Panasonic Lumix DMCZS3 10MP Digital Camera with 12x

So far, so good
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this camera for only a few days, but so far I really like it. I’m very impressed with the range of features and the picture quality is excellent. Prior to purchasing this camera, I had another digital camera with a resolution of 3.2 megapixels. I could immediately tell the difference in picture quality between my old camera and this one.

I would recommend this camera to those who want one that’s easy to use, is packed full of features and provides high-quality pictures without a lot of fuss.

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.

Great Camera for when you don’t want to lug around the SLR & Camcorder
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Best camera in it’s class.

Pros:

Great image quality for a point-in-shoot

12X optical zoom

Wide angle lens 25mm equivalent

Crisp, large, high-resolution 230k dot display

Smooth high quality HD video

AVCHD lite compression with out loss in video quality

Rare availability of optical zooming while recording video

Very good image stabilization

HDMI output

Cons:

Just decent noise performance, about average in it’s class

Just average compactness

Face recognition does not work well

Lack of manual controls such as shutter speed, aperture etc..

Record/Playback switch means that you can’t quickly take a picture

or record with pressing the video or shutter button

Everything we needed and more
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We “downgraded” to this Panasonic from an old original Digital Rebel DSLR. My wife was tired of the old dlsr; it was bulky to take with us and she does not enjoy having to learn the manual controls to get the photos just right. The Intelligent Auto feature on this camera was exactly what we were looking for and it seems smart of enough to make the proper adjustments. We have been very happy with the pictures we have gotten during the last month that we have had it. The videos taken with this camera are very high quality and I’m pretty sure I will not take out the older camcorder ever again. 12X zoom (300mm) is awesome and is as good and my long throw lens used with my dslr. Battery life seems pretty good, but I am planning investing in a second batter soon to be safe. If you are looking for a good camera that is very user friendly, takes great photos and videos, and won’t break the bank, then I highly recommend this one.

early report
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The DMZ-ZS3 is all the camera I need to digest as an older neophyte picture taker.

The zoom features are fun and clear and it will be some time before, (if I ever can fully appreciate the camera’s capabilities).

I need to sit down and study the ‘book’, and then experiment more widely with the actual settings, to see what they produce.

This is time consuming and the use of the camera is pretty much on vacation, so that is why it is great to let it go on auto-pilot, which it is so good and dependable at doing.

Save your money
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I purchased this at a large membership store and returned in within 2 weeks. If you attempt to judge this camera by its specs (like I did) you believe that you are getting an extremely versitile camera. This is not the case, unless all of your shots are in the style of Mathew Brady (where people sit perfectly still for a long time for the lense to capture the image). I have never seen a camera with a slower lense, almost every photo I took suffers from motion blur (not the whole picture, just perhaps one individual in the group). In some cases the person was walking slowly towards the camera and instead of freezing their image I have a ghost image of them covering the entire frame). Also the color it captured appeared to shift from picture to picture, sometimes the image would appear in the yellow fringe at other times a grey-blue shift. To see if it was me or the camera I took side by side pictures with an older Canon A530 (with both cameras on tripods to eliminate any human interferance) and the ZS3 still had the same issues. As my title says, save your money and chose a different camera.

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.

Fantastic zoom photos & Videos
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
In December, I took it to my daughter’s choir concert in a large cathederal. The lighting was spotty, and my daughter was over 150 feet away. I could catch the entire 300 member choir on wide angle, and zoom into just my daughter’s face with acceptable jitter-control while handholding the camera. The video and sound quality was excellent. The zoom is operative while shooting video, and there was no noticable mechanical noise when doing so. The low-light performance was noticably better than my 2-year old Canon point and shoot.

Finally I have one easy-to-carry camera that I can depend upon for both video and photographs. The only significant downside to this camera that I can think of is the proprietary battery. I did not buy a spare, but I might go ahead and get one.

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 !

nice camera,easy to operate but the HD video is only for windowa.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Good Camera easy to operate the only inconvenience for me is the HD video works only with windows,and for Mac the drivers are not available at this time maybe Iam wrong but i try several time the panasonic web site and this didn`t say much about it.

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!

great point and shoot camera for those who aren’t trying to be pro’s
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
the only downfall of this product is the fact that you can’t timestamp the pics as you are taking them. You need to take the pictures then insert a timestamp while they make a copy of the picture. I’ve called Panasonic and they were friendly and quick to call back with the tech support. Pictures are really clear and crisp. The 12x zoom is really useful.

A Very Good Solid Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera primarily for a three week trip to Southeast Asia that I just completed. The camera worked great and did everything I expected it to do. I have used a number of digital cameras over the years, and this camera has features that I was looking for: great photos and HD video along with an excellent optical lens combined to make this the only camera I used on the trip. It worked beautifully. I didn’t purchase a second battery because of the cost and the unavailability of after-market batteries (bad move on Panasonic’s part). But this battery held up well and I never ran out of battery life, even with shooting a number of photos and videos in a single day. I was just mindful to charge the battery at night after a long day’s use. Overall, this is a very solid camera, and I did extensive research on a lot of cameras before purchasing this one. I’m happy with it!

Wonderful camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Point and shoot cameras are still no replacement for DSLR. Most of all, the speed of response is slow. I tried to used ZS3 to catch some ducks in the pond. The camera is slower than the ducks. But this is the best a PS digital camera can offer now.

What I love most is its small size and huge zoom range with excellent optical quality and solid build. After using it daily for one month,the build quality confirms what says in ConsumerReport. Panasonic has the best quality.

My scores already say that I am very satisfied with this camera. I just want to point out a few improvements that the future model could make, also to help those who are still undecided.

1) the response speed;

2) the picture is noisy at ISO beyond 200;

3) portrait tone is not the nicest;

4) battery life for taping video is short;

nice camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
An old (2002) Canon A70 needed to be replaced. I have been quite satisfied with the old camera – mostly using it for documenting a variety of professional skills training exercises: indoor with and without flash. I did like the manual control for the relatively rare moments where I needed to “push” the standard automated settings (e.g. low light no flash). … but the sensor was apparently malfunctioning….

So, considered Canon’s SX series, Fuji F200EXR….

I chose the ZS3 on a few main features

* Form factor — not too small for my big hands, but compact

* Wide angle — wider field than some competitors useful for capturing indoor scenes

* Zoom — flexible for framing more scenes without having to physically reposition

* 720p — flexible movie modes up to 720p

* picture quality — especially noticeable to me with minimal fringing in high contrast.

— the lack of manual control was a concern.

* after “playing” with friend’s camera, I discovered that many situations could be handled with the appropriate scene selection — the automation was pretty good

* looking back on the past few years, the number of times I really needed full control were just a handful

On balance the positives outweighed the negatives

With a month of usage, the camera is working well. I don’t always agree with the automated setting combination of shutter speed/fstop/asa, but have found ways to get pretty much what I want (and am getting to a point of being able to anticipate rather than fiddle around).

Sound pickup in movies is not great, but is useful enough for its intended use. (way better than phone cams)

My only unresolved issue is that it is too small in my “meaty” hand. I’m getting used to it, but there were times when I partially blocked the flash.

Very good value for me.

Great camera for nonprofessionals
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I chose this digital camera because it had great reviews about the high quality of indoor images and video features. I have had it for two months and it is wonderful. I am not a professional so I am using all the preset scene and exposure modes. I could not be happier. You have the manual option, but have not ventured into this yet. I read you can increase the image quality even more when properly setting the camera manually. I gave it 4 stars for ease of use, rather than 5, only because there were features that I could not intuitively figure out. I was used to the Nikon Coolpix cameras, which are very intuitive. With the Panasonic, I had to spend the time reading the manual and figuring out how to do somethings like cropping an image, using the red eye correction, choosing the movie format for computer downloads, etc. Not difficult though, just requiring the extra time. Another thing I like about the camera is that it is quite ergonomic and reasonably light. Also, the objective is protected when the camera is off so you can keep it in your purse without the fear of scratching the lens. The large LCD screen is awesome and the overall look of the camera is trendy and chic. By far, the best, most complete digital camera I have ever had.

Lumix DMC-ZS3
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great experience. Amazon was exceptionally easy to negotiate with. The camera met all of my expectations.

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.

Excellent Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is just excellent. I have a Cannon Rebl Xsi (Digital SLR) and a Panasonic Camcorder (both cost around $700 when I bought them) and also excellent products. But this camera’s pictures and video is just as good as those other 2 cameras. The HD video works really well. The best is the huge wide angle and zoom that the camera has. I can’t believe such asmall camera can do such a great job. Good job Panasonic!

Another small-sensor camera
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Sadly, as we demand smaller cameras with greater pixel counts and zooms and thus even smaller CCDs, Nyquist rears his ugly head and gives us pictures which aren’t as good as our “old” pocket-sized cameras took. I have a Canon PowerShot A610 and at only 5MP it takes better pictures in low light conditions. I don’t mean candle-light, I mean just about any indoor or slightly dim setting. Granted, my old A610 doesn’t zoom as far or take HD video, but I’d gladly have traded the super-zoom for a larger CCD so that I could have a pocket camera that took nice pictures and HD video, but wasn’t microchip-sized with an over-zealous zoom. (Indeed, though, Leica can make a fantastic lense! Over-fantastic for this camera, sadly.)

I’ve never before written reviews on my purchases, (new year’s resolution to write more, perhaps?), but this camera overly underimpressed me. Indeed, the HD movies are pretty impressive, and with great stereo sound, to boot!, and in the right lighting and set to the right setting, it can take very nice pictures. Nevertheless. The dozens of scene modes are slow to sift through and don’t always give the best picture for the setting (I took a picture of some candles in various scene modes, and no, not “night” nor “starry sky” nor any of the other appropriate scene modes worked best; rather, the “underwater” scene was the best fit for that candle shot! If only I was able to set ISO, aperture, and shutter myself…). Not much exists, out there, that is very satisfying in this way; I’ve begun to look at DSLRs and now the new micro-4/3 cameras just to get the bigger CCD, though it’s harder to find something that takes nice HD video with stereo sound. So you can see that I’m not really the best candidate for this camera (or to review this camera). But I didn’t realize how bad the problem would be until I started taking pictures with the camera. Ug, the noise is bad at nearly all ISO levels.

However, Amazon is really pretty fantastic. My zero-trouble return completed without a hitch. Fantastic, Amazon, thank you for being so customer-centric.

This is an amazing Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera here on Amazon. All I have to say is this is an amazing camera. Wanted to get a compact camera which took great video and pictures. This camera does both. Yes Camcorders take better video and yes SLR’s take better picture but this camera does both with amazing quality. If I had a complaint about this camera would be the battery life. I plan on buying an extra batter and bring the battery charger with me if I plan on taking a lot of pictures.

This is a must have, don’t hesitate and just buy it.

Great camera, small price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I ‘ve purchased my Lumix ZS3 from Amazon, a few days ago, and I can’t really say what a good camera this is. I consider myself a “serious” user, having worked my way from Reflex cameras, then to the Finepix S5000 ( DSLR look a like) and finally with the Lumix ZS3. It might sound that I have been downgrading ever since, but what I was looking was a portable P&S with an “obscene” zoom, ease of use and excellent picture quality. Look no further, this IS the camera of the year. If you want a small camera who works fine under all conditions and you don’t want to wrestle with camera lags, or any obnoxiuos settings, I would strongly recommend this one.

The so far “cons” i have found ( but was aware of) are:

1.- NO MANUAL USE ( for this I have my good ol’ Finepix S5000)

2.- Battery life ( I could not say this out loud, since I ‘ve been playing with all the menus, and all the functions, and battery starts to deplete a little to early (in my honest opinion)

The pros…. just look any other review or DPReviews ( there’s a special comparison test against ALL “superzoom” cameras…

Lumiz TZ7
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was looking for a Camera that gave me a nice crisp picture quality,using one of the best lenses in the market (Leica). Also I was looking for a Camera that gave me dissent Video options.After comparing cameras that cost $500-700 I came across the Lumix. The lumix at first it seem like one of them other cameras that look sharp but din’t have the technology to back it up. This camera camera is Jam packed with Amazing features. It has face recognition that allows you register someones face(up to 6 people). It also has iA mode which is amazing. This feature automatically decides the best mode of picture to take. Also what brought me to buying this camera the most was the fact that it promised HD video. The HD video looks amazing in this camera,not to mention the Left and Right Stereo Mic that it brings. the best part about shooting Videos with this camera is the fact that you can zoom in while recording.(other Cameras don’t have this feature).The camera has a 12X zoom capacity and honestly I think that it takes better pictures zoomed than any other camera I’ve owned. The only negative thing about the camera would be the fact that the Video output is AVCHD which is a pain to edit in AE or Other programs. (Use Sony Vegas to Convert to Mp4). Over all this camera has been the best camera I’ve had. For the price, you cannot beat this product.

