DMC-ZS3/DMC-TZ7 reviews

[dampfnudel]

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC_TZ7_ZS3/

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_tz7_review/

It looks like the ZS3 is a hit.:)

[Dark Cobra]

Yes indeed! There's just one more review I'm waiting for and that's the Fuji F200EXR. If the Pany still holds up against that, then the Pany will be my next compact for sure.

[dampfnudel]

More positive ZS3/TZ7 reviews:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/review/2009/03/21/Panasonic-Lumix-DMC-TZ7/p1

http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/panasonic-lumix-zs3-digital-camera-review_roundup.html

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/dpadvisor/reviews/index.cfm?reviewid=110763

http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/review/digital_cameras/panasonic/lumix_dmc-tz7/278098?image=39874

[Dark Cobra]

Well I doubt at this point if we'll be seeing a "bad" review of this jewel. All indications are this is going to be yet another monster hit for Pany. As a Canon guy I've got to take my hat off to the folks at Pany. They never gave up and stuck with it and now it's paying off for them. Sadly, Canon has been asleep at the wheel for too long and they are going to pay a hefty price for it now. My pre-order with Amazon is already in for a black TZ7 and I can't wait!

Thanks "dampfnudel" for the information.

[serpa4]

I'm disappointed in the review. I was hoping the ZS3 would do worse as to give me an excuse to consider the Canon SX200IS even with its limitations but manual controls. I'm a Canon fan and have owned may of them. Unfortunately the Pana reviews quite well and I'll have to drop my loyalty to Canon and purchase the superior Pana; well only if the Samsung HZ15W is crappy like the Canon. I have high (too high) expectations for the Samsung, but if it cannot give good IQ (hasn't in past), then based on the reviews, the Pana will be a superb camera to buy. Just wish it had manual controls!

[Dark Cobra]

I hear ya "serpa4"! Can you imagine the next Pany "ZS4" we'll call it, including manual controls and the larger 1/1.7 sensor (would probably have to give up some of that zoom due to the physics of CCD technology). The LX3 has these two items but it has a much faster lens and a few other tricks.

[serpa4]

Not too optimistic about the "next" zs camera. I think it will be the same, no manual controls. We've been hoping for manual in every one previous to this model and no luck. Just not enough demand I guess. There is plenty of room on the mode knob though to add PSAM. I heard the pana has no iris and thus really couldn't be too good of a PSAM anyway. I'd still like to control shutter speed and WB. Guess in the sceen modes you have even less control. Well, at least it takes very good photos for a compact camera. I'm not a pixel peeper, but do look at my photos at 100% very often. I just don't go around looking for things like top left in in focus but bottom right isn't, dark corners, etc. Not that picky.
Good camer, good price, best lense, best size, all the key components but PSAM. I don't think its much to ask for, just software programing! isn't it?

[Dark Cobra]

Actually I think the demand for manual controls is significant. Even the Pro-reviewers are puzzled as to why there is an absence of such features. All we can do is continue to hope that one day they surprise us all!

[Jonathan Gingerich]

Part of me hopes not.

There's not a whole lot you can do creatively with S and A on such a small sensor. Instead Panasonic offers intelligent settings, maximum ISO, minimum shutter speed, for the camera.

It is what it is, a brilliant snapshot camera - as in "snap shot" - portable enough to always be with you, with a WA to telephoto range, and great automatic features.

Adding direct manual controls is something of a bow to marketing...

[Dark Cobra]

Hmmm . . . maybe you guys are right on the manual control thing. I guess I should think about it some more. It's just that I've always thought having manual control over aperture and speed allows for even greater control over final image (even for a small camera). Maybe not huh?

Depth of field is great with small sensors in pocket cams so not a whole lot of image change will occur in that area. In night shooting, I've always liked to force wider apertures but if the camera has a decent night shoot mode then that pretty much mimics the settings I would be selecting. So all-in-all, maybe your guys are right and full manual controls just aren't as important in a pocket cam as it would be in a DSLR.

