Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3 5 Megapixel Compact Camera - Silver

Panasonic Limix DMC-LZ3S

Strengths: Optical Image Stabilizer, 6x Optical Zoom, uses only two AA batteries, Panasonic quality, heft

Weakness: Plastic housing, smaller LCD, no viewfinder, no movie mode sound

My perspective of the DMC-LZ3S is from that of a neophyte: I've neither owned nor used a camera for over 20 years. That I've found this one to be user friendly is of more importance than an abundance of advanced features for which I wouldn't be appreciative of anyway. This is mainly a snapshot camera with "talky" movie capability. If you want video sound, buy a camcorder or model DMZ-LZ5....
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My perspective of the DMC-LZ3S is from that of a neophyte: I've neither owned nor used a camera for over 20 years. That I've found this one to be user friendly is of more importance than an abundance of advanced features for which I wouldn't be appreciative of anyway.

This is mainly a snapshot camera with "talky" movie capability. If you want video sound, buy a camcorder or model DMZ-LZ5. 5-megapixel is enough. The PictBridge standard lets you print directly on a compatible digital printer. Print size, layout, date and other settings can be made with the camera. The hinges on both the memory card slot and the USB/Video cable port seem sturdy enough. I'm especially enamored with the Optical Image Stabilizer function and 6x Optical Zoom. Simply turn knob on top to zoom from 1X to 6X. Optical Image Stabilizer helps newbys take sharp photos with less blur.

The retail box contains silver-toned camera, two batteries, hand strap, image management software (found LUMIX Simple Viewer adequate, haven't tried either ArcSoft® PhotoImpression™ and ArcSoft® PhotoBase™), USB cable, Video cable, instructions, warranty information. It uses SD (secure digital) or Multimedia Card memory cards (8 MB to 2GB). Although camera comes with built-in 14MB memory and two AA Oxyride batteries, I recommend purchasing a 512MB SD card and rechargeable 2300 NiMH batteries. A case (Case Logic TBC-2) would be nice too.

In summary, the DMC-LZ3S fulfills the role of a good quality, entry-level digital camera. In fact, was going to buy a Canon A610 but was scared-off by "E18" error user complaints. I just hope this camera remains functional for as long as the other Panasonic products I've owned.

By MidnightRambler - Sep 4, 2006

Mixed review

Strengths: Camera was purchased from Best Buy on 5/12/06, took on vacation and learned on the fly how to operate as this was my first digital camera. Had all the good pictures on trip.

Weakness: Last day of trip the lenscover mechanism would not open up completely. Opened it with finger then it would not close properly.

This camera is excellent for use as a first use because the image stabilization system. Picture quality is great and ease of use fantastic except for my problem with the lens cover operation. Best Buy exchanged the camera on the spot. Time will tell if its a returning problem on this model.

By pennfix - May 31, 2006

Great Compact Camera

Strengths: Compact Size, Battery life, Optical Zoom (6x) on a camera this size, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS).

Weakness: Lack of audio in movie mode

The LZ3 is a very compact 5MP camera with loads of zoom. The 6x optical zoom in such a small camera is what made me buy this in the first place. Having played around with it for the last 4 days it has not disappointed me. It is an upgrade to the earlier model (LZ2) which you can have for about the same price or slightly less. But the improvements are worth paying the few extra bucks. Most notably...
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The LZ3 is a very compact 5MP camera with loads of zoom. The 6x optical zoom in such a small camera is what made me buy this in the first place.

Having played around with it for the last 4 days it has not disappointed me. It is an upgrade to the earlier model (LZ2) which you can have for about the same price or slightly less. But the improvements are worth paying the few extra bucks.

Most notably the addition of an auto focus assist lamp is of great help particularly in low light situations. Indoor pictures are much less grainy than my earlier Panasonic Lumix FZ1 ( A fantastic camera with Leica lens and 12X zoom. Pity it is only 2.4MP) which does not have the assist feature. The other notable improvement of the LZ3 over the LZ2 is faster focussing.

The camera comes with 14MB internal memory which is obviously immaterial. The camera uses inexpensive SD cards and at today's prices you can get a 512MB for about $30 or so and this should be sufficient to hold at least 200 pictures in the fine mode.

The presence of OIS in such compact cameras is indeed what sets Panasonic apart from most other manufacturers. You can truly explore the full impact of the optical zoom now without carrying a tripod around ! The only thing I would have loved is the Leica lens that Panasonic has in their FZ range which is obviously much superior. But then for this price it is a bit too much to ask. Audio in movie mode would have been helpful, but then I hardly ever shoot movies with my camera. So it doesn't bother me.

In conclusion this camera is one of the best compact cameras (small enough to carry around in your pocket!) with a great deal of features. It is also fairly inexpensive and the 5MP CCD means you can crop images and zoom them without losing much clarity. And at this price it is definitely a
no brainer to buy if you are in the market for a small yet powerful camera.

By mgopalan - May 9, 2006

Lumix DMC-LZ3S

Strengths: Low price, image stablization, 6X Zoom.

Weakness: Small 2 inch LCD, no view finder

This is a good camera for the price. It uses AA batteries which is nice because you can carry a few packs in your camera case. The menu buttons on the back side of the camera next to the LCD sometimes gets pressed by accident due to the small size of the camera and my relatively big hand size. I have only 3 complaints: 1. The slide show mode (where you view pictures sequentially) displays the...
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This is a good camera for the price. It uses AA batteries which is nice because you can carry a few packs in your camera case. The menu buttons on the back side of the camera next to the LCD sometimes gets pressed by accident due to the small size of the camera and my relatively big hand size. I have only 3 complaints: 1. The slide show mode (where you view pictures sequentially) displays the picture number, in pretty big font, which I wasn't able to turn off. 2. I didn't figure out how to adjust the exposure setting for a shot with a lot of back lighting. My old Olympus film camera has a dedicated button you press for this purpose. 3 Without a view finder, sometimes it is very difficult to frame the shot on the LCD due to sunny conditions when viewing the LCD is difficult or when there are reflections of objects behind you. For my next camera, I will get a 2.5 LCD and possibly a camera with a view finder.

By rlee001 - May 20, 2006

Lumix DMC-LZ3S Digital Camera

Strengths: I like this camera's 6x zoom and OIS (Optical Image Stablization) combo. Also, it's clarity, ease-of-use, universal, battery-life, multiple features, and consecutive shooting feature are a plus too.

Weakness: One con is that the battery life is low on this camera.

After pricing around, this camera had the best price on the 6x image-stabilization and 2.0-inch LCD display. I would recommend this product because of it's ease of use, and the many features included. For the money, you simply cannot find a better deal.

By cweaver78 - Jun 23, 2006