Fantastic camera and video camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this camera for my wife who knows little about photography and loves taking video. It’s dedicated video button has been so convenient and it’s 720p resolution fantastic. Many people can’t believe the video she gets out of this little thing. Sound is fantastic with its stereo mics. We just pop the SD card into our PS3 and can immediately play everything we just shot.

As for the camera side, she loves that too. She doesn’t like to fiddle with settings so it’s automatic everything suits her style just fine. It is a little larger than most compact cameras but she always carries around a cavernous purse in which it has no problems hiding in. She does love the extra zoom that also works with the video as well as it having one of the best wide angle settings so she doesn’t have to get up from the restaurant booth to fit everybody in the shot. Button layout is intuitive and she hasn’t even touched the instruction manual. Finally, she loves taking this thing on trips so the miniature battery charger is a godsend to pack.

So all in all this camera suits her perfectly. It’s strengths are what we prize the most and it’s shortcomings are ones we don’t care about. I always feel that every product is probably perfect for somebody, you just need to find the right person. As for me, I’ll be lugging around my bulky Nikon D40 which I consider perfect myself.

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!

Very Happy!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I wanted a simple camera that I could use in my home staging business to take good wide angle shots of the homes I stage, primarily for use on the internet. This fit the bill perfectly! Wouldn’t be so good if I needed the wide angle to be hi res – but I don’t. Recommended for real estate agents and stagers for internet use. I haven’t used the regular high resolution yet.

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

Good Video capability, but photo is not impressive
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The Panasonic DMC-ZS3 (also called TZ7) is the 5th digital camera I have owned. I have been using Panasonic TZ1 for last 2.5 years and I am quite happy with TZ1 for its optical image stabilization and 10X telecope capability. However, the TZ1 is 5MP with standard Video (SD) only. So, I think it’s time to upgrade.

Though DMC-ZS3 has 12X power, but I think the practical maximum range is 8X-10X zoom, as the shooting object need to have clear edge for the camera to focus, when in 12X, most of time, the camera will not be able to find an edge for focus. This is a common limitation for most cameras. If the 12X is one of key reason for you to pick this camera, then think again.

I was hopping that TZ7 can have better picture-to-picture lag time. But it’s still around 2 sec delay time. Kind of slow for taking kid’s pictures.

The DMC-ZS3 (or TZ7) has an IA mode that automatically adjusts the speed, ISO…,etc for you. In outdoor, well-light conditions, this IA mode is good. However, when shooting indoor, the IA mode tends to pick up ISO above 400. And you will be very very disappointed with the photos taken with ISO >= 400 by this camera, as the photos show very significant noise. My recommendation: stay away from the IA mode for all indoor shootings. Also, the flash light is on the weak side. So, stay closer to your object if you plan to use flash for indoor shooting. Overall, comparing with my old TZ1, I don’t see better photo quality taken by DMC-ZS3 (or TZ1), especially for the indoor pictures.

DMC-SZ3 has good video capability, you can zoom while taking video (same as TZ1), it also records stereo audio. It supports both standard video (SD) and AVCHD-lite (or 1280×720 HD). Quite some softwares can handle AVCHD editing, like AVS video editor, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, Cyberlink PowerDVD Director Ultra 8, Nero 9…, etc. Window media player 12 (free) can play AVCHD video clips on you PC also. The AVCHD video clips from the camera can be uploaded into YouTube directly. That makes the video sharing captured by this camera more easier.

You should use the IA mode when taking video in any low-light condition, the camera automatically adjusts the ISO sensitive, shutter speed to accomodate the low-light environment. Due to low-light, the video will be somewhat grainy (quite common for consumer level cameras or camcorders), but acceptable (remember, this is a camera, not a camcorder). In outdoor, well light conditons, it produces satisfactory video clips.

In video taking mode, the camera will recognize face and try to focus on the face. However, if taking scenery video without clear objects (or edges) for the camera to focus, the video clips do not seem to be sharp.

Battery life is on the short side, so, don’t forget to charge it before your trip (you won’t over-charge the Li-Ion battery).

Overall, I like the 1280×720 AVCHD video function and the wide/telo zoom capability, but the photo quality is not very impressive (especially the indoor photos). I will return my DMC-ZS3 and keep my TZ1.

Okay but did not meet expectations
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I was disappointed by this camera. I read a gazillion reviews before purchasing and expected to be impressed. I was hoping that it would take beautiful pictures indoors and of my pets. It did not do either of these things. I had an issue with my previous camera with redeye indoors, and hoped with the technology in this camera that it would correct that. It did not, and I actually had more pictures with red eye than I did before! The pictures indoors were no better than my 3 year old cheapo Kodak EasyShare. The zoom was nice and pictures at a distance did come in clear but it did not zoom as far as I thought a 12x zoom would. There were several little things that bugged me about this camera, one being that I had to move a switch to go from picture mode to review mode. My biggest complaint is the time it took to take a picture. The delay caused me to miss shots. I kept the camera for a few days and played with the different settings, but still was not satisfied. I am sending this camera back.

The button to immediately go to video mode was GREAT, and the videos I took were really good quality. If video quality is important than this may be a good choice for you, but since I already have a really nice camcorder it did not factor into my choice of buying this camera. I think this camera took high quality photos, but the advanced features and intelligent auto that I thought would help me to take great photos did not meet my expectations. IMHO I think a cheaper camera would be just as good. The feel of the camera was nice and sturdy as well, and the screen was beautiful.

Great consistently sharp pix
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Pix are excellent with great clarity & Sharpness. 12x zoom is sweet.

Video quality not as great as It’s hyped up to be. It’s good, but not any better than my previous Canon 780is. ( Pix are much better though).

Seen raves about the HD AVCHD video mode, but I expected an upgrade in Vid Quality over my Canon 780is. I copy the video straight to my PS 3 via a class 6 card and a USB card reader.

Highly recommended piece of equipment.

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!

I really tried to like this camer but…
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’ve had the camera for a little over a month. I bought it as a backup for when I didn’t feel like lugging my DSLR around. On paper it’s great. 12x zoom, image stabilization, HD video, cool look and feel and compact for all it offers.

The problem for me is image quality. I didn’t expect it to be incredible. Even with somewhat low expectations I was still disappointed. Noise is the main issue. Even in daylight with low ISO some shots seem to have some serious noise and graininess. It’s not just in the shadows either. There is color noise, especially with yellows and greens.

I also found the exposure and white balance to be hit and miss. I played around with all the settings and modes and took hundred of pictures. It just doesn’t cut it for me. There’s just a certain grainy look to all the pictures. I’m really surprised at all the rave reviews.

The image quality of my 4 year old Canon A620 (which I sold to get this) blows the ZS3 away.

I have to admit that I am probably more critical of image quality than most. It is a point and shoot camera geared towards using the auto settings. It may be that the consumer this is targeted at is not as critical as I am, although I have seen even some casual users mention some of the same things that bothered me.

I will be selling the camera and replacing it with something that has better image quality.

On a side note, the battery situation is riduculous. The software only allows for a genuine Panasonic battery to be used and it was very challenging to find any in stock. It chews through a battery pretty quick and it’s a necessity to have a second as backup.

Great camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is such a great camera! I bought this camera in November before my trip to Australia. I consider myself an amateur and can’t be bothered with figuring out all of the appropriate settings for lighting conditions and environment so I pretty much just leave the setting to IA and let the camera figure it out for me. It even compensates for my shaky hands… haven’t had one blurry shot. It took such amazing crystal clear and sharp pics of koalas, kangaroos, Sydney Opera house, etc. The 12x zoom is what sold me on this camera. I took a regular shot of Luna Park across the harbor and then I took a zoom shot. It was like you were standing right in front of the park. The battery life is great if you are just taking pics and not using the video. If you use the video just make sure you bring the battery charger (for overnight) and make sure you use a card with more space (videos take up a lot more space). I would highly recommend buying a case to protect the camera as well. It is a little bigger than most point and shoot cameras, but is very comfortable holding the camera in one hand to take shots. The large display is very clear and you can see it in sunlight as well. Get this camera, charge the battery and you are ready to go! Happy snapping!

What an upgrade!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Until yesterday I had been using an old Nikon 5200 point-and-shoot that I bought at Wal-Mart for $300 like 5 years ago. It was beyond due time for a new camera. I’m a casual user (i.e. didn’t want an SLR or anything bulky)and use my camera most for taking scenery and wildflower pictures while camping and hiking. I had been on the fence as to whether buy the Canon PowerShot or this Lumix ZS3 (they both have equally good reviews and comparable photo power.) I finally went with the Lumix because of its sturdier construction, the non-pop-up flash, and because it is made in Japan rather than China.

I know it’s a little early for a review, but after 24 hours of testing it out I am absolutely amazed. It is heavier than my Nikon, but the construction feels so much more reliable – time will tell. I like the big screen and the actual on/off switch rather than a button. I can see where people would complain about their fingers getting in the way of the flash, but that would be eliminated with use and getting used to holding it differently than your old camera. The battery charger is cordless (a first for me) and the battery charged out of the box in about and hour and forty-five minutes.

I read a few reviews that complained of a lack of manual control. I have to disagree. There are two “regular” (non-scene) picture-taking modes: the first is the IA (intelligent auto) mode in which you really have no control, but which amazingly picks the appropriate settings for the picture. In this mode I went from a picture of a chickadee to a rock formation on the horizon to a person all with great results. The second mode allows you to manually set things like ISO, white balance, color, etc. I haven’t experimented with this yet. I’m in love with the “soft light” scene setting – it gives a really nice tone to skin for people pics. I am NOT photogenic, but in playing with self portrait pics on this setting I didn’t look half bad haha The landscape scene mode with the stablizer enabled was amazing. Very clear and crisp mountain pictures even from very far away.

The lens zooms a little more slowly than my Nikon, but it’s also larger, so this makes sense. It fits easily into a pocket and can be muted so that you don’t hear all of those annoying bells and chimes. Amazon is offering it at a really great price and even w/ the super saver shipping it arrived in about 5 days (I’ve had things take much longer!) A great deal if you’re looking to upgrade from an older camera.

Poor quality lcd screen that cracks for no known reason!!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I got the ZS3 for my wife as we have been very pleased with the quality of construction of the former models which we had (TZ3 and TZ4). However when i received it i noticed that that the construction quality was definitely not in the same league as our former TZ3 and TZ4 cameras The battery too was “MADE IN CHINA” compared to the former “Made in Japan” batteries

We have barely used it for 2 weeks and yes the picture quality was definitely better than the TZ4 by a mile. The video was also great and the stereo mics gave much better voice quality than the previous model. The custom mode also allowed you to tweak options that allowed some level of control for creative photography and non flash photography. The high ISO quality was also much improved over the former models.

However the saddest part was that the lcd screen just cracked, and the outside screen has no damage indicating that the quality of the lcd screen inside is very poor. Seems like Panasonic has dropped its legendary quality which has made it famous in the P&S superzoom market

I am hoping to send the unit back to amazon for replacement since this happened without any drop or misuse and there is no damage outside. Searching on the Internet showed that this was a common problem with the ZS3 (also called TZ7) and the problem seems to be in the lower part of the lcd unit. Many users have got the screen replaced based on the fact that its an issue with the construction quality as the outside glass like cover has no damages, though Panasonic has in some cases refused to honor the warranty and asked over 150$ to replace the lcd!!! which is ridiculous. Check flickr for images of damaged units posted by other customers of the same camera.

