Panasonic Digital Cameras Information

Over the past seven years I’ve owned three different Canon digital cameras, upgrading as each camera reached its limit in terms of current features. Actually I probably would’ve held off for another year if my trusty SD800 hadn’t broken.

In the past I’ve considered Panasonic but with my last two purchases my familiarity with the Canon functions/operations stopped me from trying a Panasonic. Another factor that has attracted me to Panasonic has been the Leica lens. When making this most recent purchase decision I compared the DMC-FS15 to comparable Canons. The main difference was the price with the Panasonic Lumix’s being significantly less expensive.

I decided to finally give Panasonic a chance. The Lumix has not disappointed. I’ve taken two weeks worth of photos while on my family vacation. I took a variety of photos during the day and night and with a lot of movement (i.e. my family at Disney World). I really like how well the FS15 takes pictures without my needing to adjust settings. At the same time it still has a multitude of manual and other automatic settings that come in handy. For me the 5x Optical Zoom and the wide angle lens were the main selling points. I considered the Lumix ZS3 for its 12x wide angle zoom but decided that for my purposes the 5x would suffice.

There are only three things that I do not like about the FS15. First it does not use a standard USB cable, so I might be in trouble if I ever forget to pack the cable or lose it. Also the extra batteries are on the pricey side and it seems (based on internet reviews) that there are issues with 3rd party batteries. The other annoyance is the manner in which one switches the camera to movie mode. With the Canon it was turn a flick of the dial. With the Lumix, you’ve got to press the mode button, scroll down to movie, and select. This can be problematic if you want to capture a video right away. However despite these minor issues I still really like the FS15. Based on my picture current experience with the FS15 I can highly recommend it. Plus the price on Amazon is great!

canon-ixus-100-is-sd780-100-is-sd-780-+bat-+-hdmi-cable Canon IXUS 100 IS SD780 100 IS SD 780 +bat + HDMI Cable
US $233.13
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 1:25:40 PST
new!-8 0mp-digital-camera-+-camcorder-w -face-detection NEW! 8.0MP Digital Camera + Camcorder w/ Face Detection
US $104.90 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 1:44:42 PST
canon-ixus-100-is-sd780-sd-780-+bat-+-hdmi-cable-+-8gb Canon IXUS 100 IS SD780 SD 780 +bat + HDMI Cable + 8GB
US $255.90
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 1:45:40 PST

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 12MP Digital Camera with 5x MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Black)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 12MP Digital Camera with 5x MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Black)
USD $193.50
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Panasonic Mini-DV Cassette
Panasonic Mini-DV Cassette
USD $16.49
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Panasonic Digital Cameras are designed so that some of them seem to be similar to the traditional style of cameras. However these are great compact cameras with features that today’s technology incorporates in bigger models. Models of Panasonic Digital Cameras are divided in two main categories viz. Lumix Digital Cameras and Lumix Digital SLR Cameras.

