Home > Consumer Reviews > Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3S 7.2MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3S 7.2MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)
See it at Amazon.com for $130.00Average Customer Rating
(4.5 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
Most Helpful First | Newest First | + Share28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
Best I could find after lots of research
(5 out of 5) by TLB on Jul 23, 2007 (North Potomac, MD)I love to research things and after tons of research, decided this camera was in a class by itself. After using it for a few weeks, I am VERY happy with the purchase.
It has the following combination features I couldn't find anywhere else:
* Wide angle
* 10x telephoto. Quite unique in this size camera.
* Fast burst mode - 3 pictures/sec. This is what killed the Canons -- they only do barely 2 pictures/sec
* Excellent video mode
* Pocket camera. Anything else that had the other features was MUCH larger
* Price -- well priced
The main thing this camera lacks is full manual controls. As I've had that on other cameras and rarely use it, I decided it would be easy to give up.
Overall the camera is very easy to use and takes excellent pictures. I've been using vivid mode based on the advice I've seen in some reviews. The pictures do appear more vibrant in this mode.
I recently found a really cool feature -- the ability to convert a video into a 9-minipicture photo. While viewing a video, you can pause the action, push the telephoto lever to wide, and see 9 frames at once on the screen. Push the shutter button and you now have a 2 mpixel photo of the 9 frames. Its great for sporting events like capturing swimming dives.
Highly recommended.
It has the following combination features I couldn't find anywhere else:
* Wide angle
* 10x telephoto. Quite unique in this size camera.
* Fast burst mode - 3 pictures/sec. This is what killed the Canons -- they only do barely 2 pictures/sec
* Excellent video mode
* Pocket camera. Anything else that had the other features was MUCH larger
* Price -- well priced
The main thing this camera lacks is full manual controls. As I've had that on other cameras and rarely use it, I decided it would be easy to give up.
Overall the camera is very easy to use and takes excellent pictures. I've been using vivid mode based on the advice I've seen in some reviews. The pictures do appear more vibrant in this mode.
I recently found a really cool feature -- the ability to convert a video into a 9-minipicture photo. While viewing a video, you can pause the action, push the telephoto lever to wide, and see 9 frames at once on the screen. Push the shutter button and you now have a 2 mpixel photo of the 9 frames. Its great for sporting events like capturing swimming dives.
Highly recommended.
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
Fantasic Camera, Superb Zoom
(5 out of 5) by Billy Radcliffe on Jul 6, 2007Shopped around quite a bit for my next camera and settled on the Panasonic Lumix with 10x zoom and I haven't been disappointed. Excellent picture quality, good interface (not perfect - sometimes hard to figure out exactly what "mode" will yield the best pictures), beautiful and large LCD (with high setting for outdoor viewing), and that fantastic 10x zoom that takes close-ups and long shots with equal aplomb.
All the features work extremely well and I've been very impressed with outside, inside, low-light, flash and backlit pictures that I've taken (and I've taken about 400 to date). The battery life is very good, lasting about 200 pics from what I estimate. While it doesn't charge with USB (which would be ideal) or have a cradle, the charger is very small and light and easy to travel with. The features on the camera are mostly automatic, but many can be adjusted manually pretty quickly to adjust to the situation.
I'm also impressed with the video, in particular the ability to take 16:9 format video (and still shots too) makes it a must-have for anyone with an HD TV. The video isn't quite HD, but it looks fantastic on the TV. The only downside is how much space the video takes (I assume because of the Quicktime format). Get a big memory card - at least 4GB if not 8GB if you plan on taking lots of video.
Overall this camera offers a relatively compact size and is as easy to use as any point-n-shoot with some of the most necessary features of a DSLR. It isn't professional quality - but it's as close as you can get for the price and size as most consumers looking to take great pictures will need.
