the computer.

The battery life is not very good compared to my previous LZ2 with AA rechargable batteries. However, I dont know if it is normal becaue I have no a point of comparison with other Lithium batteries cameras.

ZS3 – Great overall camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
While I haven’t used it heavily yet I am very impressed with this camera. The zoom capabilities and lense clarity are amazing. I took a picture (no zoom used) of one of my kids from over 10 feet away with them standing in front of some badges they have earned. After taking the picture I was able to zoom on the picture and actually read the words on the badges. The badges are about 1.5 inches in diameter with letters that are less than 1/4 inches high! That is clarity

The video is amazing for such a small camera and does quite well. Haven’t played too much with that yet.

Overall construction is very good. Metal rather than plastic. It is fairly heavy and slightly larger than most compacts, but when you consider what they have put into this camera it’s size and weight are impressive.

Overall fit and handling when you are holding it is quite intuitive.

I would definitely recommend this camera.

Worthless Warranty and Support for a Cheap Camera
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Buyer beware!! This camera does not even survive the warranty period and Panasonic does not honor its warranty for the Lumix ZS3. If you have to send something to Panasonic be sure to completely document it – 3-D pictures of the item, serial number, … This camera was a big waste of money – Panasonic has lost a customer for life. For the first couple of months the camera took excellent pictures no complaints. One day walking through a park I pulled it out to take some animal pictures and the image was fuzzy / blurred. I’d done nothing different, weather was clear, no reason for it not to work… I called about the warranty and after being put on hold for over 20 minutes I finally got a live being who told me to send the camera in. They said they would call or email me once the camera arrived and they examined it. After waiting three weeks I finally called to see 1) if the camera arrived and 2) how long the under warranty repair would take. Surprise it was there but they never contacted me! The warranty company told me I damaged the camera because there was a scratch on the side. There was no physical damage on the camera when I mailed it – I packed it in bubble wrap in peanuts in a cardboard box. No way was that camera scratched when I sent it to them – my word against theirs of course and I did not take a picture of the camera before I sent it in so I lose. But it was clear from speaking to the warranty customer support that Panasonic had no intention of honoring the warranty no matter what. A camera at this price should function properly for more than three months. By the way I own a larger Cannon Powershot that I’ve had for 2 years and taken hiking and it still works perfectly – it was a little big for a pocket camera and I thought the Panasonic Lumix would be the answer – NOT! I do not recommend this camera or any Panasonic photographic product based on the complete farce of a warranty for a defective product.

Important info if you plan to export & edit video…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
…I think this is a terrific camera – very lightweight and compact for having a 12x optical zoom. The perfect camera for the point & shoot photographer – not so if you prefer manual settings because there are just a few. But if you plan to shoot video and then export it to your PC/Mac, you’ll need to ante up another $130 for the AC adapter (Panasonic DMW-AC5 AC Adapter for Panasonic Lumix® Digital Cameras) AND the Multi Conversion adapter (Panasonic DMW-MCA1 @ $49.95) – YOU MUST PURCHASE BOTH. Without these items, the battery will run out before the video transfer is complete. You can view the video direct to TV using an HDMI mini cable (Tripp Lite Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable (6 feet)). One star off due to the high price of accessories…

TIME TO MOVE OVER FOR THE NEW *KING*
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I just purchased the DMC-ZS3 and it’s clearly the best point and shoot (i.e. compact) digital still camera available today… until this week.

Sony just announced the DSC-HX5V which will be available in March 2010. It is similar to the DMC-ZS3 except that it has full HD video (1080i at 60i fps instead of 720p), enhanced low light performance, high speed shooting at 10 fps, GPS, and more.

I’ll be returning my DMC-ZS3 unopened.

Best point and shoot camera I’ve ever had
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had a lot of compact digital cameras. And I use them constantly- my compact camera is ALWAYS in my purse. Typically I take lots of photos of people, landscapes and food with it. I bought this camera shortly before a safari in Tanzania, drawn by the 12X zoom and HD video taking. I also brought a D80 with an 18-200mm lens and a D90 with 80-400mm lens. I wanted to use this little camera for quick shots, people shots, and movie taking. The photos taken with this camera as just as good as those taken on the DSLRs, the movies were fantastic (and live zooming cannot be beat), and the camera survived 2 weeks in very dusty conditions.

I am so pleased with this camera. Image quality is on par with the Canon cameras I have, most recently the Canon 870IS. And the videos are awesome- above and beyond the quality of the Canon.

My only complaint is the mode dial. It’s very loose so it gets rotated easily while in the camera case. I almost never take the camera out and find the dial in the position I left it at. Moreover, it can be rotated 360 degrees, and 1/3 of that has no modes. The dial should have been designed with hard stops at the first and last modes.

Highly recommend this camera to anyone who wants a powerful camera in a small body.

Smart camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great camera, what I mostly appreciate is its AI mode, it’s easy to use and very precise adjusting the camera’s light and colors controls for each situation. I must say great lenses and the optical zooming works quite nice.

Ideal to take to a trip, portraits pictures and some landscape pictures. If you don’t need the features of an SLR I think is the best compact you can buy at reasonable price.

LCD screen broke ridiculously quickly
Rating:1 out of 5 stars

Great camera. I liked it a lot – it took really nice photos and movies, looks nice, easy to use, good. Or at least, that was my initial impression until after having it for about 8 days, the lcd screen developed a whole bunch of blurred, distorted lines and a black section. Making the lcd screen, and hence the camera, useless.

And i have not dropped it, or really manhandled it in any way – unless keeping the camera in a bag with just itself is manhandling when i took it down to the park for some photos, or leaving it on a shelf is somehow manhandling it. And that’s pretty weak if so. I don’t know what the camera problem is, the lcd screen itself isn’t cracked in any way, but whatever is under it is very very broken.

[Aside] Called amazon, and they put me through to jewellery repairs team, who weren’t there. So that was… um, not very useful?

Good Price/ Good Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I looked some time for the perfect camera with point/ shoot +features for my wife. We’ve had the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10MP Digital Camera < a month and I am pleased with the performance of this camera as compared with several other brand models in the same price bracket (within +/- $70 difference in price). In addition to function, which is really what you're looking to buy!, this camera feels solid and has a good 'feel' or weight to it.

I find the controls easy to access/ operate. The size of the view screen is great. Onscreen menu navigation is quick and predictable for the most part. The video feature works really well also.

Read the other more thorough reviews – they speak for this great camera!

Camera was delivered on time without any problems.

Well Done Panasonic
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My family has had a DSLR for the past 4 years. It is a great Canon EOS Rebel, but portability and taking a spontaneous photo is not a strong suit. We have purchased two different great HDTVs from Panasonic and really didn’t consider them for this purchase initially, as they are not what I consider to be a “real” camera company.

We did a lot of research before making this purchase. We looked at Best Buy, Target, Sam’s Club, HH Gregg, and looked throughout 4 different online resellers (including Amazon). After finding the top 5 cameras, we did more research on ratings of each at Amazon, plus many other sites. We also went to independent websites focused on camera reviews. CNet was another that was very helpful of seeing videos on each camera. After looking at a specific website, they mentioned this Panasonic as a great camera. We were able to eliminate one of our top 5 and added this to the list. CNet gave a lukewarm review of this, but most of the smaller independent sites loved it. I wasn’t particularly impressed by the CNet reviewer as all of her reviews took a negative tone (this was more positive a review).

We were able to find every camera at a local retailer, but this Panasonic. Ease of use is important, but let’s face it, picture quality is more important than anything else. Most digital cameras come out grainy or, in some cases, so clear that people look nearly transparent (and really require a little softening). The only camera we found in the $250 – $400 price range with great picture quality was the Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1. It is a point-and-shoot, but it is a hybrid between a DSLR and point-and-shoot. Really what this means is it isn’t something you can easily slip into your pocket. It also relies on Sony’s proprietary “memory stick” technology which doesn’t fit into a computer without an adapter (easy to lose), not something sold at all retailers, and tends to be a bit more expensive. We really liked the camera, but these are concerns.

Now to this camera. We decided to take the leap based purely on suggestions online. A big leap. The camera is small, functional, lightweight, and also takes digital video. It has to auto picture-taking settings (standard and intelligent auto) with 3 additional settings that you can set (shutter speeds, etc. for specific types of settings). We have yet to use the manual settings, but have found the other two settings to be quite good. The pictures are clear, but soft enough where the pictures look great and print well. The videos have a great quality, can zoom during recording (most can’t), and taking multiple photos in a row wasn’t a problem. More than 90% of the photos turned out great, but we suspect the only photos needed for manual settings are extreme low-light (but even concerts look great) and for true close-up action photos. Overall, this is definitely superior to most, if not all point-and-shoots in the price range, and definitely worth the risk.

Brick and mortar stores are foolish not to carry this camera, but I would suspect this camera would raise the bar for most of the horrible point-and-shoots they carry on the low cost side. If you are considering a camera for under $200, do yourself a favor and wait another couple weeks for the money to purchase this one.

Great point and shoot!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera for my dad. I got to use it for about 10 days. Wow has so many features my big DSLR has. The superzoom is really nice to have. Some settings you cant use it although. The HD videos are great, takes up whole screen on PC and looks very clear. Suggest a tripod for this. I think with 8 gig card it said 105 minute video could be taken at highest setting.

The lens is very nice, the burst mode is a very nice feature to have.Pictures are very clear and vibrant. Plus the lens is wide angle.

I have the canon powershot sd850 an the Lumix is so much better. I want it for me now.

Nice Camera; Amazon Cust Service aweful!!!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve only had this camera for a short time, and I’m still learning it’s features. So far, I love it! However, after I purchased the camera, the price kept falling, and falling. Amazon Customer Service would NOT refund the price difference! So buyer beware… I lost thirty bucks, and Amazon left a bad taste in my mouth. Don’t expect to plead your case; they won’t even write back! Get the camera, but watch the price for a while and shop around!

Great videos, but disappointing pictures
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Pros:

Takes sharp pictures

Leica lens

25mm wide angle

12X Zoom

Pocketsize

HD movies with stereo sound

Optical zoom while videoing

Can resize picture from 10MP to 7MP, 5MP, 3MP, 2MP, to .3MP

Cons:

Colors are off and washed out

Weak flash

Grainy pictures in low light

Flash fires twice before shots (confusing and annoying)

Short battery life

I needed a camera that takes nice and sharp pictures with at least 10X zoom and decent videos with optical zoom. I passed up the Canon Powershot SX200IS because it didn’t have optical zoom when taking videos. The ZS3 had everything I was looking for–sharp pictures, long zoom, great video with optical zooming and stereo sound, small size, wide angle, etc., except the picture quality is not so good. I tried out this camera at my grand niece’s birthday party and everyone came out pale-looking especially when I used the flash. I tried out all the settings and compared the images side by side with the images I took with my old Canon SD800IS, and the Canon beat out the Panasonic except for the sharpness–the Panasonic do take sharp pictures. However the colors on the Canon came out more vibrant than on the Panasonic, which came out dull and washed out. Sure the Panasonic takes sharp pictures and nice HD videos with stereo sound, but overall the still images to me are not good. Also, the camera is too fragile to carry around without a case, I was always afraid of scratching the LCD or dropping it because of its smooth body.

After two weeks of use, I returned the Panasonic to Amazon. This is the third Panasonic camera that I had bought and returned because of poor image quality. The first and second were the FX07 and FX50 two years ago, I see Panasonic’s image quality has not improved much. I guess I’ll stick with Canon and wait until they come out with a new model that has everything that I’m looking for.

Great compact camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought this camera for my wife for Christmas. She loves it and brings it everywhere. Camera is very easy to use, takes great pictures

Very nice camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It’s a great camera. Compact yet very powerful. My wife and I used it during our trip to Rocky Mountains and Arches National Park. The camera took perfect pictures. 12x zoom is very powerful (we could take close pictures of Delicate Arch in the Arches without hiking 3 miles to the Arch itself ). It took great close-up pictures of flowers, plants etc.

The “iA mode” is smart and correctly detects the mode to be used (although at a few times we used some manual setting like turning off flash etc). Great movie mode as well!

Overall, it’s a very nice camera if you want compact yet powerful camera with not too many manual settings.

We love this camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you are thinking about a DSLR but are not sure you will use it enough to justify the money, or take the time to master all the settings required, stop shopping and buy this camera. Besides that you can put it in your pocket and have it ready at a moments notice.

It takes amazing pictures. There is so much more depth, crispness, and color to our pictures compared to our two year old Canon that was $400 new. Also, it is simple. Every pic we have taken is on the Intelligent Auto mode just point and shoot. I don’t understand the lens but the range is amazing. You will have fun with this camera.

I do find myself taking more pictures because they are turning out so great. Also, several people have complained about the battery, we had no trouble on a recent trip to Disney. We did not shoot any video though.

Awesome Camera packed with features
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love my ZS3. First of all, I am not a camera person. I don’t want to have to go to school to learn how to operate a camera. I want a point and shoot that takes great pictures with only a push of the button from me. I want a camera that forgives my shaky hands. I want a camera that can figure out the best way to to take the picture without me going through a ton of menus trying to figure out what they mean–and missing the perfect shot. AND, I want a camera I can throw in my purse and not really know it is there.

I began my pursuit of the perfect camera in February of this year. I started with a bias towards sony as I have always had a sony. So, I purchased the top of the line sony point and shoot that wasn’t a touch screen. Let’s just say, I was horribly, horribly, horribly disappointed and would rather have a 35 mm disposable than that camera. Panasonic had great reviews and camera people that I spoke to spoke highly of it. But at that time, the tz5 was out and not this. I found out about this and waited and waited. I was holding out for this camera over the tz5 because the zoom was greater and the video allowed you to zoom while you were taking it. So, I can’t compare this to the TZ5 in real life–just from what I read.

I haven’t had this camera very long so I can’t give tons of detail. But one thing that struck me was that I was able to take a beautiful picture of my family about 15 feet away when the lights were very dim in the room. The sony couldn’t even do that when the lights were bright in the room. I didn’t expect that of this camera–after all, it is just a point and shoot with a simple flash. I was blown away.

