Panasonic Câmera Digital Lumix DMC-TZ3 (Prata)

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera (Silver):

The 10 times optical zoom in fantasic!!The only shortcoming is while in video mode you can not use the optical zoom.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera (Silver):

I got this because I got tired of explaining how to use my digital SLR to my wife. This camera is compact, has 10x zoom and is very easy to use. If you don't have a need for manual settings and want something compact and light weight, this camera is a great value.

I found the battery life to be pretty decent. My only complaint is that I can't share batteries with my Canon. You'd think they'd standardize this stuff.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera (Silver):

Quick start up, no shutter lag, and great zoom. Video works very well and photo's are super!

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera (Silver):

The camera takes excellent pictures and has a superb zoom function. The only con I find is that in macro position it does not focus when you are taking close-ups. So you have to stay away and zoom for a close up, but for perfect pictures in zoom closeups better use a tripod.Also I would prefare to buy a product with international warranty since I don't live in US but in Europe.

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera (Silver):

I wanted more than 3X zoom and was very pleased with the 10X zoom with optical shake stabilzation. I thought I would miss not having a view finder. However the huge LCD display really makes it unecessary. A great travel camera at a reasonable price. Oh yea, it takes superb pictures!

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera (Silver):

I can only talk for myself and address this to the beginners and not so experienced photographers out there. Over time everybody has to learn from there own mistakes. There is no such thing as a perfect camera even though they are getting closer and closer. I own this camera now since it came out in March 2007. For the first time in my 37 years of being a photo enthusiast I went on a vacation in September without my medium or 35mm equipment. The picture quality in 20x24 is not as good as those of my 6x7 format negatives but better than those of my 35mm negatives. That made me a believer of this small and light camera, since I did not need to carry 7 plus pounds with me on an all day walk, but only 1/2 pound on my belt. The best lenses are worth nothing when they stay at home, this camera is now with me not only on vacation, but on all my walks. Due to that I was able to take incredible pictures over the last 9 months. Any other camera of a larger dimension belongs in a waist pack and would not be with me all the time. My kind of photography shifts toward the wide angle setting. I would not have any use for any cameras out there starting equivalent to 35mm. I did not need to choose among a lot of cameras because this one was and still is the only camera of that size out there starting at 28mm and ending at 280mm. On vacations in Europe I often used a 20mm lens which I for the first time didn't miss, at least not if I had to carry it extra. I also like the information on the LCD screen about f-stop and exposure time. If the exposure time exceeds 1sec you go to night scenery and you can take pictures up to 8sec, beyond that you switch to starry sky and can set manually 15, 30 or 60 sec. Fantastic feature. In summery, Leica lens, 10x zoom, 3 LCD screen and much more made me fall in love with this camera and right now I would not trade it for any other.

Expertise: Amateur since 1970, pro since 1989

Problems Encountered: At first I had a problem to get the lens focused in macro mode approaching a subject very close till I figured out that it was not a problem anymore if the focus mode is set on spot measuring. Ever since I just left it there. A hot shoe would be nice, but I can live without it. All the positive things make up for this minor problem.

Previous Equivalent Item Owned: Canon A1 with lenses from 17-400mm, various medium format cameras

Items I Recommend: 1 GB card and a belt pouch

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera (Silver):

Got this camera and love its features. For instance, you cantake a series of three pictures ,normal, and +/- Ev thenlayer them in photoshop and use background eraser to bringout overexposed or under exposed portions of the picture.How cool is this !!! Not to mention the x10 optical superzoom in a shirt pocket size.

Problems Encountered: Learning the many features.

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Canon SD200

Comments about Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera (Silver):

At this time I do not need a 2nd point n shoot camera but I can't help it and I've just bought this new Panasonic Dmc-TZ3 from B&H based solely on its zoom range 28-280 that makes it so much more FUN to shoot with. I traveled to Florida a few months ago on a business trip with my trusty Canon A620, although excellent, but its 35-140 zoom falls far short of the TZ3 zoom range of 28-280 mm. Pros:1. The very convenient and fun zoom range of 28-280 mm2. Sharp and well exposed images 3. 16:9 4. Pocket size5. Cheaper SD cards (instead of XD, Memory Sticks)6. Leica lens 7. OIS (can't do without after a few glasses of wine, on the chairlifts + windy days) 8. 3 in LCD w/ 230K9. $300 is my cut-off price for a point n shoot camera as to price/value/performance ratio10. Made in Japan (why not?)Cons/compromises (not losing sleep over them either)1. Image noises (can't tell w/ 4 x 6 or even 5 x 7 print-outs as long as one shoot w/ ISO 200 or less since all sensors in point n shoot cameras are very TINY in comparison to sensors found in DSLR)2. No full manual control (it's a point n shoot!)3. No Raw file format (My XTs do have it and this is just a point n shoot and I can live without)4. Softness issues + distortion at 28 mm + aberrations, etc... (save this discussion for owner(s) of L lenses and much more $$$ gears (oops, that's me too) but spare this cheap & do-it-all little camera of such debate! Please, no nitpicking for a $300 camera!5. No enlargements beyond 8 x 10 6. No zooming while shooting video (yes, the TZ1 has it but then again the TZ1 has no 28 mm wide angle zoom + only 5 meg. Get a camcorder instead)As of today, March 2007, there is no point n shoot camera(s) out there that even comes close to this little TZ3.1. Canon G7 (no 28 mm wide angle + $$$)2. Canon A710 IS (no 28 mm wide angle)3. Canon A640 (no 28mm wide angle + no IS+ inadequate zoom range)4. Canon S3 IS (no 28 mm wide angle + not pocket size)4. Panasonic LX2 (inadequate zoom range)5. Fuji 6000fd (not pocket size + no true IS + very unpopular XD cards)6. Sony cybershot DSC-H2 & H5 (no 28 mm wide angle + not pocket size)In short, life is all about making choices and compromises and this little TZ3 is just what it is ... a compact and well priced point n shoot digital camera. Once again, I repeat ... I bought it simply because it is so much fun to shoot with when I travel. There are times for serious shooting with a heavy tripod and there are times for exactly what it is ... POINT AND SHOOT and rest the brain!

Problems Encountered: None

Previous Equivalent Items Owned: Canon A620, 2 Canon XTs + L lenses, Mamiya 645 Pro TL

Items I Recommend: an extra battery CG-S007