Panasonic Lumix DMC ZR3 Review

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Review posted 06/03/2010

Quick Take
Pros
Fits in a small pocket; Captures nice 14-megapixel photos indoors and out; Awesome zoom range; Intelligent Zoom actually works quite well; Bright LCD screen; Good video quality for compact camera; Robust shooting performance; Well built and comfortable body
Cons
Sometimes produces strong exposures outdoors; Shorter battery life; Average amount of noise in photos; Very small buttons
Bottom Line
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZR3 is a versatile pocket camera that offers excellent shooting performance, captures nice photos, and is loaded with useful technologies (e.g. Intelligent Zoom, iAtuo, etc.) Read more in our Full Conclusion.
Panasonic's DMC-ZR3 is a 14-megapixel compact camera with an 8x ultra wide angle, 25mm lens. Panasonic also boasts their new 10x intelligent zoom on this model, which extends the zoom ratio by approx. 1.3x while still maintaining picture quality. In addition they promote a 16.9x Extra Optical Zoom capability, but the image quality does drop to 3-megapixels. The ZR3 uses motion JPEG as well as AVCHD Lite (Advanced Video Coding High Definition) format for the video recording. The AVCHD Lite (developed by Panasonic and Sony) allows for almost double the recording time over Motion JPEG. The ZR3 has an all metal body, POWER O.I.S., a 2.7-inch LCD and iAuto mode for easy picture taking. It is available in Blue, Black, Red and Silver and sells for around $300.00.

Panasonic DMC ZR3 Features:
  • 14.1 Megapixels
  • 25mm Ultra Wide Angle lens
  • 8x optical zoom with 10x Intelligent Zoom and 16.9x Extra Optical Zoom
  • POWER I.S.O. (Optical Image Stabilizer) Nearly double the handshake correction of conventional I.S.O. systems
  • 2.7" TFT Screen LCD Display (230K dots)
  • HD movie mode using AVCHD Light format
  • Optical zoom during video recording
  • POWER ISO shake detection
  • 26 still scene modes
  • 18 movie scene modes
  • Continuous shooting
  • Movie and photo face detection
  • ISO speeds: Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
  • Uses removable SD/SDHC memory cards
  • Powered by a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery

What's in the Box:
  • DMC ZR3 14-megapixel Digital Camera
  • Battery Pack
  • Battery Charger
  • Hand Strap
  • USB Connection
  • AV Cable
  • CD-ROM
  • Battery Carrying Case

Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.