Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera – Black (7.2MP, 10x Optical Zoom) Antishake, 3.0″ LCD Panasonic’s new DMC-TZ2 and DMC-TZ3 are the latest members of the award-winning Lumix TZ family of digital cameras, which is renowned for packaging a remarkable 10x optical zoom in a compact, stylish body.
To further add to their appeal, the TZ2 and TZ3 go one step further to feature a 28mm wide-angle Leica DC lens (equivalent to 28-280mm on a 35mm film camera) for wide-angle shooting.
Helpful consumer’s review
Bought this camera as we were going on a Mediterranean cruise. I wanted a compact camera with wide angle lens for using on the ship but also needed a good telephoto lens as well.
I already own a Nikon D80 with 2 lenses covering 18-300mm but didn’t want the hassle of carrying it around on a relaxing holiday. This wee beauty covers 28-280mm, there is no constant changing of lenses and the LCD screen can be easily seen even in bright sunlight so the lack of a viewfinder is no problem. I was even able to use the camera to read the names of other ships when I did not have binoculars with me!
It always amazes me that so few compact digitals come with a wide angle lens and only 2 or 3 combine a wide angle with a long zoom.
This camera is great for shooting sunrise and sunset photos using the warm mode and there is a vivid mode for shooting bright colours. I also found the travel mode useful. You just set the start date of your holiday and the camera will tell you on what day any photo was taken-eg 3rd day/6th day.
Although the camera is not the smallest you can buy it packs a lot into a fairly compact body and the camera will easily slip into a trouser pocket.
I also bought a 2GB SD Card from Play.com for approximately £13 including postage and was able to take around 700 photos on the highest resolution setting of 7mp.
This camera must not be seen as a straight alternative to a DSLR however. Although the camera has high ISO options any pictures shot above ISO 200 will be a lot less than perfect. There is no control over shutter speed or aperture size either and in anything less than bright light it may be difficult to obtain a fast enough shutter speed to capture a sharp image.
As I say I bought this camera specifically for ease of use for holidaying in sunny climes and I can thoroughly recommend it in this respect. For snapping wildlife in the middle of a British winter(or even summer!) stick to a quality DSLR.
UPDATE
Since returning from holiday I have taken many photos in less than bright conditions and have to say that I am really impressed with the camera.
Some tips I would add to my original review are;
1) Buy a screen protector for the LCD screen, they cost about £6 including postage for a pack of 6.
2) Keep the camera set on VIVID colour mode permanently, results are much brighter even in dull conditions.
3) As the battery doesn’t last a huge length of time it may be an idea to buy a 2nd battery if taking lots of of shots on single outings. The good news is that the battery recharges in a couple of hours.
4) The camera does not have a high speed USB connection so it may be better to stick to 1GB memory cards as it takes forever to download a 2GB card.