The other thing that I loved is that I took shot after shot, close up, far away, zoom, and macro. I left the camera on the intelligent setting and it took each picture great. I had one picture that was slightly blurry but i think it was my dogs fault because he was moving some. Although it is quite possible that someone with better picture taking skills would have gotten a fine shot.

I hooked the camera up to my mac via the included cable and effortlessly downloaded the pictures into iphoto. I have not yet figured out the process for downloading video to the mac–although based on other reviews here, it can be done. I am looking forward to being able to do that. the video this camera took seemed superior to my camcorder (but it is about 5 years old). More importantly, for me, is the fact that I don’t have to miss video shots because i didn’t lug my camcorder around.

Another thing to note is that if you change the size of the MP, you can increase the optical zoom. With 10MP it zooms 12X but with 3 MP (i think), it zooms 21 times. Since I don’t take pictures so that I can blow them up to poster size, reducing the MP isn’t a problem for me. And I can see great benefit to having 21X OPTICAL zoom.

Over the last few months of searching for the perfect camera I have read many reviews, talked to many people and I certainly feel that I have made a wise decision. I also think it is worth every penny–even if you have to pay full retail price.

I did choose to get the extended warranty because with the TZ5 there were some reports of the shutter not always opening or the zoom breaking. I never got the impression it was a large amount of cameras with the problem but I didn’t want to risk it. I haven’t heard those same reports with the ZS3, but it is still very new so I wanted to be cautious.

UPDATE: after playing with the camera another day, we discovered the AF locking feature. I don’t know what that means and don’t care to look in the manual–but what it does is astounding. you push the button to lock in on the subject object you want to get a picture of. the subject can be moving–i moved my head around in circles nonstop, rocked back and forth, etc. and the picture took a clear picture of me–how did that happen? I didn’t stop moving. Then we tried it while making the camera go in circles but the object stayed in place. we also bounced the camera–again, clear pictures—-WOW. You could take great pictures while riding a bumpy train! I didn’t know about this feature when I bought the camera and I have to say that this is an awesome, exciting surprise!! I can’t wait to find out if there are any more!

Also, I was able to turn off the sound through the menu and I don’t notice the motor motor noise zooming in and out since then. I also turned off the sound effect of it clicking when taking a picture. Some people complained about the zooming sound and it was loud out of the box. Instructions for turning off the noise is in the instruction booklet in an easy to understand way.

After using this camera, I have discovered how much I was missing by not having a wide angle lens. this is the widest angle lens that I could find on point and shoot cameras. I didn’t realize how much of the shot I missed with just a regular lens until I compared it to this.

This is such an awesome camera, I wish everyone could have one.

I like it better than the FujiFilm F200EXR
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After using the FujiFilm F200EXR for over a month I was a bit envious of the video and all of the automatic features on the ZS3. I loved the shots the F200EXR took in Dynamic Range mode. They are probably the best for any point and shoot, however I simply found the F200EXR to be “dumb” in automatic mode. I was always having to adjust the ISO manually because it took the approach the everything was moving in lower light situations. If you are willing to use manual settings all the time, which gets old for me, the F200EXR will take some of the best photos of any point and shoot, if of course you can get the settings changed before the shot is gone.

The ZS3 is much different. It is smart. It can detect if the subject and/or the camera is moving and will increase the ISO only as needed. I’ve taken shots indoors and out and it does pretty well at choosing the right settings. It even chose night scenery mode automatically one night when I set the camera on a table and used the timer. It detected that both it and subject were not moving and used a slow shutter speed. Who needs manual settings with a camera this smart. I was afraid I might miss them, but not yet.

I also enjoyed the burst function this weekend watching BMX stunt riders at an outdoor Fair. I just couldn’t time it right to capture them in the air and I turned on full resolution burst mode and got some incredible 10MP shots of stunts in the air.

It also works well with my Panasonic Blu-Ray player since I can put the card directly into the player to view video or images on my LCD TV.

The video is not bad either. I’m thinking about getting a Elgato H.264HD dongle for my Mac to deal with the AVCHD feature. You won’t regret buying this camera.

Awesome point and shoot
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Purchased this camera for times when I don’t want to carry my Nikon D80. I have found this camera to be great for almost all purposes. The Intelligent Auto setting produces very good images in most situations. The individual settings are quite good. The only drawback is that there is no way to set manual aperture and shutter speed, but I have not found that a drawback in the settings where I use this camera.

Has a very nice, bright LCD, and the 12x zoom is great. Images are sharp through most of the range of the lens, which is Leica glass. Shoots HD video, which I have yet to use.

Lumix DMC-ZS3
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Camera is very good. Only complaint….it’s too easy to turn the knob on the right top of the camera.

Changes regarding the color of the CAMERA
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have a question, I want to buy this camera, DMC-ZS3, but in RED, and I want to know if the specifications are the same for all models disregarding the color one likes!!! when you check the data in details and manufacture description there are different stuff written for black and red…. but the price is the same… I wanted in RED can someone please tell me if I’ll get the same camera describe in the black online page of the product in amazon!

Thanks

An amazing point and shoot — probably the best you can get
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
First, I want to preface this by saying I mostly shoot with a professional dSLR, so to me, Image Quality is the most important aspect of photography — but I will be the first to say that there are times that I would never lug around a dSLR — to an amusement park, a family picnic, a night out with friends, a weekend at the beach, a walk with the dog…

I had been using a Canon G9 as my backup camera for point-and-shoot situations, but over the last couple years I have had many situations where it has been just too heavy and as cumbersome as bringing along my dSLR…I looked at the G10, which was even heavier and even bigger!. Hm….

Having played around with several top of the line compact point-and-shoots, and having even bought a few of them and returned them, there was nothing that I deemed high Image Quality until I read all the reviews on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 coming out of Europe and Asia (who had it before we did under a different name)…I couldn’t want to try it – and BOY was the wait worth it.

This camera produces far and away the best Image Quality I have ever seen on a small point-and-shoot that is lightweight, small, and has an amazing 12x zoom. It’s 1/2 the size of the Canon G10. But the real test came when I took the camera to a weekend at Cedar Point and got daytime as well as nighttime shots that were simply stunning. While you can’t really set any of the manual settings, there are plenty of shooting modes, but right out of the box, the camera has the “smarts” to just take great photos – auto setting the ISO, auto setting the shutter and aperture settings as needed, and just having a “knack” to produce sharp and brilliant jpg photos (there is no Raw setting for those who want it — I don’t so I am perfectly happy). Photos of neon lit roller coasters and LED light strewn trees at night just looked amazing, all hand-held, all just a snap. Putzing a bit with the scene modes gives you a little bit of creativity with flash — but it’s hardly necessary.

This camera now stays in my work messenger bag 24/7 for photos on the fly. It simply has stunning IQ, photos are sharp and well exposed, and I can not recommend it more.

Re-reading this starts to sound like an advertisement for the camera! You can read through my reviews and see that I primarily shoot only with Nikon equipment, occasional Canon equipment. This Panasonic camera is just a total surprise. It shouldn’t be – since people have been touting how great Panasonic’s point and shoots have been for years to me, but seeing is believing.

I wish I could give it 6 stars. Nothing else compares. One word of warning: the camera is massively underproduced so it is out of stock most places — look around and you should be able to find it – don’t pay the over-inflated prices that some people are gauging because they know how popular this camera now is, and are asking 4 – 5x the asking price. The list price is 399.99 — anything over that is price gauging.

I got mine through pre-order, and paid about 349.00 for it through a reputable dealer.

Poor picture quality
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I ordered this camera due to its ability to zoom while making movies, and due to the very positive reviews I read on the web. However, I was rather disappointed by the poor picture quality, and I decided to return it.

We have older Canon cameras, such as an A620 and an A720, as well as a Panasonix LX3. Compared to those cameras, the picture quality of the ZS3 leaves much to be desired. Even at ISO 80, the strong noise reduction smears the fine detail, while leaving behind visible artifacts. This was very noticeable, for instance, on the shaded portions of people faces. There is little texture left in the skin, and yet, the noise reduction leaves behind artifacts that look like a mix of sparse grain, and pockmarks.

The results were very much a negative suprise. The sensor of the ZS3 is of similar size as the sensor of the Canon A720, and the A720 being two years or so older, we expected the ZS3 to be at least as good, if not better. The converse is true: the A720 gives very good quality photos at base ISO, and up to ISO 200, while the ZS3 even at base ISO produces poor results.

It was very surprising to us that this camera, which received such good reviews, would be so disappointing.

We are somewhat experienced photographers, and we own several cameras, from the afore-mentioned Canon A620, A720 and Panasonic LX3, to various DSLRs.

Great video + still camera.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We bought this camera to serve as both a digital camera and camcorder to capture moments where an SLR or Video camera was not available. We looked at buying the Flip or other cameras in that category before settling on this one. Would recommend to others looking for combined functionality.

The video & sound quality are great. Two small microphones do a good job picking up sound & voice. Indoor shooting quality is great, zoom works well and the videos are in HD. In very low light the video quality suffers but this is to be expected with a product in this bracket.

The still images are high quality. We havent figured out a good setting for indoor photographs yet. Under the same lighting we are getting better video than stills which ran contrary to our expectations.

12x optical zoom. Sign me up!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I wanted a 10-12x zoom capability without carrying around a big SLR type camera. After doing my research I got down to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 (the ZS1 has a smaller screen so I took that one out), the Samsung HZ15W and the Casio EX-H10. After reading reviews on c-net and elsewhere I ended up picking this Panasonic. I’m so glad I did.

Aside from the 12x zoom (which I’ve been playing with since I got the camera and it works great), I like the burst mode feature. This camera also takes great indoor pictures. I very much like the pictures in low light situations (a vast improvement over my Sony Cybershot T-77).

Unlike some others I don’t believe this camera is pocket sized, maybe your jacket pocket but certainly not your pants. Like I said, I also own a the Cybershot T-77. THAT is a very small pocked sized camera but the pictures it takes pale in comparison to the Panasonic (apples and oranges I know, but that’s what I can compare it to).

Overall I’m extremely pleased with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. It’s comfortable to hold, the screen is bright, the pictures are excellent, there are plenty of options for taking those pictures, face recognition, burst mode and of course the zoom. LOVE the 12x zoom.

Good camera… Should come with a case.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Overall this is a pretty good camera. Picture quality is good and it has good video quality. I would totally recommend this camera to anybody interested in a good, solid, good quality camera. My only recommendation is for the cost, it should come with a case. I’ve been looking for cases, but they’re all too small.

Great camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera takes excellent pictures. The colors are vibrant and crisp. It is easy to use and for the amount of zoom, it is rather compact. It fits easily into my back pocket. One downfall is the shutter button is to the left of the settings dial so you have to reach over that to take pictures, but you get used to it. The settings dial moves out of place easily, but it’s minor. My biggest complaint is that you aren’t able to upload video files directly from the camera. I found online that you have to put your memory card into a memory card reader to transfer video files. I don’t know why Panasonic did this. When it comes down to it, I am extremely pleased with the camera overall. The zoom is the main reason why I wanted a new camera and even when zoomed all the way, the pictures are still fantastic.

Panasonic lumix ZS3
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a very nice camera in this price class. It takes consistently better photos than my Canon or Kodak point and shoot models. The bright 3 inch screen is very nice and the cameras metal body feels very well made. The only negative I have found is that the mode wheel on top is near the shoot button and will get moved by accident. You will know when this happens as it will say “mode wheel in wrong position” on the view screen when it happens. Not a deal breaker as this is minor and overall the camera is far above average. I also own the ZS1. It is very similar without the fancy movie mode and it has a slightly smaller LCD screen. It is also a very nice camera. Don’t hesitate to buy the ZS3 as there is nothing better at this price.

It’s All About Expectations
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We were upgrading from a camera that was at least 5 years old and did **lots** of research both online and in stores. We wanted a megazoom camera that would take good video, and we wanted one that performed well in low light. We are adventurous but still amateur photographers, so we needed a camera with a good automatic setting but also plenty of manual options. After an extensive search in the $200-$300 price range we came down to just a few cameras, and this one won out. We’d read about the ACVHD video problem – that you can only play it on TV and can’t post it online – but were encouraged by the fact that there was an alternative (non-HD) mode and that there was a zoom option during video recording. We knew it was a little larger than the ultracompact cameras but were satisfied that it was smaller than our old camera. We knew there was at least one other camera out there that probably had better low-light performance but we figured it would be much better than what we were dealing with at the time. (We were right.) And we were excited about the awesome viewfinder on the Lumix DMC-ZS3. It was crucial to read the reviews on websites like this – they all brought up good points. Some people gave the camera only 1 star because of the HD video issue; some mentioned the same problem and gave it 5 stars. This is not a standardized system; these are people’s opinions (and this is mine). Because we knew what to expect and what ‘imperfections’ to anticipate, we have been completely satisfied. There have been no surprises. This camera delivers the kind of quality and performance you should expect to get from a $200-$300 gadget in 2009. I obviously haven’t owned any of its competitors, but I cannot imagine they would be significantly better.

In summary, if you go looking for problems you’ll always find them. If that’s the kind of consumer you are then you won’t be satisfied unless you spend at least twice what this camera costs. But if you have realistic expectations this camera will easily surpass them.

A terrific camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We just returned from Zambia Africa, and I could not have asked for a more perfect camera, both stills and video.

We were in Zambia on a missions trip, part of which was a dedication service for a church. I had not used the video feature, but found myself using it to record most of the service, including much beautiful praise music in English and Tonga. I brought 1×4GB and 2×8GB SD cards, and a spare battery. This combination proved up to the task, and I was able to cover the high spots of what turned out to be a 6 hour event. Additionally, we visited Victoria Falls and the Chobe National Park in Botswana, and again was able to get a good combination of video and stills.

Now that I am home and able to look at the results, I am very pleased. Video, stills and audio are very good.

Bottom line! A great camera, and one I highly recommend.

Great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
So far i really love this camera..I am still learning what all it does..but screen is large..camera is small and pictures are great..just what I was looking for..