[Dark Cobra]

Yes indeed! There's just one more review I'm waiting for and that's the Fuji F200EXR. If the Pany still holds up against that, then the Pany will be my next compact for sure.

Early in the thread the above was my position. Now that I've seen Jeff's review of the Fuji F200EXR I'm definitely convinced that the Pany TZ7 will be best for my needs. The Fuji does have some impressive low light capability as evidenced by the sample church shot Jeff always takes which very few pocket cams fair well with IMHO. The Fuji did well in that shot but as Jeff has astutely pointed out, it seems "soft" in too many other shots which is very obvious indeed. So the Pany TZ7 it is! :rolleyes:

[Kurt Hoss]

Have to laugh at that - I was thinking the same thing. I sold a TZ4 along the way of testing just about everything out there. Felt kind of funny about selling it and now I look at my personal stats and see that I took more than twice as many pix with it as any of the other compacts - it just felt right. Was hoping the Canon would do better and I'm not sure that it hasn't - I downloaded, pixel peeped and printed a number of samples and showed to several people with good eyes - everyone picked the Canon. But the TZ7 form factor is a major selling point. I think Canon may need to hire some designers.

[Dark Cobra]

Agreed. The Canon SX200 and the Pany TZ7 in some respects are close. I think so many people have or have had Canon cameras and have become so used to their color palate that they will almost always point to the Canon images when compared to another manufacturer's rendering of the same image. Canon is known for a warm reddish rendering while Pany has a slightly more bluish rendering to the eyes of many. This is a look I actually prefer as I've found it desirable to tone down the reds in my Canon camera to compensate for the red bias.

I think the reviews of these cameras are pretty consistently finding the Pany to be slightly sharper and remarkably having a tad less noise. Traditionally, it's always been the other war around as we all know with the Pany usually having more noise. I agree with you that I prefer the overall Pany package between these two cameras.

I also hate to say it, but is it just me or is the Canon SX200 a rather bland (almost ugly) looking camera? I mean that was the first reaction I had when I saw it and I've been a Canon guy for decades.

[Kurt Hoss]

Agreed. The Canon SX200 and the Pany TZ7 in some respects are close. I think so many people have or have had Canon cameras and have become so used to their color palate that they will almost always point to the Canon images when compared to another manufacturer's rendering of the same image. Canon is known for a warm reddish rendering while Pany has a slightly more bluish rendering to the eyes of many. This is a look I actually prefer as I've found it desirable to tone down the reds in my Canon camera to compensate for the red bias.

I think the reviews of these cameras are pretty consistently finding the Pany to be slightly sharper and remarkably having a tad less noise. Traditionally, it's always been the other war around as we all know with the Pany usually having more noise. I agree with you that I prefer the overall Pany package between these two cameras.

I also hate to say it, but is it just me or is the Canon SX200 a rather bland (almost ugly) looking camera? I mean that was the first reaction I had when I saw it and I've been a Canon guy for decades.

The shots we were comparing were from this site and it seems that there is a good bit of variation in the sample - looking at the Photographyblog site the Panny blows the doors off the SX200. If I were choosing on paper I'd go the Canon easily but it's not so easy. I've had the TZ4 and know that it has a good feel and that is hard to define. My SX110 has, in my opinion, better IQ but I haven't taken near as many shots with it - it just isn't fun to use and I can't figure out why. And, yes, the SX200 is pretty boring looking. We used to joke on a watch forum that Rolex took all their designers in the late sixties behind the factory and shot them. I'm getting the feeling that Canon has that same regard

[Dark Cobra]

You know I very briefly had a Canon SX110 and returned it because I didn't like the way the zoom acted at the telephoto end. I was wondering if you were having any similar issues with yours. Also, there are reports of noise issues with the SX110 even at lower ISO's. Have you experienced any of this? I really wanted to like that camera but like you for some reason I got the feeling I should just return it and I did.

