Release/Ship Date for Panasonic TZ3?

[donkilo]

Hola,

So has anyone seen a concrete release/ship date for the TZ3? Amazon has April 15 but I don't think it will take that long. Press releases have said late March. J&r is selling it for $300 plus shipping minus $10 for new Google Checkout users with no ship date (just "Coming Soon"):

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product_Id=4160006&JRSource=googlebase.datafeed.PAN+DMCTZ3K

Anyone else found a better deal? I think I'm gonna wait to order it till it gets closer to the ship date cuz the prices just keep going down. What do you guys think? I'd love to get some input.

thanks,
kilo

[dev]

I'm definitely getting one. My fz20 is still a great camera, but I really get tired of being the 'camera guy' at social gatherings. Plus, I miss a lot of shots just getting it out of the bag. Something I can slip in my pocket will be a welcome change.

Another cycle or 2 from now the fz line will (hopefully) be advanced enough, IQ wise, to warrant an upgrade to the fz20.

[Mike63]

but I really get tired of being the 'camera guy' at social gatherings

That's the truth! I was asked by a niece why there wasn't any pictures of me. I finally got smart and started taking my tripod everywhere I go.

[jjs781]

J&R is the best deal I've found so far. As for dates, I've seen mid-March to mid-April on various sites.

[Jayayess1190]

its out now

[NTRabbit]

I wish there was some parity between prices. I see the TZ3 for $349 USD = $436 AUD in the US, but the cheapest price I can find here is $617 AUD = $495 USD. It's just not an option when the Canon A710IS is only $425 AUD = $340 USD and my budget is just stretching to cover that. Even the TZ2 is $517 AUD = $415 USD :(

[Cyberwlf]

I ordered my FZ20 from the US, and i'm in Australia, I also paid for an extended international warranty with them too to eliviate warranty issues.

I paid at the time $950A for a FZ20, 1gb Chip, Tripod, Filters, Camera bag, 5 yr warranty (international), delivery to Australia and more. Not bad considering it retailed for $1000 just for the camera here in Australia at the time.

I'm hoping to find a similar kind of deal for whatever model compact i get for my FZ20 companion, which is now edging towards a TZ3. But if people here can recommend a cheap but good US dealer who has it and will ship internationally please feel free to mention it!

[donkilo]

$305.60 including shipping

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=PADMCTZ3S&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=483001

[jpmccormac]

$305.60 including shipping

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=details&kw=PADMCTZ3S&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=483001

Black models should be arriving in near future. Here's a review of the TZ2 I found:
http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2007/03/20/Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-TZ2/p1

The reviewer likes the TZ2's lens. He says, "it has excellent corner-to-corner sharpness with no trace of chromatic aberration. In fact I’d go as far as to say that it may be the best long-zoom lens I’ve ever seen on a compact camera, and one that lives up to its Leica badge."

[stephenwb]

I saw this post that the TZ3 was available at B&H, and I was salivating, thinking about getting home and placing my order (I can't buy stuff while at work), and when I clicked on "Place order" to get the shipping info, it told me that it was out of stock already!

I guess I wasn't the only one waiting for this camera. :-(

Anyone else find it in stock somewhere?

[tbean]

I too was ready to order, until I saw Dev's post today (a different thread). I couldn't find it for $299, but it is available at Amazon, Ritz, and maybe some others for $349. I'll wait.....

[Jayayess1190]

I too was ready to order, until I saw Dev's post today (a different thread). I couldn't find it for $299, but it is available at Amazon, Ritz, and maybe some others for $349. I'll wait.....

Both have it for $299.99

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=483001&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4160007

[dev]

Both have it for $299.99

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=483001&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4160007


Both are still out of stock. The guy at J&R said they expect a shipment any day, maybe even today, but I really didn't want to wait and the extra fifty bucks really isn't going to sting THAT bad....

[Jayayess1190]

Black version:
http://www.bestbuybusiness.com/bbfb/en/US/adirect/bestbuy?cmd=catProductDetail&showAddButton=true&productID=BB10745384&websrc=CNBB10745384

[dev]

Black version:
http://www.bestbuybusiness.com/bbfb/en/US/adirect/bestbuy?cmd=catProductDetail&showAddButton=true&productID=BB10745384&websrc=CNBB10745384


I spoke with them on the phone this morning. They don't have any in stock, it comes straight from Panasonic to you WHEN it's released. Notice it says 'usually ships in 1 to 2 weeks'.

[stephenwb]

They have it in stock again, J&R does not. Went ahead and ordered it even though they raised the price to $329.99 since yesterday (when it wasn't in stock).

I can't wait!

[FerrariFan]

GUESS WHAT?!? I found it for $249 at http://www.digitalsuperdeals.com/product.asp?productid=DMCTZ3S&tab=1
:) Check it out there. If you want to know other low prices, www.lowpricedigital.com (http://www.lowpricedigital.com) is the place to look!

