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Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD
Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Black)
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The new Lumix ZS3 features 10.1-megapixels, a 25mm ultra-wide angle lens and 12x optical zoom, which means that 2x optical zoom added to the award-winning TZ-series cameras, but reduced its size. The ZS3 also features a Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens and High Definition (HD) video recording capabilities, known as AVCHD Lite.
ZS3 is the world’s first digital camera to record HD video recording function “AVCHD Lite. “Compared to the conventional Motion JPEG, AVCHD Lite allows longer shots with stunning high-definition visual and audio quality. This combined with a well thought out interface, a dedicated movie record button on the back of the camera panel covers, makes the ZS3 a hybrid model that performs well for both still and moving image capture.
ZS3 also extends the popular Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto (iA) mode with the addition of face detection – a feature that remembers faces from previous recordings. When a registered face appears in the frame, the camera focus and exposure priority to be beautiful to bear. With face recognition, when a familiar face is recorded many times, the camera requires users to register for the face. Once registered, if the face appears again in the frame, the camera display the name given to that person and prioritize the focus and exposure so that the registered face is bright and sharp.
New this year to the ZS series, iA mode is also available in movie mode. The system automatically selects the most appropriate scene mode and helps correct handshake, focus and clarity problems – making iA mode, your one-stop solution for capturing beautiful still and moving images. In Movie Mode, the ZS3, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) helps prevent handshake when using high-powered zoom. Face Detection automatically detects a face in the frame and adjusts focus, exposure, contrast and skin tone so perfectly clear. Intelligent Exposure continuously monitors the ambient light and adjusts exposure if circumstances change to prevent blown highlights and blocked shadows. And Intelligent Scene Selector automatically switches between Normal, Portrait, Macro, Landscape and Low Light modes depending on the situation in order to optimize the visual quality.
The power of imaging Lumix has evolved with the Venus Engine HD, which has two CPUs to provide about 2.4x CPU and support for AVCHD Lite and HDMI output. It integrates all the advanced features and camera operations with high performance and low power consumption. In image processing, its luminance noise and color noise separately before and after the signal decreased. This is further refined by separating the noise two-dimensional high frequency and low frequency noise. Then the circuits effectively reduce only the low frequency noise to the unwanted noise to a minimum and help produce beautiful, sharp still and moving images.
Playing with the ZS series is simple. Plug the camera’s SD memory card into the VIERA HDTVs ImageViewer SD Card slot for a photo slideshow. Or connect the camera via an optional mini HDMI cable, the DMW-HDC2, a Panasonic VIERA HDTV VIERA Link equipped and using the TV remote control to mixed slideshows of photos and videos to arrival. The ZS3 features a 3-inch high resolution 460,000-dot Intelligent LCD with wide viewing angle, improving visibility during recording and playback.
Other features of the Lumix ZS3 include:
- Increased Scene modes for both still and moving image shooting – optimized for a variety of situations. There are 26 scene modes for still images and 17 for moving images (Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self-portrait, landscape, low light, Food, Party, Candlelight, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Beach, Snow, Aerial photo, Pin Hole, Film Grain and Underwater)
- Two new My Scene settings allows users to use their two most frequently used scene modes for the institution, and with a simple switch, access to a scene.
- New Panorama Assist Scene mode allows users to shoot some photos of a consistent, vertically or horizontally, according to them a guide that overlaps the screen. Then using those pictures and the bundled Panorama Maker software allows users to create dramatic panoramic images.
- High-Speed Burst (Speed Priority), consisting of about fires. 10 shots per second.
- Menus are clearer and easier to navigate the Display Format option.
- Macro Zoom function allows users to pull subjects closer to dramatic close-up shots with the 3x digital zoom wide angle.
- Supplied software: The latest version of PHOTOfunSTUDIO 3.0 HD Edition allows users to view, edit and archive fixed content with more ease and pleasure. Still and moving images can be transferred to the computer via a USB cable for viewing and archiving. Using PHOTOfunSTUDIO HD Edition 3.0 users can edit and remove unwanted parts of video clips recorded in AVCHD Lite. Content recorded in AVCHD Lite can be directly burned to a DVD disc or the software can convert the content into MPEG2 format. The software also features the Face Recognition function, which detects faces in images recorded, stored on the computer, making organizing and archiving pictures with a certain person a lot easier. Moreover, moving images are uploaded directly to YouTube.
