Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 3MP Digital Camera with 12x Image Stabilized Optical Zoom

Rating:
Summary: Great Camera For the Price
Review: 12x ZOOOOOOM. Image Stabilization. Easy to use right out of the box or as complicated as you want it to be. I can't imagine a better camera for the money.

Rating:
Summary: nice camera
Review: Great zoom, nice colors, excellent detail, easy to operate interface. I like a lot of things about this camera. Downside: larger than many digital cameras and doesn't take a non-proprietary battery.

Rating:
Summary: Great Camera
Review: I am just your regular aficionado about taking pictures, but I tell you this is a great camera for the price. It has a lot of functions and I am just learning to use it, but so far the pictures are very nice, the zoom is great. The quality of the photos is high class, the colors are very vivid.
As I said before, this is a gret camera.

Rating:
Summary: Great camera for the price
Review: I have been using this camera for just over a month now and am very pleased. The picture quality is excellent and the lens is a real gem.

Pros:
1. The lens. The 12x optical zoom is very useful and surprising good in low light situations.
2. Stability control. This is not found in many moderately priced super-zooms (Canon S1-IS not withstanding).
3. Compact size and lightweight.
4. Autofocus assistance lamp. Allows camera to focus in low light situations. Look for this feature as you compare with other cameras (e.g. Canon S1-IS doesn't have it).

Cons:
1. Only 3.1 Megapixels. However, if you want more you can pay more (Lumix FZ-20 is 5MP).
2. Proprietary battery. It is a very compact and lightweight battery however. Still, I'd prefer AAs.

Rating:
Summary: 3 MP is plenty!
Review: I wanted a digital camera for Christmas, and had a heck of a time deciding what to get. The camera was to replace my old Canon EOS film camera, which was a pain to drag around, and which really wasn't giving me very good pictures for all the effort required.

So I wanted something easier to take along on vacations and family outings, but packed with features so I could take great pictures of the outdoors, and of the kids playing sports, and whatever else caught my eye. After some research I decided I wanted as much optical zoon as possible, and I wanted image stabilization so that my pictures would still be crisp at high zoom. I narrowed my search to this camera, the 5 MP version from Panasonic (Lumix DMC-FZ20) and the Canon PowerShot S1 IS.

My biggest debate was whether 3 MP would be enough for my needs? Or did I need to bump up to 5 MP for really good pictures? I view my pictures primarily on my computer, printing out some smaller prints (up to 5 x 7), and I e-mail pictures to family and put some up on the web. In the end I chose this 3 MP camera and am very happy.

This camera is significantly smaller and lighter than the FZ20 (besides being cheaper), so it is much easier to carry around and thus it is much more likely that I will grab it on my way out the door to the Little League game or the beach. So I'll get more pictures. The 256 MB card I bought with the camera holds about 155 photos at highest quality, which is plenty. The 3 MB resolution means more photos fit on a memory card, and your pictures won't take up as much space on your computer.

But what is really awesome about the camera is the performance! The 12X optical zoom is a marvel. You can zoom in on a barely visible speck on the horizon and see that it is really a small hut with broken windows. Because the zoom is so powerful, you can fill the frame with your subject when you take the shot, eliminating the need to crop and blow up the picture digitally on your computer. The image stabilization allows you to crisply capture your subject despite having shaky hands. On my computer, the pictures are absolutely crisp, and show no pixelation until I get past about 4X digital zoom

My favorite feature is the "burst" mode that lets you take up to four frames per second, which is very fast for a digital camera. It's fantastic for capturing those action sports shots.

You'll want to buy a bigger memory card for the camera. It comes with a nearly useless 8 MB card. The 256 I bought is working really well, but more is usually better when it comes to memory. The included battery recharges in about two hours, which is pretty quick, but you'll want to buy a backup so you can keep shooting after the included battery dies.

All in all, I am thrilled with my purchase, and I recommend the camera to anyone who wants a lot of features and performance in a point-and-shoot digital camera.

Rating:
Summary: Dependable; worth the money.
Review: I've used this camera now for two months. I have to say: I very impressed. It took me a whole month to choose which camera to buy in this class (high optical zoom, 3-4 MP).

