In a (very compact) nutshell, Panasonic’s newest TZ-series cam, the Lumix DMC-ZS3, sports a 10.1-megapixel, a 25mm ultra-wide-angle lens and 12x optical zoom—newsworthy because it fits everything inside a frame that’s only 32.8mm thin.
This cam features a new LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens with 10.1-megapixel resolution, which extends the zoom range from 10x on previous models to 12x and expands the wide-angle lens from 28mm to an ultra-wide 25mm; all while reducing both size and weight of the body.
The DMC-ZS3 also bears the disctinction of being the world’s first digital camera that records motion image in an AVCHD Lite format. The AVCHD Lite realizes long time recording of high-definition videos, making it a capable HD video recorder.
Panasonic’s Intelligent Auto mode — a hallmark of Lumix cameras — now includes Face Recognition, a function that “remembers” faces from previous shots. When a familiar face appears in the frame, the camera will prioritize focus and exposure to capture it with the right settings. This clever function makes it easy to get sharp and clear photos of loved ones in a group of people. iA mode is also available in Movie Mode, which automatically selects the most suitable Scene mode and helps to correct handshake, focus and brightness problems.
The ZS3 also sports a 3-inch LCD screen, 27 scene modes for stills, 17 modes for video, macro zoom functions (up to 3cm, plus 3x digital zoom support), and Panasonic’s MEGA O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) tech. Offered in 5 body colors, including silver, black, brown, blue, and red.
Panasonic also offers a “lite” version—-the Lumix ZS1—-which looks and feels pretty much the same, but comes stripped of a few features for a cheaper option. The ZS1 doesn’t have face recognition, the AVCHD Lite recorder, the one-touch movie button, and lacks other video recording tools found on the ZS3.