Product Features
- 10.1-megapixel resolution captures enough detail for poster-size prints
- 12x Optical Image Stabilizer MEGA stablilized zoom, 25mm ultra-wide angle lens
- Capture video in HD “AVCHD Lite” format
- Intelligent Auto (iA) mode, Face Recognition Function
- Capture images to SD / SDHC memory cards (not included)
Customer Review
3rd time’s a charm- a standing “O” for the ZS3!, April 28, 2009
By Michael J. Christensen (Elk Grove Village, IL United States)
I have owned two prior digital cameras- the first was a Canon that took good pictures, but was too bulky to pocket around and required AA batteries to power it. The second was a Sony CyberShot DSC-W150 that took crappy, blurry pictures in low light. Needless to say, I felt an upgrade was in order.
So I’m going on an east coast trip next month. My buddy and I are avid baseball fans. One problem: as we do not always have great seats, taking close-up pictures of ballplayers is a real pain with 99% of the compact point and shoots out there. This is because the camera’s size will only allow it 5X optical zoom. You can combine this with digital zooming, but I don’t need to tell you how terrible and pixilated this looks. Thus my conundrum. So I really wanted a compact, pocketable camera with a long range optical lens, without having to lug around an expensive digital SLR.
Enter the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3. When I read the specs on it, I was in awe. 10 megapixel, 12X OPTICAL zoom. Here’s the sweetest part about the zoom- if you planning to use smaller prints (i.e. 4X6), you can quickly adjust the camera’s Megapixel (MP) count from 10 to 7, 5, and 3 to yield maximum OPTICAL zooms of 14.3, 17.1, and 21.4 respectably, without much loss of detail on such prints. I wish Panasonic would have allowed the camera to adjust the MP count automatically as you zoom, but it’s not too much trouble to change the MP settings manually from the quick menu.
Another great feature: the camera’s screen is beautiful at 460,000 pixels, twice the count as the rival Canon Powershot SX200 IS (more on that camera later). From the moment you view your first picture, you’ll quickly notice how much sharper photos look on this camera. It’s a nice convenience to view photos on the camera in a manner closer to the quality that will actually be seen when you’re viewing them on the computer (and ultimately printing them).
I also want to give Panasonic kudos for the build quality and compactness of this camera. The ZS3 is a replacement for the popular TZ5 model, which was 9MP and 10X Optical Zoom. So they increased the resolution, and added a wider range lens, and REDUCED the size by .4 cubic inches. Specifications aside, I was more than pleased that this camera will comfortably fit inside my jeans pocket. It’s a bit bulkier than an ultracompact for sure, but not objectionably so. Note that the SX200 is a full 2.0 cubic inches thicker, another reason I passed on the Canon. Here’s a few more reasons the Canon falls short: the Canon has a cheesy looking popup flash that sticks out at the top of the camera, whether you’re using flash or not (bad design decision). It has less rated battery life than the Lumix. Also, when shooting video, the Canon does NOT allow you to use optical zooming.
Photo quality on the Lumix is excellent, although I’ve only snapped samples around my place so far. However, I’ve taken quite a few pictures at low light, and at maximum zoom levels to try to get a bad shot. So far, there’s none to be found. I’ll put this through its paces more when I travel next month, but I’m extremely pleased so far. As for video shooting, I’ve sampled it a bit, and it seems pretty solid. The camera gives you the choice of shooting video in its touted AVCHD Lite format (ideal for watching it on your TV in HD with an optional mini to standard HDMI cable), or JPEG if you prefer to email video clips to friends. This year’s model also added stereo sound on video playback versus last year’s monaural effort. One thing I found a bit strange, was the incredibly slow zooming when shooting video. I guess Panasonic was trying to give the user a more controlled, deliberate zoom, but unlike the snappy photo zooming, it’s a bit slow for my liking.
Some other minor quibbles: The dial that controls the shooting mode is extremely loose. If you lightly rub it against anything (a camera bag, your pocket), there’s a good chance it will shift. When you turn the camera on, it will digitally tell you what mode you’re in, but it’s still annoying when it happens by accident. Second, when making a quick zoom on an object, it will appear blurry on the camera’s screen until the shutter button is pressed. There are modes to continually focus the object when zooming, but this drains the camera’s battery life more rapidly. It would be nice if this feature was incorporated automatically without any such sacrifice.