The issue is not with the external cover outside, so pasting a screen protector is of no use since the crack come in the lcd panel that is inside! Once this happens the screen also has vertical purple/pink bars that completely shuts of any photography capability since you only have the lcd to focus (as there is no viewfinder in this camera).

I contacted Panasonic support and seems they do not respond to customer issues, and will now have to depend on Amazon’s customer support (whom i am told are much better thankfully) to get a replacement since i am still within the return window.

Poor camera with many flaws
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera from Costco, while on a trip to Las Vegas and Utah. I used to have a canon Powershot A85 and it was good for my needs. But unfortunately it stopped working right in the middle of the trip.

I do not take too many pictures and have little knowledge about photography. I was told by the representative at Costco that this is a great camera for people like me (who just want to click a photo). The higher optical Zoom and the HD video was kind of a bonus. In all, I paid around $300 dollars for it. But to my utter disappointment, the photos were not great (not even as good as my old Canon A85 – which I had bought for $150 four years ago).

Here are some of the problems that I found:

1. Picture quality was bad. I took photos in Zion national park on a sunny day (with the automatic settings) and the photos were below average.

2. Pictures taken in places with lesser lighting were much worse.

3. I like to have my pictures with date and time stamped on them but this camera requires that you manually stamp the date/time on each photo (it does not provide an option to enable date/time such that all future photos are automatically stamped). Furthermore, while putting the date/time stamp manually on a photograph, the camera tries to save the old (unstamped) photo in the new format. This means that if you are running low on space then it may not work unless you clear some of the photos. Also, stamping a photo automatically reduces the resolution for the photo to < 3Megapixel

4. The video quality seemed good but then again the software that came along with it sucked. The videos are stored using the AVCHD format (which is proprietary of Sony/Panasonic) and the accompanied software does not allow it be stored in the more popular formats such as “mp4″ or “avi”. It allows you to burn it to a DVD though.. but that is an extra step that I do not like (and did not try).

To conclude, I was not happy with the camera at all (especially given its price and in comparison to other cameras that I have used) and so I returned it back.

Great Camera but ticking time bomb!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
My Panasonic just stopped working right after warranty was expired. Ironically Panasonic called me to extend the warranty 3 weeks after the old was up not 3 weeks before. I explained to them I love the Camera but it just stopped working. They said they could send me another, I said,”OK is it new”..NO refurbished and Ill have to pay almost $200.00!. Then another call to Panasonic yielded me to fax them all info and they would get back to me. They did and said “Tuff Luck!” It’s a shame because I did like the Camera but the Company is just not worth it. They tried and sell me a different one and I told them that if you purchased a Dodge and it broke down in a year would you purchase another Dodge, they said No. Just warning you, if you have any problems with Panasonic you will not get anything in return, even with a warranty.

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.

Great expectations, lovely design, poor photo quality
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Basically, I agree 100% with Deniz Balci. Outdoor pictures were average quality but indoor ones stink.

Pros:

It has a lovely design.

Great display.

Great video quality excedeed my expectations even in low light.

Cons:

Average outdoor picture quality

Poor indoor picture quality

Access to program modes are not practical.

I end up returning it.

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.

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.

Great portable digital camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is the best portable digital camera I have had the pleasure to use. Very user friendly. Great 12x’s zoom. I have a Nikon D300s and D300 and love the Nikon, but many times my photos on this little camera do a better job. It’s nice to have it in the pocket. Especially great for group photos. With a discount price you just can’t pass having this as a backup.

ZS3 vs ZR1
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I spent a lot of time lately reviewing compact digital cameras. I knew that zoom was one of my highest priorities so I ended up settling on the panasonics. I have now owned both the ZR1 and ZS3 and I prefer and will keep the ZS3, although it is a very close call. Both cameras are pretty much the exact same as far as operation and menus go. They each have iA and normal modes, to go along with twenty something scene modes like high sensitivity, high speed burst, portrait, starry sky, fireworks, etc… There is definitely the most control in Normal Picture mode, and that is the mode I take almost all of my pictures in. I never use the iA (intelligent auto) mode. While they are billed as fully automatic cameras with no manual controls, you can choose the sensitivity (ISO 80-1600, auto), adjust the exposure (-2 to +2 eV), choose a minimum shutter speed (1 to 1/125 for ZR1, 1 to 1/250 for ZS3), which , while it is not capable of extremely long exposures, it is effective at forcing a very fast shutter speed if you are trying to get action shots. You can also set the white balance. Both cameras also have a button for a quick menu which brings up relevant parameters you might want to alter in that mode so you don’t have to scroll through the menus. For instance, in normal mode, if you press the quick menu button, Auto focus mode, white balance selection, ISO, picture size, aspect ratio, burst mode, LCD power all pop up on the top of the screen for easy access. I only wish that the minimum shutter speed control would also pop up with the quick menu, Each camera also comes with an extended optical zoom, where you can get an extra zoom by reducing the picture size. With this feature, the ZR1 moves from a 8x zoom to 15.6x, and ZS3 goes from 12x to 21.4x. Here I must give a point to the ZR1. The ZS3 puts a much greater emphasis on video, and I really don’t care about video. There is a little red button on the back of the ZS3 that automatically records video, you don’t have to be in motion picture mode. In its place on the ZR1 is an E. zoom button. This button automatically zooms the camera to full tele (8x) and if you press it twice it automatically extends the lens to its full capabilities, 15.6x. On the ZS3, you have to go to the menus and manually lower the picture size to attain your extended zoom, rather than just press a button. I like the ZR1’s take on this much better, but if you care about video, yo might like this part of the ZS3 better. The ZS3 is supposed to have much better video quality, but I don’t really care about that so I haven’t really checked it out. I do wish that the ZS3 recorded in AVCHD instead of AVCHD lite so I could use the same program as I use for my panasonic camcorder, but oh well.

The main reason I chose the ZS3 over the ZR1 is that it is hard to get a clear shot (not blurry) with the ZR1 at low light conditions when the lens is in any position besides the widest one. From what I understand this comes from the aperture of the two cameras. Aperture, the hole in the diaphragm that controls how much light hits the sensor, is given as reciprocal numbers, so larger numbers, ie f10, is a smaller aperture than say, f2.8. The ZS3 goes from f3.3 to f4.9 ( max of f6.3) and the ZR1 goes from f3.3 to f5.9( max of f18) I’m not really sure when the camera chooses f18 over f5.9, but at any rate, the ZR1 has a much smaller aperture at zoom than the ZS3, and neither has an aperture control setting so you use the minimum aperture. This means that the ZS3 can let in much more light at the same zoom setting as the ZR1. This allows you to use faster shutter speeds which reduces blur. Overall the ZS3 just has a much easier time taking pictures in low light because of the bigger aperture (also referred to as a faster lens). Because it is letting in more light, you can also take pictures with the ZS3 at lower ISO levels than you need to use with the ZR1 to get the same exposure, which will result in a higher image quality for the ZS3. The faster aperture also has an effect when taking pictures outside at full zoom, but not as bad because the image stabilization for both cameras seems to do better in good light. I also didn’t notice any difference in the Power O.I.S. vs the older Mega O.I.S. With the Power O.I.S. the ZR1 has a default minimum shutter of ¼ of a second, where the ZS3 (Mega O.I.S) has a default of 1/8 of a second. This might be where the “two times faster than previous models” claim comes from. Anyhow, I found that the ZS3 actually took clearer pictures with a shutter speed of ¼ of a second than the ZR1. Part of this is probably because the ZS3 doesn’t have to use stabilization as much because of the wider aperture, but at any rate, a greater percentage of my shots with the ZR1 were blurry than the ZS3. Interestingly enough, the newest panasonic models, introduced in January 2010, are equipped with Mega O.I.S. and not Power O.I.S. Since I never use a tripod and am always taking handheld shots, many with zoom engaged, this was a huge point for the ZS3. Also, the 12x zoom is significantly more than 8x, and I think it will really come in handy in the mountains. For me the 50% more zoom is more important than the 50% less weight.

ZR1

Pros

- SMALLER SIZE AND WEIGHT!

- Feels more comfortable in hand, looks sleeker, more attractive

- E. zoom button in place of movie record button

- Better battery life

- Slightly faster focusing, especially when zoomed in under low light

- Faster response in general (very slightly)

- Has two additional scene modes that ZS3 doesn’t have

ZS3

Pros

- Wider minimum aperture lets it take much CLEARER HANDHELD PICTURES

- EXTRA ZOOM

- BETTER LOW LIGHT PERFORMANCE

- Better HD video, with an HDMI out port

- Better overall image quality

- Shutter control down to 1/250 second instead of 1/125

- I believe the ZS3 burst mode is a little better

- Higher resolution screen

For me it was a really hard decision which one to keep for one reason, size. While the specs make it look like the zr1 is not much smaller than the zs3, when you are actually holding them, it is clearly noticeable. The ZS3 actually weighs as much as one and a half zr1’s and the ZR1 feels much more comfortable and natural in the hand at first. After using them both for a couple of days I got more used to the feel of the ZS3 so the weight didn’t make as much of a difference, but the difference is still there. The ZS3 just takes more consistent pictures, especially when zoomed, or indoors, and has a much greater reach. Since both fit in my pocket, I can get over the extra weight in order to gain these mentioned tradeoffs. The ZS3 takes good pictures, has intuitive menus and is very easy to operate, and I believe it has a good amount of features for a camera with no real manual controls. And of course it has that awesome zoom for a camera this small. If you really must have a super compact camera, go with the ZR1, it takes just as good of pictures in good light and is faster to respond, but if not, the extra reach, clearer shots, and better indoor performance make the ZS3 well worth it to me, especially if they are close in price.

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!

Almost returned it after few days of use, now i like it
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I am not a pro, don’t own a SLR. I have been using Canon Point and Shoot Cameras last 10 years or so. I wanted a new small camera with HD capability and picked Panasonic ZR1. After few weeks of use, i was not satisfied so returned it. I ordered ZS3 based on the reputation and all the customer/editor reviews and technical specs.

I used the ZS3 at current vacation and took around 1h motion picture and around 200 photos with “IA mode”. Was i happy with photo quality? Not really.. Photos did not have good saturation or exposure. They did not look sharp as well compared to my old Canon SD850 which i had for few years. I thought about returning the camera based on photo quality, noise at indoor photos especially.

I ended up reading the manual twice and found some useful videos at youtube which explains Aperture, ISO and Shutter Speed. After experimenting for a day, took around 100 photos indoors and outdoors with different settings, finally managed to get photos to my personal taste from the ZS3.

Overall, once you learn the basics and set the camera correctly you will get great photos. I am now using normal mode and scenes when needed. I try to avoid “IA mode”, colors are not to my taste and sometimes ISO set seems to be incorrect by camera (causing noise). With normal mode you can set the ISO, shutter speed, focus mode, color mode (i like vivid) and few other parameters and with correct settings photos will turn out great.

IA mode seems to best to go when taking motion pictures as camera adjusts to correct scene automatically.

If you are only using IA mode for photos, you might not get the best shot in all cases. This is the issue i had at first which was frustrating. Now i know more about the camera , what it can do and i am quiet happy with it.

I like : 12x zoom, Wide lens, Size of camera (portable),Lcd screen quality,Scene options,optical stabilization works very good

I don’t like: Location of dedicated movie button, battery life is average, very few manual control, no vivid color option with IA mode

Overall, this is a very good camera in my opinion and i recommend it.

Perfect
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was looking for an easily portable camera that takes good quality photos primarily of pets and nature settings with some family events thrown in. A minimum of 10X zoom and 10 mega pixel were the other criteria. After a great deal of research this camera was the winner, and it is everything I’d hoped for and more.

The camera menus are intuitive and for the most part easily interpreted. A read through the well written owner’s manual (yes, a real manual, not a disk!) quickly clarified any questions.

The outdoor photos are sharp with beautiful color (and this time of year they have all been taken in the snow). I haven’t tried to capture fast motion, but the normal movements of pets are stopped without blur. The indoor, low light photos do show some yellowing but no better or worse than other digitals we’ve owned. For the most part I have left the camera in auto-intelligence mode (where it automatically picks the settings) and let it do it’s thing, but last night I did override and set it to “sunset” for the best sunset photos I have ever taken. Someday I might gather enough experience to worry about manual settings, but at this time the reported limited availability of manual settings isn’t an issue for me.