[Kurt Hoss]

You know I very briefly had a Canon SX110 and returned it because I didn't like the way the zoom acted at the telephoto end. I was wondering if you were having any similar issues with yours. Also, there are reports of noise issues with the SX110 even at lower ISO's. Have you experienced any of this? I really wanted to like that camera but like you for some reason I got the feeling I should just return it and I did.

I wanted to like it too but despite the great reviews it just didn't appeal to me - felt weird in the hands; it was shaped like it should be held up to your eye but there is no viewfinder. I had no issue with the IQ compared to the Panny but it is far more sluggish. If I could figure out why some cameras have instant appeal and others equally endowed leave the user cold I'd be a designer. You were right to return it; no sense keeping something if you don't enjoy using it. BTW I had no problems at the tele end and of course it doesn't have much wide angle. Like I said, IQ was fine for that ilk but the "feel" just wasn't there. Unfortunateli I got the feel that I should have kept the Panny and I didn't :(

[Dark Cobra]

Thanks for the confirmation. Perhaps at some point you may revisit Pany with the soon-to-be-released TZ7. Great chatting with ya!

[Kurt Hoss]

Thanks for the confirmation. Perhaps at some point you may revisit Pany with the soon-to-be-released TZ7. Great chatting with ya!

Picked up another TZ4 (TZ5 sold out everywhere) for a trip I'm taking tomorrow, should tide me over till the TZ7 ships to New York. Funny thing is what I'll be shooting will require DSLRs so I might not even use it but it's great to get that feel back again, better than I remember it. Sweet little series of cameras the TZ ..

[Kurt Hoss]

The TZ4 served me well on the trip but is now off to a new home, replaced this afternoon by the zs3 (TZ7). The reviews were well earned on this one ..

[mooloo]

Bought a Zs3 and the shop I have bought it from is asking if I want to buy another model, get my money back or wait till the new batch of ZS3 come in. They told me the batch of ZS3 they have all had to be sent back to panasonic.
Question - should i wait? I would be more then happy to choose the earlier model!

[Kurt Hoss]

Bought a Zs3 and the shop I have bought it from is asking if I want to buy another model, get my money back or wait till the new batch of ZS3 come in. They told me the batch of ZS3 they have all had to be sent back to panasonic.
Question - should i wait? I would be more then happy to choose the earlier model!
I have heard of no recall on any Panasonic model. Does it work OK ? Quality compare with other posted samples ? Sounds like someone is tryiong to fulfill an order they promised . Hmmm - I think I'd ask for some evidence.
Regards,
Kurt

[dampfnudel]

I have heard of no recall on any Panasonic model. Does it work OK ? Quality compare with other posted samples ? Sounds like someone is tryiong to fulfill an order they promised . Hmmm - I think I'd ask for some evidence.
Regards,
Kurt

I've noticed that a few online merchants are out of stock/back-ordered so it's possible. I know there was a firmware update (from 1.0 to 1.1), but since people can do that on their own, it can't be that. Maybe it's a "silent" recall (only affects new stock still in stores) by Panasonic? I'll send a e-mail to Jeff, maybe he could get some information from Panasonic.

[shinerburke]

I've noticed that a few online merchants are out of stock/back-ordered so it's possible. I know there was a firmware update (from 1.0 to 1.1), but since people can do that on their own, it can't be that. Maybe it's a "silent" recall (only affects new stock still in stores) by Panasonic? I'll send a e-mail to Jeff, maybe he could get some information from Panasonic.

Ever hear anything about this? I've been trying to decide between the Panny & the Canon for my wife, but nobody in town has the Panny in stock or knows when they will be getting more. If it were me I would order online, but my wife insists on being able to feel the camera before she makes up her mind.