canon-ixus-100-is-sd780-100-is-sd-780-+bat-+-hdmi-cable Canon IXUS 100 IS SD780 100 IS SD 780 +bat + HDMI Cable
US $233.13
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 1:25:40 PST
new!-8 0mp-digital-camera-+-camcorder-w -face-detection NEW! 8.0MP Digital Camera + Camcorder w/ Face Detection
US $104.90 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 1:44:42 PST
canon-ixus-100-is-sd780-sd-780-+bat-+-hdmi-cable-+-8gb Canon IXUS 100 IS SD780 SD 780 +bat + HDMI Cable + 8GB
US $255.90
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 1:45:40 PST
new-panasonic-lumix-dmc-ft1 ts1-8gb-sd-free-p&p -pe8e New Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT1/TS1 8GB SD Free P&P/ PE8E
US $315.75
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 1:57:31 PST
new!-10mp-digital-camera-+-camcorder-w -panasonic-ccd! NEW! 10MP DIGITAL CAMERA + CAMCORDER w/ PANASONIC CCD!
US $120.69 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 2:08:46 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-ts1-digital-camera-+-8gb-kit--green Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 Digital Camera + 8GB Kit- GREEN
US $329.00
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 2:21:29 PST
panasonic-lumix--dmc-fs3-8 1-megapixel-digital-camera- Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3 8.1 Megapixel digital camera
US $92.00
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 2:23:48 PST
new!-8 0mp-digital-camera-+-camcorder-w -panasonic-ccd! NEW! 8.0MP Digital Camera + Camcorder w/ Panasonic CCD!
US $104.90 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 2:32:42 PST
viewplayer-3 5--for-samsung-st1000-sony-cybershot-t900 VIEWPLAYER 3.5" for Samsung ST1000 Sony CyberShot T900
US $24.00
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 2:43:06 PST
panasonic-lumix-10mp-digital-camera-silver-dmc-fs42 PANASONIC LUMIX 10MP DIGITAL CAMERA SILVER DMC-FS42
US $68.95 (13 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 4:37:20 PST
panasonic-dmc-fz18k-8 0-megapixel-+-extra-battery Panasonic DMC-FZ18K 8.0 Megapixel + Extra Battery
US $124.38 (4 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 4:51:17 PST
new!~panasonic-dmc-fz35 fz38-digital-camera+8gb~5-bonus NEW!~PANASONIC DMC-FZ35/FZ38 DIGITAL CAMERA+8GB~5 BONUS
US $359.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 5:15:03 PST
panasonic-dmc-tz5-original-box-+-caselogic-case Panasonic DMC-TZ5 (original box) + caselogic case
US $137.51 (10 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 6:02:53 PST
10mp-digital-camera-camcorder-w -panasonic-ccd+iso-1600 10MP DIGITAL CAMERA CAMCORDER w/ PANASONIC CCD+ISO 1600
US $129.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 6:38:43 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz6-zs1--digital-camera-+--4gb-sd- PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-TZ6 ZS1 DIGITAL CAMERA + 4GB SD
US $184.80 (20 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:06:22 PST
new!-8 0mp-digital-camera+video-w -face&smile-detection NEW! 8.0MP DIGITAL CAMERA+VIDEO w/ Face&Smile Detection
US $89.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:50:44 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-lz5-6mp-digital-camera-with-6x-zoom Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ5 6MP Digital Camera with 6x Zoom
US $30.00 (7 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:58:56 PST
panasonic-dmc-fx07r-red-lumix-7 2mp-digital-camera Panasonic DMC-FX07R Red Lumix 7.2MP Digital Camera
US $68.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 7:59:01 PST
panasonic-dmc-ls75-7 2-mp-digital-camera PANASONIC DMC-LS75 7.2 MP DIGITAL CAMERA
US $110.00
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 8:04:08 PST
panasonic-dmc-ls70-7 2-mp-digital-camera PANASONIC DMC-LS70 7.2 MP DIGITAL CAMERA
US $110.00
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 8:04:22 PST
canon-eos-7d+ef-s-18-200-mm-is-+50mm-f1 8-lens+16gb-cf Canon EOS 7D+EF-S 18-200 mm IS +50mm f1.8 Lens+16GB CF
US $2,304.32
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 8:15:10 PST
panasonic-dmc-lx2-10 0-megapixel-no-reserve Panasonic DMC-LX2 10.0 Megapixel - No Reserve
US $81.00 (7 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 8:22:20 PST
nikon-d90-18-105mm-vr-dx-12 3mp-digital-slr-camera-new Nikon D90 18-105mm VR DX 12.3MP Digital SLR Camera NEW
US $910.10 (29 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 8:33:49 PST
new~panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs3~sil-digital-camera+-8gb~5-b NEW~PANASONIC Lumix DMC-ZS3~SIL DIGITAL CAMERA+ 8GB~5 B
US $289.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 8:37:21 PST
new~panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs3 tz7~bk-digital-camera NEW~PANASONIC Lumix DMC-ZS3/TZ7~BK DIGITAL CAMERA
US $269.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 8:50:46 PST
lumix-panasonic-dmc-lc50-digital-camera Lumix Panasonic DMC-LC50 digital camera
US $75.00
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 8:51:26 PST
canon-powershot-a495-blue-4260b001-10mp-new Canon PowerShot A495 BLUE 4260B001 10MP NEW
US $129.99
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:01:44 PST
new~panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs3~black-digital-camera+8gb~5b NEW~PANASONIC Lumix DMC-ZS3~Black DIGITAL CAMERA+8GB~5B
US $299.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:12:17 PST
new-panasonic-lumix-dmc-fx580-k-12 1-mp-digital-camera New Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 K 12.1 MP Digital Camera
US $239.00
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:14:01 PST
canon-powershot-a495-red-4261b001-10mp-new Canon PowerShot A495 RED 4261B001 10MP NEW
US $129.99
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:18:56 PST
new-10mp-digital-camera-video-w -panasonic-ccd+iso-1600 NEW 10MP DIGITAL CAMERA VIDEO w/ PANASONIC CCD+ISO 1600