For any other casual photographers wondering if the wide angle zoom lens is an important feature, the answer is a resounding “yes!” I am continuously amazed at what a difference the wide angle makes, and the Lumix ZS3 provides wide angle in a relatively thin, easily portable camera. Wide angle will be a required feature for any of my future camera purchases.

I am absolutely in love with this camera and wouldn’t change a thing!

An Awesome Freakin’ Camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Wow, this camera is just freakin’ awesome. I bought it to do some amatuer photography and was really impressed at the quality of the pictures. The flash is very impressive, I took pictures in complete darkness to test it, and it did not disappoint. I love the video feature as well, it amazed me how well it recorded the video and audio, almost picture perfect. And when I uploaded the videos to my computer they came out so big, another surprise. I was expecting 320×120 picture quality but its more than double that size.

The intelligent picture mode it has, has the perfect settings for beginners who do not know how to configure the manuel mode settings. The only thing I would suggest to those beginners is to know when to turn on/off the flash. (because it can ruin some photos, it has nothing to do with this particular model but for instance, if you are shooting from behind a window at night and the flash is on the flash will reflect off the window and all you will get is a really bright picture and some of the window) I much prefer the manual settings because this mode has more options as to how to shoot each pphotograph.

Another feature I love about this camera is face tracking and AF tracking. In face tracking mode the camera can identify faces of the individuals in any particular photo. (Very handy for focus and illiminating blurry pictures) Also, the AF tracking is very useful when it comes to shooting moving subjects. (I tested this feature as a passenger in a car, I was once again very impressed, no blurriness at all!) One down side to this feature is it its almost too good, you must be ready in advance to take photos in this mode if you are using flash in manual settings)

All & all, I’m very impressed, Amazon has never disappointed me, I bought this camera based on its overwhelmingly positive reviews and looking at its basic features and available accessories. This camera has earned a place as my next portable buddy along with my cell phone and iPod.

Great Amateur Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great value, easy to use, good quality pictures. The Leica lens is a plus and the zoom works great! I’m happy I decided to buy this camera and not the Canon.

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.

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.

Fabulous!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Simply an amazing camera. Amazing pics, especially in low light (where so many digitals fail). Can’t go wrong with Leica lens. Lighting-fast start up. Shutter lag??? What shutter lag??? There is none – the first digital camera I have used that feels like a film camera – point at the subject, press the button, take a picture. Why does that seem so hard? Intuative controls – pretty much no reason to read the manual. Compact size.

Things I love:

a)amazing pics – true to life color and light and beautiful resolution

b) easy to use right out of the box

c) can take stills in 16:9 aspect ration for beautiful scenery pics

d) video in HD AND zoom while videoing (very few cameras offer this option)

I am a former pro-photog (many years ago, during film age), exclusively used Nikon F2 and Leica M4. I have owned a variety of digital Nikon, Olympus, Canon, as well as sampling friends’ digital cameras. I had gotten to the point where I expected never to be impressed by a digital camera – as convenient as they are, they just don’t render images with the detail that film does. I am now admitting I was wrong – this camera renders images so true in color and resolution, I would have thought I took them with my Leica.

I have been reading some of the negative reviews about grainy indoor shots and poor low-light shots. I think I have an idea why some users have experienced this. No pics are going to look good or be free of grain or noise above 400 ISO. DO NOT USE IA (intelligent auto) feature – in low light it will automatically use higher ISO and you will end up with grainy, noisy pics. Instead, use normal mode and go to menu – intelligent ISO and select ISO 400 max. I just tried both modes side by side – with IA and flash off in a semi-dark room, the ISO was 1250. Using Normal mode and ISO 400 max, the aperature and shutter speed adjusted and the resulting pic was much sharper – incredible difference. User error will get you every time!

A bit more expensive than your average digital camera, but so worth it. If you are looking for a simple camera for pics of kids and vacations, you can spend less, but you will not find better image quality. If you are a frustrated digital user who can’t understand why a digital can’t seem to take a decent picture in extreme conditions (low-light, for example), or want digital images that rival film images – you have found your nirvana.

I would wager that this compact camera stacks up to the digital SLRs costing many hundreds more.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 vs Canon SX200i
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I previously owned a Canon SX200i and I was not fully satisfied with it, and after I read all these great reviews about the Panasonic ZS3 I decided to give it a shot. First of all the ZS3 has advantages on portability, and its ability to zoom while recording video. But that’s about it! Images are blurry when you zoom in to take shots; the video is more like SD quality, other than HD 720P; pictures are very grainy and noisy in night shootings. In my view the Canon SX200i delivers better image and video quality; it doesn’t get as much noise as the ZS3. Manual setting can sometimes help to minimize the noise or lighting issues but the ZS3 just can’t do it. It is your call to decide which is a better camera but I am going back to my Canon.

Amazing AVCHD Low-Light Performance
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased my Panasonic ZS3 about a month ago. It is a really great camera. Everything good what I’ve read about it before is true. And even better – it seems I’ve got an updated version because on my instance the mode dial is not as loose as it was complained by many earlier reviewers but is accuratly fixed in each distinct position.

The real wonder is the AVCHD-codec. It’s a miracle – there is almost no noise on the video clips taken in the low light conditions. If you switch to MPEG mode you will see as the same decent level on noise as on other good P&S cameras with HD movie feature, but Panasonic’s AVCHD-codec does something really incredible – almost no noise at all. On the other hand I did not see any noticable compression artifacts which could appear as a result of a stronger compression (if any). Just a nice clear picture with no sacrifice.

When I compare the quality of the video-clips taken by ZS3 on a sunny day with the ones taken by my other Panasonic camera ZR1 they look pretty similar. But shooting in the low light reveals the difference – while ZR1 shows pretty much noise with it’s MPEG coding in HD mode, ZS3 shines with its almost noiseless quality provided by AVCHD codec. I’m only wondering if that great noise reduction is an idependent algorithm added to AVCHD-codec or it’s an inner quality of the AVCHD compression algorithm itself. Anyway the result is very good.

Great with some minor details
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Basically i’m impressed and happy about the Lumix camera. It takes really good pictures, even with zoom and some movement. It’s quite easy to use, my wife is quite happy about that, just using the iA and click to take her pictures. Of course the wide angle has proven useful in some situations and though I’ve only done some HD video test it seems perfect for what I’ll be suing it at work. The size is something tat at the beginning seemed like a problem, but after using it and getting to know all the advantages it offers then you forget about the size. The 3 inch LCD is perfect to have a look at your pictures. The face recognition part is not that great. It tends to mix people and you are only allowed to save up to 6 faces. So for me it’s just something to talk and merchandise about but nothing useful. In general is a really good camera and with and overall good price.

Chose this over the Casio H10 – Nice video, sharp (but a tad dark) pictures
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I ended up returning the Casio EX-H10 (a great camera but not great HD video) after seeing the examples of this camera’s HD video on YouTube. I spent a lot of time comparing and testing this camera alongside the Casio.

VIDEO:

Great HD Video quality with a good modern codec (AVCHD), but I would have preferred the more-accessible H.264 codec (i can open AVCHD files with Windows 7’s Media Player, but they don’t scale to the right size? VLC manages to play them only part of the time). There are good examples of the movie quality on YouTube, although the videos I shot fell just a tad short of what I expected being a tad grainy and dark. Very nice that the camera can zoom while shooting video – the sound just barely gets picked up in the recording. Stereo audio is also a great feature, as well as the mini-HDMI port.

PICTURES:

The pictures are grainier than the Casio H10 I was also testing and the camera doesn’t handle low-light as well, but they come out extremely sharp and really capture the details (I can shoot my bookshelf from across the room and read most of the titles on the photo). The 12x zoom is amazing for the compact size.

BATTERY LIFE:

This camera’s battery life is one of its greater shortcomings. The camera I tested along with this one, the Casio EX-H10, gets 1000 shots/charge and this Panasonic only gets 300 or so.

OTHER:

It’s a minor thing but I am glad this camera is flat on the bottom so you can take stable non-flash shots off a table without a tripod. I also wish there were more manual controls but most people won’t miss that. The interface is pretty good but could be more descriptive, and I’m not a huge fan of the mode-dial at the top. I wish this camera used mini-usb instead of a proprietary jack.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Be aware of Panasonic’s Warranty Terms!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
The Lumix DMC-ZS3 is a point and shoot camera (no manual controls) which performs very well and produces a very good picture quality in good light while it is working. The low light performance is less impressive, pictures appear to be a bit grainy. Overall, I liked the camera.

The LCD of my red Lumix failed after six weeks and I then experienced the poor quality of their customer support. They promised to send me a new camera. Instead they shipped a refurbished one (the sticker on it said 90 days warranty and that tells you in how far they stand behind their product) in black. It had escaped their quality control (if existing) that this camera looked more like a ZS1 than a ZS3 as the AVCHDlite HD letters on the front were missing. The accompanying letter, however, stated that it had been “refurbished to exact factory specifications”. I contacted customer support again and was told that under their warranty terms I could claim a refurbished camera only. They would check, however, the availability of a different color. Later I was told to return the refurbished camera, they would send a new one. This “new” camera had the correct color and came in the original box. The box, however, showed signs of extended use and the enclosed invoice stated that the camera was “factory reconditioned”. The firmware version was outdated. Would you trust their oral statement that this camera was brand new? However, what else could I claim for a 6 weeks old camera under their warranty terms?

If you decide to buy the DMC-ZS3 you are lucky if it fails during the first four weeks of use because you then can return it without problems to most stores. Thereafter you have to deal with broken promises and additional shipping costs and you may end up with something which is not identical to what you sent in, with a sticker on it “Refurbished in Mexico for Panasonic”.

Great Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera takes very clear pictures and amazing video. It has the best zoom I have seen in any point and shoot. It focuses fast and can even recognize people by name.

Go for it!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was looking for a point and shoot camera with a wide angle and this one fits the requirements to the t. I read many reviews and settled on this camera and am glad i bought it.

Some of the pros:

1. It takes great pictures in low light conditions e.g. a resturant setting with no flash. using flash darkens the background with the best of camera, so its good the pics come great in low light.

2. You can keep the camera is your pocket.

3. Wide angle really helps in small settings and compares close to SLR.

4. Very easy to use, straight out of the box.

5. Non-panasonic battery i bought from Amazon works perfectly, no compatibility issues with the newer software version on this camera.

Cons:

1. I saw very slight blur when objects are moving in auto mode, may be i need to read the manual to figure it out.

2. The default HD vedio is in a format that is hard to play back on PC unless you have the proper software.

Bottom line is, if you are looking for a pocket camera for casual pictures, which we most often take, this is a good match and you will not be dissapointed. I bought this after several reviews and never thought i will buy a pana, but i did and am keeping it!

Thanks.

Point and shoot camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The camera worked very well. We are not sophisticated camera users and the point and shoot function (IA or intellignent assist) on this camera works very well. The pictures are good and easy to take. I have not noted much problem with the low light, indoor pictures others have noted. I am happy with the product and would recommend it to a friend.

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.

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

Best camera I had, camshort of a SLR
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just came back from a trip on which I took hundreds of pictures. I love the pictures made with this camera, especially when viewed on a large screen. I have been a devoted Canon fan (I own 4 Canon cameras) but the Canon 200SX does not come close to the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3.

I wanted quality and portability. SLRs have much larger sensors and will take better images. But they are bulky, and they are expensive. While this camera is not the smallest, it packs a great 12x zoom along with a 28mm wide angle in a pocketable size and weight. You won’t hesitate to take it along.

What I like about this camera:

The Leica lens on my camera is very sharp, from 28mm to full 12x zoom. (Note: quality varies in a masss-produced lens. Test you camera after purchase)

Intelligent automated settings that work well in virtually all conditions.

The processsor provides excellent noise reduction at larger ISO, meaning you can take pictures indoors without flash. Fewer and fewer places (castles, churches, museums) allow flash pictures these days and with the Lumix DZS3 you can do without.