Just what I was looking for
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased a previous model of this camera, the DMC-TZ5K and returned it because the audio was so poor in movie mode and the low light performance was sub-par. (Amazon handled the return no problem.) The audio on the ZS3 is awesome and the low-light performance is improved. I have been researching compact point and shoot cameras for a while now and eagerly awaited the arrival of this model. Purists insist that video cameras are the only way to shoot decent video, but I find that hybrid P&S cameras are less intimidating to subjects so people tend to behave more naturally than when I whip out a dedicated videocam. Plus, it is easy to carry. I compile a lot of movies on my Mac for east coast friends and family to commemorate their visits to our California home and the ZS3 is easy to work with. I can shoot (and archive) in AVCHD lite mode and Imovie 09 (Mac) can import the video directly from the memory card, although it has to convert the footage to a different format it can edit. The camera also shoots in JPEG mode for those whose editing software can’t process AVCHD lite. I was very happy with the quality of video I shot with my Sony subcompact, but the proprietary Sony memory card and incompatibility with Mac software without converting the footage on my PC (to retain the audio) were deal killers when it came to upgrading the Sony with an HD video model. The camera has a lot more features than I even care to understand, but I like the fact that you can switch to video mode with the touch of an easily accessible button. MY MAIN COMPLAINT about the ZS3 is that it takes a few seconds for the movie mode to engage after pressing the record button, and I have had to learn to wait for the indicator on the LCD screen to tell me I am in record mode before shooting. When I reviewed my footage the first few times I realized I hadn’t been recording sometimes when I thought I was and was sometimes recording when I thought I wasn’t. Very frustrating. The camera should be quicker to respond when switching modes. The Lumix also has proprietary batteries, which is expensive. I gave up trying to order an AC adaptor, since I couldn’t find a vendor, including Panasonic’s own website, where I could buy the expensive 2 piece (sold separately) adaptor. Fortunately, since my Mac was able to read the memory card directly through IMovie 09 (NOT IMovie HD) I didn’t have to worry about burning up battery power uploading the video from the camera itself. The battery life is decent BUT BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN ORDERING EXTRA BATTERIES. I ordered the wrong ones from Amazon the first time, because the description of what Panasonic cameras these NON-COMPATIBLE Panasonic batteries (DMW-BCF10) fit was misleading in the description. I returned these two I ordered directly from Amazon with no problem, but had to get the correct ones from another vendor (but through Amazon) and pay a little shipping (I am a Prime member). Unlike many of the reviewers I did get the correct battery the second time , but that company, inspiretech, does not seem to be selling these batteries through Amazon now. The CORRECT BATTERY, the DMW-BCG10PP, is now listed as available through Amazon by Vortex Cable. Presumably Amazon switched vendors for better reliability. Way to be responsive, Amazon!

Pros: Picture/video quality, audio quality, uses standard SD/SDHC memory cards, compatibility/ease of use with Mac, size, 12X zoom, size, decent battery life, two modes to shoot HD video, wide-angle Leica lens, facial recognition, image stabilization

Cons: Slow to switch from picture to movie mode, some accessories hard to find, proprietary battery

Coulda’ been a great camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 has the promise to be a great Camera.

First the bad news:

1. A huge downside is that “Panasonic” installed firmware in the camera so that only Official Panasonic batteries will work in it. Panasonic’s excuse of being concerned about battery “safety” is crap! It’s all about PROFIT! Battery life is quite short and only one battery comes with the camera. So, those who buy this camera will need to buy an additional battery. Adding insult to injury, Panasonic has such contempt for their customers that they aren’t making enough of their own “Chinese-made Panasonic batteries” to meet the demand (that they created) and are keeping the price high.

2. Good luck in using AVCHD lite to shoot HD movies. Here’s a codec that won’t work with any DVD’s, HDTV’s and computers that don’t already have the AVCHD codec installed. Just by coincidence, newer Panasonic TV’s do. Having your HD movies in AVCHD is akin to trying to view a Sony Betamax videotape on a VHS player. All through the instructions, there is the repeated warning that you can’t play AVCHD encoded movies on almost anything but Panasonic equipment. Seems that the same VP who came up with the “Panasonic Only” battery firmware was in charge of this as well.

3. Selecting the appropriate choice in SCN1, SCN2 or SCN3 is very time-consuming, requiring the user to know all the variables associated with each choice.

4. All the warnings about where NOT to use the camera (no dust, moisture, heat, etc.) make it seem like this camera was only designed to be used in an indoor mall.

5. Can’t shoot photos in RAW.

Now the good points:

1. Love that 12X optical zoom – but you definitely need a tripod to stabilize the camera at anything over 4X zoom. I picked up a Gorillapod GP1 and it is great.

2. On Automatic function, the camera is pretty quick to acquire the subject and keeps it in focus while framing the shot. (this probably accounts for much of the reduced battery life)

3. Good feel in the hand, but a little “rubbery grip” strip for the thumb on the back would be a good idea.

4. The flash is located where it’s unlikely to be obstructed by a finger.

5. Red eye elimination works well – so far.

6. The ZS3 processor does a good job when using the flash where the foreground is lighter than the background. Although it slows down the shutter, in most cases the whole of the image is evenly exposed with no blurring.

7. Love the wide angle Leica lens.

8. The camera itself is made in Japan

Great Videos, Potrait photos no good
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Pros:

Video awesome.

Cons:

Two deal breakers:

a) Tends to oversaturate skin tones.

Gives people an unnatural tanned look. If that’s what you’re after, this might work for you.

b) The Automatic white balancing feature doesn’t handle fluoroscent lighting. So if you’re trying to take photographs indoors with those light saving bulbs, the camera won’t really work. (Again, there’s a workaround, but it’s painful (involves scaning a white card and setting the AWB manually).

c) Flash doesn’t work very well. The whole AWB goes for a toss if you need to use the flash indoors. Combine that with b) and it’s really like having no flash inside.

d) Takes too long to take a photo: Everytime you take a photo, people start moving around before the photo is taken. Why? Because it uses two flashes, probably one for Red Eye Reduction, and the second for the actual photo.

Other Minor issue: Camera is too small for my hands. So I dropped it the day I bought it so I can’t return it.

In summary: This camera is just plain annoying. I could live with every other thing, if it captures skin tones ok. I’m going to sell this one. I’ve had better luck with the $150 Canon SD1200 IS.

Watch out Canon – Panasonic has the Right Stuff!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Who would have belived that this little marvel would put a high-end Canon to shame! I got a top of the line Canon this summer for recording my week at Disney and was very excited about the HD video and all of those mega-pixels. Long story short, the Canon was a flop and it got returned (paying the restocking fee at BB was bad, but the camera was worse) so a long time loyal Canon fan was in the market again. Thanks to the shoppers here at Amazon, I decided to try this camera – the reviews were just too good (and I can always return it, right?) No way would I want to return this great little camera! Pictures are clear and look great. The HD video is replacing my old Sony video camera – wonderful from a pocket sized camera. The zoom lens is also much better than I expected – love it! The software is so-so, so I use some higher end software but everything else just rocks. This camera lives in my purse now and is getting alot of use with my kids activities and events. I like the solid feel of the camera, too – the metal and paint job give it a slight texture that does not feel like it is going to slip. Very pretty blue, too.

No EVF a big problem
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
It’s probably unfair to write a review after only one day’s ownership, especially a work day, but here are a few thoughts.

12x zoom in a pocket camera is an amazing thing. Whatever other camera(s) you own, this is the one you can take everywhere.

And while the 65x zoom available with combined optical/digital doesn’t produce pictures that you’d want to show anywhere, it’s certainly fun for spying on people. I was even able to see people at the top of the Empire State building taken from the street, 10 blocks away.

Polarized sunglasses can make the screen disappear in bright sunshine. (Do wish this camera had a viewfinder.)

27 scene modes cover most conditions, but they’re on 2 separate screens, and the first has modes such as “baby” and “pet” (which I don’t need) while “burst” and “flash burst” are on the second screen Wish one could move them around.

Tried flash burst in a pretty dark room and didn’t work very well, pictures were much darker than with normal flash, though the camera’s flash refreshes fairly quickly so you can take a series of pictures with full flash almost as fast as in burst mode. Didn’t try burst flash in a room with some lights on, yet. One of my reasons for wanting this camera is to be able to take candid pictures in a party situation and my old Sony H-5 just takes too long and I’d miss more pictures than I’d get.

I’ll add to this review after I use the camera a bit more.

UPDATE: I’ve had the camera for about a month now and just returned from a weekend in Wash DC. The weather was gorgeous, not a cloud in the sky, and that was the problem. Without a viewfinder, I ended up taking lots of shots just guessing because I couldn’t see the screen because of the glare. You want to take pictures with the sun behind you, lighting up the subject of your shot, but that means the sun is shining onto the screen, thus making it almost useless. It actually turns into a mirror. If you focus, you can barely see through the picture of your own face and see a dim outline of what you’re shooting and hope for the best. This is not really acceptable. Otherwise the camera is great. The wide angle allows you to get shots that would be impossible (the whole dome of the capitol from underneath it) and the 12 x zoom is great and the HD movies are great, but taking pix in sunlight is what everyone needs to do. I did not try making the screen brighter, and I will play around with this next time I’m in sun and not with family, but the glare off the screen was so bad that I can’t see that making a difference. I have a protective shield on the screen. Maybe they make one that acts as “sunglasses.” I’ll have to check. I don’t know why Panasonic chose not to put an EVF but this was a major blunder and while there aren’t a lot of point and shoots with 12 x zooms to choose from out there, you might want to wait for one that has an EVF.

This works for me!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I wanted a nice camera to replace an older Panasonic that I bought at Target on sale for 100 bucks three years ago. The old one was okay but I was never able to get great pics and the optical zoom was only 3x so I decided to look for something better. I wanted something that did not need me to make decisions so manual controls were not important. I wanted lots of zoom and the best video capabilities for vacations and family events coming up. And I wanted something that could fit into my purse when going on the town. I landed on the Cannon, Samsung and Panasonic Superzooms, as cnet calls them. I really liked what I heard about the Sony H20 but the size was just too much. After knocking out the Cannon based on reviews and that pop up flash it has, I got the Samsung because it was cheaper than the Panasonic. It was fine but bulky and I just didn’t like it for purely unexplainable subjective reasons. I didn’t like the size and the menus didn’t feel intuitive, to me. Returned it and got the Panasonic and I love it.

The size, feel, menus and features all fit what I wanted. I have used it outside and indoors and it works well for me. Much better than my older camera but I guess that is to be expected. I have trouble with purples but I have been told by a photographer friend of mine that it is a very difficult color for any camera to capture. Indoor low light isn’t the best but I think that is just something to be expected with point and shoots. Macro shots are really great. I can really see the difference in details between this and my older camera. I took it to a body building show and was able to zoom up close and get great shots. The camera was quick enough to get a shot as the competitors moved through their poses. I took about 300 shots that night and used 1 of three bars of battery energy. I use the flash very rarely because I seem to get the best results without it. I keep this camera in my purse and it goes everywhere i do. i take so many more pictures now and they much better. Mission accomplished.

There is a well talked about problem with sourcing extra batteries. I know some people find the situation to be highly irritating but I really couldn’t care less. This is not a problem for me as I have not yet depleted the battery during use (300 shots at bodybuilding show is about as much as I would use it in a day) and am close enough to electrical outlets each night to recharge if needs be. Were I to lose my battery I would start to care very quickly about this problem:)

nice package
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
loose dial “problem”- it is not really loose, but it can sometimes not be fully seated and a message immediately appears that sets you straight. perhaps some of these are better than others in this regard. mine is fine.

avchd lite – I wish I had the Mac that other people supposedly have because avchd definitely plays at double speed on my laptop. It’s interesting to watch people’s lips finish sentences at twice the speed that their voices are talking.(mac does not have a way to recognize the 30fps rate of “lite” and plays it at 60fps) If it is going on a computer,(Windows doesn’t recognize the videos at all) JPEG is the only way to go (and it of course is an easily available on the ZS-3) I have googled this for several weeks and cannot find anyone who has a real solution to the avchd problem, if problem it is.

flash – flash pictures are not a strength of this camera in my experience. A lot of multiple attempts to get good exposure, so much for spontaneity!

in every other respect, a very nice concept, wide angle, big zoom, very solid build, easy access to video use (once you figure out where the button is), pictures play great on my panasonic hd tv. I would definitely purchase it again.

BEST ON THE MARKET!! COST VERY INEXPENSIVE!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
WOW!!! PURCHASE Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 $239 FREEE SHIPPING!!!!!!!!!!!

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 meets all the positive reveiws written. Expert reweiw from [...]. Video was great! But use indoors have enough lighting to bring out colors and clarity. If you shoot with low or normal lighting video appears dark. ENJOY AND HAVE FUN !!!!

Suggestion: 1. Transcend 16 GB Class 6 SDHC Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6E fast and penty of storage.

2. Tripp Lite Mini-HDMI to HDMI Cable (6 feet) $1.96 plus shipping works great!

3. Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 ClearTouch Crystal Screen Protector (Single Pack) $6.95 plus shipping Fits perfect had no trouble with bubbles or dust clean surface and lcd completely will do the job.

4. Joby GP1-D1EN Gorillapod Flexible Tripod (Grey) What a great tripod! mini and flexible $21.95 free shipping.

5.[...] I kept wondering about reveiws on battery purchase and worry about 1.2 version firmware. No problem! went to bestbattery website found DMW-BCG10 Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery (For All Firmware Versions) for Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR1 DMC-ZS1 DMC-ZS3. Battery cost $16.75 plus shipping $4.78 fast delivery. I put this battery in camera first and work fine!!!

6. SqaureTrade 3-Year Camera Warranty: Cameras/Camcorders $250-$300

Well organized website. $34.95

7. Lowepro Rezo 30 (Black) Carring case useful $11.18 free shipping

Good Camera but very poor Battery Life
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Have been using the camera for 2 weeks now. The camera works great, great zoom, easy to handle, video quality much improved, but the battery goes dead very quickly. On top of that you need to be an engineer to be able to buy a replacement battery unless you want to wait for 2 months and buy the original Panasonic battery for US$ 59. Still the camera is good, just do not plan on shooting a lot with just one battery.

Decent camera with lot to offer!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was desperately looking for a camera with wider zoom in smaller size.. and this camera was an answer to my requirements but what really impressed me was its decent night time photographs with and without flash!!