[Adagio]

Lusting after the ZS3, as I am, has me following this thread very closely.
I hope that Kurt Hoss and Mooloo keep us posted (on this thread) with impresions of their new ZS3s.
And I'm also looking forward to what info Dampfnudel might have found out from Jeff on a potential 'silent recall'
As much as I want this camera I can wait until any potential problems, such as the "loose function knob syndrome" reported on some ZS3s are fixed before they ship any more of these exciting cameras.
As an aside, I am wondering if any of the ZS1s are afflicted with the same disease.....
Vic DeHaven (with a VERY outdated Olymus)

[Adagio]

Battery life in video mode???
Sorry to take up so much space here, but I have a question in regards to the battery life on the TZ3. In all the reviews we see that the battery will power the camera for 'up to' 300 still photos. How about when shooting nothing but videos?? Would it be conceivable to shoot an hour's worth of video on an 8 GB card on one battery charge without using external power???
I know - I'm supposed to drag out the dedicated video cam. But then when folks see a video cam, it's then obvious that you are shooting videos and the stealth feature of just leaving an innocent looking still cam on a tripod (recording video) is lost.
Can we turn off the screen while recording video??
That's an odd question. But if it is on a tripod, recording a fixed setting (as in a town hall meeting), it would save the battery.

And in mixed mode, video & still pix, recording - how does the battery life work out???

[Adagio]

When checking the B&H kisting for the ZS3s this morning I see a new message below the "backordered" line:
Back-ordered
Important Notice!
This item is backordered by the mfr. We have no delivery date at this time.

[Adagio]

Hey! Is this mike on? I seem to be the only one posting on this thread these days.

At any rate, I just ran across a very detailed 'informal' review of the ZS3.
And of all things the guy's web page is usually devoted to pinball machines.
But he segwayed away from that hobby long enough to give us this:
http://www.aaarpinball.com/Miscellaneous/dmczs3.htm

[dampfnudel]

Lusting after the ZS3, as I am, has me following this thread very closely.
I hope that Kurt Hoss and Mooloo keep us posted (on this thread) with impresions of their new ZS3s.
And I'm also looking forward to what info Dampfnudel might have found out from Jeff on a potential 'silent recall'
As much as I want this camera I can wait until any potential problems, such as the "loose function knob syndrome" reported on some ZS3s are fixed before they ship any more of these exciting cameras.
As an aside, I am wondering if any of the ZS1s are afflicted with the same disease.....
Vic DeHaven (with a VERY outdated Olymus)

Sorry about the late response, I've been busy & forgot about this thread. Anyway, Jeff said he didn't know anything about a ZS3 recall. I just checked J&R's website and the silver version is now in stock. The blue, black & red versions are still out of stock. B&H has the black in stock but all other colors are still back-ordered. Actually, in the case of the red version, I don't think retailers ever got that version at all. So who knows what happened? Maybe there was a production issue and Panasonic is slowly shipping out stock now.

I'll probably wait another month before I get one, just in case some people report issues or something. I'll post something once I get it...that is if I get it. I could probably make do with my two-year old TZ3 for another year or two, but the improvements, in particular the AVCHD is hard to ignore. I could finally toss my 7-year old Sony SD camcorder to the curb and just take one recording device with me when I travel. Then I could watch my video in high-def on my Sony HDTV/PS3.

[Adagio]

dampfnudel, Thanks so much for posting what you know.
So far we are on the same page with this one.
As much as it is driving me crazy waiting for the ZS3, I want to wait until they have any 'issues' worked out.
I keep telling my friends that if they don't have a ZS3 for me to buy I will keep holding out until I can afford a Nikon D-90.
THEN I'LL STILL WANT A ZS3!

Cuz you can't carry a DSLR in a pouch on your belt all day.
One of my fav photo ops down here in So'west Aridzone, is catching dust devils on digicams.
You may know them as the tiny tornadoes that spring up on the desert in hot weather.
And like many photo ops they don't wait around for you to run home and grab the 'good' camera....

I am checking B&H daily, even thou I've registered for an e-mail notice (that's one of two things that I do every day, check B&H and see if Israel has nuked Tehran, or something like that) from B&H.

I'd really like to know of a good on line retailer (I check Newegg a lot. I really like their service) down here in the southwest.