The shake compensation really helps keep pictures sharp. It also works very well at 12x zoom, with pictures acceptable even without tripod. Furthermore, the small residual amount of graininess or low-light noise is easily eliminated with a tool like Photoshop. Not a requirement unless you print a huge poster.

The camera also compensates in scenes with very bright and very dark areas.

All the above points are where my Canon cameras fall short. The Canons do take outstanding pictures in bright light.

I did not make movies so I can’t comment on those features.

What I don’t like about this camera:

A little bulkier and heavier than ideal, but it is the best compromise compared to SLRs.

Time lag when shooting, a result of the otherwise excellent intelligent detection technology (which evaluates motion, light, scene, face, subject tracking, etc.)

There are limited manual controls if automation is turned off.

No viewfinder.

It may be hard to see the LCD image when shooting in bright light. I found it is best, when in doubt about coverage, to take slightly wider pictures and to reframe/crop the picture later. The huge resolution means no loss in quality.

No sound comment option. Canon allows to attach a short sound recording to shots, handy to identify people and places in the picture.

Anti-competitive feature: Panasonic Rev1.2 firmware disallows non-Panasonic replacement batteries which cost 1/3rd of Panasonic brand. If you downgrade to firmware Rev1.1 they all work.

Great camera with a high performance zoom
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I broke my first one by a shock on the screen while wearing it in a soft pocket on my belt, but I couldn’t resist to buy immediatly a new one. It’s the best pocket camera I ever had; The zoom is very good. Automatic-autofocus works very well. Picture colors are warm and good balanced.

I really recommand it, but advise user to protect it with a hard camera case!

These are the only drawbacks

from the model: without viewfinder when the screen is damaged the camera become useless.

From Amazon, no offer for hard case pocket to hold the camera.

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.

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!

Excellent little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This was Christmas present. I’m so impressed with the quality of the pictures in any light. It’s easy to use and you can take it anywhere. I’d highly recommend this camera to anyone.

One of the best compact
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Lumix ZS3 / TZ7 is easily one of the best compact camera to date, maybe the best.

Things that other compacts don’t have : HD video (very good come out), zoom 12x !, very nice pics at night !

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 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.

Very good set of features for the price, BUT …
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Updated on January 23, 2010: Returned it because AVCHD-Lite is too painful to work with. We (I and my daughter) tried all the solutions listed on websites including HandBrake and talked to Apple geeks in the store, and tooled around till it was not worth our time. I was finding that the captured video was starting to get locked inside Panasonic PhotoFunStudio even on my Vista laptop. It never made it to iMovie on our Mac. As the box says, it is iPhoto compatible, and just barely.

original review:

I have owned this camera for a few weeks and have many positive and negative aspects of it to share with others considering this.

Pros

- 12x optical zoom on video and stills makes for a lot of sins, easily a steal at this price and form factor

- The image stabilization is good

- It is an excellent combination of features for the price if you can live with/get around the cons below

- HD video (even if it is “Lite”) and HDMI connection to TV are good things

Cons

- slightly dim (easily fixed through light fill in photo editing software) indoor pictures

- AVCHD “LITE” confuses software on PC and Mac alike. On the PC using the FunStudio, I had to instruct it to play video at normal speed before the choppy (2 fps) playback went away using one of the preferences menus in th software. On the Macbook Pro my daughter has tried both iMovie and Handbrake. iMovie import played the video too fast and she is still trying to figure out how to use Handbrake to get around this. Any help much appreciated!

- So to get around it we have switched the camera to record in the format its manual suggests as the PC-friendly one” Motion JPEG. The cards fill up too quickly and the videos (even short ones) take too long to acquire and then the .MOV files end up in the photo folder rather than the video folder. FunStudio will not even play back the video on the PC without first installing Quicktime!

Don’t Buy for HD video
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
When I got this camera, I had high expections. All the reviews point to it being a great camera: Great pictures, mainly automated, and HD video. WOW!! However, my wow soon changed to this thing %^$&%^$ sucks!! The pictures are OK, nothing special. But the HD is a disaster. I am trying to figure out who’s the moron, and I am being nice, who thought of using HD as a selling point, without the ability to get the HD video off of the FREAKIN’ camera!! Yes. You read right. It is very very difficult, if not impossible to get your high definitions off the camera and onto a CD or DVD. Call tech support you say. Forget it!! Talking to them is like talking to a wall. I will never buy another Panasonic anything again. They have total ticked me off. If for some stupid reason you still think you want this product and do not beleive me, just do a google search on someothing like “Getting ZS3 HD video to DVD”. I am sure you will see a list of people with the same complaint I have.

Great Camera for the Money
Rating:5 out of 5 stars

This is a great little camera for the money. It is easy to use, takes good quality pictures.

Pam B.

The best megazoom camera out there
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got everything and more I ever wanted in this tiny package. I just ordered another two batteries, a screen protector, carrying case and I’ll never need another camera again. It’s sturdy yet light. It’s a little thick but it zooms beyond expected. I love this camera. It’s worth every penny!!!!!

video recording
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought camera because my wife has shaky hands.The pictures still turn out great but she seems to hit the video record button by mistake a lot. Overall the best digital we ever owned for picture quality.

Everyone loves it
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It took me about a month choosing a camera. My last camera was small and slim, but it took really bad quality pictures with lots of noises – I hated it. HATED IT… and it broke too. with no apparent reason.

So i was looking for a camera with better quality, and i didn’t mind if it was a little costly or bulky. I wanted a good camera. I was actually looking for high-end cameras, actually debating over two of them, saving up money. Then i found this one.

OMG this camera seemed so good. it can zoom like crazy and takes super quality pictures, videos are awesome (zoom-able too), and not as big or expensive as a high-end camera. I read almost all the reviews out there on this camera – in two languages that i know

And this camera is GOOD. It met my expectations and did everything that all the reviews promised, it’s just awesome. I love my camera.

All my aunts love my camera, and one of them actually bought the same one after me, and today i just ordered another one for my mom – she wanted one too.

Some pros and cons:

-pros: takes really good pictures, image stabilization actually works unlike many other cameras, wide angle, great video with zoom, 12x(or more) zooming depending on the picture size, long battery life, you can delete multiple pics at a same time, etc.

-cons: cannot make panorama pics directly in the camera (comes with a program in a CD in the box so you can make one in the computer; never tried), zooming knob seems little loose (not to worry too much), and it’s NOT A SLIM & SKINNY camera.

If you’re looking for a case for this camera, here’s one that I recommend:Built E-SSC-MDT Soft-Shell Camera Case (Micro Dot)

I’m using this and it fits perfect.

I bought this camera when it was $300 and I don’t regret

I’m not a pro photographer or anything, I’m just a student who likes to take pictures a lot but can’t afford DSLR cameras, and if you have any questions about this camera please feel free to comment on this review.

You’ll fall in love — right out of the box…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Hands down the best small ‘auto’ camera I’ve ever owned. I won’t go on and on, and just say: you won’t be disappointed. Gorgeous pics, with lots of options for various lighting too (which is rare for auto flash). JUST GET IT.

Love it!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is great. Well built and fun to use. I was surprised at how much I liked the facial recognition.

Finally, an excellent pocket camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have owned several different cameras including a couple Sony’s, both of which completely underperformed and left me upset in a variety of situations (low light, poor zoom, etc.). This camera comes through on all fronts. I recently took some group photos along with some other friends who used their cameras including another brand pocket camera and a nicer 35mm (we all used our automatic point and shoot settings). The shots with my camera were the ones everyone wanted a copy of – say no more.

Get it!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera takes great stills and the HD movie format it shoots looks excellent too.

I use iA (intelligent auto) and the camera switches scene modes on it’s own. It works about 90% of the time to capture a great photo. Low lighting and indoor lighting don’t stop this camera, those shots all look good, with little noise, great exposures, with little motion blur. The zoom is amazing, and the wide angle function is outstanding. You can literally focus on a subject 1 inch away from the lens, or you can zoom in from several feet away and let the camera switch to tele macro.

The camcorder function uses AVCHD lite. Not immediately friendly for Mac’s, but the newest iMovie will play the format. I’m unsure if OSX Finder will preview them, I have an old Mac so I upload the .MTS HD files directly to youtube and they look darn good, and sound excellent. The stereo mics do a great job and get nice hi and low frequency response. It’s exceptional to have such a wide angle lens and the 12X zoom in camcorder mode, those HD films look great, especially landscapes.

This camera is durable as well, it survived a shoulder height drop onto a brick patio with no scratches, dents or malfunctions.

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.

Great camera!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
PROS: Camera is very good, it takes very nice high quality pictures and excellent HD video for that type of camera, it has easy access to the quick menu to select auto Exposure, burst mode, light, enviroment, Auto ISO, mega pixels, pic format and more just with the click of one buton. Scenes PIC are great and fun, I love the panorama one, with the software you can make a 360 degress picture.

The zoom is incredible, it can zoom nice and fast and will do it on video mode too.

16gb Mem card will give you about 2 hr of HD video, and/or over 3K pictures depending Pic res.

CONS: Well, the Mode Dial is very loose, it can move off easy and can stay off position by accident, the lense auto cap is very fragile, the auto focus is not that great, some times it focus on the wrong objects, but I am not sure if I am missing someting on the focus setting, battery life is not too good even setting the screen bright low it does not last long.

Over all the camera is excellent in pictures and video. I will recomend it.

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.

Not that great for indoors
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
This camera had all the features I wanted such as mega-zoom in still & video, stereo in video recording, hdmi output, etc and not to mention the 4.5 average buyer rating. But, unfortunately did not perform very well in indoors. Tried all AWB settings, still could only get subject within 3 to 4 feet in good clarity, the background always ended up dark. After doing some reading, noticed that some users have complained about a weak flash being a cause for this. Indoor photography is important to me, so had to return the camera. Beware if you are buying from non-amazon vendors, you might be charged with 15% restocking fee even though I found the product to be defective for the above reason!

Nice walk-around camera with excellent HD Video of its class
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I looked for a economical camcorder to record my daughter’s piano recitals and ball games. Most of the low to mid price camcorders is not capable to take still picture of acceptable quality. Their widest focus is typically 40-45mm only, which is not wide enough for volleyball games in a school gym. I read the DCRP review of the ZS3 and turned out that I bought it instead.

This camera is very easy to use, those who have experience with digital cameras may even skip the instruction manual. The monitor is of high resolution and bright enough even under sunlight. Light and small in size considers its 12X zoom. The zoom range is fantastic but noticeable distortion in wide zoom. Lack of color accuracy when using flash. The flash itself is weak. ZS3 has many functionable settings like Intelligent Auto Mode, Intelligent exposure, Intelligent ISO, Face Recognition etc. In generally is a very big step forward comparing with Panasonic’s older TZ3 & FX30 I used before. The photo quality is quite nice but never as good as my year 2003 Olympus C740 which is 3MP.

As a compact camera, it produces excellent video. I used AVCHD format with Super high quality, and watch with the 52″ LCD TV. The result(my HDMI connection cable from amazon.com cost me $2.10)is more than satisfactory. The professional reviews say AVCHD format is difficult to edit. I wonder how many compact cameras/camcorders users care to spend time to edit their video. Theoretically, 16GB records continuously 2 hrs+ video in AVCHD format. Actually, it is not possible. The battery runs dry in 45 minutes. Unlike most of the camcorders, extra capacity battery can be used to prolong recording time. This is the drawback of using the ZS3 instead of camcorder. The wide 25mm zoom is very useful both for still picture and video recording.

I enjoy this ZS3 as general purpose traveling camera when I am lazy to bring along the heavier DSLR.

Great Camera, Terrible video software
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This camera is great, except that the software to work with the mts video (AVCHD) files is terrible, so I bumped it down to only 3 stars. Shame on panasonic for making such as great camera and then giving a half-wit piece of software to download videos. The video is not easy to upload using Windows XP using Panasonic’s supplied software – PhotoFunStudio. I still cannot figure out how to delete videos off the storage card – when I try to do it, the it screws up the imbedded index and I cannot access the videos again. It’s more like Photo-”not fun or easy”-Studio. I paid extra to get the good video quality, but like others – have not been able to enjoy it for the problems and challenges that this software creates when trying to retrieve the files. I recommend the camera, but now need to find a solution for the videos stuck on the storage card.