Also, I’m not a huge fan of the included PhotofunStudio software bundled with this camera, as there are other, more compelling programs to view, edit, and print photos (I like Canon’s Zoombrowser program better). Finally, this is not the camera to buy if you’re into manual controls. There’s a ton of preset scenes that can be used (nighttime, portrait, baby, sunset, food, etc.), and you can adjust items like flash, white balance, and max ISO level, but this is meant to be a simple point and shoot for casual photographers. Note that the Lumix has an intelligent auto mode (IA) that will analyze the shooting conditions and pick the right scene, flash, and exposure without any adjustments by the user. This camera screams simplicity, but there’s enough tweaking on the Normal and Scene modes to keep the vast majority of amateur photographers happy.
Regardless of these nitpicks, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is an awesome camera, unbeatable for those that want the best of both worlds- a great zoom lens and compact body. It’s a bit pricey at $399, but you’re getting quite a lot of camera for your hard earned dollars. I have no doubt that my third digital camera is a terrific buy and a long-term staple for my travels.
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Oh my goodness, what a camera!, March 28, 2009
By Michael McKee “mystic cowboy” (Port Townsend, WA United States)
I have a pro friend who got a review copy of this for a couple of days. He let me use it for one of them, as he hasn’t shot with a point and shoot in a long time. I ordered my own within the first hour. What a camera. The zoom on this baby is amazing. It has a true wide angle and a long reach. Photos on both ends of the reach are sharp and have good color and saturation. I almost drooled when I printed out the samples. They are flat out the best point and shoot jpegs that I’ve had the pleasure of taking. Raw files would be nice but aren’t available, nor is much in the way of manual exposure control. As a bit of a control freak, I thought that would be a problem but honestly, Panasonic’s smart mode selection is brilliant at getting good, sharp exposures. Focusing is fast, even in low light. Flash seems fine, neither superior nor awful. I took 400 images and a short movie on my first outing and the battery still had some juice. It also has fast and accurate face detection. Holding the camera in my hand, pointing it in the general direction of people on the street without being obvious got consistently good focus. Oh, the image stabilization works very well, too.
The camera is just small enough to fit in a shirt pocket but unless you’re wearing heavy denim it’s just to heavy to be comfortable there. It slips fine in a vest pocket or jacket, though. Point and shoots have definitely improved in low light performance since I bought my last one. I got perfectly usable shots at 400 ISO. A little noise touch up and they print fine at 11×14. At 1600 ISO you can still get a usable Flickr sized image, again with a run through a noise processor like Noise Ninja.
It has a new video mode that uses half the memory of the normal mov files that it also supports. But finding where they are on the card is a bit of a treasure hunt the first time. They are also a pain to process. I ran a conversion program to turn them into H.264 format. That makes editing much easier. Do that first thing. You can even run the optical zoom while shooting movies, though focus can be a bit slow. Videos are much better than those from the Flip that is all I own for movies.
Great zoom, great photos, great lens, reasonable size, scary accurate automatic mode switching, wow!. If it had a bit more manual control it might be better, then again, I’ve got a few hundred really nice images. So no complaints.
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Excellent zoom and features, chose this over the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS, April 14, 2009
By Helldiver (Toronto, Canada)
Although I have a Nikon D80 DSLR, I needed a more compact point and shoot camera replacement for my aging Canon S60 with dying batteries. After reading a couple of reviews and a visit to a local camera store I decided to choose the ZS3 over the competing Canon SX200 IS with very similar features. Although the Canon is more familiar to me and has more manual features, the compact size of the Panasonic with better battery life, robust video functions and the fact that it’s still made in Japan (versus the Canon which is now manufactured in China) edged out the Canon for me personally (you may want to try both to decide for yourself). So far I have been very happy with this versatile camera – screen is big and bright, facial recognition is neat, zoom is remarkable for a camera of its size and the video quality is excellent for a camera. Only downside is that like the camera store employee said – the autofocus motors inside the Panasonics do seem to be quite loud – i.e. if you are aiming the camera around randomly you can hear the motors whirling away as it refocuses at different potential targets. I enjoyed this purchase and I would recommend this camera to anyone who is looking for a easy-to-use, high quality point and shoot with 12x optical zoom.
