Panasonic Lumix® DMC-LZ3 Digital Camera

Pros: 6x stabilized zoom, price, compact, speed, image quality, battery life, uses 2 AA batteries
Cons: No sound in movies, vignetting, chromatic aberrations and slight softening in corners

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3 is an update to the 5 -Megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ2. Although it has the same 5-Megapixel resolution and 6x optical stabilized zoom, it improves on the porevious model in several ...

Pros: Great optical zoom range, image stabilizer, fast response, easy controls, 3:2 and 16:9 aspect settings
Cons: Slow flash recycle, noise at higher ISO, lack of manual controls

The Panasonic DMZ-LZ3 is the fourth Digital Camera I have owned. I started life with a 1MP Canon A-Series, moved up to a Canon Powershot S30 3MP unit, and in 2002 purchased a Fuji S602. The S602 completely replaced my 35mm SLR unit and has been my camera ...

Pros: Easy to use and operate, nice pictures, reasonable battery life
Cons: "Freezes up" occasionally, questionable reliability

I seem to have very bad luck with digital cameras and it has continued somewhat with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ3. My previous camera, which this one replaced because the previous one went dead for virtually no reason, was a Canon Powershot. I bought ...

Pros: Perfect camera for digital beginners. Great pics. Priced right. Easy to use. OIS feature.
Cons: Might not be compact enough for some. No viewfinder.

Great for beginner to digital-type camera. Small enough to fit in purse or backpack. Priced right too. I was looking for my first digital camera and did not want to put out big bucks. My hands are always shaky with small cameras that are too lightweight so this camera was a good fit. Plus it offers Optical Image Stabilizer which is a feature I definitely knew I needed. This camera took some beautiful pictures the first time around while in Los Cabos Mexico. I tended to use the background light On-option a lot because of the scenery. I am so proud of the results of this easy to use camera. The only option that might bother someone is that there is no viewfinder, just the screen. I was somewhat worried about this missing feature when I bought it, but so far it hasn't bothered me one bit.

Pros: The Optical Image Stabilization plus the extended 6X zoom makes for excellent pic detail
Cons: No optical viewfinder limits your framing possibilities

The five megapixel DMC-LZ3 incorporates Panasonic’s MEGA Optical Image Stabilization, the camera lacks an optical viewfinder so get used to theLCD display, the display is bright enough for most situations and can be adjusted for brightness (though is does sap the batteries). You should get pretty good battery life and as the camera uses any AA size you should opt for rechargable NiMH for long life and low costs. The 6X optical zoom is twice what most other cameras in this price range offer and is the same as getting four times as many pixels. The menus are easy to understand and use, but that don’t compromise on capability. The MEGA Optical Image Stabilization, which Panasonic puts into all of its cameras, moves the lens to compensate for the slight hand movements most people make when taking a picture. With MEGA Optical Image Stabilization, pictures come out clear, even when using the zoom feature or shooting in low light.

Pros: The size and the small price. it is almost expendable.
Cons: I wish it had more mega pixels.

A very good pocket camera! Even though I am a professional photographer, I will use the LZ3 on many occasions when using a larger (more "professional-looking") would deter the spontaneity of the shoot. People are not at all intimidated by the camera and believe it size's reflects the person's ability to shoot good pictures. The subjects are almost always at ease.
I travel to the Caribbean a lot, and people are very receptive to having their pictures taken when asked politely, and when they see you pulling a camera out of your pocket.
Using a larger camera would not produce the same result.
I have dropped this camera more times than I should, yet it keeps working. I am especially impressed with the lens quality.
I am equally impressed the picture quality especially when i shoot pictures for panoramic photos.

Pros: Clean, sharp pictures with a great zoom feature
Cons: The video could be longer

I bought this camera for my husband for his birthday. We had a Kodak digital that was very poor quality and I wouldn't consider buying another again. I did a lot of research on line about cameras and the Panasonic cameras were consistently well rated. I went to the store torn between the Panasonic and a HP. I played around with the display model and decided on this model. It was a great choice. The pictures are so sharp. The zoom is great and it really captures the detail. The quality of this camera versus our previous model are uncomparrable. The size is great. I do wish I could take a longer video with the camera. Besides that I have no complaints. We love it so much, We bought one for my parents for their Christmas. My parents are technologically challenged and this camera is so easy to use. They like to choose the picture they want printed. That is an option they have never had.