Just came back from my Vegas trip and managed to capture night pics of comparable quality with my previous camera (panasonic FZ5) and a camera stand minus half weight, half size and stand.

Most of the people have already gone over the technical details so no point in reiterating it.

So far I am happy with my purchase and would highly recommend it!

VERY IMPRESSIVE!!!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My wife and I were looking at cameras last year and could not find anything. We even looked at last year’s version of this camera and were not impressed with it at all. It was slow, could not focus properly with the zoom out, and the picture quality was not good. But I have to say that this year’s version (ZS3) is one terrific little camera.

After taking our Disney Vacation and staying with our old camera (Sony DSC-V1), we really wish this camera would have been around last year. The Sony is actually a great camera for its time but just doesn’t cut it anymore. I considered the Fuji EXR, Canon PowerShot SX200IS, and a few Casio & Sony models.

I refuse to purchase anything from Sony that requires me to buy their useless memory sticks, Casio picture quality needs a lot of work, and Fuji was too slow in simple things like deleting a photo. THE FUJI EXR TAKES AMAZING PICTURES!!! But after looking around I preferred a bigger zoom and nice video recording. Video does not replace a quality camcorder but does quite nicely. Plus I like the mini-HDMI out the Panasonice has.

Panasonic took last years model and improved or corrected almost everything. The sport mode captures action images better than some dSLR cameras. The burst functions are incredible. The zoom works really well and focuses nicely. Picture quality is great as well. I was trying to choose between this camera and the Canon. Both great cameras for sure. The one thing that made me go with the Panasonic was the ease of use. My wife can not be bothered with making settings changes. The menu and navigation with this camera is a snap. Although, if you are somebody that wants manual settings controls, this is not the camera for you.

No camera this size is going to do everything; but this is a perfect little camera that is easy to carry anywhere and can catch a number of different pictures in a number of different settings.

It is what it is; a great and easy to use point & shoot that has a great lens and zoom that will take great auto pictures in most conditions.

FANTASTIC LITTLE CAMERA!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a terrific little camera. Small enough to fit in my quad glove box but it is very sturdily built. Takes great pictures and the anti-shake works very well. It’s easy to learn (easier than my both my Sony cameras) and the screen is absolutely gorgeous. My only trouble with it has been finding a way to watch the videos I’ve taken. So far, the only way I’ve been able to watch the videos is via QuickTime and since I am not an Apple lover, would like to figure a different way. I will work on that in the future.

I will be buying a second battery before we go on any extended vacation. The camera is terrific and does everything I need it to, but it does use up the small battery pretty quickly. However, the nifty little battery charger is small and efficient. It takes only about 2 hours to charge the battery!

All in all, I’d give it an A minus.

Nice camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is easy to use and it takes great pictures and movies with good sound.

great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am an amature with cameras.I stumbled through the instruction book and to my utter amazement every thing actually came out fine!No complaints on the camera. However it is impossible to buy an extra battery that works.

DMC-ZS3 or SX200 IS?
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
After ten years of digital photography with four different cameras, I was tired of lugging around a bag with a camera and its auxiliary lenses so I purchased a Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Elph and a Samsonite case that handily fits in my pants pocket. The SD850 takes stunning photos that far exceed what I expected from a subcompact before I bought one; however it has three major limitations: its lens is not wide angle; its maximum optical zoom is x4; and its manual controls are restricted. My “ideal” camera would be as small as my Elph, would have a wide angle lens with x10 or greater optical zoom, automatic and full manual controls, produce quality 8×10 images at as high an ISO as possible, and have an LCD screen bright enough to be used in full sunlight. (I seldom use flash and never use video so they are not important considerations.)

Some of the latest compact ultra-zoom cameras come close to my ideal. After extensive research, I narrowed my choice to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 and the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS. No doubt about it, reviews indicate that the DMC-ZS3 is the better point-and-shoot camera. What’s more it comes closer to meeting most of the specifications of my “ideal” camera: the DMC-ZS3 has a 25mm. wide angle lens compared with 28mm. for the SX200; it produces slightly better pictures at ISO 400 and higher; also the DMC-ZS3 has a brighter LCD screen with twice as many pixels; and it is 0.2 in. slimmer and ½ oz. lighter. Reviewers’ reservations about the DMC-ZS3 include the ease with which the mode selection wheel can slip accidentally to an unwanted setting and Panasonic’s mediocre image handling software.

I decided to purchase a DMC-ZS3 because, even though it lacks manual controls, it is superior to the SX200 on three factors that are very important to me–wider angle lens, smaller size, and superb LCD–but before placing my order, I looked at the properties of a sample of photos taken with my Elph over the past 12 months. Much to my surprise, many of my best shots were taken in manual mode at ISO 200; and most automatic shots of flowers, trees, and landscapes were taken with the foliage special scene setting, which is unique to Canon cameras. It gave me second thoughts about selecting the DMC-ZS3 rather than the SX200 so I looked at even more reviews and rankings.

When reading reviews, especially those of customers on vendor’s Websites such as Amazon.com, it is often difficult to separate a reviewer’s objectivity from subjectivity. Perhaps the most objective appraisals and rankings are found in Consumer Reports, but it has not yet examined either the DMC-ZS3 or the SX200. However, the July 2009 edition of Consumer Reports evaluated their immediate predecessors, the DMC-TZ5 and the SX110 IS; it ranked them equal in overall performance and awarded its coveted “best buy” rating to the SX110 as it was $60 cheaper than the DMC-TZ5. Granted, the DMC-ZS3 and the SX200 have new lenses, the SX200 body is a radical new design, and both models have other improvements, but it is probably not a big leap of faith to believe that their overall performance relative to each other is similar to that of preceding models, which means they are about equal.

I changed my decision and stayed with the Canon brand. The clinchers were the full manual controls of the SX200 and my familiarity with the controls and menus of Canon digital cameras and with Canon’s image handling and editing software; after all, there is a steep learning curve to mastery of digital cameras and photos. The DMC-ZS3 is the better choice for someone who is indifferent about manual controls and is willing to pay $100 (Amazon prices 6/19/09) more for a very intelligent compact point-and-shoot ultra-zoom camera that also delivers very good videos. My review of the SX200 was posted on Amazon on June 15.

November 5, 2009. The December 2009 ConsumerReports ranked the SX200IS #7 and the DMC-ZS3 #16 in its evaluation of Superzooms. In the CR tests, the SX200IS outperformed the DMC-ZS3 on dymanic range and highest ISO for a quality image without flash (ISO400 for the IS200IS and ISO200 for the DMC-ZS3), and the IS200IS has a complete set of manual controls.

THE POINT AND SHOOT OF 2009
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is the point and shoot to get if you want the highest zoom, great io features, in BOTH still and moving pictures! Wide angle lens and video compression that will allow you to record video until the memory is full!! It will change settings to allow for the best video, changing for low light, indoors, outdoors . .manually or automatically!! A true HD camcorder and digicam in one. I thought the Samsung hz15w / wb550 was going to be the one for me this year, but they have restricted recording times. This Panasonic rules. Just Add video LED and manual exposure control and we would be looking at 6 stars!

recommended with reservations
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Being used to DSLRs… this pocketable item never leaves my side for the unexpected unmissable shot.

Fortunately, the image quality is ok…. not great, but ok for most purposes.

The zoom of far too sensitive and the composing takes up a LOT of battery power.

I recommend this little camera for the traveller who wants to travel light and not miss any shots, but the

the battery life is not great and a replacement is not cheap…and Panasonic has done the dirty and fixed the

firmware so you cant get a third party replacement. Shame on you Panasonic… i will think twice abt buying

a Lumix camera again.

Super HD Video!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This review addresses only the HD video capabilities of this camera.

The picture quality of HD video from this camera on my 60 inch HDTV as played on a AVCHD-capable Blu-ray dvd player is simply amazing.

You can use ordinary dvds and an ordinary dvd burner to create your dvds – no blu-ray disks or burner are required – just an AVCHD-capable blu-ray player. All Sony and Panasonic and most other blu-ray players have this capability.

Just be sure to USE THE SOFTWARE INCLUDED with the camera to download to your computer AND use this SAME SOFTWARE to burn the dvd. I tried using Nero and other means of burning the video files to dvd and they just don’t play.

So for AVC HD video, install the software supplied with the camera. Make your own High Definition dvds and be prepared to be amazed!

LCD Monitor died after 3 weeks
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Bought this because I had the 8 MP 10 X zoom model and loved it. Got this 10 MP 12 X zoom partially becaus of the panoramic potential. Looks almost identical. Thought I could use same batteries. Not true. Extra batter is $60. Received camera on Dec 2nd and used until Dec 24. LCD monitor died on Christmas day. Bummer. Took to camera store. They said return it to Panasonic quickly. That is what I am doing. Battery from Maximal Power did not work with this camera, though it was advertised that it would.

Happy recipient
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Son, a camera buff, and owner of many cameras and camera accessories, requested this particular camera for his birthday. He tried it out right away – and loves it. He took a portrait photo of me – notorious for awful pictures that I make people delete – and it was so good, namely accurate, that I used it for a newspaper article about me. That’s really a compliment to the camera as well as the photographer.

PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-ZS3 DIGITAL CAMERA
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The camera has worked well for point and shoot. I am very pleased with both the video and still pictures. One problem is Picaso 3 does not recognize the video clips to download. However the supplies program with the camera does

It’s David to Canon & Nikon’s DSLR Goliaths
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
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.

excellent product, great seller
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
the camera is excellent, great picture, nice video recorder. It only took 3 days to receive the package even I choose standard shipping. enjoy it very much.

My new favorite camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This little Lumix is my new favorite purse size camera. I carried it on a cruise with me, along with another camera, and ending up using this one most of the time. The wide angle lens, the high iso mode, the very portable size, the 12X zoom, all were big pluses for me in using this model. Of course being tiny it doesn’t have the setting a full size SLR model would but it can be tweaked to your satisfaction with the controls it has. I did have to be careful not to have a finger in front of the flash but if you are aware of that it’s not a problem. Mine also was dropped a couple of times and didn’t even get a scratch. I am really please with this one!

Excellent Point and shoot
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was looking for a good point and shoot one..good fast camera that takes pictures right away as i clicked..good video recording capabilities..And iam happy to say this is a perfect one..at 240 dollar it is very well priced..although there are cameras at 120 dollars or so this beats them down handily..you get high definition video recording..one of the long zooms..you will not be disappointed ..

In Love With This Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was shocked when I started taking pictures because they were so clear and true to color.

I’m pretty familiar with point and shoots as I’ve had several Canon’s and while they did a good job of taking clear pictures, I think the Panisonic come out crystal clear, with more realistic color than the Canon’s.

I just returned a Canon T1i to Costco for a refund because while it took great picures, I didn’t want to lug it around with me on my touring bike or fly to Portland to take pictures of my new grandson. So far, I’ve only shot about 100 pictures and a short movie. I just love my results and I’m pretty picky. No they were not all perfect but it was not the camera’s fault…I hate reading instruction manuals so it was learn as you go.

I will ad a few on the picture site within. One in particular is a morning sunrise of orange clouds outside my window, looking through the shutters…absolutely stunning color.

The only slight complaint I have is the location of the picture taking button itself, I think it should be on the end where the zoom is but it’s not a big deal.

I love all the different settings especially night scenes and snow settings. Snow has always been difficult for me with DSLR’s and while I have not shot anything in snow yet, I’m expecting geat results.

In many ways it is not fair to compare this to a DSLR especially one of Canon’s fame and it’s a good product and I would recommend any Canon product but I just love this camera and can not find any faults with it or the movies which by the way are as good as if not better than the ones on my Canon discussed above.

If you’re looking for a great small point and shoot with a 3″ screen this is the only way to go with a Lecia Lens.

THINK TWICE BEFORE BUYING the PANASONIC DMC-ZS3!!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
THINK TWICE BEFORE BUYING the PANASONIC DMC-ZS3!!!

It CAN take FANTASTIC photos (and video), BUT…

(1) YOU *MUST* USE at least “CLASS 6″ or higher media to get a good quality photo at 10 MP. I did not realize that when I bought it, except that I noticed at the store that photos looked FAR BETTER at 5 MP than 10 MP! It is even better to opt for the “Class 10″ media. I bought one Panasonic 16 GB “Class 10″ media when I bought the camera. I WISH I had bought more and used THEM instead of the 8 GB, “Class 4″ or “Class 6″ that I had brought with me from home. If you’re going to spend the money for the camera, use the BEST media you can get!

(2) YOU CANNOT GET EXTRA OEM *PROPRIETARY* BATTERIES, CHARGER or POWER SUPPLY!!!

I have been reading that the “over-the-counter” batteries will not work with the ZS3 due to a “Firm Ware” upgrade, so, since I spent what I did for the ZS3, I wanted to get OEM Panasonic batteries, charger and power supply. I had also heard that the “over-the-counter” batteries would overheat and cause problems.

Unfortunately, because of ONLY having ONE battery (DMW-BCG10PP), and having to carry the OEM charger (DE-A65B) around with me every time I want to take photos, I lost my OEM charger and have not been able to charge the ONLY battery supplied for several weeks.

After an EXHAUSTIVE, but unsuccessful search since then, and because I could not find another OEM charger (DE-A65B) ANYWHERE locally or online, last night, I ordered an OEM PROPRIETARY power supply (DMW-AC5PP) that was SUPPOSED to fit the ZS3, and got it overnighted. It DID NOT fit!!! It wasn’t even close!!!

The fitting on the power supply I received looks like what you would plug into a portable hard drive (sort of a small trapazoid shape). The receptacle on the camera is about 50% larger and more rectangular with slight extensions on the bottom at the left and right edges. There is NO comparison in size or shape.

The ZS3’s instructions say/show that DMW-AC5PP is the correct part number, and the DMW-AC5PP power supply itself says/shows that it is a DMW-AC5PP (as do its instructions), but the BOX says/shows it is a DMW-AC5 (i.e. without the PP) and it DOES NOT FIT!!!

