Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is a brand new, and powerful digital camera offering 10 megapixel lens, 12x optical zoom and High Definition video recording. Although the camera seems small it has great specs and performance.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 pros:
+ 10.1 megapixel photos
+ Compact size, pleasant design
+ 12x optical zoom
+ SD, SDHC support
+ Full HD video recording in AVCHD
+ Excellent color accuracy
+ ISO ranges from 80 to 1600
+ 3-inch LCD display

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 cons:
- No viewfinder
- Images get noisy in poor light
- LCD display is hard to read in bright light
- Smallish buttons

The design:

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 measures 4.1 x 2.3 x 1.4 in. And weighs 214 grams so it is quite compact. The front of the camera features the 12x zoom Leica lens, the flash and the  AF illuminator. The back of the digital camera houses the bright, 3-inch LCD screen, the 4-way controller and some other buttons in charge of quick menu, video capture, and mode switching. The left side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is completely bare, whereas the right side houses the ports hidden under a protective cover. The bottom of the digital camera features the tripod mount and the battery cover. The top is crammed with the speaker and the stereo mic, shutter release butt, power button and mode dial.

Performance:

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 can take up to 10 megapixel photos in 3 different aspect ratios and so the largest images are 3648 x 2736. As with all bigger photos the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 tends to produce slightly too much noise. Fortunately, the optical image stabilization is very effective which makes all the photos look sharp.
The Panasonic camera is also capable of recording videos in up to 1280 x 720 pixels. As they are saved in AVCHD, or Motion JPEG formats most users should have no difficulties handling such files. The video performance of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is very good.

Image quality:

The color accuracy is almost perfect in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3, perhaps because it offers 4 color modes to choose from. The noise levels produced by the camera are decent in good light, but the low light noise performance is below average for compact digital cameras. The chromatic aberration, amount of detail and sharpness are all outstanding which combined with the accurate color reproduction make the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 a very good digital camera.

Conclusion:

To sum up, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is a very good compact digital camera offering plenty of features and good quality photos for a reasonable price. Therefore, is you are not a professional and you’re looking for a fast, easy to use and user-friendly digital camera the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 might be just right for you.
Selected Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 features and specifications:

• lens / zoom

25mm – 300mm (12x) (21.4x @ 3MP or less)  (dig. 4x)

• focus / macro

auto / 50cm / 3cm

• metering mode

intelligent multiple; center weighted, spot

• aperture

auto / F3.3 – F6.3 (W) / F4.9 – F6.3 (T)

• white balance

auto, 5 presets, adjustable

• shutter

auto / 60s – 1/2000s

• exposure

+/- 2EV in 1/3EV steps

• flash / mode

internal –  5 modes / 0.6m – 5.3m (@ iso auto)

• iso ratings

80, 200, 400, 800, 1250, 1600  (1600 – 6400 in high sensitivity mode)

• image size

3648×2736, 3072×2304, 2560×1920, 2048×1536, 1600×1200, 640×480 / [3:2] 3776×2520, 3168×2112, 2656×1768, 2112×1408, 2048×1360 / [16:9] 3968×2232, 3328×1872, 2784×1568, 2208×1248, 1920×1080

• image format

jpeg (exif 2.21)

• image compr.

fine, standard

• remote control

self timer 10s, 2s

• video options

Qt m-jpeg, with audio – 1280×720, 848×480, 640×480, 320×240 (30fps)

• audio options

wav, stereo

• connectivity

usb 2 HS;  A/V (PAL/NTSC)

• storage

40MB internal; SD, SDHC, MMC (still images only)