Panasonic ZS3 Review

Name: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Brand: Panasonic

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Main Features

10MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 6400

25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

2.0fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video

229g. 103 x 60 x 33 mm

Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ7

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Panasonic ZS3 Overview

First introduced in May 2009 , Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is a 10.0MP Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor, built-in Image Stabilization and 12.0x zoom 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 lens. ZS3 is also sold as Lumix DMC-TZ7 in some countries.

Panasonic ZS3 Review - Click for Table of Contents

Overview
Pros and Cons
Sensor and Photography Features
Physical Specs
LCD and Viewfinder
Connectivity, Storage and Battery
Video
Other Features
Lens
Photography Type Scores
Alternatives
Popular Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed Specifications

Panasonic ZS3 is a member of Panasonic's Small Sensor Superzoom class cameras. Below you can see the latest models in this class and how their main specs have changed with each new model.

Panasonic Small Sensor Superzoom Series History

Model	Release Date	Sensor	Max FPS	Dimensions	Weight
Panasonic ZS80 Compare	2018	20.0MP - 1/2.3	10.0 fps	112 x 69 x 42mm	327g
Panasonic ZS70 Compare	2017	20.0MP - 1/2.3	10.0 fps	112 x 67 x 41mm	322g
Panasonic FZ80 Compare	2017	18.0MP - 1/2.3	0.0 fps	130 x 94 x 119mm	616g
Panasonic ZS60 Compare	2016	18.0MP - 1/2.3	10.0 fps	112 x 64 x 38mm	282g
Panasonic FZ300 Compare	2015	12.0MP - 1/2.3"	12.0 fps	132 x 92 x 117mm	691g

Check the link below to compare specs of the latest cameras in this series side by side:
Panasonic ZS80 vs ZS70 vs FZ80 vs ZS60 vs FZ300

Panasonic ZS3 PROs and CONs Review

Now let's get in to more details of our Panasonic ZS3 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

PROs

Image Stabilization

11 Focus Points

229g Light Body

25mm Wide Angle Lens

300mm Good Tele Lens

12.0X Optical Zoom

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Buy Panasonic ZS3 from AMAZON or B&H PHOTO

CONs

No Wireless Connection

No Articulating Screen

No External Flash Shoe

No Full HD Video

No Touch Screen

No Built-in Viewfinder

No RAW Shooting

No Face Detection Focusing

Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP

Low Screen Resolution ( 460kdots )

Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps

No Manual Focusing

No Manual Exposure

No Environmental Sealing

Slow Lens at Wide: f3.30

Slow Lens at Tele: f4.90

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Panasonic ZS3 Physical Specs

Panasonic ZS3 weighs 229 g (0.50 lb / 8.08 oz) and has external dimensions of 103 x 60 x 33 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.3″). Considering that the average weight of Compact type cameras is 188g, Panasonic ZS3 is a significantly heavy camera for its class. With a thickness of 33mm, it has an average thickness.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

Panasonic ZS3

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

Panasonic ZS3

Min

Average

Max

Here is the front and top view image of Panasonic ZS3 with the dimensions:

Front and Top View External Dimensions and Size of Panasonic ZS3 Camera Body

In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Panasonic ZS3, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.

Physical size of the Panasonic ZS3 Body Compared to a Credit Card and an AA Battery

Below you can find the comparison of the weight and thickness of Panasonic ZS3 with its main competitors:

Panasonic ZS3 Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Weight	vs ZS3	Thickness	vs ZS3
Panasonic ZS7 Compare	218g	11g lighter	33mm	equal thickness
Panasonic LX3 Compare	265g	36g heavier	27mm	6mm thinner
Panasonic ZS50 Compare	243g	14g heavier	34mm	1mm thicker
Panasonic LX5 Compare	271g	42g heavier	43mm	10mm thicker
Panasonic ZS10 Compare	219g	10g lighter	33mm	equal thickness
Panasonic ZR1 Compare	158g	71g lighter	26mm	7mm thinner
Panasonic ZS8 Compare	210g	19g lighter	33mm	equal thickness
Canon S90 Compare	195g	34g lighter	31mm	2mm thinner

Weather Sealing

Panasonic ZS3 doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

Panasonic ZS3 Lens

Panasonic ZS3 features a 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 12× zoom lens. Lens has a good wide angle capability starting at 25mm and remarkable super telephoto reach at 300mm.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

ZS3

Widest - Olympus TG-850 iHS

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

ZS3

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

With a max aperture of f3.30 at 25mm, we can not consider this lens fast on wide end and neither at tele end with its f4.90.

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

ZS3

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

ZS3

Fastest - Fujifilm XQ2

Average

ZS3 is equipped with Optical image stabilization system which is very handy especially at lower shutter speeds.

Panasonic ZS3 Sensor and Photography Features

Panasonic ZS3 has a 10.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.08 x 4.56 mm ) sized CCD sensor . You can shoot at maximum resolution of 3648 x 2736 pixels with aspect ratios of 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. ZS3 has a native ISO range of 80 - 6400 but unfortunately, Panasonic ZS3 doesn't have RAW file support. If you need a Compact camera with a RAW support, consider Nikon Coolpix P7000 or Olympus XZ-1 in the same price range.

Panasonic ZS3 is not the highest resolution Small Sensor camera. Kodak Astro Zoom AZ651 with its 21.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Panasonic ZS3 vs Kodak Astro Zoom AZ651 or take a look at Highest resolution Compact cameras list.