US $129.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:26:43 PST
new-8 0mp-digital-camera-camcorder-w panasonic-ccd~pink NEW 8.0MP DIGITAL CAMERA CAMCORDER w/PANASONIC CCD~PINK
US $99.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:32:43 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-fs25-digital-camera--12 1mp-5x-zoom Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS25 Digital Camera, 12.1MP 5X Zoom
US $200.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:33:42 PST
svp--xthinn-737--7 0mp--digital-camera SVP XThinn 737 7.0MP Digital Camera
US $49.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:46:14 PST
panasonic-dmc-g1-12 1mp-4 3-micro red-w 14-45mm obox $1 PANASONIC DMC-G1 12.1MP 4/3 MICRO/RED w/14-45mm/OBOX/$1
US $470.00 (18 Bids)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:48:18 PST
panasonic-dmc-fz8-7 2-megapixel Panasonic DMC-FZ8 7.2 Megapixel
US $150.00 (1 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:50:35 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-fs5-10 1mp-digital-camera-dmc Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5 10.1MP Digital Camera DMC
US $59.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:52:49 PST
new!-panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz5-s-9 1-mpl-4gb-6-bonus-kit NEW! Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 S 9.1 MPL 4GB 6 BONUS KIT
US $299.99
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 9:56:09 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz5s-9mp-digital-camera-10x-zoom Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5S 9MP Digital Camera 10X zoom
US $219.00
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:00:00 PST
new-12mp-digital-camera-camcorder+face&smile-detection! NEW 12MP DIGITAL CAMERA CAMCORDER+Face&Smile Detection!
US $124.95 (1 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:00:48 PST
new~panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs3 tz7~blue-digital-camera NEW~PANASONIC Lumix DMC-ZS3/TZ7~BLUE DIGITAL CAMERA
US $259.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:10:52 PST
new-panasonic-lumix-dmc-ts1-~sl~-digital-camera-+8gb~5b NEW PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-TS1 ~SL~ DIGITAL CAMERA +8GB~5B
US $279.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:13:48 PST
new!~panasonic-dmc-fz35 fz38-digital-camera+8gb~5-bonus NEW!~PANASONIC DMC-FZ35/FZ38 DIGITAL CAMERA+8GB~5 BONUS
US $359.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:15:10 PST
new~panasonic-lumix-dmc-ts1-~org~-digital-camera+8gb~5b NEW~PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-TS1 ~ORG~ DIGITAL CAMERA+8GB~5B
US $279.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:27:56 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-g1-12 1mp-camera-blue-+14-45mm-lens Panasonic Lumix DMC-G1 12.1MP Camera BLUE +14-45MM LENS
US $559.99 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:32:19 PST
panasonic-dmc-fs15-black-digital-camera-+-8gb~-6-bonus! PANASONIC DMC-FS15 BLACK DIGITAL CAMERA + 8GB~ 6 BONUS!
US $154.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:37:07 PST
new~panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs3~red-digital-camera+-8gb~5-b NEW~PANASONIC Lumix DMC-ZS3~Red DIGITAL CAMERA+ 8GB~5 B
US $299.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:43:42 PST
new-panasonic-lumix-dmc-ts1-~sl~-digital-camera-+8gb~6b NEW PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-TS1 ~SL~ DIGITAL CAMERA +8GB~6B
US $285.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:47:19 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-fx01-digital-camera PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-FX01 DIGITAL CAMERA
US $50.00 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:47:34 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs1-digital-camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 Digital Camera
US $261.99
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:56:24 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-lx3-digital-camera Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 Digital Camera
US $450.99
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:56:25 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-ts1-digital-camera-orange-brand-new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 Digital Camera ORANGE Brand New
US $244.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 10:57:22 PST
new~panasonic-lumix-dmc-ts1-~org~-12 1mp-digital-camera NEW~PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-TS1 ~ORG~ 12.1MP DIGITAL CAMERA
US $259.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 11:00:04 PST
10mp-digital-camera-camcorder-w -panasonic-ccd+3 0--lcd 10MP DIGITAL CAMERA CAMCORDER w/ PANASONIC CCD+3.0" LCD
US $99.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 11:00:43 PST
new!-panasonic-lumix-dmc-ts1-~sl~-12 1mp-digital-camera NEW! PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-TS1 ~SL~ 12.1MP DIGITAL CAMERA
US $259.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 11:00:51 PST
new~-8 0mp-digital-camera+camcorder+voice-memo+12x-zoom New~ 8.0MP Digital Camera+Camcorder+Voice Memo+12x Zoom
US $89.95 (0 Bid)
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 11:31:19 PST
new~panasonic-lumix-dmc-ts1-~org~-digital-camera+8gb~6b NEW~PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-TS1 ~ORG~ DIGITAL CAMERA+8GB~6B
US $285.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 11:35:29 PST
new~panasonic-lumix-dmc-zs3 tz7~red-10mp-digital-camera NEW~PANASONIC Lumix DMC-ZS3/TZ7~RED 10MP DIGITAL CAMERA
US $269.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 11:37:28 PST
panasonic-lumix-dmc-fs15-black-12 1mp-digital-camera PANASONIC LUMIX DMC-FS15 BLACK 12.1MP DIGITAL CAMERA
US $134.95
End Date: Thursday Mar-11-2010 11:43:07 PST

