23 Responses to “2009 Panasonic DMC-ZS3 12x optical Digital Still and HD video camera review”

1. gootham1 says:

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   THIS IS A CONDEMMNED BRAND – PANASONIC.

   CAMERA PARTS ARE MADE OF CHEAP PLASTICS AND EASILY BREAKABLE.

   WORST STILL , NO REPAIR, REFUNDS, RESTITUTIONS AVAILABLE EVEN IF YOU CONTACT TOKYO ON THE PROBLEM OR THE STORE YOU BOUGHT YOUR PANASONIC FROM.

   THEY NEVER HEARD OF AFTER SALES SERVICE LIKE TOTYOYA AFTER MANY DEADLY ACCIDENTS.
2. gootham1 says:

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   THIS
3. THECURELOST13 says:

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   on a pany camera, if your videos look a bit choppy, that means you need a “class6″ or higher SDHC card.
4. fdh1004 says:

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   I don’t think there is a better P&S camera on the market. I normally use a Nikon for serious still photos but this camera is great for quick still pics. The video is unsurpassed. No one ever mentions the fact that the image stabilization is phenomenal. I love this camera.
5. Dorisequador says:

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   hahah fucking awsome kid man keep feeding that little guy steaks!
   I like your tests but the Canon SX20IS rules … still nice little camera for what it is.
6. lpcheney says:

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   Stop screwing with the new camera and get that drywall finished !
7. xgotarox says:

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   that little move he did at 3:37 was pretty sweet!

   i wish there was audio in this review . but it gave me a little better idea what i might be getting into. thanks!
8. HandJobFilms says:

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   i shoot everything on it, it’s excellant
9. brentfoto says:

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   I’ve had mine for about two weeks and it has version 1.1 firmware. My experience differs-I can indeed detect zoom noise in the background on my videos where there’s no conversation or other significant ambient noise.
10. mandryd says:

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    i use this same camera for my climbing vids. awesome camera!
11. gimepepe says:

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    very informative thanks! (zs3 it is)
    btw your son is a hell of a climber!
12. mpgxsvcd says:

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    The point is that the video quality between the two cameras is actually very similar. However, the audio difference is noticeable. The FX37 was an excellent camera for its day. However, the ZS3 takes it one step further. The replacement for the Panny DMC-LX3 will take it to a whole new level later this year.
    That will be the camera to have.
13. Philscbx says:

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    Where I’m lost in this vid is the comparison between 2 camera’s of the same video of him climbing as if the 2 cameras were mounted together on same tripod. FX37 and TS3. The 2 samples look the same from each one.

    To do this, both results should be shown in split screen to see what difference we were supposed to notice.

    I did order 2 of these yesterday.
    But no one has them in stock for a month which seems odd. I’m also at dpreview of this TS3 post.
    Thanks
14. mpgxsvcd says:

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    The files from the ZS3 are actually MTS files with H.264 encoding. They will not natively open in WMM. I had to use avs video converter to convert them to high bit rate .wmv files first.
15. 08cct353rajanh says:

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    looks like you edited in windows movie maker right? how did you get the camera’s .mov files to open in movie maker?
16. thesmartpod says:

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    Nice review. No sound right?

    You and your viewers should visit the smart pod channel to check out a cool video and camera mount accessory that works well with the DMC as well as all cameras and video recorders. Please check it out.

    Also, please let me know if you would consider doing a product review.

    Thanks.
17. superman559cali says:

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    is it my internet connection or is this video lag?
18. CarolJWright says:

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    Thanks for clarifying. I have been reading reviews and going through YouTube test posts (many more if you look for TZ7), & a few samples had very bad clicking of mechanism at spots, either by zoom or autofocus. I made notes to myself to zoom slow and pan slow, and not go for that thrill ride that some were doing in their demos. To find the update, Google “Lumix DCM-ZS3 firmware,” which would be uploaded via your SD card. Should get the FS3 in a day or two. Can’t wait!
19. mpgxsvcd says:

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    There is absolutely no zoom motor noise. However, Panasonic has drastically reduced the speed of the zoom while shooting video. Early prototypes of the camera had full speed zoom functionality and those cameras had severe focusing problems.

    With the reduced zoom speed this camera has no focusing or motor noise problems but the zoom can be painfully slow.

    There are also some automatic focusing noise problems that were corrected with the latest firmware download from Panasonics website.
20. CarolJWright says:

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    zoom motor noise?
21. fujitvtv says:

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    Thx for sharing…
    Obviously, ZS3 is the right one we have.
22. mpgxsvcd says:

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    Yea he is 5 and I can only wish that I was half the climber he is.

    The ZS3 does a good job keeping up with him in low light though. However, you really need to select ISO MAX 800 or 1600 and a 1/125 shutter min to get good pictures in low light.
23. Jaghewla299 says:

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    Strong boy