Let's look at how the size of the Panasonic ZS3's 1/2.3-inch sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Comparison image of Panasonic ZS3 Sensor Size with other standard sensors

Panasonic ZS3 LCD

Panasonic ZS3 has a Fixed Type 3.00-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 460k dots. Both the screen size and the screen resolution is up to the standards of this class.

Unfortunately Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 doesn't have a Selfie friendly screen. If this feature is important for your shooting style, check here the list of Best Compact Cameras with Selfie Friendly LCD screen.

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-ZS100 (Lumix DMC-TZ100) (Compare) or Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX100 (Compare).
Alternatively, check here the list of all Compact cameras with viewfinder..

Panasonic ZS3 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

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

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Panasonic ZS7 Compare	1280 x 720	shots	No	No	No
Panasonic LX3 Compare	1280 x 720	shots	No	No	No
Panasonic ZS50 Compare	1920 x 1080	300shots	Yes	No	Yes
Panasonic LX5 Compare	1280 x 720	shots	No	No	No
Panasonic ZS10 Compare	1920 x 1080	260shots	No	No	No
Panasonic ZR1 Compare	1280 x 720	shots	No	No	No
Panasonic ZS8 Compare	1280 x 720	340shots	No	No	No
Canon S90 Compare	640 x 480	shots	No	No	No

Panasonic ZS3 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. On the other hand, Panasonic ZS3 doesn't have any connections for external microphones and headphones. If you need a Compact camera with external microphone connectivity, consider Nikon Coolpix P7000 or Samsung PL120 in a similar price range.

Panasonic ZS3 Other Features

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.

What type of Photography is Panasonic ZS3 Good for?

In this section, we review and score Panasonic ZS3 in 5 different photography areas.

Panasonic ZS3 for Portrait Photography

Panasonic ZS3 has a score of 15 for Portrait Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Portrait Photography list and consider these alternatives over theZS3.

Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe

No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS3 for Portrait Photography

Panasonic ZS3 for Street Photography

Panasonic ZS3 has a score of 47 for Street Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Street is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Street Photography list.

Live-view
Image Stabilization
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small Body

No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No RAW shooting capability
Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS3 for Street Photography

Panasonic ZS3 for Sports Photography

Panasonic ZS3 has a score of 16 for Sports Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Sports We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Sports Photography list and consider these alternatives over theZS3.

11 Focus Points
Image Stabilization
300 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings

Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Manual Focus Mode
No Built-in Viewfinder
No External Flash Shoe
No RAW shooting capability

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS3 for Sports Photography

Panasonic ZS3 for Daily Photography

Panasonic ZS3 has a score of 61 for Daily Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Daily Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Compact Cameras for Daily Photography list.

Compact Body
229g
12.0X Optical Zoom

Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS3 for Daily Photography

Panasonic ZS3 for Landscape Photography

Panasonic ZS3 has a score of 15 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theZS3.

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Manual Focus Mode
No RAW shooting capability

Small 1/2.33" (6.08 x 4.56 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS3 for Landscape Photography

Panasonic ZS3 Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Panasonic ZS3 compares with other Compact cameras within a similar price range.

Read a more detailed analysis of Panasonic ZS3 alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Panasonic ZS3

Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Panasonic ZS3 amongst Camera Decision readers.

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Panasonic ZS3 Alternatives in Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare Panasonic ZS3 with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Panasonic ZS3's price range.

Panasonic ZS3 Conclusion and Scores

Currently, Panasonic ZS3 has an Overall Score of 33/100 which is based on our evaluation of 69 different technical parameters. Our scores are dynamically updated whenever a new camera is added to our database or when we change our ranking algorithm and the maximum score is always 100. Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 is ranked #406 out of 629 in Compact cameras (Top 20 Compact), and ranked #1005 out of 1233 in all Cameras (Top 20 Overall).

#1005 out of 1233 in All Cameras
#406 out of 629 in Compact Cameras
#231 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom Cameras.
#526 out of 738 in Small Sensor Sensor Cameras.

Main Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

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Frequently Asked Questions about Panasonic ZS3

Does the Panasonic ZS3 have Image Stabilization?
Does the Panasonic ZS3 have RAW support?
Does the Panasonic ZS3 have Weather Sealing?
Does the Panasonic ZS3 have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Panasonic ZS3?
What is the Sensor Size of Panasonic ZS3?
is the Panasonic ZS3 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Panasonic ZS3 have Touch Screen?
Does the Panasonic ZS3 have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Panasonic ZS3?
What is the Weight of Panasonic ZS3?
What are the Dimensions of Panasonic ZS3?

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Panasonic
Model	Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
Also known as	Lumix DMC-TZ7
Announced	2009-05-14
Body Type	Compact
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	25-300 mm (12×)
Max Aperture	F3.3-4.9
Macro Focus Range	3cm
Screen
Screen Type	Fixed Type
Screen Size	3"
Screen Resolution	460k dots
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a
Photography Features
Min Shutter Speed	60s
Max Mechanical Shutter Speed	1/2000s
Continuous Shooting	2.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation	n/a
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash Modes	Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested
DxO Color Depth	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested
	Report a correction

Sensor
Sensor Type	CCD
Sensor Size	1/2.3-inch
Sensor Dimensions	6.08 x 4.56 mm
Sensor Area	27.72mm²
Sensor Resolution	10 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	3648 x 2736
Max Native ISO	6,400
Min Native ISO	80
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	11
Number of Cross Focus Points	Unknown
Video Features
Video Resolutions	1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720
Video Formats	AVCHD Lite
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	229g
Physical Dimensions	103 x 60 x 33mm
Other Features
Self Timer	Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None
Storage Type	SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage Slots	1

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