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7 10MP Digital Camera with 4x MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Black)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS7 10MP Digital Camera with 4x MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Black)
Too low to display
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS25 12MP Digital Camera with 5x MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Black)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS25 12MP Digital Camera with 5x MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Black)
Too low to display
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Panasonic Mini-DV Cassette
Panasonic Mini-DV Cassette
USD $16.49
Buy Now

Recent Uploads tagged panasonicdigitalcameras
Recent Uploads tagged panasonicdigitalcameras

Panasonic DMC-LX3 From another angle...

CharlesLawson posted a photo:

Panasonic DMC-LX3 From another angle...


Panasonic DMC-LX3 Another angle....

CharlesLawson posted a photo:

Panasonic DMC-LX3 Another angle....



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4 Responses to “Panasonic Digital Cameras Information”

  1. Riker Says:

    I am a long time photo enthusiast and even worked at it professionally for a while. My “main” camera is a pro-level Nikon with lots of lenses. I love that camera and use it whenever I can, but there are times and places where it’s just too much to carry. I just finished a week long bicycle trip and kept the DMC-ZS3 in my jersey’s back pocket for over 400 miles. It performed flawlessly.

    I have had the camera for several months now and can’t find much to fault. The stills are the best ever out of a point-and-shoot, and the HD video is incredible. The video uses a codec which is still not widely recognized, but there are several video editing programs out there that handle it. For viewing, I use VLC media player which is free, fast, and solid. You may find that you need to upgrade your computer, or at least your video card, to handle HD video. My video card was only two years old, but it would drop frames and leave lots of digital artifacts. Plan on spending an extra $100 for that upgrade.

    As for shortcomings, the battery life is not as good as some other small cameras I have owned. Low light performance is iffy and the flash is pretty anemic, but I have never seen good low light or strong flash performance from any compact. I think the menus and controls could be more intuitive too.

    Features have been well covered by other reviews, but I can’t overstate the usefulness of the extremely wide angle to long telephoto zoom on this camera. You will be able to get shots that other cameras simply can’t make.

  2. Fischer Says:

    I purchased this camera for my wife. She is very pleased with it so far. Fairly easy to use, she loves the one button video and the ability to zoom while taking the video. Picture quality is quite good. This is our second Lumix, and I’m pleased with the brand.

  3. Lira Says:

    I have finally settled on a camera. I have tried many, from the higher echelons (Canon DSLRs) to the low-end (Canon SD1000), trying to alternately to get the most photo pizazz and then to just get the most enjoyment out of them as fast & painlessly as possible. It always seemed that it was one or the other: have a camera that could take good pictures with a long lens but put up with the hassle of transporting it and operating it, or have an easily-pocketable camera that will not be up to par in a lot of situations and thusly miss a lot of potential shots.

    Then my significant other stumbled upon these Panasonic Travel Zooms. I was apprehensive at first, so I let her be the guinea pig. After she received hers I took it away and played with it myself. I was impressed enough that although I had recently gotten a new DSLR (again) to replace a broken low-end Pocket Camera (SD1000) that I bought because I was initially tired of lugging around a large DSLR that I never took out of the bag in the first place, I decided to SELL the new DSLR and get one of the Panny’s for myself.

    The largest lens you’re getting for a DSLR is going to be in the 300mm range. To get much longer a reach you have to deal with an enormous lens that you probably can’t afford and is too bulky to be with you at all times. With the Panasonic, I get the same focal range at the long-end — 300mm — and can skinny down to 25mm at the short end.

    The images are very good — not as good as a good DSLR shot, missing some clarity at 100% magnification — but for the needs of the masses they are far more than adequate in quality. The colors are realistic & warm. The videos are sharp and clear as long as you’re not trying to focus on heavily backlit subjects, as the camera will choke on the dust on the lens that gets lit up. But otherwise, if you have a program that can load the videos you’ll be impressed (iMovie ‘09 on the Mac can import them fine, VLC player can play them although in my experience isn’t as good as iMovie’s quality).

