ZS1 vs ZS3... hi I'm trying to decide between the ZS1 and ZS3 - the ZS3 is a bit bigger but has a few more features (duh!) and the issue of "the best camera is the one you have with you" comes into play. Has anyone done a comparison of the two? The extra cost is minimal now (about $40 it seems) so that's not really an issue for me. Thanks in advance! ZS1 vs ZS3... hi I'm trying to decide between the ZS1 and ZS3 - the ZS3 is a bit bigger but has a few more features (duh!) and the issue of "the best camera is the one you have with... » Read More ZS1 vs ZS3... hi I'm trying to decide between the ZS1 and ZS3 - the ZS3 is a bit bigger but has a few more features (duh!) and the issue of "the best camera is the one you have with you" comes into play. Has anyone done a comparison of the two? The extra cost is minimal now (about $40 it seems) so that's not really an issue for me. Thanks in advance! « Show Less
684718
Thanks! that's very helpful, especially the tip that the price may drop.... I'll go with the ZS3 based on your recommendation and I can definitely wait a month or two.
222440
my Kodak Z812S...and even my old Kodak DX7630 take better pictures than the Fuji S1800. My first digital was a Fuji with 3.2 mp and it was a honey! Since then, two more Kodaks (as mentioned previously) one Sony (which is purse-sized and the pix are okay...it's just so I always have a camera on me) and the Fuji S1800. I have about 120 out of 200 or so that are great pictures from Hawaii; and maybe 80 - 100 more from various events and locations. My Eastern Europe shots were not what I hoped for, but editing helped a lot. I'm online now to order the Z981 and will probably post my opinion of the results. With all that said...I'd suggest you go with the Kodak.
283104
The ZS25 lacks several of the flagship ZS30 features. Wifi, GPS, and just one mic for mono audio recording. The camera comes with a lower price. A great shooter if you don't need these extras.
1746412
Late to respond, but my previous camera was a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ18, a point and shoot camera which I thought took outstanding pictures...until I bought the DMC-FZ150. Holy cow! What a jump in performance that even an unsavvy enthusiast like myself can actually use. I am, however, shocked by the price increase. I had to buy it online because it wasn't available locally but with the reviews and my past experience with Panasonic, I took a deep breath and did it, purchasing it through Amazon for $439 in early April 2012. I consider it top echelon of the "amateur" use cameras.
2091071
Personally, I did a lot of research before I bought the HG21 myself, and it seemed the best in the price range. I will mention though that I only looked at Canons (since I'm used to their system interface), so I'm not sure if there are other similar camcorders in other brands. Also, it didn't seem the Digic III was a huge change over the Digic II. The only extra feature Digic III really seems to offer is the face-detection, however that wasn't a huge selling point for me. For me, a better sensor mattered more, as it means better video quality.
844348
I was all set to buy the SX200 and have been a die-hard Canon fan for many years, but I am not ready to dismiss the ZS3. Yes the camaralabs.com review (http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC_TZ7_ZS3/index.shtml) talks about the focus issue on the ZS3 but overall the review is very favorable and it is unclear whether it is an issue in all situations or just the challenging scene in the sample video. Furthermore the Canon SX200 not only does not zoom during video, but auto focus is disabled altogether in this mode. I think I would rather have my focus hunt a little than go completely out of focus as the subject moves. I was all set to buy the SX200 and have been a die-hard Canon fan for many years, but I am not ready to dismiss the ZS3. Yes the camaralabs.com review (http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC_TZ7_ZS3/index.shtml) talks about the focus issue on the ZS3 but overall the review is very favorable and it is unclear whether it is an issue in all situations or just the challenging scene in the sample video. Furthermore the Canon SX200 not only does not zoom during video, but auto focus is disabled altogether in this mode. I think I would rather have my focus hunt a little than go... » Read More I was all set to buy the SX200 and have been a die-hard Canon fan for many years, but I am not ready to dismiss the ZS3. Yes the camaralabs.com review (http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Panasonic_Lumix_DMC_TZ7_ZS3/index.shtml) talks about the focus issue on the ZS3 but overall the review is very favorable and it is unclear whether it is an issue in all situations or just the challenging scene in the sample video. Furthermore the Canon SX200 not only does not zoom during video, but auto focus is disabled altogether in this mode. I think I would rather have my focus hunt a little than go completely out of focus as the subject moves. « Show Less
