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Introduction
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01.Product Tour
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02.Color
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03.Noise
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04.Resolution
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05.Video
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06.Sample Photos
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07.Playback
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08.Hardware
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09.Controls
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10.Design & Handling
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11.Kodak Z950 Comparison
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12.Nikon L100 Comparison
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13.Canon SX120 Comparison
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14.Conclusion
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15.Photo Gallery
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16.Comments
Sample Photos
Sample Photos
In the following sample images, clicking on the larger image will download the full resolution original. Each photo is accompanied by four actual-size crops.
| Portrait Sample | ||||
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Focal length: 4.1mm Shot in program mode, this photo of a member of a marching band at the HONK! 2009 festival shows some of the strengths of the ZS3: the camera chose a low ISO level, but was still able to use a fast shutter speed to freeze the action. You can also see a good level of detail: the fine details of his placard are well represented. |
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| Fungus Sample | ||||
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Focal length: 34.4mm This shot of some fungus growing in the wilds of Long Island shows some of the good and bad things about this camera. The details on the topmost part of the fungus are sharp and clear, but the ones underneath are not, because the camera set the aperture to f/5.6, which does not give much of a depth of field. |
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| Landscape Sample | ||||
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Focal length: 4.1mm This shot of the bucolic side of Long island was taken with the camera in the landscape mode, which focuses into the distance. The image has a good amount of detail, but the colors are a little flat and the image is slightly underexposed. |
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| Low Light Sample | ||||
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Focal length: 21mm This low light photo was taken in the high sensitivity mode of the ZS3, which increases the cameras ISO range to 1600 to 6400 and reduces the resolution to a maximum of 3 megapixels. With just a single light on in our test lab, the camera picked a value in the middle of the range. As you can see from the crops below, the images are rather noisy, and the colors of the flowers look rather muted. |
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Still Life Examples
| Still Life Comparisons | |||
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| Panasonic DMC-ZS3 | Kodak Z950 | Nikon L100 | Canon SX120 IS |
| ISO Low | |||
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ISO 80
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ISO 100
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ISO 80
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ISO 80
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| Panasonic DMC-ZS3 | Kodak Z950 | Nikon L100 | Canon SX120 IS |
| ISO 200 | |||
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| Panasonic DMC-ZS3 | Kodak Z950 | Nikon L100 | Canon SX120 IS |
| ISO 400 | |||
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| Panasonic DMC-ZS3 | Kodak Z950 | Nikon L100 | Canon SX120 IS |
| ISO 800 | |||
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| Panasonic DMC-ZS3 | Kodak Z950 | Nikon L100 | Canon SX120 IS |
| ISO 1600 | |||
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| Panasonic DMC-ZS3 | Kodak Z950 | Nikon L100 | Canon SX120 IS |
NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.
Shop for the Panasonic DMC-ZS3
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