All the features work extremely well and I've been very impressed with outside, inside, low-light, flash and backlit pictures that I've taken (and I've taken about 400 to date). The battery life is very good, lasting about 200 pics from what I estimate. While it doesn't charge with USB (which would be ideal) or have a cradle, the charger is very small and light and easy to travel with. The features on the camera are mostly automatic, but many can be adjusted manually pretty quickly to adjust to the situation.
I'm also impressed with the video, in particular the ability to take 16:9 format video (and still shots too) makes it a must-have for anyone with an HD TV. The video isn't quite HD, but it looks fantastic on the TV. The only downside is how much space the video takes (I assume because of the Quicktime format). Get a big memory card - at least 4GB if not 8GB if you plan on taking lots of video.
Overall this camera offers a relatively compact size and is as easy to use as any point-n-shoot with some of the most necessary features of a DSLR. It isn't professional quality - but it's as close as you can get for the price and size as most consumers looking to take great pictures will need.
26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
Yup - GREAT BUY!
(5 out of 5) by Wolfgang on Apr 27, 2007 (L.A.)Yes, it is a great buy, only depending who you are.
This camera is perfect for someone who doesn't want to do anything, just take the picture. It has many settings for many different situations: from indoor parties to hikes with cluody skies.
The only bad thing I found is the weight. It's very compact, but you feel you have it in your pocket (the leica lenses inside are quite heavy). That happens because you have an amazing 10X zoom.
Picture quality is beautiful. Colors in pictures are almost better than real (kinda scary...). Very fast processor, good battery life. Screen is very big.
Great buy!
This camera is perfect for someone who doesn't want to do anything, just take the picture. It has many settings for many different situations: from indoor parties to hikes with cluody skies.
The only bad thing I found is the weight. It's very compact, but you feel you have it in your pocket (the leica lenses inside are quite heavy). That happens because you have an amazing 10X zoom.
Picture quality is beautiful. Colors in pictures are almost better than real (kinda scary...). Very fast processor, good battery life. Screen is very big.
Great buy!
21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
Great Travel Camera
(4 out of 5) by Just Another Geek on May 30, 2007 (Simi Valley, CA, USA)I purchased this camera for a trip to Africa. Since I was going to be traveling, it needed to be compact (not necessarily tiny), have a large zoom (I was trying to avoid becoming lunch for the lions by having to get too close for pictures) and have strong battery life.
In general, the Panasonic TZ3 exceeded my expectations. Here's a run down:
Pros:
1. Zoom Lense - the 10x zoom is outstanding. If this were a 35mm camera, the lense would have a rating of 28mm to 280mm zoom (hence the 10x). 28mm is a great wide angle and is perfect for taking group shots or panoramas. The 280mm is a great telephoto - 50mm is equivalent to natural vision, the 280mm is equivalent to a 6x magnification. The camera also comes with two levels of Optical Image Stabilization which helps reduce camera shake and allows for better pictures. This is absolutely critical when working at the 280mm end of the zoom lense.
2. Size and weight - the camera is compact, but not necessarily pocketable in jeans. It fits nicely into purses and jacket pockets. The camera has some heft, which ensures that you can hold the camera steady when taking pictures (this is absolutely critical at high magnifications). Moreover, it imparts a feeling of quality.
3. Great travel features - Panasonic designed this camera with a traveler in mind. There are some useful features for travelers including: 1) multiple time zone clocks, 2) entering dates for a trip so that when reviewing pictures you can just go to a date and look at pictures for that date (believe me, when you have 500 pictures on a card, this date feature is very handy), 3) availability of dark colors like black, since it doesn't draw the attention of animals, 4) numerous settings that are conducive to travel (e.g., panorama, sunsets, night stars, etc.)
4. Great LCD Screen - it's 3". It's almost the size of a photograph and the resolution is outstanding.
5. Battery Life - The battery is pretty strong. I averaged 50 pictures a day on my trip and didn't even get down below 75% on the camera battery meter. Considering I used flash and the LCD, it is impressive battery life.