I WANT to order a couple of extra batteries and OEM charger, but I am VERY leery now. Even Panasonic said THEY don’t even have extra batteries or another charger, and that it would take 3+ weeks for THEM to get any. Interestingly, they told me I needed to order a DMW-BCG10 (i.e. without the PP at the end), but suggested I order it from a local dealer. They don’t have either the DMW-BCG10PP or the DMW-BCG10, and after my experience, I don’t TRUST what Panasonic says is the correct size!

My daughter’s 10 year old birthday party is THIS coming Sunday (four days from now) and I CAN’T GET ANY MORE BATTERIES and I CAN’T GET ANYTHING to charge the ONLY battery I have!!!

I had bought the ZS3 on the first day of our vacation in Vancouver on 05/30/2009, because I had accidentally left my camera in my car at the airport in the US.

I tried buying a couple of extra batteries and another charger when I bought the ZS3, but Panasonic had not even made them available at all yet!

Since they ONLY supply ONE battery, and you can’t even BUY spares, and I was going on an Alaskan cruise (and wanting to take LOTS of photos), I had to keep charging my ONLY battery every time I stopped to eat, then make sure I remembered to retrieve it before leaving the restaurant. Thankfully, it only happened twice, and there were only so many places I would have had to go to to retrace my steps to find it.

Unfortunately, I have now lost the charger and have no idea where. It wouldn’t be so bad if you could just easily BUY another one—that FITS!

And, of course, I would NOT have lost it at all had I been ABLE to buy extra PANASONIC OEM *PROPRIETARY* batteries and charger (and/or power supply) when I bought the ZS3, so I could leave the charger AT HOME.

Don’t waste your money…Worst camera..Go for CANON
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I own this camera from about 2.5 months now. I am very disappointed with my purchase. Here is why.

1. PICTURES – I tried all the modes and none of them gave me crisp pics. They are blurry when compared to my previous 5MP Canon camera SD450. Taking NIGHT snapshot is a nightmare. They WERE NEVER BRIGHT.

2. VIDEOS – One main reason to buy this camera is HD movie capture. If I try to play a movie on the camera it freezes and I would need to remove the battery to fix it. When I play the videos on my laptop (Ofcourse they won’t play directly I have to convert them to MP4) movie play is sticky..freezes in between.

Overall its a very bad experience. I would NEVER buy Panasonic digital camera or camcorders (I own 30GB camcorder, which is again a waste of money too..)

this camera was A ok
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I will be able to tell you more about this camera after we come back from our cruise. So far it seems to be okay. My old camera took pictures of sky divers with ease and I got beautiful pictures. It had a viewer on it that you could look into. This camera only has the screen. I miss the viewer and would not have ordered this camera if I knew that it did not have one.

Be prepared to read instruction manual
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The camera is very nice.

Excellent value.

You must be ready to dig into the instruction manual to get the true value from the endless feature this camera offers.

Remember this takes HD video also.

Yes it is a point and shoot with a great wide angle lens and a super 12 x optical zoom.

Take the time to learn the many features of this camera and you will be taking SLR quality pictures with a medium size pocket camera.

Lumix camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been very pleased with this product. Having just taken it on a Pacific cruise it proved to be an excellent camera.

Super-awesome camera for travelers
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was skeptical when the girl in Best Buy strong-armed me into buying this camera. To me, Panasonic meant crappy electronics from the early ’90s,however I took her word for it, and four years later, my first Lumix finally broke. Oh, this is after I dragged it all over SE Asia, fell into flooded rivers, got caught in downpours, had children spill grape soda in it, and it got squished while I was tumbling off of a small hill in Spain. I’m buying another one from Amazon – this is truly the best little point and shoot digital for it’s price range. The metal body and low profile make it perfect for travelers, and for the size, you can’t beat the photo quality. The manual controls leave a little to be desired, but not all of us need that fancy stuff Plus, there’s still something really sexy about Leica lenses…

The exact camera that I wanted
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Before buying this camera (Lumix DMC-ZS3), I had done quite a lot online research for more than half year, however, none of the cameras that I researched can satisfy my two requirements besides it can produce high quality pictures. One of my requirements is high zoom, the other one is good video with zoom and good sound quality. Once I found this camera, I immediately decided that this is the one. and fortunately, there was a company selling this camera on amazon at that time. So I bought it. It is exactly the camera that I wanted.

I had some concerns from reading the reviews before purchase. one is the zoom sound when taking video, the other one is the looseness of the dial button. It turned out those are not problem at all. The camera I bought loaded with updated firmware, so the zoom sound is fixed. The dial button does not feel loose at all, but it indeed changed position couple times while in my pocket. but it is not a concern to me at all.

If I have to mention one thing I don’t like, it is the firmware–not the camera itself, but the way that Panasonic put restrictions in the firmware so non Panasonic battery would not work. Fortunately for me, my camera came with the firmware with fix to the zoom sound problem, but not the battery restriction. Nonetheless, it is still a concern if I have to update firmware for some reason in the future.

The amazing Panasonic Lumix ZS3!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R30WIVTGL5TCSK Here is an unboxing & review of my new (blue) Panasonic Lumix ZS3 — I love it!

Good But Not Great
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I tested this against 3 other cameras, the Canon Powershot SD780IS, Nikon Coolpix s630, and the Sony Cybershot DSC-W290. The Canon and the Nikon went down right away. It’s only contender was the Sony and the Sony won.

There are some very good things about this camera. It takes decent pictures, even in low light. No shutter lag whatsoever. The wide angle zoom is awesome. Very easy to use overall. Not a pocket sized camera, a more substantial feel if you want that kind of camera, which I don’t but it’s not a negative. Good battery life. Love the charger because it plugs right into the outlet.

There are three main reasons why I decided to keep the Sony over this camera:

1. Sony’s picture quality was better. This camera takes good pictures, but the colors are always muted and they aren’t

quite as sharp as the pictures the Sony takes.

2. The HD video quality wasn’t quite as good as Sony’s HD video.

3. The software. You have to use their software to transfer the HD video from the camera to your computer. For some reason every time I try to open the software I have to lower my screen resolution or the software will not open. Also, the video software is not compatible with MAC computers, so that is a big problem.

Overall a good camera but I’m going with the Sony.

A Great Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My cousin’s husband was shooting pictures at a family gathering. I was very impressed with the clarity of the photos as well the ease of use.

It took great pictures in low lighting which has been difficult for me using another make and model “Point and Shoot” camera. I have been using it whenever we see our young grandchildren and I am very pleased with the results. I would highly recommend this camera to everyone.

Best Point & Shoot
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We had to replace a broken Sony DSC W1. It was an early model with 3 megapixels. One thing I learned early was that megapixels over 3 or 5 are meaningless without a good glass lens like the Zeiss in the Sony. The Panasonic Lumix has 10 megapixels and a Leicha glass lens. The picture quality is beautiful. The battery lasts a long time and you can get bigger ones on eBay for $20. The charger is great. The best part is the zoom. It has 12X zoom. Compared to my olod Sony with 3X, the Lumix is light years better for the zoom alone. The Lumix alos has some sort of image stabilization which is a noticible improvement over the old Sony.

I don’t give a darn about all the high res video with stereo sound capabilities. I wanted a camera for taking pictures. The Lumix takes great pictures, zooms in like a telescope, steadies the image, and still manages to fit in the same small case as my old Sony point and shoot. For compact performance, you just can’t beat it.

Panasonic cannot supply batteries for these fine cameras
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I love this camera, it takes great pictures, and you can zoom while taking HD videos. Not many pocket cameras can do that. This is the best value for a pocket camera, without spending far more.

Be very cautious ordering a backup battery for this camera on Amazon, or anywhere else. Although you will find batteries available, Panasonic released firmware that causes the camera to reject the alternate batteries, and will shut the camera down. Rude, and overkill on their part. I almost wish I had not purchased the camera due to this snafu.

Amazon has nothing to do with this, and continues to be my favorite website for online purchases. Panasonic/Leica buyers beware!

DMC ZS3– High expectations, Total disappointment !!!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Ok. I am not a pro, just a P&S user. I have a Fuji F30 and my brother has a Canon SD 850. I would say F30 takes incredible pictures in low light ( I still remember how disappointed was a friend comparing the performance of his new canon G series with my F30 during sunset on a cruise ship )and in daylight scenery. I also think Canon takes great pics in good light with a lower indoor performance than F30.

When I decided that its time for an upgrade, I determined that I need something that will enable me to increase my technical skills with at least 10x zoom for close ups and my wife insisted we have something taking decent videos (preferably HD recording). As I did 2.5 years ago I went online dpreviewdotcom, found the superzoom comparison read it to the end, downgraded my options to Panny ZS3, Canon SX200 and Sony H 20. I went on with amazon reading almost every posting about them. I ordered ZS3. It came in 2 days and here is what we think of it:

Build:

Its solid and have a sturdy feeling, I would not criticise anything

Design:

I think usage of buttons was pretty practical however you got to used to the menus.

Battery

I could take 153 pictures and 18 small clips (less than a minute) with a fully charged battery

Zoom + Focus

I think the major strength of this camera is its decent wide angle zoom and focus.

Video

HD video is a great plus and its stereo sound is amazing we connected the ZS3 to our HD LCD TV and did really enjoy the outcome. Plus my wife loved the dedicated camera record button…

However for me it all comes down to image quality. So I will share in brief of my experience in different conditions:

INDOOR

unbelievebly poor. We were not able take a good pic of our 1 year old standing accross the room. You would not believe how poor quality (dark and grainy) was the images ok it took slightly better one in 6-10 pics however still not comparable to my old friend F30. Where is the difference between a 10Mp and a 6 Mp gone? I went to the manual. read from the beginning but there is actually little you can do about it and it helps only 1 in 5 pics. I could never understand how a camera takes incredibly different pictures in the same mode just between couple of seconds on and on.

OUTSIDE DAYLIGHT

I took some pics with friends than took several more from the top floor scenery at 4.30 pm with ZS3 and F30, came home and looked at my computer. I was totally disappointed with the performance of ZS3 comparing to f30.

BEACH

Than we went to beach, it was almost 7 pm and took a dozen more pics, same scenes with different modes. When I reviewed them on the computer I decided to send it back and order Canon sx 200.

(Ok some will say (posted here already )that this is a superzoom suffering in low light because of smaller ccd sensor, there are a alot of details or print outs will be good and I should have practised more… etc.

My answer is, I am sorry but thats not my problem. When I pay a camera over 300, I want to be able to take a decent picture of my kid when I want to without suffering taking 5 pictures for a good one. Plus I hate photography processing with software on the computer, simply dont like spending time for it.)

This time I did not want to make a mistake and went to a bestbuy and came across Canon and Sony H20. I will not make another comparison just say that I ordered Sony H 20 giving Canon couple of more years to improve on the compact superzoom segment. Hope this helps and saves time. Thank you for your time.

Called Lowepro to get camera case recommendations.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
OK. After reading the reviews I was totally unsure which camera case to buy for my Panasonic Lumix ZS3. Many of the reviews indicated the cases were tight (Rezo30 for eg) and not able to hold extra card and battery. Amazon does recommend fitment off acouple cases that defitnitely seem too small.

Since I don’t like to return things, I decided to call the pro’s at Lowenpro in California to get their take on it. Here it is: For the Lumix ZS3. Lowenpro product specialist recommended to me today:

Rezo 50

Apex 20AW

Apex 30AW

The AW stands for all weather. They said the rezo is a lighter less weather proof case. I think any of these would suffice. If you take it outdoors, maybe the AW models would be the way to go. Hope this helps….

Excellent camera and value!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you want a great camera with a very good video option, this is the best value on the market. The LCD is huge and makes taking pictures a breeze. I am a Panasonic fan, and I am not disappointed.

Oh my goodness, what a camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have a pro friend who got a review copy of this for a couple of days. He let me use it for one of them, as he hasn’t shot with a point and shoot in a long time. I ordered my own within the first hour. What a camera. The zoom on this baby is amazing. It has a true wide angle and a long reach. Photos on both ends of the reach are sharp and have good color and saturation. I almost drooled when I printed out the samples. They are flat out the best point and shoot jpegs that I’ve had the pleasure of taking. Raw files would be nice but aren’t available, nor is much in the way of manual exposure control. As a bit of a control freak, I thought that would be a problem but honestly, Panasonic’s smart mode selection is brilliant at getting good, sharp exposures. Focusing is fast, even in low light. Flash seems fine, neither superior nor awful. I took 400 images and a short movie on my first outing and the battery still had some juice. It also has fast and accurate face detection. Holding the camera in my hand, pointing it in the general direction of people on the street without being obvious got consistently good focus. Oh, the image stabilization works very well, too.

The camera is just small enough to fit in a shirt pocket but unless you’re wearing heavy denim it’s just to heavy to be comfortable there. It slips fine in a vest pocket or jacket, though. Point and shoots have definitely improved in low light performance since I bought my last one. I got perfectly usable shots at 400 ISO. A little noise touch up and they print fine at 11×14. At 1600 ISO you can still get a usable Flickr sized image, again with a run through a noise processor like Noise Ninja.

It has a new video mode that uses half the memory of the normal mov files that it also supports. But finding where they are on the card is a bit of a treasure hunt the first time. They are also a pain to process. I ran a conversion program to turn them into H.264 format. That makes editing much easier. Do that first thing. You can even run the optical zoom while shooting movies, though focus can be a bit slow. Videos are much better than those from the Flip that is all I own for movies.

Great zoom, great photos, great lens, reasonable size, scary accurate automatic mode switching, wow!. If it had a bit more manual control it might be better, then again, I’ve got a few hundred really nice images. So no complaints.

Camera exceeds expectations (from former Canon user)
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
For a long time, I assumed that Canon made the best cameras. I have had Canon ultra-zooms (and have posted good reviews of some of them) and Canon Elphs (with mixed reviews). Panasonic and Lumix were not even on my radar screen until I saw one that a friend had (a prior model with 10x zoom).

Being the rather impulsive person I sometimes am, I purchased both a Canon SD940IS and this Panasonic (DMC-ZS3). To me they are roughly in the same class, although to be fair the Canon SD940 is a lot smaller. However, for practical purposes, they are both “pocketable” point-and-shoot cameras.

The Panasonic surprised me and beat the Canon in every way except for size (see my Canon 940 review). I sold the Canon and kept the Panasonic.