When we see that B&H has ALL FOUR colors in stock then we''ll know things are cookin'.
(Personally I favor the brown that can only be had in a TZ7. It seems so 'old timey')

And I want to be sure they have the NEW batch in stock b4 I buy one - and not just something that one of the online retailers has managed to wind up with from the first batch that went out in April.

In other words I consider the ZS3s to be one of the best P&S that we can get and I want the best of the best :-))

Thanks for your post dampfnudel,
Vic DeHAven in the Aridzone (pronunce the 'e' and it sounds like Arizona)

[Adagio]

I must remind ZS3 hopefuls, once again to visit this website.
It is most excellent reporting.
For a non-pro, this is one of thee most excellent reviews that I have seen on the ZS3

http://www.aaarpinball.com/Miscellaneous/dmczs3.htm

And the guy is mainly a 'pinball nut'.
I felt moved enough to figure out his e-mail address and say thanks. (pinsATw3.aaarpinball.commie - you can figure it out)
He said that I was the first to do so.

Be sure to check out his "Shots in the Wild" link.
It's great.

Also look for the links (near the bottom of the page) to the video shots that he made from the back of an Amtrak train.

The "bright object flare that he objects to might probably be worked around by the addition of a home made filter mount,

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=32058552

and a polarizing filter. The techies can tell us if this would work.

Be sure to e-mail"pins" and tell him how much you like the non-pro review.
You can tell that he spent a LOT of time on it.
He is a 'stickler' for detail.
The resolution in the 'cropped' shot he did of the pinball machine knocked my socks off.
And I'm sort of a 'pixel peeper'....

Happy surfing,
Vic DeHaven

[dampfnudel]

dampfnudel, Thanks so much for posting what you know.
So far we are on the same page with this one.
As much as it is driving me crazy waiting for the ZS3, I want to wait until they have any 'issues' worked out.
I keep telling my friends that if they don't have a ZS3 for me to buy I will keep holding out until I can afford a Nikon D-90.
THEN I'LL STILL WANT A ZS3!

Cuz you can't carry a DSLR in a pouch on your belt all day.
One of my fav photo ops down here in So'west Aridzone, is catching dust devils on digicams.
You may know them as the tiny tornadoes that spring up on the desert in hot weather.
And like many photo ops they don't wait around for you to run home and grab the 'good' camera....

I am checking B&H daily, even thou I've registered for an e-mail notice (that's one of two things that I do every day, check B&H and see if Israel has nuked Tehran, or something like that) from B&H.

I'd really like to know of a good on line retailer (I check Newegg a lot. I really like their service) down here in the southwest.

When we see that B&H has ALL FOUR colors in stock then we''ll know things are cookin'.
(Personally I favor the brown that can only be had in a TZ7. It seems so 'old timey')

And I want to be sure they have the NEW batch in stock b4 I buy one - and not just something that one of the online retailers has managed to wind up with from the first batch that went out in April.

In other words I consider the ZS3s to be one of the best P&S that we can get and I want the best of the best :-))

Thanks for your post dampfnudel,
Vic DeHAven in the Aridzone (pronunce the 'e' and it sounds like Arizona)

I'm interested in the blue version and since all retailers are out of that color, I think it's a safe bet that it will be part of a new batch. Also the new batch of ZS3s should have firmware version 1.1 or greater installed.

[Dave88LX]

Can you elaborate more on the batch of ZS3s having to get sent back to Panasonic?

My mom bought a ZS3 based off my recommendation of my love for my TZ5. We are taking the same exact pictures with each camera here, and hers continually have a bluish/cold hue to them indoors. This is both on AUTO and other settings.

[millca]

I was curious if it was possible to charge the battery using a USB cable to a car charger while the battery remained inside the camera.

Can anyone please check that for me? I need the ability to charge the camera within my car and would prefer to eliminate one more charger I have to carry around each time I travel.

Ideally, I want to be able to use my iGo car charger with a mini-USB tip to charge the battery.

If the battery does not get charged when connecting the camera to one's computer via the USB cable, then I would assume it won't in my car either.

I appreciate your help with this question. Thanks!

C