PDA

View Full Version : Is the TZ3 right for me?


etbull
01-03-2008, 11:13 AM
Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Around $300 or so

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you? I would like something on the smaller size so that I can take it anywhere

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? 6-8

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) at least 10x

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10) 9

Do you care for manual controls? not really. I would like a camera that takes great pics with auto settings and minimal manual inputs

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for? everyday shots of kids indoors & outdoors, plus scenery or travel pics

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not? perhaps

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos? some

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos? not so much

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate? no

Are there particular models you already have in mind? Panasonic tz3

(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? image stabilization is a must

I have a Sony W70 and an older kodak dx7590. The kodak has a great zoom and takes nice pictures, but I found it just a tad large to take "everywhere". On the other hand, my Sony is a wonderful size, but I find that the indoor/night pictures come out terrible, a bit fuzzy and with strange orangish hue, plus the zoom is a bit lacking

I have been looking at the TZ3 which gets good reviews, but I am still unsure about the quality of night/indoor shots. I don't mind tweaking a picture a bit (redeye,...) but don't want to have to rely on touching up every pic. I also have noticed that the canon s3/5 and Panny fz8/18 get good reviews, but they may be too big to throw in a bag/pocket for a day out.

AndyfromVA
01-03-2008, 01:56 PM
Check out the actual photos.

http://www.pbase.com/cameras/panasonic/lumix_dmc_tz3

etbull
01-03-2008, 02:08 PM
Wow, those pictures really show off what the TZ3 can do, Thanks for the link. I think that I am really leaning towards the TZ3. I had also considered the Canon SX100, but the size of the panasonic really draws me in. It doesn't matter how good my camera is if I don't take it with me.

reidfm
01-03-2008, 10:15 PM
I've been looking at specs on the new Ricoh Caplio R7. Jeff has it scheduled for report in "January 2008". You may purchase the Caplio R7 from
Popflash in California www.popflash.com 805-492-6548. reidfm

etbull
01-04-2008, 07:12 AM
Interesting, but the zoom is only 7x and it would be about $150 more than the TZ3. How are Ricoh cameras rated, I haven't looked at them before

etbull
01-05-2008, 06:25 PM
I made a decision and bought the TZ3 tonight, battery is charging as we speak.