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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 12.1MP Digital Camera with 18x POWER Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD
Buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 12.1MP Digital Camera with 18x POWER Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD
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List Price: $399.95
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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35 features AVCHD Lite, High Definition (HD) video recording capabilities, combined with a powerful 27mm wide angle, 18x optical zoom Leica DC lens.
A successor to the popular FZ28, the FZ35 packs enhanced creative functions combined with the power to HD video, including motion zoom capabilities to fully benefit from the 18x zoom shooting. The operational layout of the FZ35 has a dedicated video record button, making it a true hybrid – a model that seamlessly performs at capturing still and moving images – while providing a smooth and easy operation in each mode.
For users looking for more creativity when shooting both video and still images, the Lumix FZ35 delivers. New manual controls and creative options include:
- Creative Movie Mode: Allows the user to the shutter speed and aperture manually even more impressive films. Changing the shutter speed does special effects for films, which is particularly suited for capturing fast moving subjects. The ability to control the aperture is useful when multiple subjects at different distances.
- My Color Mode: This special feature gives free rein to the creativity of the user. The color, brightness and saturation parameters can be freely adjusted while seeing how the adjustments affect the picture, live on the monitor.
- High Dynamic Mode: help a scene with a moderate exposure to catch, although the scene is both bright and dark regions are present.
The 12.1-megapixel FZ35 is equipped with the custom POWER Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS), which double the repression, the power leaves compared to the conventional Mega OIS image stabilization system, and ultra-high speed Auto Focus ( AF) for capturing action scenes as they happen. Moreover, the super-powerful 18x optical zoom lens, it is easy to subjects far or take dramatic close-ups to catch.
With the improved energy-efficient image processing LSI – The Venus Engine HD – the FZ35 has a longer battery life of approximately 470 photographs, making it the ideal choice for active enthusiasts. As with all Panasonic Lumix cameras, the FZ35 is equipped with intelligent Auto (iA) mode, an intuitive suite of technologies, including Face Detection, Intelligent Scene Selector, Intelligent Exposure and Face Recognition. The improved Face Detection, the FZ35 can recognize up to three faces, while taking pictures and allows users to specify the age of the scheduled topic. In infants younger than 3 years old are enrolled, the camera will automatically switch to baby mode when the baby appears to be in the frame.
AVCHD Lite – Beautiful HD movies, extended recording time
The FZ35 record HD movies in 1280 x 720-pixel resolution. It uses the AVCHD format Lite (MPEG-4/H.264) to achieve a higher image quality, while storing less data than the conventional Motion JPEG. Plus, the FZ35 is equipped with an HDMI output for direct transmission of digital video and audio signals. Simply connect the camera to an HDTV using a single HDMI mini cable (optional) for quick and easy slide show enjoyment.
27mm wide angle Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens and 18x optical zoom A bright F2.8 Leica DC Vario-Elmarit lens ranges from 27mm wide angle to 486mm telephoto at all. In combination with the double * corrective force of the improved power OIS, it allows to capture without a clear shake hands, even in the telephoto range.
* Panasonic comparison
Creative Movie Mode
You can set the aperture and shutter speed any way you want. This mode gives you a wider range of expressive possibilities to explore in your film.
Zoom in film
You can zoom while shooting movies.
Stereo microphone
This camera is equipped with Dolby ® Digital Stereo Creator, enabling dynamic, true-to-life audio records to bring the power of your HD images.
IA mode (Movie)
You can also use iA mode to shoot movies, and let the camera do all the work for you.
High-speed response for very intuitive shooting
Enjoy high-speed 1.2-second start-up and AF speeds of about 0.3 seconds, and up to five consecutive shots at 2.3 fps in full resolution. You can also take up to 470 photos with a single battery charge (CIPA). This comfortable level of performance you can even the most volatile shutter opportunities.
My Color mode puts you in control of the color
In this mode, you can feel free to color, brightness and saturation parameters. This makes it easier and more fun to create interesting, expressive images to create. Adjust the settings that best suits the shooting conditions and your expressive intent, and then enjoy your own pictures.
Product Features
Customer Review
New King of the MegaZoom crowd., September 22, 2009
By J. Holdahl “GreenShoes” (South Dakota)
As a serious amateur, I’ve been fortunate enough to own a number of point and shoots including Panasonic, Fuji, several Nikon’s, & a couple of Canon’s. All have had their strong points and I’m not a brand loyalist by any means, but after a couple of weeks, I must say I absolutely love this camera.