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.

can’t use in bright sun light
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
There are several significant problems with this camera.

In bright sun light the screen becomes a mirror and I can’t see anything in front of me, only my face and things behind me.

Long shutter lag, by the time I take the picture of my grandchildren they have already moved off the screen.

Very sharp pictures if subect is stationary and not moving.

Only need this camera now! No more camcorders.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been shooting family videos for nearly 25 years now. I’ve always tried to get the best video quality in the smallest possible camcorder – so I’ve had VHS-C, S-VHS-C, Hi8, DV, and wide screen DV. I probably waited too long to go to HD because I’d gotten spoiled by the size of my latest DV camcorder, and didn’t want one of the fairly large HD camcorders. And all the latest flip-style HD camcorders just didn’t have the features I wanted.

My wife told me to get a new gadget for Christmas, so I started looking at pocket photo cameras with big lenses. And that’s when I found out I could at last get an HD video camera AND a great 25mm to 300mm 35mm equivalent zoom lens in one tiny package called the Panasonic ZS-3.

All I can say is that this is the coolest camera I’ve ever seen or owned. I’ve gotten to the point that for 99% of the time, I just want the camera to do the work at picking a great exposure, and the ZS-3 doesn’t let me down. Maybe there is some lighting situation, or creative focus that manual exposure control would let me do, but I just don’t care that much.

And of course, the days of carrying both a photo camera and a camcorder are over. Seriously, unless you are into shooting near pro level video (or perhaps need better than average audio – a mic input jack would have been nice), this camera will shoot videos that should please anyone who just wants to get nice family videos or even pretty spectacular vacation videos. My son has a high end pro HD video camera, and the quality of the video from this tiny camera truly rivals the videos taken on a pro level camera. (All except very low light, and as I mentioned, high quality audio.)

And it will always be with you. Not as tiny as one of the latest generation of very small pocket photo cameras, but those don’t have that very nice chunk of glass that gives you 12x optical zoom (or more at lower pixel resolutions). It does fit nicely into a pants pocket. In the past, even with a small camcorder, I would often just not want to take two cameras. And even the smallest video cameras with any kind of decent zoom capability won’t fit into a pocket.

As the old saying goes, you can’t take the picture (or video) if you don’t have your camera. With this great little camera, you’ll always have it along, and can take great photos or great videos.

If you read all the reviews around, and watch some youtube videos taken with the various similar cameras (search YouTube for camera models and you’ll find plenty of example videos), I think you too will conclude that the Panasonic ZS-3 is the best of its kind around. While my wife bought mine here on Amazon, what I don’t understand is why the Panasonic brand is not available in most of the big box stores. I could not find one to look at in Best Buy, CostCo, Target, Wal-mart, or any other stores of that kind in my vicinity. I ended up relying on the reviews, which in the end led me to the best camera/camcorder I’ve ever owned.

The worst camera I have ever owned!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
To anyone out there considering this camera, ask yourself these questions:

1. Is picture quality important?

2. Do I want the subject of the picture to be in focus?

3. Do I EVER use my camera indoors?

4. Do I want to occasionally shoot high quality HD video with my camera?

5. Do I want the battery to last more than 2 hours when taking pictures/video?

If you answered yes to any/all of the above questions stay FAR away from this camera. I don’t recall ever being so dissatisfied with an electronics purchase. The pictures are almost all blurry (even with the auto mode IAF turned on). Any shots taken indoors are ridiculously grainy and very very poor quality. I know most ccd’s for digital cameras suffer in low light situations, but this is by FAR the worst I have EVER seen. The flash makes many pictures look worse.. as everything in the foreground is awash with super bright light and everything behind the subject is pitch black. Red eye reduction works sometimes, but still drowns out the backgrounds. The camera is supposed to shoot HD video as well. There are notes on the box and the camera itself touting the AVCHD format (it also shoot motion jpeg but that is not HD). Let me be the first to say that my standard def camcorder takes better images in all lighting conditions (and that shoots at 640×480). Something that is touted as a feature for video is the ability to zoom while filming. Unless you want the noise of the lense moving to drown out the audio of what you are shooting, I wouldn’t recommend using it. Last but certainly not least is the battery life…or more specifically the lack thereof. I have NEVER used a device, any device, that goes through batteries this fast. We charged the battery for a full 8 hours on Christmas eve in anticipation of using the camera all day. Not 2 hours in with mixed video and stills and the battery indicator is blinking on the display (it ran out 5 minutes later and shut off). Utterly ridiculous. To continue, the mode switch button feels like it belongs on a 5 dollar plastic toy. It feels as if it is going to break off with normal use.

The only thing that is any good on this camera is the display on the back. Unfortunately what you see is NOT what you get.

I have always been partial to Canon cameras. The model I replaced the Powershot A70 was an AWESOME camera. The images it took were amazing indoors or out. It would still be in use today if it had not broken (son dropped it accidently). That camera would last almost a WEEK on a single charge.

My friend has a Sony (don’t recall which model) and it takes MUCH better photos, MUCH MUCH better videos (in actual HD), and costs 129.00 less than this camera. I may have to look into that after I dump this thing on Ebay (unfortunately it is beyond the return period). I made the mistake of taking some outdoor photos when I first got the camera. They looked good. Unfortunately we don’t hold Christmas or many other holidays (bar 4th of July) outdoors.

I am just trying to figure out if I got a really bad camera in an otherwise great line, or if all these reviews are smoke and mirrors. I don’t usually review these things, rarer still will I bad mouth something, however this thing has ruined 2 birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas this year with photos that look like they were taken with a 6 dollar disposable camera. Sorry but I demand more, and I assume you do too. Stay FAR away from this camera if picture quality, indoor capabilities, battery life etc matter to you.

You have been warned.

ZS3 Meets My Needs and Expectations
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Panasonic ZS3 is doing just what I expected it would. Its performance on “automatic” while indoors produces very good photos. I’ve tried tinkering with the few adjustments that are available indoors (flash on, flash off, etc.) and I’ve decided that the camera should be the boss.

Some reviews have commented on the lack of excitement in the colors the camera produces. Again, without having played with the options (white balance, etc.) on previous cameras, I haven’t done anything with the ZS3. I use Photoshop Elements v.3 on most every photo I’ve taken with my two previous Canon’s and the ZS3, using the automatic “lighting” and “color” fixes. The Canon shots sometimes came out quite a bit zippier after the software played with them. But the ZS3 shots don’t change much. Perhaps they are a tiny bit dull…or perhaps the ZS3 is getting it right the first time around and PS Elements likes what it is seeing. Sorry. I don’t know “color” very much, but I’m very happy with what I’m getting.

My optical zoom has gone from 3x with the two Canons to 12x with the ZS3. BIG difference. But I have to be extremely careful with the zoom. I depend on it too much, the end up with blurring, especially indoors. Gotta stop being a Couch Potato. Gotta get up and get closer to the subjects and not depend on the zoom to take me across the room.

I’m happy with the camera. I’d buy it again. And here I thought that only Nikon and Canon could make cameras….

Panasonic Lunix DMC-ZS3
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Camera is excellent! Picture quality is sharp. Zoom lens is excellent for close ups without losing picture quality due to blurring. Outstanding camera for the price!

Best All Around Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The combination of size and capability is impossible to match. The iA setting does an incredible job of choosing the right settings for you.

Video Recording is great! You need a Class 6 or faster SD card for video- make sure you don’t get stuck with a class 2 or 4. I got a 16G class 10 for $40 and can now take 2 hours of hi def video!

Good battery life. Nothing bad to say about this camera!

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.

AVCHD and K-Lite Codec Pack
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great Camera! Bought 2, not from amazon. As for software, filming in avchd lite…and I downloaded K-Lite Codec Pack (i only download from cnet) and it’s able to play in Windows media player, Picassa 3 and The KMPlayer (best free player, but a bit slow on there) Not sure if it is HD quality but it looks great…not able to play in quicktime though…

Great Video camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If, like me, you’re coming from the dark ages of non-converged devices, any device with good convergence seems like a godsend, and the ZS3 is kind of like that. I haven’t seen many reviewers comment on the 720P HD Video, and I’m just pretty impressed with what I’ve been able to take (esp. really good low-light videos). Also the one-touch recording thing is pretty sweet. Just turn on, push the REC button and in less than a second, you’re recording. This is one reason I prefer this device to my iPhone 3GS… by the time I get the camera ready on the iPhone I often lose the moment.

There’s a lot of things about this device that are a bit lacking: the colors can sometimes be washed out in flourescent lighting (even with the iA), the lens at it’s widest does exhibit some distortion at the edges (to be expected I guess from wide-angle… so I make sure it’s set to “not as wide” for most pix), also the video audio can be a bit quiet (not sure if it’s some setting… I just do post-processing and amp up the volume on all my movies).

The interface is not plainly obvious (took me several attempts to find the playback button for videos), but it grows on you and it becomes relatively handy (two user-customized settings are great… I use candle-light and sports, both with flash disabled, and go auto (iA) on all others).

Despite all this, I will give it a 5 stars for it’s video. I could have got a flip video, but this one does the job simply and with the 12x zoom lens, iA auto mode and copious manual settings, it’s more versatile and hey, it also takes pictures.

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.

A huge leap in point & shoot cameras!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought a Nikon Cool Pix last summer and was not happy with the picture quality or performance. I work for a motorcycle shop and sell their vintage bikes and NOS parts inventory. I take tons of photos and need for them to look excellent and be able to show tiny imperfections and detail, as people rely heavily on the quality of the photo’s when buying over the internet and from around the world. I receive many compliments on the photo quality and am asked often of what camera I am using. This camera is so user friendly and has a automatic mode that will not let you down. If taking video, you need to invest around $75 to $100 in a high speed card for best results. All I can say is; I love the camera and wished I would have stepped up to the plate and spent $260 for it, instead of paying $130 for the Nikon Cool Pix that I ended up giving away! I would also highly recommend purchasing from Amazon.com, as they are excellent to deal with, never any problems!

Great Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great camera for almost everything a family would need. The only thing this is not great at is low light shots. This is a problem with most or all digital cameras < at least in this price range>.

Would buy again, will recommend to a friend.

FYI and 8 gig card holds 1300 pics… a bit overkill .. A 4 gig would have been enough.

The most shots on an outing was around 150. After shooting and downloading to my PC, the battery was still 1/2 full. An extra battery is needed for a multi day outing , but I haven’t needed one yet.

The video this shoots is very good. This is where the 8 gig card comes in handy.

I have nothing bad to say other that the low light issue.

Hope this helps.

Fred

Great camera w/ great zoom!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great camera, with easily usable controls, and a great zoom as advertised (the zoom was the main reason I choose this item). I am happy with this purchase so far.

Perfect Vacation Camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After being spoiled using a Sony DSC-W7 for two years, I decided to upgrade. The ZS3 may not be perfect for everyone, but it’s just what I was looking for in a vacation and casual use camera. The pictures are excellent, the zoom is far better than those offered by the camera’s competition, and I especially like the HD video mode with stereo audio and the ability to zoom in or out while recording. On vacation, one has a great camera, a great 12X OPTICAL zoom, and a HD video recorder in one neat small package.

If you’d like to see examples of the ZS3’s photographic abilities, I’d suggest one looks at the 190+ photos offered for viewing at Amazon’s page on the camera. “Spectacular” is a word that comes to mind describing this casual-use camera’s abilities.

I have three minor concerns though: 1) the rotating mode selection wheel on top of the camera looks like it could be damaged if the camera is accidentally banged up (it should be recessed more), 2) one must be careful buying batteries since most generic batteries seem to cause problems (Powwer batteries worked for me at a reasonable cost), and 3) only buy Class 6 or higher SDHC memory cards to ensure good HD recording. I’d go with 16 GB or higher cards for the ZS3 (I have two which will give me hundreds of 10 megapixel photos and almost 2 hours of HD recording while on vacation).