6. Picture Quality - In the end what we want is good pictures. Daylight pictures from this camera are outstanding. The camera has several modes - standard, natural, vivid. The vivid mode makes the colors pop off the page and basically makes the pictures look like they were from a Canon camera. The colors are natural, but as I will list in the cons, I have seen other cameras that somehow change the colors slightly to make them more appealing.
Cons:
1. Flash - The flash is OK, it's not great and not bad. It is useful for normal use; however, it is not powerful enough when using the zoom to reach subjects that are a little farther away.
2. Colors - The colors of this camera are natural. My other digital camera - a Nikon Cooplix 5200 - seems to produce nicer colors even though they are not accurate. For some reason the Nikon pictures look warmer and more inviting.
In general, the Panasonic TZ3 exceeded my expectations. Here's a run down:
Pros:
1. Zoom Lense - the 10x zoom is outstanding. If this were a 35mm camera, the lense would have a rating of 28mm to 280mm zoom (hence the 10x). 28mm is a great wide angle and is perfect for taking group shots or panoramas. The 280mm is a great telephoto - 50mm is equivalent to natural vision, the 280mm is equivalent to a 6x magnification. The camera also comes with two levels of Optical Image Stabilization which helps reduce camera shake and allows for better pictures. This is absolutely critical when working at the 280mm end of the zoom lense.
2. Size and weight - the camera is compact, but not necessarily pocketable in jeans. It fits nicely into purses and jacket pockets. The camera has some heft, which ensures that you can hold the camera steady when taking pictures (this is absolutely critical at high magnifications). Moreover, it imparts a feeling of quality.
3. Great travel features - Panasonic designed this camera with a traveler in mind. There are some useful features for travelers including: 1) multiple time zone clocks, 2) entering dates for a trip so that when reviewing pictures you can just go to a date and look at pictures for that date (believe me, when you have 500 pictures on a card, this date feature is very handy), 3) availability of dark colors like black, since it doesn't draw the attention of animals, 4) numerous settings that are conducive to travel (e.g., panorama, sunsets, night stars, etc.)
4. Great LCD Screen - it's 3". It's almost the size of a photograph and the resolution is outstanding.
5. Battery Life - The battery is pretty strong. I averaged 50 pictures a day on my trip and didn't even get down below 75% on the camera battery meter. Considering I used flash and the LCD, it is impressive battery life.
6. Picture Quality - In the end what we want is good pictures. Daylight pictures from this camera are outstanding. The camera has several modes - standard, natural, vivid. The vivid mode makes the colors pop off the page and basically makes the pictures look like they were from a Canon camera. The colors are natural, but as I will list in the cons, I have seen other cameras that somehow change the colors slightly to make them more appealing.
Cons:
1. Flash - The flash is OK, it's not great and not bad. It is useful for normal use; however, it is not powerful enough when using the zoom to reach subjects that are a little farther away.
2. Colors - The colors of this camera are natural. My other digital camera - a Nikon Cooplix 5200 - seems to produce nicer colors even though they are not accurate. For some reason the Nikon pictures look warmer and more inviting.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
Great Camera
(5 out of 5) by KMV on Jul 20, 2007 (Boston)Great camera! I've owned many digital cameras and they all have their positives and negatives... but what I realized that I needed most was optical zoom better than 3x because I love to take close up shots of people and pets. The Panasonic Lumix is great!! 10x optical zoom is exactly what I needed. The shots are great... clear... this camera is easy to use. I've only had it a few weeks and still learning about all the settings available and what to use when. But some of the obvious settings(beach, sunset, portrait, macro) have produced some amazing shots and I'm excited for an upcoming vacation to take/learn more. The camera is comfortable to hold. The LCD screen is HUGE!! Battery life seems to be more than adequate (especially compared to AA rechargeables I've had in previous cameras). The charger is quick... and I purchased an extra battery and charger to use in my car which is convenient. Enjoy this camera... I am.