My first impressions were ones of pleasant shock. The camera seemed smaller than in the pictures and if it seemed smaller, it seemed doubly more so in terms of weight. Compared to my SLR this thing is an absolute lightweight but very well built and certainly heavier than the smaller ‘in your pocket’ point and shoots. A great balance…although I wouldn’t want to drop it. Some strategically placed silicone on the housing would make this a bit more rugged without much if any impact on cost. Powerup is about as fast as you can bring the camera up to your face – amongst the best of the point and shoots. Controls are easy to use and I like the mini joystick for making on the fly adjustments in manual and scene modes. The menus are fairly well laid out although some items I had to resort to the manual to find their location for the first time.
The iA or Intelligent Auto function gave consistently above par picture quality, although I was always able to tweak it better myself (this could have been as much preference as anything). The AVCHD and HD movies worked absolutely flawless with my Transcend 16 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS16GSDHC6E [Amazon Frustration-Free Packaging]. (NOTE:Make sure you lowlevel format these SDHC cards a COUPLE of times BEFORE first use). I do wish that you could use the normal shutter release instead of the dedicated movie button on the back face when in movie mode. I kept forgetting and tried to stop the movies using the shutter button instead of the record button. Minor nuisance, but will be overcome as I get my brain wrapped around the change in button locations.
The battery worked well past 300 stills and about 35 clips, so I am very pleased with it with the LCD display being used for most of the shots. I purchase another spare battery;Lenmar DLP006 Lithium-ion Digital Camera/Camcorder Battery Equivelent to the Panasonic CGR-S006A Battery, also available here at Amazon, and it appears to be working about as well as the original Panasonic (a great buy). The EVF or Electronic View Finder was very handy, although most of the overlaid information is very hard to distinguish in the small EVF. I CAN’T BELIEVE PANASONIC DIDN’T INCLUDE A RUBBER BOOT FOR THE EVF! Please someone, anyone, make it as an accessory.
The EZ or Extra Zoom function is quite handy. Using this feature, you can shoot at lower resolutions and get more effective zooming power out of the camera…over 30x and it works very well. The LCD screen is clear and crisp, but its performance in high ambient light is about average. Thank goodness for the electronic view finder mentioned above.
Image stabilization is the absolute best amongst my camera collection and is especially noticeable in low light and full zoom. I was pleasantly surprised how well I could take indoor pictures at night with a simple tweak of the exposure. Far better than any of my other point and shoots, although nowhere near my SLR.
The standard 3picture burst mode was fairly standard and unimpressive, but the 10pics per second for speed priority and 6 pics per second in image priority burst mode worked well for catching difficult shots like geese landing on the water and children jumping out of swings, but I still wish the resolution and picture quality was better in these modes. Still, for a point and shoot, it’s ability to catch the fast action is at the top of it’s class.
The lens cap interferes with zoom, but the camera will kindly remind you that you have left it on with a 17,000 volt discharge…just kidding…it will tell you on the LCD screen.
LIKES: Ease of use, picture quality, zoom and extra zoom, HD movie, lightweight, stop action. BEST Point and Shoot I’ve ever owned ! ! !
DISLIKES: (all minor) No eyepiece boot for EVF, lens cap interferes with zoom, tripod mount interferes with battery/memory door when in use. Only 10 sec. max on the built in timer.
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Small but Mighty, October 15, 2009
By S. Hock “slhimages” (Bethlehem, PA)
I previously purchased the Canon SX20is and used 2 weeks. I found the images just a bit too soft for my taste. Too bad because all other facets of the camera was great. But, to me image quality is everything. If it can’t produce a crisp image, I don’t want it. Perhaps I was spoiled by the excellent SX10is I was switching from.
Desperate for an inexpensive Hi Def video camera for a client project, I decided to give the dual Panasonic FZ35 a try. I had used a Panasonic LX2 for several years and liked it, so I figured why not even though Panasonic is not a manufacturer one would normally think of first for a high quality still camera.
So far, I have been pleasantly surprised!
