Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3K 7.2MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

I jumped into digital photography way before it was cool, spent far to much money, and soon after bought a nice 35mm slr and a scanner. I refused to spend more money on new digital until I could pack nearly all of the quality features of my slr into a small carryable digital. Sure the TZ3 does not have manual mode but as many times as I actually use manual mode I figure I don't need it. How many times do Hummer drivers actualy take them off road any way? Dont get me started (: The over all quality and feel of the case, battery compartment door and latch, buttons and mechanisms is top notch as far as I can tell. I bought it after reading the reviews here at amazon and did not go to a brick and mortor store and handle several others to compare so that is only my gadget guru experienced oppinion. The massive for the case size screen is exceptional(is it me or have lcd's made a major leep lately? my garmin nuvi 660 screen is down right impresive). The picture quality is fantastic. I have yet to see any artifacts shooting in bright sun with high zoom, not even any lense flares which I truly expected, or in candle lit birthday with flash. It has fast write times and very short power up wait. If I had to find something to complain about I would say it feels a little dainty in my hands and I find myself handling it like a newborn baby. That may be just because it is new but I wanted a small powerfull pocket camera I could keep on me at all times so I am loving it. It seemed like it was the best bang for the buck camera in its category. This review is just a drop in the bucket here I know, and thanks to all the pros and semi pros for the detailed reviews, but for what its worth I highly recomend it to anyone shopping in this price range.

Extremely impressed with the TZ3. This gem should get 5 stars on construction and finish alone. Just holding it in your hands it screams quality and feels like a tank. Love it. It seriously feels like a $700 camera. No exaggeration. I was a little worried about it not being able to fit in my jean pockets before buying it. Women may have issues with really tight jeans but for us guys no problem. It fits fine. I seriously cant believe I can carry around a camera with a 10x zoom inside my jean pockets. Truly remarkable. The 3" screen is amazing. You can practically enjoy your pics right on screen w/o even printing them with the High Res output. Navigation is so easy on this camera. Something not surprising though if your already coming from another panny (FZ7 here). Picture quality is great. I tested it out today on standard and I would say its just as good as my FZ7 in daylight and better in lowlight (indoors). Image quality is great, and if you need extra sharpness you could always use the camera on "Vivid mode" or add a little with some post processing. The pics in Standard and natural mode PP very well. The wide angle is something new to me. Took some neat shots that looked very nice with the extra viewing angle. Very distinctive and after having this i'm not sure if I could go back.

If your looking for a do it all camera this may very well be your tool of choice. Combine it's extreme versatility coupled with excellent image quality, superb lens, build, and finish you have yourself a winner.

I really like this camera. It has 10x optical, image stabilization, a 3.0inch lcd with 230,000 pixels, and more. The size is great for a 10x zoom camera. Image stabilization and is great for getting shots that would come out blurry with my Canon Powershot A620. My other favorite feature besides the zoom and image stabilization, is the wide angle. It is great to finally get cityscapes and have the whole skyline in one shot!! And with the camera set to 16X9, I can get a 24mm shot!

What I don't like about this camera is it's short battery life. Even with the1300mAh battery I bought, I get less shots than with my Canon. And the colors of the photos from this camera are a lot less colorful than on the Canon. That is something I will have to get used to. I was very disappointed to find out that this camera has no zoom in movie mode, unlike its predecessor, the TZ1. Luckily, that did not stop me from buying this camera. Overall, this camera is a great buy, especially if you want i.s. wide angle, and long zoom.

All cameras have something that could be improved , there is no such thing as perfect anything. This one comes close enough for me. I am no beginner either, I have used SLR cameras for years and now like the freedom this offers, things that people take for granted these days did'nt exist yesterday. Like the features this camera offer, people just think Oh! someone said on the internet Panasonic cameras don't take good pictures, noisey or what not. BULL CR**. Film cameras did'nt work the best in really low light , why do people think digital ones won't have problems like that? Most people don't know a thing about photography anyhow and wonder why they don't get good results. Learn to use it and it will reward you! I get GREAT results with my LUMIX and you will to with a little practice. My latest 12x18 was taken in the US air force museum in Dayton OH. , impressed anyone who saw it, no visible noise , very sharp, couldn't ask for much more.

Just got back from a Tanzania safari. After way too much on-line research, I'd bought this as a back-up to my Canon Rebel XTi (with its 20+ lb. of lenses and accessories). The TZ-3 has a few shortcomings, but what a fine and fun camera!

Outdoor image quality is excellent. The 28-280 Leica lens is amazingly versatile, capturing everything from landscapes and Serengeti sunsets to a leopard in a tree at 100 yards (not a full frame image, but quite usable). The interface is very user friendly. In any mode you just hold down the function key and up comes an on-screen menu of available adjustments and settings. The screen itself is just awesome - big, bright and beautiful.

Two of the stops on the mode selection wheel can be set to your favorite of the many available modes. There's an excellent macro mode. The sunset mode produces spectacular images. The night portrait mode is surprisingly effective, although you may need a tripod prevent blurring of the background. The IS (image stabilization) feature works great, but you will still need a tripod or other support if you zoom out to the full 10x.

There's an intelligent ISO mode which is handy in variable lighting (as long as you limit the ISO to 400 - see below). The movie mode is quite usable. Movies and stills can both be shot in 16:9 aspect ratio - very cool if you have a widescreen TV for playback.

The camera is solidly built and heavy for its size. (It's got a lot of lens for such a small camera.) But unlike most superzooms, it fits fine in a pants pocket.

There are a few drawbacks to the TZ-3. It's a shame Panasonic didn't add Av and Tv (aperture priority and shutter priority) modes, which would give the user a little more artistic control. Sometimes the f-stop settings the camera selects are less than ideal. Low light image quality is only so-so. As with most compact cameras, the flash is not that helpful. As has been widely reported, ISO settings over 200 do show too much noise control. Use them only if you're desperate, and make sure to set ISO to 100 in the default mode. The lack of a view finder takes some getting used to, but they'd have to shrink that lovely screen to add one - a bad move in my opinion. It would be nice to be able to zoom while you're shooting movies, but I guess the zoom noise would be a problem. None of these mattered enough to make me rate the camera at less than 5 stars, though.

I highly recommend this camera for travel and outdoor photography (e.g. kid sports). Do be sure to pick up an extra battery (generic) and a couple of SD cards. Use 2.0 GB or 4.0 GB SDHC cards if you're want to use the movie mode at full resolution. A screen protector might be a good idea if you're going to carry it around in your pocket.

If you're interested in more details, dcresource and dpreview both have thorough reviews of the TZ-3.

Overall, I'd buy this camera again in a heartbeat. It does what it's designed for - takes great travel photos. Fun, fun, fun, and a great value to boot!