If you are looking at cameras of this class, you are also probably considering the Canon 1S IS 3.2MP 10x Zoom. In a moment you will see why I chose this camera over the Canon. What you will like about Lumix:

1. 12x Zoom with a Leica lens! (vs 10x zoom on the Canon)
2. Excellent image stabilizator (2 modes)! You need a tripod in most lowlight conditions (Canon's image stabilizer is just as good).
3. Focus illuminator (No such thing with the Canon, which makes the camera hunt for focus at night).
4. Live histogram! There's are brief manual directions on how to use the histogram to get the best images. (No live histogram with Canon, it does however show a histogram after taking the shot)
5. Many, many, awesome features like zooming in on the image after taking it (to see if its blurred, etc), making overexposed areas blink in black (I love this feature, whenever I overexpose the image I know instantly)... etc.
6. The lightest/smallest high zoom camera out there. I just put it in my pocket and I'm off.
7. Free hood! which gets neatly attached to the lens and you can carry it around, even if you are not using it.
8. Great battery life, you can take loads of pictures. (Better than the Canon)
9. Lithium rechargable battery. (Canon: normal AA batteries... heavy stuff, you gotta buy your own rechargables and charger... a good $30+)
10. Nice, professional design. I don't know for you, but I hate those little cameras which look like credit cards.
11. Easy, intuitive menus. Has a mode for beginners. Again, many features like aperture and shutter priorities, fascinating macro mode... etc etc.
12. Excellent price for such a camera, definitely worth it.
13. Unnoticible distortion at high zoom.
14. Barely any blue aberration and fringing errors. ( Canon has some visible fringing (especially at high zoom).
15. Really fast start up time. Fast shooting times.

What you might not like:
1. 3.1 MP... the zoom sort of compensates for it, but 5MP would have been great... (for the same price of course). (3.2 on Canon)
2. Movie mode. Okay, I didn't buy this camera to make movies, if you want a camera which can make good movies, get a camcorder. only 400x300 resolution (hm... check that out, not entirely sure) vs 640x480 on Canon, and you can use the zoom with Canon's camera.
3. No manual focus. (Canon has a manual focus mode)
4. Visible vignetting. That is, when you take a picture, the ends or sides of it look black. That is annoying, but you get only 2-3 pictures every 100. (Canon: no vignetting)
5. A stronger focus illuminator.
6. Flash cannot be attached. (check for Canon)
7. Canon has a rotatable screen... so you can take pictures of your ass while looking at it. Well, it's a good feature, but I don't need it. Plus, the screen is small.
8. You don't get a case for it, but then you don't for most cameras. Buy one.
9. Buy a memory card. SanDisk 512MB works great for me. +50 bucks there. You will only get 16MB with the package. But that's how it is with all cameras.

I have not had any problems with my Lumix camera for these 2 months and I am really pleased with it! It took me a while to choose, but I as you see, the 9 cons there are more of little annoyances and things that I wish were there, but the price didn't allow it. Buy this camera, it is worth it. If you have some more money and professional initiative though, I'd strongly recommend you get the 5MP version for 500 or so dollars.

Rating:
Summary: lumix dmc-fz3 combines great features
Review: One thing I don't think was mentioned by any other reviewers. The lens itself is not threaded, but it comes with an adapter that is. This adapter is used for mounting the free hood and for attaching filters. This was something I hadn't thought much about, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the 55mm filters I had for my old camera will work with this adapter. Hence, you don't have to buy the lens protector filter mentioned in the back of the manual. Any inexpensive 55mm UV filter will do the job of protecting your lens from scratches. And with such a nice lens, don't you want to protect it?

This brings me to what I think is one of the most overlooked features in the consumer camera market... the lens. Listen, folks, the lens is the most important part of any camera. So, you have to tip your hat to Panasonic for not skimping in this area.

Everybody looking at digital cameras seems to look mainly at MP (megapixels), but 3MP is good enough for photo quality 8X10's if you don't do a lot of cropping and enlarging. Personally, I'd rather spend my money on features that will actually help me take better pictures, not just bigger ones. And this camera is loaded with such features. Consider also that if you get a higher MP camera, you also need a bigger, more expensive memory card as well.

This camera is admittedly too large to be pocketable, which may be an issue for some people, and if you use the adapter for filters it makes it even more bulky. However, it's pretty light weight (due largely to the battery type) and I like a camera that fits into the hand nicely instead of feeling like a toy. Also, there is a reason why professionals lug around those big cameras. It's because they take better pictures... if you know how to use them properly. Most people don't realize that a telephoto lens is not just for taking pictures of things far away. They are also great for portraits. (Read elsewhere on the internet to find out why.) And for taking pictures of my son's football games, the more zoom the better.

I've seen postings on the internet where people who have bought digital cameras are wondering why they can't seem to get good pictures in certain situations. The answer is simple. Most cameras are made for the average user who wants something small and simple. They aren't made to work well in extreme situations. I had this problem with basketball games with my old digital (fast action in fairly low light). With my old digital, all I could do was change the ISO sensitiviy, and that made the pictures grainy. Also, my old digital was slow, so I'd often miss a good picture by about half a second.

One of the great thing about this camera for me is that my wife, who wants things to be simple, can use the camera in "simple mode". So, she can take great pictures of kids birthday parties and such without having to learn all the features of the camera. I'll probably go ahead and use the "simple mode" sometimes too, but for basketball games, I have the option of using shutter-priority or manual modes, and hopefully will be able to achieve better results. And with the 12X optical zoom, it should be great for football games too.