What do I like about the Panasonic?

- Intelligent Auto almost always gets it right. If I want to take a picture but don’t want to think about the settings, Intelligent Auto works better than I have ever experienced on other cameras.

- The 12x zoom. I often forget that it has a 12x zoom because it is not as bulky as cameras that have a long zoom. The zoom is very nice, and even at full zoom the details are very clear.

- Very nice, high-resolution LCD. The resolution and size of the LCD makes it easy to compose pictures and a pleasure to review them. One downside is that when I took pictures on a sunny day the display was hard to see. There is a setting for the display that may help and I’ve ordered a protector that may cut down on glare. I don’t have enough experience with the camera yet to know if this is going to be much of an issue.

- Thoughtful and useful features throughout. Just one example (out of way too many to list) is multi-aspect bracketing. With wide-screen computer and HDTV displays, it’s hard to keep track of what aspect ratio to use, and depending on what a photo is used for, viewing on HDTV, wide computer screen, printed on certain sizes of photo paper, who wants to decide in advance whether to use 4:3, 3:2, or 16:9 aspect ratio? Even though I have a minor in math, there are just too many other details in life to try to keep track of. The multi-aspect function takes a single photo and saves it in all 3 aspects so that whatever aspect is later needed is available. This kind of thoughtfulness shows up in many other features.

- Very accessible menus for quickly applying settings.

- Great movie recording features — dedicated button, new format for longer videos as well as a more common format. Video quality is better than what I experienced on the Canon SD940IS — much more stable.

- 25mm wide angle. Recently cameras have been offering 28mm wide — this camera takes it a step further and goes even wider.

This is a camera that I can honestly say that I will probably be using for several years, rather than upgrading more frequently, that satisfies my need for both an “ultra zoom” as well as pocketable point and shoot, and that exceeds my expectations both in terms of features available as well as the consistently excellent pictures that it produces. Five stars from someone who is usually very critical of products I review.

Good little walkaround camera, but some issues
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased the Panasonic ZS3 as a walkaround camera for when I don’t want to carry my larger dSLR camera and lenses (be it for practical and weight reasons, be it for safety). I’ve had it for several months and have traveled extensively with it. The ZS3 has proven to be almost the ideal camera for the purpose I chose it for. Here’s why:

1, The ZS3 has an amazing amount of optical zoom for a camera this compact, and is also good at the wide end. This means more versatility.

2. It is discreet, allowing me to take pictures without being noticed. Particularly useful when you’re photographing people.

3. It is small and lightweight. I can stick it into a coat pocket or attach it to my belt loop (I bought a little neoprene case for this).

4. Picture quality is good, with accurate rendering of colors, exposure and white balance. Noise levels are usually quite low.

5. It does have a few resources that allow me to have more control over picture-taking, but intelligent automatic mode works very well.

6. Focus is accurate, even in lower light.

7. Build quality is very good (except for the mode dial, see below).

8. Video mode works quite well.

9. Menus are comprehensive and intuitive to use, especially if you have some digital photography experience. If not, the product manual explains everything clearly.

10. It’s a lot of fun to use it!

On the downside, there are a few aspects I don’t like much on the ZS3:

1. Battery life is nothing to write home about. There is NO workaround for carrying a charged spare battery. And herein lies a big problem, since the availability and price of the original Panasonic battery (DMW-BCG10PP) are horrendous. To make it worse, Panasonic outrageously released a firmware update that prevents the camera from working with any third-party compatible battery. If you install the update — which I didn’t –, you are stuck with the original battery. Good luck finding another one…

2. Focus is slow. In all fairness, I can’t really complain about this, as it’s par for the course in this kind of camera — especially since it doesn’t have a viewfinder, electronic or optical.

3. It took me some getting used to photographing with the LCD (I’m used to a viewfinder), but I eventually got the hang of it. It’s not so easy in sunlight, but the LCD does a decent job.

4. The mode dial frequently gets inadvertently changed when storing the camera or removing it from its bag or my coat pocket. The dial could be a little firmer.

5. Powering up times aren’t the best.

6. Even using a good SDHC card, the camera is a bit slow in writing the images to the card.

All in all, I’m pretty satisfied with the ZS3. It’s not the cheapest compact camera around, but I do think that for the resources it offers (especially the fine lens) it is a good deal. I’m not sure I’d like it as much if it were my only camera, but it’s doing fine for the purpose I acquired it for.

Very great! Just a couple downsides
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
We bought this camera because we wanted to take HD Video but not have to carry around two different cameras (one for video and one for still shots). This camera has exceeded our expectations, only a couple things that could be improved on: 1) the mode wheel is on the far right of the camera when you’re holding it and it is easily bumped and switches positions, meanwhile the button to actually take a picture is further on the inside… it just isn’t as ergonomic as other cameras I have used; 2) the audio pick-up is not very good, but is about what we expected from this size of camera; 3) the zoom is EXTREMELY slow and if there isn’t a lot of background noise you can actually hear the motor zooming in and out when you review the video.

Otherwise, like I said, this camera exceeded our expectations as far as the quality of video and pictures. I have particularly enjoyed playing with all the different modes that are possible.

Great camera — I would definitely recommend it!

Motor Noise during Shooting Video, any solution? I have firmware 1.2.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Motor Noise during Shooting Video, any solution? I have firmware 1.2.

Everything else works great.

Returned it and bought the Canon SX200is
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I’m a longtime owner of Canon cameras (both film and digital) and waffled between this Panasonic and the Canon SX200is for quite a while. Since they were so closely matched, I finally decided on the Panasonic for two reasons; I thought I would dislike the Canon’s automatically deployed flash, and I liked the “one-button” movie shooting of the Panasonic.

I used the Panasonic for about a week before sending it back for the Canon. I wasn’t satisfied with the picture quality, came to dislike the lack of manual controls, and really resented Panasonic’s proprietary (chipped) battery. While I knew about the automation in the Panasonic before I bought it, and was aware I could “hack” the camera’s firmware to allow it to use aftermarket batteries, those negative qualities finally overwhelmed any appreciation I had for the camera’s good qualities. Panasonic should be ashamed of themselves for their transparent ploy to force users to buy their $50.00 OEM battery, when aftermarket batteries are available for a third of that price.

The movie features of the Panasonic were very convenient and I suppose the stereo sound was an important feature (hear the *but* coming?), but I wanted a little camera primarily for shooting still pictures. If movies were that important to me, there are plenty of video cameras which take good still pictures.

The Panasonic is a very solid little camera which feels like a quality item – it just didn’t meet my needs.

This is a not a review of the Canon SX200is, but I have to say I’m glad I finally decided against the Panasonic.

Dave

An excellent choice
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
A great camera. We travel a great deal and the size and flexibility are just about perfect. It fits in your pocket, but will do just about anything my much larger camera will do. Get the non-glare film for the LCD. It works very well and protects the unit in your pocket.

great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great camera for travel. Got this for a recent trip to Europe and was very happy with it. Great pictures, very nice to have the 12x zoom. I took a lot of shots on 5mp instead of 10mp and they turned out fine. Battery lasted all day, even in Rome. Nice size, fit in my pocket well. Only complaint is that the mode selector dial turns easily and often was in the wrong position when I pulled it out of my pocket.

Great all-in-one portable camera & camcorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was pleasantly surprised with the quality packed into this small camera. I have a Nikon D300 but it’s nice to have something with a smaller form factor to carry along and this automated little camera seems to do it all pretty well. The video it shoots didn’t look bad at all at 720p on my 58″ Sony HD LCD DLP. Has relatively good low light video capability too. No camera works well at near non-existent light levels. Low light levels will show a little more noise and compression artifacts but it isn’t horrible. Still pictures look great too though as you might expect my D300 has a more powerful flash and so carries a bit further. But the 12X zoom is really great and the camera’s focusing in still and video modes works well. Seems as a hybrid camera it’s one of the best choices out there with satisfaction from both media types. Go for it. The red anodized model looks really attractive I might add!

Good So Far….
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just upgraded from my old SD630 (which I just managed to repair the LCD on) and I was looking something with a great optical zoom, high quality video capabilities and something that wasn’t too small or too big.

I did alot of research and was considering the G10 but at that price point, I would just go DSLR. The Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS3 was a perfect fit and hit all the criteria I needed. So far, I’ve taken about 100 photos, and admittedly, under indoor lights, the photos look a bit desaturated but outside the photos look fantastic. Granted, I haven’t played with all the settings but so far, the images look great and for about the 5-6 minutes of video I shot, it is better than some of the miniDV camcorders from a few years ago. The speaker on the camera itself is pretty loud on playback and the mic does a decent job of capturing sound during video.

So far, battery life is so-so. With about 100 photos (50/50 indoor and out) I have one bar left. I cant compare it to my old SD630 but that was a ultra-compact with a lot fewer features.

Overall, the 3″ LCD, HD video, and good fit in my hand makes it a great upgrade.

Great Camera but Annoying
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Solid camera with lots of features but Panasonic needs to stop being annoying about locking this down.

Annoyances:

Non standard USB cable

Can only use Panasonic battery (this should be illegal)

Mode select turns way to easily and is in the wrong spot

Inconsistent picture quality (seems to be from flash)

Otherwise fast great camera with good video quality.

I Would Buy Again
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great camera. Finally, a camera with buttons placed where they make sense and can be quickly accessed. I love the zoom and wide angle features. Both indoor and outdoor shots are clear and sharp. Motion picture capture and play back is extremely simple. The few issues I had with the camera were solved by reading the manual and playing with the various modes and their settings. I have no regrets buying the ZS3.

I should add that the above is based on using the built in internal 40 GB memory because Amazon hasn’t sent my 8GB class 6 SDHD card yet.

Amazing camera and superb lens = very satisfied
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been following this camera and reviews of it ever since it debuted in late spring 2009. I’m going to Europe in September and knew I needed something to live up to its grandeur. I didn’t want to be “that typical tourist with their 3 pound dSLR”. The ZS3, although not compact, is much more versatile than an SLR in terms of grabbing it and going somewhere on a whim. You also don’t have to make a scene if you just want to take a simple photo during dinner. It fits easily in a jacket pocket or sweatshirt but still packs a lot of features. The lens is AMAZING – there is no other point and shoot on the market with a 25mm wide angle to 12x optical range. The intelligent auto mode works very well, I love not having to worry about tweaking small flash or iso settings. The HD video is also very good. They claim 720p video, but it is not like watching a blockbuster dvd. However, it is still very good quality video and the sound it picks up is terrific (used it at a concert and it sounded just like I was there, no fuzz). Battery life is good, although Panasonic seems to have sold out of the replacement battery, I hope they get on that soon. Overall, I’m so glad I bought this camera, way better than other compacts on the market.

Lumix ZS3
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera for my wife, and she has been completely happy with it. The only complaint she has had was with flash photos at ten or more feet in poor lighting. The ability to zoom while recording video has been a great enhancement over the other point and shoot cameras we have had. Picture quality is great. The only other issue so far has been the video format. Once I loaded the software from panasonic no problem.

A Decent P&S Camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The reason I purchased this camera was to use it for both pictures and video when I don’t want to carry my DSLR and HD video camera. It is a mistake to compare it to either, rather it is more fair to compare it to other P&S cameras available in the $400 price range that are capable of video.

1. Still Camera Features: The AF modes and multi-point AF tracking is quite good and allows you to get the shot. This is probably the best feature of this camera and hats off to Panasonic for doing this right. However, comparing to Canon P&S, the AWB and color balance is definitely lacking. It is particularly bad when shooting in ambient artificial light, but outdoors it is a little bit better, but not much. If RAW shooting was permitted, this could easily be fixed. For such a good lens, the picture quality of the files don’t hold up well to the Canon G9, it just seems to lack fine detail. Now again, you could say I’m being picky, but remember I’m comparing it to other P&S and I would think that this camera’s shots should be comparable to say the Panasonic LX3 or a Canon G9.

2. Video Camera Features: The AVCHD Lite will NOT work on a Mac with iMovie, which is the best inexpensive video editing software available, that comes standard on all Macs. You have to use Motion jpeg which takes up more memory card space and you can only shoot in 15 min. increments. The zoom feature while doing video is nice, but it is slow to auto focus.

Finally, this camera is made in Japan and is solid and has a good feel. It is small enough to fit in a man’s shirt pocket or a woman’s small purse. The 3″ LCD screen is nice and you can see all of your settings on it. In the real world price vs. performance is key and you can’t have everything. That said, this camera is more appropriately priced at $300 and would then merit 4 stars. At nearly $400, for what you get, 3 stars is the best one could give it.

EDITED 26 OCT 2009 (updated from 3-stars to 4-stars):

1. AVCHD Lite format can now be read by iMovie 09 on all Macs. It works great, and although I didn’t play the video on a large screen, on a 24″ LCD monitor the 720p video looks good. The microphone pickup is quite good too. On a 16GB SD card you can get well over 2 hours of video, but battery life is eaten up even without zooming so actually getting continuous 2 hours is not possible.

2. Setting a maximum ISO will help in reducing noise, particularly chroma noise, but it will drop the shutter speed too low where image stabilization becomes less useful.

3. The price is now approximately between $270-$290 which makes this P&S camera a better deal, but if you have to spend full retail, then research what the alternatives are since color balance is an issue. For the money, its a good deal.

Almost
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Has good and bad..

Good pictures but expect some grain/noise in the shots if enlarging or shooting in lower light conditions.

Mode dial is a bit loose and can change position when taking camera out of case or pocket.

Video has a lot of moire on certain subjects; such as a fence or anything that has horizontal and or vertical lines.

Video playback looks poor when connecting the camera to a TV, unless you use a HDMI cable on a TV that supports it.

The video has artifacts more often than not, expecially when panning or moving. Tree leaves can really bounce and artifact when even slightly moving the camera during video.

Video has a lot of noise/grain during low light conditions.

The AVCHD lite video can be edited on Sony Vegas 9 Pro, but I was not able to on Pinnacle Studio or Ulead. You can switch to Motion Jpeg, and that can be edited on most.

It’s a great video camera for web, but will be problematic and less than perfect to use as a camcorder for home movies on TV or DVD.

