Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3

Manual Controls

The ZS3 does not include a full manual mode; there is no way to reach in and directly set the shutter speed or aperture. You get some level of manual control in the normal picture mode, but this is not a suitable camera for those who want to jump in and take control of every aspect of the photo making process.

Focus

There are several auto focus modes on offer with the ZS3; there is a normal AF mode, a macro AF mode and a pre-AF mode that keeps the auto focus continually on for quick shooting. The camera also has an extensive number of face tracking features; it can spot and track faces in both still and video mode, then prioritize on them for focus and exposure. We did find that the auto focus on the mode that we looked at was rather slow and didn't work well in video mode, but this is probably because of the pre-production nature of the unit we looked at; Panasonic said that they are still working on the software that controls this feature.

ISO

The ISO range of the ZS3 goes from 80 up to 1600. Two additional high ISO modes are available (at 1600 and 6400), but these reduce the resolution significantly. There are also what Panasonic refers to as Intelligent ISO modes, where the camera will pick the ISO setting within a specified range, limiting the amount of grain that you will get in photos. Two Intelligent ISO modes are available; one that uses maximum ISO of 400, and one that restricts the setting to 800.

White Balance

The usual selection of white balance controls are on offer; there is a full auto mode and presets for daylight, cloudy, shade and halogen. A white set mode is also available that uses a white or grey card to find the appropriate setting.

Metering

Three metering modes are included; intelligent multiple, center weighted and spot. The intelligent multiple mode takes several readings across the frame and balances them all.

Shutter Speed

The shutter speed range is from 8 seconds down to 1/2000 of a second. One of the scene modes (starry sky) increases the lowest shutter speed to 60 seconds.

Aperture

Like most compact cameras, the ZS3 has a slightly limited aperture range; at the wide end of the zoom range it goes from f/3.3 to f/6.3. At the telephoto end this falls to f/4.9  to f/6.3, which could be limiting for low light shooting. But that's a common price you have to pay for having a longer zoom and a smaller lens.

Image Stabilization

The ZS3 has optical image stabilization, where an element of the lens moves to compensate for hand shake. Three modes are available; Auto, Mode 1 and Mode 2. The latter mode is more aggressive in how it tries to offset the shake.

Picture Quality & Size Options

A wide variety of picture size settings are available; image sizes go from 640 x 480 to 3648 x 2736. Three options are also available for aspect ratio; you can shoot in 16:9, 3:2 or the more standard 4:3. There are only two options for picture quality, though; fine and standard.

Picture Effects

There are no features for adding frames or otherwise processing images, but you can apply a number of color effects that allow for turning images into black and white, sepia, etc.