Oh, my black model looks sharp!

3rd lumix, Cannot buy anything else but Panasonic
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The best Lumix and best camera in its class.!This is my 3rd lumix. I lost my fx500 and needed a replacment. I have had it for a couple of days, but it beats my expectations. Previous lumix had had dark pictures indoors, but I dont see any issue with this one. No blurry images even when I shook. Awesome zoom and strong build. Defintely better than canon sx2000.

Trust me, for the price and specs you cannot find anything better.

ALso video quality is good, much better than the flips and it also zooms video unlike the pocket camcorders or any other digital camera in its class.

You cannot beat panasonic with their wide angle and you get the best here!!!

I WOULD NEVER BUY ANY CAMERA FOR MYSELF UNLESS ITS A PANASONIC!!!!

Very nice little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After years of Canon IXUs I’ve jumped ship to Panasonic – no regrets

Don’t have any serious downsides (price of a spare battery is high) to report

a compact good pair with you SLR
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have a SLR already, but really need a camera when not taking very seriously and travel with. This is a good one with long range of zoom so when i was in Grand Canyon it helped me a lot with both wide and tele zoom.

The video is great, it’s just like a video camera. I don’t think i need to buy another video camera for my future baby.

A not so pleased thing is that its night shot is really not good and the picture quality at night is really bad, so if you want to buy one for mostly night shots, you may want to skip this one.

Gererally i like this one a lot. Build is good and handy to take with.

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.

very pleased
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
my wife and i bought this camera to take to las vegas for our wedding. we are very impressed with the ease of use and quality of pictures we have taken. just put it on intellegent auto and let it do the work

My Second Lumix
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great little camera, and I say “little” as compared to the SLR styles. Some of the pocket models are getting down right tiny. This camera is a bit smaller than previous models and can be carried in a pocket easily. It his well made and feels like a high priced camera, which it is. The main reason I favored this camera over other models capable of taking really good pictures too is the Optical Telephoto 12x Zoom. As with the older model the pictures taken with the zoom are unbelievable. To really appreciate what Panasonic has done one has to be old enough to remember taking Telephoto pictures with the 35MM SLR. Canon and Nikon are scrambling to come up with a comparable model to compete with the success of the Panasonic. Yes, like others, I miss having the backup eye piece for those times the lighting conditions make it difficult to compose a shot with the LCD back screen. I have an older Kodak with a through the lens eye piece and it still takes good pics but boy is it slow and it is like the SLR in size so does not slip into a coat pocket so easy. The menu on the SZ3 Lumix is easy to use and looks great. some menus on other cameras just look cheap — picky, I know, but this camera is not cheap. Battery life is really good, I have a backup battery but hardly need it. The second battery is handy, however. The camera comes with a Charger and it is an improvement over the older model as it is a quick charge type. I think the flash has been improved also as it has better range than before and it is not as prone to washing our a flash picture. Another improvement is the ability to use the zoom while filming in video. Okay, so what don’t I like? The The software is crap. It comes with two types of software, Media Impressions from ArcSoft which is okay but it will not play the new AVCHD video format — you will still have HD JPEG, thank god, but the software they give you to play the new format AVCHD is junk, it does not work, and I’m not the only one to have this problem. The title to this software is PhotoFunStudios and it is anything but fun. Without the ability to play back the AVCHD format on you PCor Laptop you are not going to be able to do any editing, so my advice is to set you new camera on the HD JPEG format and be happy. The Advantage of the AVCHD is it is supposed to give you HD in a smaller foot print saving you space on you little SD card — just buy a bigger card 8GB or bigger and forget about AVCHD. You can go online and purchase AVCHD software that works but that is another $40. Yes, I know, Panasonic should fix this and to tell the truth had I known about this earlier I might not have bought this camera as I originally thought this new format would be a cool feature have. So, if video is an important part of you purchase I would think twice before shelling our the big buck for the Panasonic. Here is another caveat concerns the battery. Panasonic decided to upgrade the firmware for the camera from the original production to a version 2, which comes preloaded on the new cameras, and this version will not allow you to use a third party battery — that’s right, you are locked into paying top dollar for the LUMIX only battery, usually around $40. You can get batteries that will work in the Panasonic camera for half that price on Amazon and even less if you go to a Hong Kong distributor. the way around this form of holdup is to download firmware version 1.1 and reverse version 2 back. The camera will then accept third party batteries. From what I could tell the battery limitation was the only reason for the upgrade to version 2. You can still get the older version originally used on this camera and all of the older models from the Panasonic web site support, but for how long? It is a great camera and the zoom is super and the menu easy to use and the battery life really good and it is easy to handle but for the Firmware problem and software that will not function properly I would seriously check out their competitors. If you buy, then get one at CostCo, try it and if it is not too much trouble and you don’t care about the Firmware version and the video format isn’t a big deal then I would say keep it, otherwise take it back to CostCo and go for the Canon or the Nikon. Peace, to you and yours — I hope this may have been of some help to someone looking. I bought my camera at Amazon, they have always been fast and fair and CostCo did not have this camera in when I made my purchase. Peace and good bye.

Horrendous flash
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I hardly ever write reviews but with all the positive reviews this camera had, I thought I’d put my two cents in.

I bought this camera to replace my aging Canon sd800. I wanted something small with a better zoom for capturing images of my two kids with the added capability of video thrown in for good measure. To make a long story short, I’m sending this back to Amazon because my SD800 does a better job in two key areas.

1) focus. If you are taking pictures with this camera of kids be prepared to be disappointed. THe autofocus is awful and by the time it finally does focus, you’ve lost the shot. I’m talking a good 2-3 seconds before the camera focuses and another second to snap the picture. It’s really depressing.

2) The flash. If you’re using this indoors, you have to use the flash (I expect this to be true of any P&S). The flash on this is so strong, it washes out any contrast in the faces you’re taking pictures of. It also creates pretty great shadows in the background.

When I went back to the SD800, it was like a breath of fresh air.

Pocket camera of choice for professional photographers
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I couldn’t have been more pleased with this camera. I bought it as a pocket camera to supplement my Cannon 35mm Digital EOS. Color saturation is amazing and it really does fit in the chest pocket of my travel vest. On a recent trip to Egypt, a profesional photographer who has done work for National Geographic among other publications, stated that several of his professional photographer friends use the camera as I do. Of the 10 people in my group, 3 had the Lumix DMC-ZS3.

My only irritation with the camera is that it only uses its own panasonic Lumix battery…not always easy to come by. I made the mistake of buying a back-up battery that was another brand and hence, “incompatible.”

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.

Very good camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It took me about a month to make up my mind on buying this DMC-ZS3. I even bought a Nikon first, but digging the DMC-ZS3. First let me qualify my opinion. I consider myself a hobby photographer, but close friends call me semi-pro. Been shooting film since 1984, my first digital camera was a Sony Mavica, and I’ve made numerous upgrades since then. I stopped using film altogether when I got my big gun is a Konica-Minolta Maxxum 7D. About 2 years ago I bought a Coolpix S550 and it has been in pocket nearly every day since then. It has held up well – but I wanted more. I tried the new Coolpix S570, and was mostly pleased, but the recycle time was a HUGE downer. From the moment I pressed the shutter button to when it was ready for the next shot, it was nearly 6 seconds. Almost 3 times that of the S550.

So I get ready to buy a new camera, and I narrow it down to the DMC-ZS3 and the Canon SX200IS. If you have done any researching, you’ll find these two models are almost always compared against one another. I went with the DMC-ZS3 only because the price was good – but I was fully prepared to buy the Canon as well, and send back the one I liked the least.

The Canon has the manual settings, but after some soul searching I realized that I wanted a point and shoot, like the S550. If I want the manual controls and the full creativity that goes with them, I have the Maxxum.

Size was important. I wanted something to fit in my pocket like the S550 and would always be there when I wanted it. The DMC-ZS3 is only slightly larger than S550, which was downright tiny. I think anyone who who calls the DMC-ZS3 big and bulky is not being fair. It really is small and portable, when you consider the fat lens and huge screen on the back.

Recycle time is as good if not slightly faster than my old S550. Push button, take shot, its ready for another shot in just over 2 seconds. And that is not using the multi-shot burst mode. Startup time is about 2 seconds, too.

Lots have critiqued the non-metal housing. The finish makes it feel like metal. Its quality and feels pretty solid. Many say the main function control on the top is loose. Yeah, it does occasionally switch positions on you if you rub against it, but I wouldn’t call it loose. Its no big deal at all to flip it back where it belongs.

The images are very good. Marco is awesome. You can just about touch the lens to what you are looking at and it will focus. The wide angle is also a big plus. Take a few pictures inside a small room and you’ll see what you have been missing with the standard issue point and shoot cameras. The images are great.

All in all, I’m very pleased with the DMC-ZS3 and will not seek out the Canon to see if I would like it better. Its fast, takes great pictures, its small yet more then enough lens. I have no gripes about it at all so far.

Captures Action Better than I’d Hoped; Almost No Shutter Lag
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve had the camera for only 22 hours, so I can’t yet provide a thorough review, but I am thrilled to say that it has almost no shutter lag, which was one of my most important criteria; I hate missing a picture because the camera is too slow to take it. Last night, I took the DMC-ZS3 to an NBA game (not as my date — my wife was there) and even on full zoom, the lag was minimal. I was able to capture the players taking shots, going for rebounds, and blocking the ball almost as well as I would have with an SLR. Press the shutter button halfway to get the camera to focus, wait for the right moment, and voila, you get the picture you were hoping for!

Since the digital photography epoch began, we’ve owned one camera, and it collected dust because it couldn’t do the job we wanted. We were waiting for a modestly priced, fit-in-your-pocket, mega-optical-zoom, point-and-shoot that would stop the action as we wanted it to. I think we have a winner.

Neat Stuff
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Best thing about this camera is the wide angle zoom lense packaged in a small size case. I feel that I don’t need a SLRs now.

Another excellent feature is the ability to use zooming feature while recording videos.

Picture quality is excellent. I have done wedding pictures/videos in day and night. I have captured snow covered scenes and shared with friends. They all are amazed.

I have done slide show on Samsung 1080P High def TV directly from the camera. They look fablous.

In a nutshell, I am happy with my choice. My brother-in-law bought the same camera after looking at my photography.

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.

Recommended
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Was well reviewed and lives up to the raves. Especially like the 10 MegaPixel format and the 12x optical zoom. Also takes HD video!

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

Great pictures… proprietary USB connector
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This seems to be a great camera and does take nice pictures for a point and shoot. The previous reviewers seem to of covered most of the ground fairly well, so I won’t rehash what they’ve already stated.

This is just a warning for potential buyers out there. The 3 stars I give this camera is because this camera does not use a standard mini-USB cable! If you are tired of carrying around 10 different power/USB cords for you gadgets, do not buy this camera! I am seriously considering returning the camera for this reason (even though both my laptop and netbook have SD card readers… it’s the principle of the matter). If you do not mind this flaw, this is a great camera for the money.

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!

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 – 6th Avenue Electronics
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 in November 2009 and absolutely love this camera. The reason why I am writing this review is I would like the readers to know that I highly recommend the store I purchased my camera from – 6th Avenue Electronics. My husband, Bryan had a few inquiries about the camera and called the customer service department and talked with a lady by the name of Rose. She was extremely helpful and courteous to his questions about the camera.

This morning my daughter wanted to purchase a Cool Pix camera and we decided to give our business again to 6th Avenue Electronics due to their customer loyalty and competitive prices.

Thank you again for your service and look forward to working with you again in the future.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Black)

Best Point N’ Shoot I’ve Had So Far
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
As a geek who spends way to much time and money on tech stuff, I’d have to say that this camera is the best “point and shoot” camera I’ve had thus far (and I’ve had many, many digital cameras). This is a great find and now Panasonic has my attention.