I think it’s an good camera for pictures and fair at video. It’s hard to beat for the cost and I think most people will really like it. I suggest people don’t try to use it to replace a dedicated camcorder. It’s a fantastic camera to take along on vacation to capture pictures and video that would have been otherwise missed because most bigger camera and camcorders are too bulky to slip in a pocket and bring along for a spur of the moment adventure.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-Zs3 — great point and shoot
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My wife and I like everything about this camera. Great picture quality, long-range zoom and decent battery life. I have played around a little bit with the HD video, and it is super simple to use. I am not keen about the format that videos are stored in — makes transfer to video editing programs a hassle.

Outstanding for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you want a small camera that fits in your pocket and has all the features, this is the one. It is easy to operate and the 12x optical zoom brings objects, and people, close up for that special photo. Also love the motion picture capability.

underwhelmed, and back in the market for a camera
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
We replaced an old digital elph with this about 6 months ago. We expected a significant upgrade in photo quality from the reviews. No such luck. We have the same problems that we had with the elph, except we paid more and the camera is bigger: many pics are blurry, despite pains taken with face recognition, selecting from the various settings, etc. We are not skilled photographers, by any means — but that’s why we got this instead of an SLR. Is it too much to ask to get a crisp, well-lit, posed photo of my kids, when taken in decent light conditions, without use of zoom? Oh — and we started having problems with the lens aperture sticking, almost immediately.

very good camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The zs3 is very good camera. The pictures are so good. The video also very clear. Plus, it is portable. I like it very much. My wife brought to business trip, my son took video for school project, I took photos when I went fishing, playing chess or other activities. Wonderful!

Best Travel Camera in the World!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Extremely satisfied with the quality of this feature-packed camera. Small and portable but with 12X Optical zoom it can compete with the big boys! At 10 MegaPixels, these pictures can be blown up as big as you want. I can’t believe the detail that it captures even when you zoom way in. I was very impressed with the battery-saving features that allow you to take pictures all day long with only two batteries! Very user friendly and the automatic setting is extremely intelligent. It also has the ability to tweak the ISO settings, the shutter speed, and the color mode just to mention a few of them. I highly recommend it!

On Great Camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is the perfect camera for me! Very easy to use and take the best photos and video! So true that “people in the know” know that Panasonic makes great cameras, I found this out and won;t go back to canon anytime soon. Worth buying!

Good Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera has a good zoom and is very portable, you can carry it to anywhere. The video quality is impressive.

HD is great; photos not so much
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Full disclosure: I bought this unit and returned it.

I bought this camera primarily for the HD video capabilities. In this regard, it’s spectacular. No disappointments there. I had a first generation Flip Video unit, so the ZS3 was a huge leap forward.

Coupled with the excellent stereo microphones (mounted on top so be mindful not to cover the mics), the video quality is top-notch, provided there’s decent light. Battery life seemed to be very good. Anyone familiar with today’s point and shoot cameras won’t have a problem using this camera after playing with it for a day or two.

If you search for the words “chapman” “school” “christmas” at vimeo DOT com, you’ll find a HD video I shot.

(I was about 50-75 feet away from the stage. People with slower machines/connections might get a lot of stutter unless they turn off the “HD” setting.)

But despite the video quality, I was less than pleased with the photo capabilities. I tried a many of the quality settings, but unless you use the flash or have plenty of available light, photos at ISO 400 and up have too much noise for my taste. I have a DSLR (Canon Digital Rebel 300D) so I’m used to better photo quality.

While photo taking was a small reason why I got the camera, it nagged at me that the quality wasn’t better, so I decided to return the unit. When the price drops over the next year, I may get a used one at a lower price because the HD quality is that good.

Great things in a small package
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This litle camera takes great photos — expecially the 12x zoom, where most cameras this size only offer a 2x zoom. Easy to use – automatic settings do it all. Very portable and great for travel. This camera was out of stock everywhere (including the manufacturer), but Amamzon came through with prompt delivery and a great price.

Great camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
A superb camera in a small package. Great still photo quality and tons of pre-set variety. Excellent, sharp 24x zoom. Great night photos. Super-easy and high quality video. Macro function is very handy and excellent.

If you don’t want to carry around an SLR but demand high-end results, AND you want HD video, this is the camera for you. I love this camera!

Great for photos, mediocre for movies at lower settings
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Update 2010/1/3: Bought the Panasonic DMC-FZ35 a few days ago. Will write my review on that camera eventually. As always, thanks for your comments!

Update 2009/11/17: I am noting this at the top of the review to make something clear. A few days ago, I dropped my ZS3 on the concrete (while photographing construction site) about five feet up and it doesn’t power on anymore. Now I am looking for a new camera in the meantime. Having said that, if you can’t power it on, you can’t get the data off the SD or SDHC card, right? If you have a photo printer, for instance, that can read SDHC cards, just put the card in and you can get the data off the card pronto! Transfer may be a bit slow. Hope this helps in case you think you may be stuck for a while… Now on to my original review (May 2009)…

This review is long, but will be useful to the more tech-savvy (I guess as the saying goes, “Buyer beware”)… (Notice I rated this camera 4/5 stars–after all, it is ‘primarily’ a high-MP camera, not a HD camcorder, although some HD camcorders probably aren’t better than the Panasonic DMC-ZS3.)

The Panasonic DMC-ZS3 could literally serve as a paperweight and what it is intended for (unless it stops working by popular terminology). It feels solid and heavy (made of metal), but lest its screen can easily be scratched (does fingerprint easily), and if dropped, may be damaged. This camera has a wrist strap, no neck strap like some cameras have. Buy a camera case such as Lowepro–inexpensive and durable, e.g. if you would rather carry it securely looped through your belt.

I bring up a few other cameras in this review (either have them or have compared their features/reviews on other sites).

Start with memory cards–you can’t use MultiMedia for movies, just photos. Standard SD cards work in this camera but will take several seconds to write photos or movies. You can’t record but the lowest MJPEG movie res on internal memory. High-speed SD cards can’t be read on older and some newer card readers (surprised the local Best Buy did not carry high-speed card readers). You can always copy directly from the camera via USB cable. You don’t need the software CD to read on Mac and PC, unlike some cameras that need the drivers from it for Plug-in-Play (at least on XP and Tiger).

Received this new Panasonic camera yesterday (May 11). The small included battery out-of-the-box had enough power to change settings and try it out before the full charge (about two hours) for its firmware update.

I’d not recommend updating the firmware unless you enjoy updating anything (some people can’t stand updating, but it’s my favorite thing aside from productivity on a computer). If you don’t feel comfortable updating the firmware, heed your instinct. I went ahead and updated the firmware without a problem (read the instructions several times, easier than it looks), but it did not change the behavior of the AVCHD readability, and the ‘noise’ during zoom while recording movies was as noticeable–updater beware!

Zooming is noisy and somewhat fast taking photos, but very slow recording movies. Most, if not all compact cameras zoom slower than larger cameras would to compensate for size–it is common sense!

Taking pictures and motion pictures is a breeze, and best of all, as in my old Panasonic camcorder (which is much too intolerant in cold and humid environments, causing the tape not to play/record properly, and nearly damaged the unit), the camera will tell you which mode you have changed, if using internal memory, and if the card is full (but all cameras do that to my knowledge). It reads three bars on its battery level meter, unlike some cameras like the Canon PowerShot S1 IS with only a blinking low battery icon.

Disclaimer the following explanations: I am basing the following on my experience only. I’d not bother to enable sound recording (warning–don’t confuse with the Canon PowerShot that creates a separate WAV file) while taking photos. It takes the photo then creates a still video file from whatever setting the camera’s movie recording happens to be set to, and will record the few seconds. In other words, it uses the picture you shot and turns it into a video file that plays back still with the audio. It takes up little disk space and clutters the media card. Not too annoying for me, but don’t expect individual voice memos with the DMC-ZS3. The default setting is off anyway. Memo-taker beware!

To find the AVCHD Lite files quickly, memorize where to go (there may be more folders/files on the card than on the internal media): LUMIX (ROOT) > PRIVATE > AVCHD > BDMV > STREAM > #####.MTS (MTS the file extension of the AVCHD Lite file). The following may be helpful for Mac users…

If you have Roxio Toast (probably version 9 or later recommended) installed, double-click on the AVCHD file, choose to open with Roxio (or Roxio Toast) Video Player, and it will then play for you. It won’t show the time (at least by default settings).

Another but free option is VLC you can download (its icon the white & orange striped cone). Its interface is like simplified iTunes. To associate the AVCHD Lite (MTS extension) in the future so that VLC will always play (show terminal-like icon with ‘exec’ in small print on the icon – Toast Video Player won’t change the white generic icon, usually files not associated with any known program on the OS). Select the file, Get Info, choose Other to select which application to open with, choose application (navigate to where VLC located and will be unavailable – to make it available, drop-down where it reads Recommended Applications and choose All Applications). Select VLC program (with the cone icon), choose, and then make default and confirm (changing to the terminal exec icon). Double-click on the file and enjoy watching AVCHD Lite!

Low-quality AVCHD Lite is very good quality and will save substantial memory card space, but not suitable for zooming and fast motion, as the colors and compression artifacts appear patchy, making the video look cruddy. I have not tried the high-quality setting, but for fast motion or zooming (very slow, and it does not matter how slow–you can still hear the motor–this is not a professional $25,000 camera for the big screen, so you get what you pay for). Use MJPEG for smooth playback and compatibility with most software, but use the HD quality setting. Actually, the VGA and QVGA modes look very pixilated compared to other cameras in the league of Canon PowerShot S series–my old 2004 S1 IS takes better VGA movies and much smoother than this new Panasonic (especially the 320 X 240 on the PowerShot is somewhat better). In addition, the Canon’s movie mode is better (at saving disk space) because you can choose 15 or 30 fps for 320 X 240 and 640 X 480/Fine, unlike this Panasonic 30 fps (well, it is the standard anyway). Overall movie recording feature on the DMC-ZS3 = 4/5 for stereo recording and HD, but substandard quality on VGA settings to Canon PowerShot S series and possibly the new Samsung HZ10W or HZ15W models. On the other hand, of all the cameras mentioned, this Panasonic has the best photo quality IMO–maybe better than some entry-level SLRs!

The picture quality on this Panasonic given 5/5, better than most cameras in its price range (checked Google Image Search and YouTube for samples). Even some SLR cameras don’t take quite as clear photos. JPEG compression is quite low on the DMC-ZS3, but probably due to the high MP for its small lens, graininess appears in low lighting on any ISO setting, but subtle, and even ISO 1600 is not bad in well-lit outdoor environments. Indoors, yes, color artifacts and noise are apparent, but probably just good enough for printing at ISO 800. ISO 1600 might be decent for printing on bright, sunny days, i.e. if you want a perfect shot of a water sprinkler in action. Let the automatic ‘intelligent’ setting(s) do the rest. I have not done extensive testing yet (duh, have had it one day now), but believed to work very well. Sometimes I had to set the flash not/to fire manually, a minor annoyance.

If minor grain/noise in any ISO setting for pictures, very low JPEG compression artifacts (no RAW support), any random photo in moderate to ambient lighting is almost free from blur, and to expect decent movie recordings in HD only, this camera is for you. If you want any movie recording to look decent at any resolution/quality setting but can do with more grain, noise, and some blurry photos, Canon or Samsung might be your ticket. Do keep in mind that the settings and environment will yield results for better or for worse. (In fact, I ordered the Samsung HZ15W at first sight, but then canceled as it was not yet available, and felt the reviews on the DMC-ZS3 were better received. Happy with my alternated decision! Who knows, the HZ10W/HZ15W may be just as capable–you can pause and resume movies without starting a new movie file, you can’t do on the Panasonic and any camera as of current, but I am not sure if MJPEG is available on the HZ15W.)

Keep in mind that neither the Canon PowerShot S1 IS nor the Panasonic DMC-ZS3 focus well in low lighting in movie mode, but does fine for photos in my experience.

Battery life is very good, but if you are planning on recording at a ball game or an amusement park, consider purchasing a spare battery (expensive but any proprietary battery of such will be), a couple of 16 GB or 32 GB memory cards, record in HD, and transfer to PC via high-speed card reader or the camera (with sufficient battery life) for best performance. (Just one hour of HD video may be enough to fill a Dual Layer recordable DVD.)

Despite its minor shortcomings, this camera is one of the best in its class. Very well worth the wait (at least a week for free shipping in my case). Happy Panasonicking, Samsunging, or Canoning!

Hope this helps other reviewers and others who have this model or ready to purchase one. Most say this camera competes with the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS, but IMO its closest competitor (because of optical zooming unlike the Canon) is the Samsung HZ15W (HZ10W its predecessor).

P.S. This review took a few hours of careful writing and proofreading. Thank you for your time.

Panasonic is on a role…keeps getting better!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Last year the TZ5 took the market by storm and was the best in its class. Panasonic is back again this year, only better with the new ZS3.

Canon is now trying to catch up with the Canon SX200 IS, leave it to Panasonic to stay ahead of the competition with the new ZS3.

The benchmark has been raised, yet again!

Panasonic ZS3 quality for stills and video
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Today I compared side by side shots with the ZS3 and TZ5, and while I expected a large gain in resolution for small objects at maximum zoom, due to the ZS3’s greater zoom and more pixels, the difference was actually very slight. Video OTOH was exceptional – clean and clear, and the sound superb, with little or no camera noise noticeable when playing back over a good headphone. The stereo really works – you won’t get a wide soundstage, but the richness and depth it adds to the sound is just amazing compared to the mono-sound cameras.

This camera would be a lot better with a 35-420 mm lens. Why buy a thick, heavy pocket camera for wide angle when you can get much slimmer, lighter cameras with wide angle lenses?

Great Camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Having a great time with it and saving lots of memories. Easy to use right out of box. love the great wide angles.

