Our Rating ****~ (4/5)

The new Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 features a powerful zoom with a remarkably slim and compact body. Newly added is an AVCHD Lite movie recording function to make the versatile camera even truly “hybrid”.

Good: Useful 8x super-wide-angle zoom; excellent build quality and finish; compact size

Bad: Confusing zoom options; too many complex ‘intelligent’ technologies

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 equipped with a 2.7″ LCD monitor
Notably the sonic speed AF in the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 features its speed at the industry’s fastest level. Combined with a high-speed start-up, this gives the Panasonic ZX3 an ultra fast response that helps to catch even the most fleeting photo opportunities. The 2.7-inch large Intelligent LCD offers dynamic and clear view out of its small body. The battery life is also as powerful as approx. 330 pictures shooting thanks to the highly energy efficient image processing LSI, the Venus Engine HD II. With high-quality aluminum texture which resists fingerprints and soiling, the slim, compact, pocket-fitting size of Panasonic DMC-ZX3 is packed with a host of functions for both photos and movies to be an ideal partner for traveling or for everyday snapshots.

Panasonic DMC-ZX3 features a Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens
The Panasonic DMC-ZX3 features a 25mm ultra wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens and powerful 8x optical zoom (equivalent to 25-200mm on a 35mm camera) together with a 14.1-megapixel high resolution CCD into a compact body. The lens unit comprises of 9 elements in 7 groups, including 4 aspherical lenses with 6 spherical surfaces. Notably, Panasonic achieved the incorporation of 0.3mm super thin aspherical lens and 0.3mm spherical lens, both mold and mass production are difficult, into the lens unit. This makes it possible to fit the 25-200mm high performance lens in an astonishingly slim and compact body. Thanks to the newly incorporated Intelligent Resolution technology, the Intelligent Zoom is available with the Panasonic Lumix ZX3 which extends the zoom ratio by approx.1.3x maintaining the picture quality even using a digital zoom. This means the 8x optical can virtually extend to 10x equivalent. Furthermore, the Extra Optical Zoom function that extends zoom power to 16.9x (at 3-megapixel resolution) by using the center part of the high resolution CCD to bring subjects even closer.

Digital camera world sells the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 Super cheap cameras sell the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 JR camera house sales the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3  BK camera house sales the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3  Gerry Gibbs camerahouse sell the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 Mandurah camera house sell the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3

Photographyblog reviews the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 and writes:
“Still images are a different story, however, with the move to 14 megapixels and the new Intelligent Resolution feature bringing few actual benefits. While the photos produced by the ZX3 are slightly higher-resolution than the ZX1 without any drop in quality, most users won’t see any benefit from the extra pixels. The ability to increase the zoom range without having to decrease the image size is the main benefit of the Intelligent Resolution function, but the quality does noticeably degrade.”

Cnet reviews the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3 and writes:
“The Lumix DMC-ZX3 packs an amazing 8x super-wide-angle zoom range into a very compact body, but Panasonic’s weakness for over-complicated ‘intelligent’ technologies has finally tipped over the edge into madness. The intelligent-resolution feature and four types of zoom are just too much.”

Panasonic Lumix ZX3 features Intelligent Resolution technology
The Intelligent Resolution technology also realizes Intelligent Zoom, which virtually extends the optical zoom ratio to its 1.3x equivalent maintaining the picture quality even combining the digital zoom. Details of a image in high sensitivity recording tend to be lost in the noise reduction process, however, the Intelligent Resolution works to keep them. At the same time, the multi-task image-processing engine Venus Engine HD II supports a super-fast response time. The shutter release time lag is as short as approx. 0.005 second and the camera’s quick response makes it easier to capture sudden, spur-of-the-moment photo opportunities together with the Sonic Speed AF (Auto Focus) that lets you lock on the subject minimum in approx. 0.26 (wide-end) / 0.31 (tele-end) second and the short startup time of approx. 1.1 second. The high performance Venus Engine HD II is also more energy efficient compared with the conventional Venus Engine HD II, extending the battery life up to 330 shots (CIPA) per a single charge.

Movie recording with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZX3
The powerful 8x optical zoom is also available in movie recording. With the newly added Video Divide function, users can divide the video into two sections to shorten or to delete the unwanted half on the spot in the camera. You can cutout a clear still image from a movie in the camera thanks to the Intelligent Resolution technology. A Wind Cut function is also available to block out most of the noise from background wind. Still or motion images recorded in AVCHD Lite on SD memory cards  are easy to view on a Panasonic VIERA TV. Simply insert the card into the VIERA Image Viewer (SD memory card slot) on VIERA TV or DIGA Blu-ray Disc Player  to playback your contents. Alternatively, you can use an optional mini HDMI cable to output the still and motion images you took from the Panasonic ZX3 directly to the TV for VIERA Link. You can take maximum advantage of Lumix camera’s playback functions including the slideshow in which both still and motion images are integrated in the timeline, category playback according to the scene mode you used or calendar display and so on. All control is possible using only the TV’s remote control. In addition, with the included software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition, it is easy to view and edit your recorded contents. You may also choose to upload your videos to YouTube or burn them to a DVD disc for archiving.

Panasonic ZX3 intelligent photo technologies
The Face Recognition function remembers registered faces to give an appropriate AF/AE on the people. The Intelligent Scene Selector, which automatically selects whichever of 6 Scene Modes – Macro, Portrait, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery and newly added Sunset – that best suits the shooting situation. The Quick AF system helps keep focus on the subject while the camera is in recording mode even before pressing the shutter button halfway. This improves the result out of a shutter chance because the focus is always near the subject and AF time is minimized. In addition, newly incorporated Intelligent Resolution technology is always activated in the iA mode which results in the clearer and higher picture quality in every photo and movie with extended zoom range equivalent to 10x optical zoom by the Intelligent Zoom. Once you enter the iA mode, these functions happen automatically together with other powerful shooting-assist functions – AF Tracking, Intelligent ISO Control and Intelligent Exposure – so you can shoot without the bother of adjusting settings every time conditions change. You can enjoy easy, trouble-free shooting in any situation and get the satisfaction that comes with capturing clear, beautiful images. The new Happy Mode, a color mode option in the iA mode, optimizes color, saturation and brightness to make both photos and movies more vivid and true to the color of the scene you memorized.

Upload videos to YouTube with the Panasonic Lumix ZX3 camera
Motion pictures can be uploaded directly to YouTube using the built-in YouTube uploader even in HD (High Definition) quality. It also lets you create a 360-degree rotation panorama file in MOV, which is especially easy if Panorama Assist mode in the camera is used. The software is of course compatible with the Windows 7. Experience and feel the outstanding benefit of the PHOTOfunSTUDIO 5.0 HD Edition. It will surely allow you to view, edit and archive your captured photos and motion pictures with greater ease and fun.

S P E C I F I C A T I O N