What I like about the FZ35:
1. The super sharp Leica lens! Having 18x zoom in such a small package.(Sharper than SX20is)
2. Metal tripod mount
3. VERY Reasonable price for all the features included. Seems a bargain to me.
4. The fact you also get very nice HD video in one package is a bonus.
5. Excellent macro mode. If you like macrophotography you’ll like this camera.
6. Relatively simple controls/interface once familiar. (You do have to read the manual)
7. Has 46mm filter threads for add ons.
8. Full time battery indicator.
9. Optional wide angle and telephoto lenses are available if desired.
10 Better than most image stabilization system.
11. Many focus & exposure options.
What I’m not so crazy about:
1. Buttons & switches are quite small and seem rather delicate.
2. Manual as PDF (what a pain). I’ll take mine paper, thank you.
You might as well print it out right away. You’re gonna need it!
3. Smallish Electronic ViewFinder (Not just this one either. They all leave me wanting.)
4. Construction and light weight give a slight feeling of cheapness.
5. Proprietary Panasonic battery.
6. Location of media card in battery compartment.
Is it perfect? Nope. Are any of them? Even the $5,000 ones?
What do I miss most when switching from my NIKON? That bright, super clear viewfinder.
Will it clip highlights? Sure, if you don’t set it up right. They all do. High dynamic range is not usually a feature on most consumer cameras.
Can it take a sharp picture? You Bet! In macro especially, you’ll love the clarity of the image.
Newbies purchasing this … make no mistake, this is a complex little piece of gear. Sure, you can use it on intelligent AUTO if you want, but what a waste. You have to LEARN this camera to get the most out of it. And don’t expect to learn it in a day or even a week. Used properly it will yield beautiful, sharp images. Buy it and shoot, shoot, shoot and you’ll get the hang of it. Why not? The “film” is cheap!
By the way, purchase a Class 6 SD card right away. That way if you want to play with the HD movie function you can. Some cheap SD cards can’t write fast enough for HD video use. If you have a hi def TV you’ll love it.
Beware though, HD video files get HUGE fast! Uploads to YouTube (or anywhere else) can take quite awhile. A 1 minute, 36 sec. clip equals 491 MB and over 4 hrs to upload via DSL.
If you get serious about HD video, or enjoy doing critical focus photography, PLEASE, buy a decent tripod and USE it. Camera movement is the main enemy of sharpness. At the low ISO settings required to get the most out of these small sensors, keeping the camera still is extremely important. Don’t expect stabilization systems to entirely solve “jitter” problems at very low shutter speeds!
High end users take note: In the Custom controls there is an separate adjustment for contrast, saturation, noise reduction and sharpness. YEA ! Somebody is listening.
Nov. 5, 2009. I’ve made nearly 1000 shots with this camera and I’m impressed and still very happy with it.
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First impressions of the DMC-FZ35, September 2, 2009
By Michael A. Duvernois (Minneapolis, MN United States)
This is the first of the Panasonic Lumix superzooms that I’ve had an opportunity to use extensively. I regularly use both small point and shoot digital cameras (Canon SD550 and a waterproofed Canon S100) and digital SLRs (Canon 5D and Rebel XTi), but this is definitely a different sort of beast. It’s nearly the size and weight of a DSLR with a lens that is noticeably long in use. It’s sold as straddling the line between the two categories and it initially seems that way. But the more that I think about it, the more I think this camera really fills a different niche. If you’re a serious photographer, a DSLR is really the way to go. You get full control over the images, a large sensor size, a selection of lenses, and filter options. If you’re that person, this is hardly a replacement, and for the compact point and shooter this is a massive camera. Where this camera wins out is for a very simple kit covering wide angle (27mm equivalent for a 35mm camera) and the stunning 18x zoom. You’ll be able to do most everything passably with this camera and with no additional lenses. Maybe this is the camera to put in the glovebox of your car? It’ll always be there, and you can get most any shot with it. No preparation needed. Okay, enough thinking about who wants the camera, how does it work?
Well, it works pretty darned well. The image stabilizer seems to work extremely well, especially at moderate zoom (say 50-150mm equivalent), the battery lasted about 300 shots with some flash use in there, and image quality (subjective, not measured scientifically) was quite good. The camera was a bit slow to react at times though and the face detection works only occasionally. Still, that leaves this a solid camera for what I think is a quite good price. If you’re not going to take advantage of the DSLR capabilities, this is a good functional camera for you. Or an excellent second camera for simplicity.
Pros: 18x zoom with a genuine wide angle, solid construction, good battery life, image stabilization that works, one size might well fit many
Cons: big for a point and shoot, slow acting at times, gimmicky features are, well, gimmicks
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