Focus Problems
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Typical tourist shots of people and buildings in full sunlight turned out well but shots under less than optimal lighting, i.e. late afternoon, sunset, etc., or with no dominent focal point turned out poorly. Also Christmas group pictures taken with a tripod and using the timer where not in focus. I haven’t used the video mode. After the intial realization this was not a simple point and shoot camera, I’ve experimented with many combinations of the AF modes, preset scene modes, and Intelligent Auto mode with limited success. At a minimum you must press the shutter release half way to lock focus or, in too many cases, be warned the camera can’t find focus. At this point you can recompose your picture and try again, assuming the scene is still available, but in too many cases for me the camera just can’t find focus, at which point you’re out of luck since there is no manual focus. The camera has many fine features but if I can’t rely on it to take a focused picture, it’s essentially worthless.

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

very bad picture quality
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
i was impressed by the positive reviews about this camera, and i decided to pay more to get the best , i was shocked with the picture quality in different light conditions, i took most of the pictures in wedding ceremony for one of my relatives, im disappointed with the grainy appearance of the pictures, and the blurr around the light , i tried different modes , with the same bad pic quality .

to get good quality with this camera u should : be outdoor , stand still with no movement at all , and take 4-5 pictures hoping one will be good .

im not a professional photographer , but im regular user of dig. cameras , this camera failed to meet my basic needs for taking family pictures indoor . it does not worth 5$ even , and if panasonic decided to give it free to me i will pay the shipment back to them , thats how much im frustrated from this camera.

i sent it back to amazon , waiting the refund .

DONT BE FOOLED BY POSITIVE REVIEWS , i decided to spend 5 minutes to write this review bcs of my frustration , many people send it back and dont document their negative experience

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.

Great point and shoot
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am impressed with this DMC-ZS3 LUMIX CAMERA.

I have a nikon point and shoot and was impressed 3 yrs ago with it .

For the price of the panasonic i did look at the nikon and thought the panasonic superior .The lumix takes great pics and video and works well indoors and lower light situations.I gave coolpix 1st crack at my hard earned cash and felt lumix was better for me..

Most versatile point and shoot available
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
There are many reviews that discuss the overall merits of this camera quite well. I would like to highlight just a few that I think haven’t been emphasized enough.

* The 3″ hi resolution screen is a delight. I did not think it would make that much difference but it does. This is the first camera that I felt I could examine the quality of the picture using the on board screen. Playback is wonderful.

* They seem to have fixed the loose mode dial. The dial on my camera (bought in December 2009) is quite snug.

* The slide switches for power and camera/playback are preferable to the push button switches in my mind. The power on is quicker since it does not require a built in delay that the push buttons need (to avoid accidental turn on). You can also turn the power on by feel which is handy when you are trying to avoid disturbing a scene. The slide switch on playback mode is convenient for review and downloading since the lens is not popping out in your hand when you turn the camera on. The downside, as pointed out elsewhere, is that you may forget to switch back to camera mode and miss a shot. Again, after a while, you get in the habit of checking the switch, which you can do by feel.

* The separate movie record button is brilliant. Why this isn’t a standard feature on all cameras, I do not know. It is not difficult to push, and it is not too easy to push (i.e. making accidental movies).

* The quick menu feature is excellent. This is the first camera I have had with this feature and it helps tremendously in making the advanced features of the camera much more accessible and therefor more likely to be utilized.

* The camera feels lighter than I expected which is nice because I like to keep it in a shirt pocket. It fits quite easily in Men’s shirt pockets. Doesn’t sag my shirt as much as my Rollei 35, which is my longtime standard 35mm.

* The frame of the camera is clearly quite rugged and gives it a solid feel. I am sure the internals are well anchored to this frame, however the plastic doors and front and back panels seem a bit fragile. This is one area that Canon clearly has the edge – their exterior panels and doors are beautifully designed and give their cameras a bit more of a quality feel in the hand.

* The movie modes of this camera make it probably the first true dual mode camera on the market. I think this form factor will dominate as opposed to the video cam form factor (that also takes stills). I will certainly be retiring the old DV cam.

Overall, this is the most well thought out and feature-rich point and shoot camera I have seen. I think I will be using it for a long time.

Stunning HD video
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera as an upgrade to my aging Canon A520 camera. 2 things that were prompting me to upgrade – pictures taken of my daughter’s basketball games in the dimly lit gym were not very good (either too dark and grainy or a streak of blur instead of a clear action shot). Second was video capabilities – the Canon just took 30 sec. max of small grainy video.

I got this camera a week ago and have to say I am very impressed with it! For issue #1, I took it to my daughter’s ball game on Saturday and tried it out. The pictures were definately an improvement. I will say that this scenario is very difficult for any point and shoot (low light – fast action – needing to zoom to get a close enough shot – not a good combo for a small lens). So, I wasn’t expecting miracles, just an improvement over the Canon and that is exactly what I got. The pictures were brighter and sharper – very usable. There was still some blur in extreme situations – shooting the basketball. There just isn’t enough light to completely stop the action. And if you look closely at the brighter shots, they are a little grainy due to higher ISO settings. But, unless you blow the picture way up, you don’t see it at all and it is still a huge improvement over the aging Canon.

The part that I didn’t expect was issue number 2. I expected longer recording times and better video quality. But what I got was nothing short of absolutely stunning video. I took video of my daughter’s choir concert. The stage is well lit with spotlights and I expected good video. What I got was razer sharp wide screen video that looks so good on my 50″ 1080p Plasma (Panasonic – so I can play the AVCHD video right from the card) it was hard to believe. Next I tried the basketball game – much less light. Again the video was nothing short of amazing. The picture looked just as good as it did with the well lit stage. Absolutely no noise or grain – just bright, colorful, beautiful video. I even compared it to my older Canon true camcorder (digital, but not HD) and the picture is better by far in bright light. In dim light, it is even more pronounced – the camcorder has a washed out grainy look – the ZS3 looks stunning. I always hated finding a tape with room, getting it to the right spot, charging the battery and lugging the camcorder along with a normal camera. Now, I don’t have to and I can still get stunning video. Condition 2 met wonderfully.

I haven’t tried all the features and modes yet, but with the auto mode working so well, I probably won’t use them much. A few thoughts:

- The mode wheel isn’t super stiff like on the Canon, but it’s tight enough that it doesn’t move on its own.

- The battery lasted for about 45 min. of video, about 30 flash pictures and a whole lot of playing around with menus, settings, etc. It charged in just under 2 hours.

- If you look around you can find a couple batteries that do work with firmware 1.2. I ordered on from Amazon for $25 that should arrive soon. The two hour charge time compared to my old 15 min. AA charger has me wanting the second battery for backup.

- The AVCHD plays wonderfully (no additional software) on my Windows 7 Core2 Quad machine. I had to install the included software and it still plays a little jerky on my Core2 Duo laptop. So I’m thinking you may need a decent machine to play the native video. However, I believe the included software can convert it to a less demanding format (with probably some quality loss) – I haven’t tried it.

- The zooming works well in video mode – it is plenty fast and while I did notice an occassional tiny amount of refocusing during the ball game while zooming, it was very slight and nothing more than my old camcorder did – especially in the low light.

- It appears to be very solidly built. I haven’t dropped it – yet, but even the controls and doors are hinged and solidly built – unlike the rubber covers on my Canon.

- The record button for video is a little awkwardly placed – I have to hunt to find it to stop recording and I think I will probably end up hitting it accidentally a few times when I don’t mean to.

For now, I am very happy with the still picture quality (understanding the limits of a compact point and shoot) and am totally amazed by the AVCHD video quality. I can see I’ll be purchasing a 1 TB drive soon to house all the video I’ll be taking now that it is much more convenient than my dedicated camcorder.

Edit – Since my last review I have used the camera a little more and have a couple minor complaints:

- The video I just took using the AI mode was a little overexposed – a band concert on a spotlit stage. Same stage as the Choir concert so I’m a little surprised by the different results. There is probably a better setting to have used, but I didn’t try. That leads to one of my minor gripes. Because you can’t see what the video mode will look like until you press the button and start recording, it’s kind of hard to tell if you need a different mode. It would be nice to be able to preview (and see how much time is left) before starting the video recording. If there is a way to do that I haven’t found it yet.

- I still don’t find the zoom too slow in video recording (like some other reviewers), but I did find it a little touchy. It was a little difficult to get just the zoom I wanted. I found myself zooming in and out too much trying to get just right framing. Might just be a getting used to it thing.

These are minor quibbles and don’t do anything to reduce my love of the camera. Just something to be aware of…

One final thing – I am using a class 4 8GB SD card and it is works fine for AVCHD video – not sure about Motion JPEG, but the AVCHD works fine with class 4.

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.

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

EASY to use, GREAT quality pics and video
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you’re looking for a camera that gives you great quality pictures, yet is easy to use, this is your camera. This is my second Lumix (I loved my first one so much, I upgraded to this one) and it proves to be easier to use than the first. The video feature is great and with the push of one button, you’re taking video pictures. The pictures are great and the video is HD!

It’s very functional, portable, stylish and most of all affordable. For the money, this is a great buy.

Wonderful product
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
i bought a sanddisk class 10 SD card.. so i am not sure whether to attribute my great experience to the card or to the camera….

but in either case, i was taking pictures on the highest quality setting and i enjoyed the fact that it loaded immediately and was ready to take another picture…

i took a picture when my little brother was running, maybe 5 feet away from me, and it had absolutely no blur….

zooming was very smooth

menus loaded very quickly

the video quality was very clear (not sure about the “HD” feature)

i would highly recommend this camera

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..)

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 ..

WOW!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this camera for Christmas. The camera I had previously was a Canon Coolpix. I’m big into snapping, but strictly novice and can’t be bothered with manual settings. So I helped pick out the Lumix based on most of the reviews on Amazon. However, I never think I’m going to be as lucky or excited as others when it comes to total camera satisfaction. But I really love this camera! I live about a mile away from the Empire State Bldg, so I used the zoom on a few snaps just to test it out. WOW!! I cannot believe the clarity of the bldgs with max zoom. I was also able to zoom in on helicopters, birds and the moon with ease. The camera works well in low light and I love that the red video button stands alone for quick video capture, instead of frantically spinning the dial to find video mode. I really can’t think of anything I don’t like about this camera. I do wish it had WiFi capabilities, but there are other cameras for that. Actually, this is the first camera I chose for picture quality over some gimmicky function. I would higly recommend this camera to everyone!

Great for stills and videos…Leave Camcorder at home and travel light
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have DSLR’s, but in many cases prefer not to lug them around. Also, I wanted the flexibility of having a wide zoom range, and ability to shoot good pictures or good video from the same unit. Research led me to the ZS3 and I couldn’t be happier with its combined performance!

Other reviews have hit on the strengths and a few shortcomings in great detail, so I will keep my review short and sweet and just say that it fully met my needs and expectations, and for a great price.

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!

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.

Just great except for one thing
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This Camera is the best I’ve seen there is only one thing I don’t like about it. You have to put the date on each picture it has no setting for dates to be put on as you take the picture or Video. Other than that the pictures are the best I’ve seen.

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.

top notch point-and-shoot
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2S4USTHSDTO21 The attached video was made straight out of the box, without reading the manual. Note that the original HD file has much better resolution (you get some loss going from 160MB to 22MB). The video shows the zoom function right up to max zoom. The image stabilization keeps the picture very steady, even at max zoom and in low light. It’s so easy to use it’s embarrassing.

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.

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.

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.

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.

BEST CAMERA FOR PRICE
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After doing some extensive research, and even purchasing a camera a week earlier, I still went ahead and purchase this camera. Boy, did I miss out on getting this one earlier in the year. It has to be one of the best compact point and shoot out there. I was looking for something that was capable of taking good quality pictures but at the same time take high quality videos. I was very impressed. Get this camera and you won’t be disappointed.

A++ all the way!

A workhorse camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
As an appraiser I needed a wide angle camera sometimes. This one fits my bill neatly and more. Its optical and digital zoom is just awesome. Although not an SLR camera, it has several features that let me have control over the picture quality. For instance, auto bracketing let me take 3 photos in a row without using flash, even in low light. 25 mm wide angle, solid build and feel, 3″ LCD display screen, supports up to 16GB HD card (which I am using), HD movie capable, what else can I ask for?

Mine is black now, very “manly”. If the budget allows, I’d purchase another one in red or blue.

underwhelmed, and back in the market for a camera
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
We replaced an old digital elph with th