Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera Review

Viewfinder (0.0)
Like most modern point-and-shoots, the Panasonic Lumix TZ3 lacks an optical viewfinder. Instead, the camera is equipped with a well-endowed 3-inch LCD screen. The LCD has a 100 percent field of view that enables users to accurately compose a frame when using the monitor; images shouldn’t cut off at the top or bottom the way other LCD viewfinders often do. The downside to a camera without a viewfinder is that users are forced to frame their photos using the LCD, which is a drain on battery power. To compensate, Panasonic includes Power Save and Auto Review modes that allows users to change the increments for how long the LCD or camera stays on.

LCD (8.75)
The TZ3’s 3.0-inch color TFT LCD screen is one of the primary upgrades from the TZ1’s 2.5-inch LCD screen. Panasonic also upped the screen resolution from 207,000 pixels to 230,000 pixels, which is the current industry standard.

Thanks to the large screen size and sufficient resolution, TZ3 will instantly get a nice view of their images following the shot. The images can be magnified by 16x, allowing users to check focus on-the-spot. A group of people huddled around the camera should be pleased with the large screen, though it does solarize slightly when viewed off-axis. The monitor showed significant solarization, however, when viewed at extreme vertical angles. Overall, the LCD is a nice feature with its large size, ample pixel resolution, and 100 percent field of view.

Flash (5.75)
The TZ3's off-center, capsule-like flash will effectively light foreground and background subjects, just not evenly. The foreground of images tended to be blown out, overexposing subjects relatively closest to the camera. The flash has an effective illumination range of 1.96 feet – 13.77 feet (0.6-4.2m) in wide shooting and 11.81 inches – 9.18 feet (0.3-2.8m) in telephoto in auto ISO. The camera can sufficiently light most situations, although users may be disappointed by the uneven coverage.

Equipped with flash functions for Auto, Auto and Red-eye Reduction, Slow Sync and Red-eye Reduction, Forced On and Forced Off, the Panasonic TZ3 covers basic flash functions. Unfortunately, the camera does not have a soft flash mode that many point-and-shoots offer, which would have greatly benefited the TZ3’s overpowering flash.

Zoom Lens (8.5)
The TZ3's long zoom lens is the camera's most heavily marketed feature. The Leica-branded DC Vario-Elmar lens offers 10x optical zoom, well beyond the standard 3x optical zoom of most point-and-shoots on the market. The barrel extends in multiple sliding tiers to keep the body compact. Travelers should be wary though: the extending lens’ crevices are perfect for sand to get stuck in.

Panasonic also adjusted the focal range on this camera. While the TZ3 and the older TZ1 both carry 10x zooms, the TZ3’s lens extends from f/4.6-46mm (equivalent to 28-280mm in traditional 35mm film format), while the TZ1’s optics provide a more-magnified 35-350mm equivalent focal range. 

To assist the TZ3’s far-reaching zoom lens, Panasonic included optical image stabilization to reduce blur. Panasonic’s Intelligent Image Stabilization system - tagged MEGA O.I.S. - is an optical stabilization system designed to reduce handshake. The camera also offers Intelligent ISO Control, which boosts sensitivity to freeze moving subjects.

The zoom lens focuses at a range of 1.64 feet in normal mode and 6.56 feet – infinity in telephoto mode. With an aperture range from f/3.3 – 11, the lens provides ample depth of field for portraits or landscapes. The lens is constructed of 11 elements in 9 groups with 3 aspherical lenses, 4 aspherical surfaces, and 1 ED lens.