LCD and Viewfinder
Panasonic ZS3 has a Fixed Type 3″ LCD screen with a resolution of 460k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.
ZS3 doesn't have a viewfinder and no option for external viewfinder. Lack of a viewfinder can be problematic especially under strong light where visibility of LCD screens goes down dramatically. If you need a Compact camera with a built-in viewfinder in a similar price range, consider Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 (Lumix DMC-TZ70) (Compare) or Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 (Compare). If the price is not an issue, take a look at our Top Rated Cameras with Viewfinders.
Max Shutter speed
Panasonic ZS3 can shoot continuously at max speed of 2 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/2000 sec.
Flash
Unfortunately ZS3 doesn't have an external flash shoe so you are limited with the built-in flash.
Focusing
Panasonic ZS3 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 11 points to choose from.
Video Features
With Panasonic ZS3, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1280 x 720 at 30 fps and save in and AVCHD Lite formats. 1280 x 720 is a low video resolution by todays standards. If video quality is important for you, we recommend you to look at cameras with Full HD, even better 4K / Ultra-HD resolution .
ZS3 has a built-in Stereo microphone but no speaker.
Panasonic ZS3 doesn't have any connections for external microphones and headphones. If you need a Compact camera with external microphone connectivity, consider Samsung PL120 or Samsung SH100 in a similar price range.
Connectivity and Storage
You can connect ZS3 to compatible devices via its HDMI port or USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port.
Panasonic ZS3 Features Compared to Main Competitors