BTW, another feature that I like is the energy saving feature which will turn your camera off automatically for you. Maybe most digital cameras have this feature, but I thought it was worth mentioning anyway. On my old 35mm camera, I was always accidentally leaving it on and killing the batteries.

Anyway, on the whole, I think this camera is a great choice.

The SD viewer software does the job of copying data off the camera, but beyond that it doesn't seem to do much. I haven't tried the other software that came with the camera. Anyway, I'll probably still use the software that I already had. My Canon color printer came with some pretty good software for printing photos. (BTW, I love my Canon printer!) I also use Microsoft PictureIt, Olympus Camedia Master Pro (you don't have to own an Olympus camera to purchase their software), and others.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Balance of Features
Review: This camera is ideal.

3 mp is enough for excellent photo quality prints up to 8x10 or even 11x13. Megapixel resolution is only one part of final picture quality--the lens is very important as is image stabilization and the camera's image processing software

Lens and image stabilization-The lens is excellent and the image stabilization system really allows 12x magnification to produce crisp, unblurred pics.

Size--just right. Not bulky. Certainly bigger than 'pocket', but finds easily in a small camera bag.

Focusing--extremely accurate and consistently accurate--Has a very effective AF assist lamp for dim scenes.

Features--very complete. Plenty of opportunity to choose various settings--more than enough for a sophisticated user. Almost as many as its bulkier and more expensive big brother 12x panasonic fz20--

Picture quality--really the bottom line for a camera--consistently excellent. Good realistic colors (can be adjusted--there is a 'vivid' option if you like 'snappier' color.

Speed--very fast--very quick focus and shot to shot times.

LCD--on the small side--but quite usable.

Viewfinder-EVF-with ability for real time histogram while focusing, a nice feature to get proper exposure.

Burst mode-- very fast and effective.

Battery life--quite good.

Movie mode-320x240 30 or 10 fps with sound. No 640x480-- 320x240 at 30 fps is adequate for me,

Flash-strong, and intensity can be adjusted. Gets excellent indoor pics.

Price--very right for the features.

Overall, a really excellent, full featured, 12x, image stabilized camera. The only rap is the 3mp--but that is really plenty for all pictures to be viewed on computer monitor or printed to 8x10. The 3mp hurts the ability to severely crop the image, but that's about it. The average pics from this camera are the same or better (because of the lens and image stabilization) as 4 and 5mp cameras that I have or have used.

Highly advised for the user who wants excellent pic quality, a lof of feature control and the high zoom, but not a high priced or bulky unit.

Rating:
Summary: Great travel camera - wonderful for the price
Review: This is a terrific little camera. Paired it with an SD Extreme 512MB chip. Incredible features for the price - the 12x optical zoom is quick and easy to use, boot and shot-to-shot times are excellent, burst mode is excellent. Even has a diopter adjustment at the eyepiece, useful for anyone who wears glass while they shoot. There is a no-brainer shooting selection for beginners. Suggest you switch to anti-shake "2" immediately, for better photos. Photo quality is fine for a 3 megapixel camera. At its price, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better combination of photo quality, ease of use and useful features in any other camera.

Rating:
Summary: Panasonic FZ3 - Great Bang for the Buck!!
Review: This is my fourth digital camera, and it is easily the best yet. Previously owned cameras include the Canon PowerShot S45, the Kodak LS753 and the Sony DSC-P100. I was leary about going "back" to a 3 megapixel camera after owning 5 megapixel cameras, but the clarity of the FZ3 photos makes up for the difference in pixels. I've even printed 8x10's with minor cropping and they look great! I also was not thrilled about switching to a "larger" camera as my others were more or less pocketable, but it hasn't been an issue. We are taking so many more pictures now simply because the probability of getting a good photo is so much higher. At least 9 of 10 photos are clear and well exposed, whereas maybe 6 of 10 were good quality with my old cameras. The difference is the f2.8 lens, the more powerful flash and the image stabilization. All these features combine to make taking indoor pictures of my 2 year old a breeze. The indoor picture quality compared to my old compact cameras is amazing, we are so happy with the FZ3. The shot to shot speed with the FZ3 is fantastic, even when using a flash. You do have to be careful if using the AUTO mode indoors as image noise becomes a problem at ISO's of 200 and above.

If I could change anything with this camera it would be: Larger LCD (2" would be nice), at least 4 megapixel, lower image noise at ISO's of 200+. Other than that I'd say Panasonic has hit a home run! Please note that two of my suggested improvements are available on the FZ15/20, but I didn't want to spend that much money or switch to that BIG of a camera!