[DennisB]

Saw the previous post and checked google for DigitalSuperDeals. Lots of unhappy customers. I'd stay away from this "deal". :eek:

http://www.camerahacker.com/Forums/DisplayComments.php?file=Trade/Resellers/Digital_Superdeals...Don..t_purchase_from_them..ht ml

[Dmares]

The TZ3 is here in Germany already on stock. In black or silver. Price between € 399.- and € 449

Cheers
Dennis

Hola,

So has anyone seen a concrete release/ship date for the TZ3? Amazon has April 15 but I don't think it will take that long. Press releases have said late March. J&r is selling it for $300 plus shipping minus $10 for new Google Checkout users with no ship date (just "Coming Soon"):

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product_Id=4160006&JRSource=googlebase.datafeed.PAN+DMCTZ3K

Anyone else found a better deal? I think I'm gonna wait to order it till it gets closer to the ship date cuz the prices just keep going down. What do you guys think? I'd love to get some input.

thanks,
kilo

[tbean]

I found a TZ3S at Broadway Photo for $287:

http://www.bwayphoto.com/product.asp?item=psdmctz3s&l=Everyprice

It is advertised as 8.5 mega pixels--does anyone know what's up with this?

[carant]

Before you order, you might want to take a look at Broadway Photo (aka: A&M Photo World, Regal Camera, Prestige Camera, Preferred Photo, etc.] on http://www.resellerratings.com/store/Broadway_Photo . They have a rating of 0.80 out of 10

[tbean]

That answers my question about Broadway, and probably explains the 8.5 mp's. Thanks.

[California]

And Broadway has the TZ1 - TZ3 battery for $149!!!

What do you want to bet they require purchase of that $149 battery to get the the camera for $287?

The picture of the battery isn't the right one, either.

Reseller.com rating 0.80 - that figures.

[carant]

It’s almost comical. On that same page they show a no-name 256MB SD card for $189.95 with $14.99 shipping. You can pick one up almost anywhere for less than 10 bucks.

[FerrariFan]

Yeah, thanks for telling me about http://www.resellerratings.com/!!! That's an excellent site. I would have been like all the rest of those people that got cheated! YIKES! That's just a simply awesome site...very helful! So I guess J&R is the best place to buy it right now, eh? Actually, I think that a lot of the stores that will get it, don't have it right now, so maybe just waiting for a good price to come along is the best thing to do. What? That's what we're already doing? oops. I'm not sure I'm adding anything to this conversation! :p

[dev]

I paid at least $50 too much through Amazon, but then I already have a couple of hundred pics I wouldn't have had. So I guess it evens out.

[alloyd1170]

I debated ordering the TZ3 in blue through BH and JR. Both showed the camera priced at $299. JR was the winner in my book since they allowed me to preorder (did that Monday). BH has since raised their price to $329, and are closing to all orders and deliveries for about a week for vacation. I got an email today saying the my camera was shipped yesterday and will be here tomorrow.

As for a backup battery, I ordered one from Ritz (Wolf has the same deal). It was $9.05 and with shipping came to $16.00. I also got a 2GB SD card at Office Depot the other week on sale for $25.

[cptnemo]

That's as good as J&R's price, because it includes shipping charges.:)

[Cyberwlf]

Well after much forum reading, review reading, and some posting too i've decided to jump the queue and not even waitng for DC Resource or DP Reviews but going by all ive seen/read from user accounts for the TZ3.

Fingers crossed my new baby arrives this week :)

[tbean]

I happily received my TZ3 on Friday from J&R. I've been working my way through the manual, it's a bit difficult for a point and shoot kind of girl, but the pictures i have gotten are amazing compared to my old canon A70. I have a question about a spare battery. I went to online help at Wolf Camera and was told to get a 720mAh battery, when I said that the battery that came with it is 1000mAh, I was told to call Panasonic. Panasonic parts said the camera is too new for spare batteries to be out, and Panasonic tech support told me to ask you guys. So, do you think the DCRP should get a cut from Panasonic?

[DennisB]

I just received my TZ3 today! I had pre-ordered it direct from Panasonic. My employer has a discount program that includes Panasonic Direct. Pricing was decent, about the same as through J&R and others. I got the black model. Battery is charging right now. :)

Speaking of batteries, I had ordered a couple of spares from Buy.com. They arrived before I had the camera. They are Lenmar brand. Have not tried them yet, but they seem to be an identical match with the OEM battery. Lenmar batteries even come with a 3 year warranty. The description and photo on Buy.com say 1300mAh, but the ones I received were 1000mAh. Even with shipping, they were a good deal.
<http://www.buy.com/prod/lenmar-dlp007-lithium-ion-camera-battery-lithium-ion-li-ion-1300mah-3/q/loc/111/202844186.html>

Dennis