    I’m not going to delve into the specifics of each mode as it’s been done many a time. Suffice to say that there’s multiple modes and the “Intelligent Auto” mode is great for quickly getting good shots without fuss, which is sort of what this camera is all about and what other pocket cameras strive to be. Instead I want to explain my rationale for moving to this camera, and what functions and qualities I touch on will be touched on!

    I went back & forth from DSLR to pocket cameras. Reason being, I wanted at times to have fine control over my shots to really make them shine and wanted them tack sharp (DSLR), and at other times I just wanted to be able to take a picture and load it onto my computer and share it and look at it without loads of aftershot post-processing. It was always one or the other. The biggest problem was that the DSLR — while it took great shots — is bigger, bulkier, and requires more of you pre- and post-processing to get those shots. The pocket camera however, is easy to pull out and take that shot of the moment, and most of the time its quality is 80-85% at least of the shot you’d have gotten with the DSLR; its real drawback was the lack of effective range, and losing shots of BALD FREAKIN’ EAGLES just beyond those trees, if only you had a DSLR and a lens…

    I tried to just jump back to a DSLR after playing around with a pocket camera until I killed it. I thought that for sure, I would be happier having the range, and I could put up with the initial time & effort investment as well as the post-processing requirements to have that extra 15-20% quality back. But I was wrong. As the saying goes, “the best camera is the one that you have with you,” and to that I would add the trailer “and are willing to take out of the case.”

    I settled on the ZS3 because it has successfully managed to fill the roles of both long-range DSLR & quick-draw pocket camera rather well with very insignificant costs: it’s as pocketable as the pocket cameras but has the range of a long lens DSLR setup! the quality is better than a regular pocket camera if not quite on par with a DSLR rig, but for the slight (ever so slight) quality hit, you are removed from all the pre- & post-processing requirements of a heavier-duty camera setup.

    The HD video capabilities put it in a class by itself right now — you can’t get the lens reach AND video quality that this camera offers short of the Canon Rebel XTi (arguable) or the mid-range Nikon DSLRs right now, which to compete would need a good 300mm lens which would put the total cost well above the $1K mark with just ONE lens and only half the lens range of the Panny, and it doesn’t fit in a pocket (unless you have extremely large, freakish pockets ;-) ).

    To me it seemed that in order to outshoot the ZS3 in both stills & motion pictures, I’d have to aim a little higher in the DSLR market than where I was and talk myself into investing more into lenses as well. All that money spent it would seem, just to equal the power & ability of what Panasonic was able to fit into my shirt pocket, and for 1/4 the proposed cost either Canon or Nikon was asking me for. It was a no-brainer.

    If you’re in that boat, if you’re looking to get that one shot that you missed with the other pocket cameras but you’re also quite tired of carrying around a BIG DSLR and missing the shots anyway because you aren’t taking it out of the bag, let me assure you that the ZS3 is a very capable shooter. The focus time leaves a little to be desired sometimes, but digital shots are dirt cheap with a 16GB card inside so I just try try again and I find I’m rarely disappointed at any missed shots. The sharpness I get is on par with my old Canon DSLRs and far exceeds my experience with other pocket cameras.

    I cannot recommend this camera enough. My only compliant — besides the focus time — is lack of GPS tagging, but alas, for the cost, I can’t complain too much. If you’re still lugging around that DSLR to take pictures of your dogs & family & your trips? Shame on you. this review was long enough that you should have hit “add to cart” a long time ago.

  4. Ridgeway Says:

    I bought this camera for a trip to Europe. My SLR was simply too large to lug around, and my tiny Canon took horrible low light pictures.

    Pros: The Lumix’s wide-angle lens is amazing because it allows you to capture so much of a scene, and in low light situations the pictures are spectacular. The anti-shake feature works like gold (I tend to be a little shaky), and it focuses wonderfully. The IA (intelligent auto) feature is great – it almost always selects the right scene mode. You can turn off flash and it recalls that setting. The 12X OPTICAL zoom allows you to take detail pictures from a distance. Best of all, the camera is small enough to throw in a bag or a jacket pocket.

    Cons: In bright situations, sometimes the lighting is a little wonky and it is impossible to specifically adjust. In fact, the colors overall are a lot less saturated than a typical camera takes (probably more natural, in reality, but I like saturation). There is basically no manual control. It’s too big to fit in a woman’s jeans pocket.

    I will admit it was an investment on my part, but I would definitely say it was worthwhile. It allowed me to take 2,000 pictures of my trip, the battery lasted for 2 to 3 days at a time (constantly turning the camera on and off), and let me capture scenes I never would have been able to otherwise. If you have the money, go for it!

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