Panasonic Customer Service / Warranty
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
It is really hard to rate this item, without discussing customer service / warranty issues as well. For the first week the camera worked well, but after two usages the LCD screen became pixilated and the camera was sent to Panasonic for warranty repair. The warranty department stated that NO EXTERNAL DAMAGE IS COVERED AT ALL. Regardless of the fact that my camera was clearly brand new, and that this was obviously some defect in the camera or screen, Panasonic was unwilling to stand by their product. Instead Panasonic stated “We can replace your unit with a factory reconditioned unit. This product, its operation and its appearance is like that of a new unit and it carries a 90 day warranty.” The cost would be an additional $135.50 for this reconditioned unit. So basically I would pay $535.50 for a reconditioned camera with a 90 day warranty. I have asked for my unrepaired, defective camera back and have been waiting for a week for the tracking number. Panasonic has not responded to my email requests and their 800 number is busy for hours at a time. I am very disappointed with Panasonic and their ownership towards their products. I caution others towards buying Panasonic products.

Love my Lumix DMC-ZS3!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This ia an amazing camera. Very easy to learn to use, small enough to easily carry in my purse and I am very happy with the picture and video quality. Great product!

amazing little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is an amazing little camera: it basicaly takes the place of my still and video cameras and is small enough to carry easily on my belt. Viewing stills no problem but viewing movies might be depending on your equipment. I have no problem viewing video on the TV but am unable to use on my Gateway computer with Windows XP. Also the processing machines in Walmart, etc. are unable to process the video although stills do fine. I wish batteries for this camera were more readily available. Cable connections for TV and computer are proprietary and will not fit other Panasonic models. The camera itself is little short of fantistic with quality of both video including sound and stills quite high.

Zooming in on the giraffes…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Finally realized it was time to upgrade from the 2 meg. Kodak DC280 I paid an incredible $600+ for a decade ago, when I saw my sister taking pics AND video with a new camera the size of half a deck of cards, and doing so for like a week on a single charge. The old DC280 took many 1000s of good pics for me and is still so reliable, but gotta change batteries after just every 10 or 15 pics.

So I searched and searched and the DMC ZS3 finally emerged as the clear choice for me. This model is heavily reviewed here by much better photographers than me, so I’ll just provide a few low-tech observations:

1) Bought it a week ago from Amazon for $290, and they came through with overnight delivery. Good job.

2) Also, since the ZS3 has little built in memory, got the Transcend 16GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card with Reader. Card works fine, and reader works great with no hassles and allows me to avoid screwing around with a cord.

3) Loading the PhotoFunStudio software that comes with camera was a breeze and I’ve used it to view videos and photos on my laptop. I like the software and find it easy to use.

4) The camera has a ton of features, and the hardcopy manual is thus extensive. Unlike some reviewers, I find the ZS3 menus and controls pretty intuitive and the manual helpful. Also, the mode dial on top of camera is ‘tight’, so either Panasonic has corrected the ‘looseness’ issue, or I got lucky.

5) Camera case – It was harder to settle on a case than it was to settle on the ZS3. Most cases seem made to fit the ridiculously dinky half-deck-of-cards sized cameras, whereas the ZS3 is a bit bigger, which is one of the main reasons I bought it – it fits the hand nicely. I recommend the Norazza “Ape Case” AC165 for around $9. It is affordable, well-built, has a good shoulder/neck strap with anti-slip stuff on it, and has room for some extras like battery charger with extra battery pack in it (gotta get an extra and rotate battery packs – that is a no-brainer), extra card, and even my Ipod Nano. Plus, I fold the manual into a U shape and stick that snugly in the case (bound edge out) as well, and place the camera within the U, and that serves beautifully to protect the amazing 3″ screen. Sounds weird, works great! Plus, the manual will be there when you need some help.

6) So far have snapped a handful of pics, and video in both the Panasonic format and mpeg format. The vids in mpeg format load up to my newly established youtube account no problemo. And they look great, even those shot in low light. And the stereo audio is excellent. I think I’m going to have a whole lot of fun on youtube….

So for like $450 all-in I got a really good looking (black-color), solid camera with great range, that is easy to use and takes excellent photos, a really, really good camcorder, plenty of battery power, and ample memory (two 16GB Transcend cards), all stuffed into a slick little nylon case. I am now all set to head off on an African safari, where I expect the ZS3 will shine….

What a deal!

A+ Panasonic!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Short and simple review. Took over 480 pictures, only a few were out of focus, still had a small portion of battery left as well! Takes pictures pretty quick, focus is very quick for this type of camera, neat design, sturdy casing, neat/professional small packaging by Panasonic. This point-and-shoot hybrid is one of the best out on the market! I’ve tested numerous point-and-shoot based cameras and have to say this is just simply worth every single penny! I recommend getting a nice case, a spare battery, and a 8 GB memory card for endless fun! Trust me, you won’t be sorry with your purchase.

Great Point & Shoot Camera, Excellent Video! But flash is too strong.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is an excellent point and shoot camera. Great picture quality. The video is incredible…HD and it allows you to zoom while recording. My only complaint is that the flash is so strong that it can wash out the pictures, especially in low light (thus the 4 star rating instead of 5). Otherwise, I couldn’t ask for a better camera.

Best Camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera has so far exceeded my expectations delivering very crisp still shots and videos. The zoom on this thing is out of this world. Even with the digital zoom extended all the way the still shots still came out sharp. I would definitely recommend this camera!

New Windows Movie Maker will edit videos
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have the TS1 with the AVCHD Lite like the ZS3 and now I can edit movies with the free Windows Movie Maker! The programs that come with the camera can’t even do that! You must have Vista or Windows 7 sorry xp people. Finally no more $100 programs!

Lumix DMC-ZS3 amazes
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is awesome. It is my second Lumix. Love the HD video. I wish amazon had given options to purchase a second battery with the camera to have a spare. The ones listed said “compatible with speciic Panasonic Lumix cameras” but didn’t list the product number. So I ended up with 2 batteries that don’t fit my camera and I have to send them back.

very disappointed
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I received my brand new ZS3 from amazon a few days ago.

I had a TZ5 before, liked the performance overall but couldn’t bear its horrible sound quality. So I decided to pay an extra $100 to exchange to ZS3 hoping I can get the same overall performance on ZS3 with much better sound quality. I was so disappointed.

1. the sound is tiny and as bad as TZ5, although I admit I can tell the “stereo”. I took videos on my TV with above comfortable sound volume setting, I could barely tell if there any sound recorded on ZS3. I transferred the file to my PC and turn the volume to the highest, it was a little better but still not even close with that on my 5-year old canon S400 replayed on itself.

2. i had many more out of focusing pictures on ZS3 than TZ5, especially in tele mode.

3. as to the videos, TZ5 can show full LCD screen both in shooting and reviewing. ZS3 only shows about 80% of the screen.

4. low light picture quality, ZS3 sounds even more grainy.

Overall rating combining performance and price, TZ5: 4.0, ZS3: 2.0.

I wish the ZS3 I received is a defective one, although I really doubt it.

While most of the reviews are very positive, I totally agreed with the earlier comments made by “Fred Blogg”. The sad thing is I have to have zoom function shooting videos, so canon won’t be an option either.

The Best Compact Camera Ever Made. Period.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I would like to begin by acknowledging that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is the finest compact digital imaging product ever made. I’m a quasi-professional digital media enthusiast with many years of experience in film and photography and I’ve taken over three months to experiment with the ZS3 before writing this review.

Why I chose the ZS3:

I conducted over four months of intense research before choosing the Panasonic ZS3. First I was planning to purchase a “bridge” camera (a crippled DSLR with a fixed super-zoom lens) like the Sony Cybershot HX1 or the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS. I thought about it for a while and almost made a purchase. Then, through a flash of wisdom, I asked myself this question: what’s the point of sacrificing the superior image quality of a DSLR for a camera that’s neither cheap nor portable? I continued my research and, much to my surprise, discovered a pocket-sized camera with a wide-angle 12X zoom lens, providing a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 25-300mm. I thought I was hallucinating. I used to own a fantastic Olympus DSLR and I couldn’t achieve the zoom range of the ZS3 with two expensive DSLR lenses COMBINED. The ZS3 has enabled me to integrate my skills in film and photography with a single compact camera that gives more bang per buck and cubic inch than any other camera out there.

My observations/suggestions (after 3 months of testing):

>Durable. This thing is solid as a rock and heavy for its size. At the same time, it’ll fit in almost any pocket.

>Video quality is fantastic at 720p with good lighting. Video can be grainy in low light, as with most cameras.

>Despite limited manual settings, HDR photography IS indeed doable with the ZS3! Simply adjust the EV (exposure) between -2 and +2. Make sure to use a tripod. Take 3 photos at -2, 0, and +2, respectively to achieve optimal results. Then, of course, you’ll need software to combine and modify these images to produce the HDR effect.

>You cannot manually adjust the focus, aperture, or shutter speed, though you can do just about everything else!

>Never go above ISO 400! The image noise is unacceptable, as with most cameras.

>The iA feature almost always produces optimal results in good lighting. You can also take great photos in low light if you lock the ISO at a maximum of 400 and keep the camera very steady, preferably with a tripod or solid surface.

>This camera can do both telephoto and macro. There are even dedicated macro settings that enable you to focus on objects less than 1cm away from the lens. The “macro zoom” setting allows you to digitally zoom in to get even closer. Using that setting, I was able to clearly see the pixels on my monitor!

>This camera is powerful, but discreet. With a DSLR, you may attract a lot of unwanted attention from security and thieves alike. In my international travels, I’ve been stopped by security guards on multiple occasions for simply taking photos of public places with a DSLR. Some parts of the world are still a little cameraphobic. Using a small camera, I’ve never run into problems with security (or thieves). By the way, the Olympus DSRL I mentioned earlier was stolen on one my international trips due to its high resale value. Compact cameras look innocent, so you’ll be able to do more and capture more with a compact camera like the ZS3.

>Take time to discover all the features and functions of this camera to get the most out of it.

>I recommend getting an additional battery if plan to travel or do a lot of video recording. I got the SterlingTek’s POWWER Panasonic DMW BCG10PP Digital Camera ID secured battery and it works beautifully with about twice the battery life of the ZS3’s stock battery.

>At under $250, you will not find a more capable camera on the market. This same exact camera used to cost $400.

Who should own a ZS3?:

Anyone who believes, as I do, that the best photos are the result of being in the right place at the right time should own a ZS3. Skill is not as important as luck–that’s what I learned after 10 years of photography. The ZS3 is small enough to carry around 24-7. Life is unpredictable. Never miss another great shot that was too good to plan for. If you want a powerful camera that you can use while being discreet and mobile, the ZS3 is your best option as of January, 2010. If you’re willing to wait several months, keep an eye out for future compact cameras that may very well top this one. Until then, rest assured that the ZS3 is the king of compacts.

Great Camera now for a great price……
Rating:4 out of 5 stars

I do not have to add to the great reviews as most customers have written many good and helpful things already. Thanks to you all!

I just bought this camera as an alternative to an larger SLR and it takes great pictures out of the box. The only thing that I noted in video mode is that it is recording the zooming of the lens sound a little strongly.

To price: Amazon has general great prices and service. Up to December 20th with a $50 instant off, this camera it is available for $249.00 at Costco including a leather case and a 2 meg SD card. Color however is only available in black.

Awesome
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great camera need to learn to use all of the options but so far great camera

AWESOME CAMERA
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We have owned quite a few point and shoot cameras; This one is in a class by itself. Picture quality is wonderful. Zoom feature impresses others at our kid’s sporting events, and the HD video is crisp and clear. I rave about this camera to anyone who asks about it. We bought a 16 GB SD card for it and can easily record a 2 hour soccer game. ++Plus, it is very simple to use; even the custom settings are easy to activate and take advantage of. HIGHLY reccomended.

Great camera at a good price!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We decided to purchase this camera after getting advice from your son who is becoming quite an expert on digital cameras. I grew up with Panasonic products and have always thought generally highly of the name. I received the camera just in time to take it on an overseas trip. The manual was easy enough to read and digest and even though the camera is loaded with features I was able to quickly learn how to take good pictures as well as a nighttime video.

For the price this camera is easy enough for beginners to learn use well in short order and for more experienced users it offers enough features to make them happy as well.

great camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
i’m “Panasonic user” for long time and all i can say is that these guys are improving their product all the time.The recent buy, Panasonic DMC-ZS3 is no exception.Overall a brilliant camera for the money and even better plus wait till you see the pix made under natural conditions with no flash !You’ll be amazed.With the flash they also look good!Highly recomended for those who just want to make good pix ALL THE TIME !

Great easy to use point and shoot
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just liked this camera. It makes very quality photos – very sharp and clean. It has many preset settings. It takes very quality High Definition video. It is easy to use. I didn’t use the software bundled with this camera (because I have my other software) and cannot say anything about it.

I prefer DSLRs but unfortunately I cannot take my DSLR to the parties or just going out because it is too heavy and too large.

Panasonic Lumix ZS3 an Amazing Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
With the Leica lens/glass (outstanding optics) and HD Video of excellent quality plus 12X optical zoom and 10.1 MP makes this an outstanding camera. The problem comes in the software, especially Apple’s Quicktime which is the ONLY playback possibility for your HD video. Either they have bundled a lesser/older version of Quicktime, or their software just simply “stinks”. How I wish they would have wedded it to Windows Media because other than that, this is one fantastic camera. Be prepared to keep your eye on battery strength because it does use a good deal of power – the charger is the best I have seen, no cables, just a simple plug-in at an available outlet. Image stabilization is a super plus especially at the 12X optical zoom. Put alot of study into 2 cameras, the other being the Fujifilm F70EXR, another super compact digital – was a difficult decision, Amazon’s reduction in price of the Panasonic sealed the deal. You cannot miss with either camera, but gotta tell you this DMC-ZS3 is one heck of a camera.

Beautiful Camera, but about the battery…
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My wife had purchased a Panasonic point-and-shoot in the past, and frankly, the image quality was fantastic.

Now, truth be told, I have too many digital cameras; I have some very nice DSLR’s and some standard Canon point and shoot, and a tiny little Casio that is so portable.

But what I was looking for was a point and shoot with an extreme telephoto to wide angle, reasonable size and HD movie capability. I was traveling to a race, and I wanted to take all the kinds of shots my DSLR would take, but without the bulk.

And this camera does all of that. Whatever processing Panasonic applies to the pictures, things really “pop” on the screen. It’s almost hard to take a b