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Look up "Imaging Resource" website. There is a very cool "Comparometer" (look on the left side, "Compare Sample Images). I, too, am trying to decide between the ZS7 and the HX5V. My biggest beef (in particular, with the Fuji F80, which I returned), is with over-processed images wiping out facial tone. I'm worried the Sony does that a bit, but it seems to retain some of the Fuji's low light magic. It's a shame the ZS7 went up on megapixels and therefore lost resolution in processing out noise. (Compare the house photos between the two on the Comparometer. The ZS3 clearly wins. Look up "Imaging Resource" website. There is a very cool "Comparometer" (look on the left side, "Compare Sample Images). I, too, am trying to decide between the ZS7 and the HX5V. My biggest beef (in particular, with the Fuji F80, which I returned), is with over-processed images wiping out facial tone. I'm worried the Sony does that a bit, but it seems to retain some of the Fuji's low light magic. It's a shame the ZS7 went up on megapixels and therefore lost resolution in processing out noise. (Compare the house photos between the two on the Comparometer. The ZS3... » Read More Look up "Imaging Resource" website. There is a very cool "Comparometer" (look on the left side, "Compare Sample Images). I, too, am trying to decide between the ZS7 and the HX5V. My biggest beef (in particular, with the Fuji F80, which I returned), is with over-processed images wiping out facial tone. I'm worried the Sony does that a bit, but it seems to retain some of the Fuji's low light magic. It's a shame the ZS7 went up on megapixels and therefore lost resolution in processing out noise. (Compare the house photos between the two on the Comparometer. The ZS3 clearly wins. « Show Less
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Thanks for the links, R.G.! Esp. the comparison. I've been holding off for THE p+s camera (to replace my Canon S410) and I think TZ5 is it.
844345
I wouldn't say the SX200 has better build quality than the Panasonic. I have a TZ5 and when comparing it to the SX200, the TZ5 wins hands down with build quality. If the ZS3 maintains this quality, it wipes the floor with the SX200.
2204728
Ok so this is what I'm going off of. The Cannon SX10IS is the same price as the P90 but the P90 has 24x zoom and 12.1 MP... The price differential came from somewhere. I'm putting my bets on the image processor. I personally own the SX10IS and I could not be happier. My friend who owns the Cannon Rebel XSi tries to say how his buy is much more justified. So far the only things I have found better is his white balance, optional remote trigger, and the capability to shoot in RAW. Otherwise our cameras are very similar.
391686
I think I will buy the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 hybrid camera when more positive reviews are available, probably in April. It has stereo sound recording, usable zoom while taking video and 3" 460K resolution LCD. The only minor drawback with it is it does not support manual mode. There is no RAW mode too at this time, but that's software and they can easily add that later in new firmware. It also costs about $50 more than the SX200.Of course the SX1 IS is better, but that is a different class of camera and too bulky for light traveling.
724480
I do not know how it compares to the dmc zs8. In my research I found that the zs25 was a newer version of the zs20. A few people seemed to prefer the zs20, however, I am extremely happy with my zs25. It has 20X optical zoom and is small enough to put in a pouch to carry on my belt anytime. These were my major criteria, though I preferred also to have a viewfinder. The only camera with a viewfinder that would go in a small belt pouch was a a Fuji camera, but its zoom was only 4X, so I sacrificed having the viewfinder in order to get a belt pouch size camera with the 20X zoom. My zs25 if fantastic. It comes with a brief user manual, so if you want a complete user manual you would have to print it from your computer, and it 150 pages long though I only printed about 100 pages. Lastly, I decided that the belt pouch recommended by Amazon to go with the camera seemed a bit tight on the dimensions, so I bought my pouch from B&H Photo on line (free shipping) the pouch that they recommended for that same camera. It had about 1/4 extra inch on the width dimension that works just fine, enabling the camera to slip out of the pouch easily when I pull on it. Hope that helps. The zs25 is a great camera. The 20X zoom means a lot to me for a small carry anywhere camera. I think that series by Panansonic may be the only ones available with these two features (hi zoom and belt pouch size) combined, at a great price.
331381
I was deciding between these two myself last week. I ended up going with the 780is because of the high def video as well as the inclusion of the viewfinder - which is small, but useful when you're running low on battery and still need to take pics. I just got the camera on Friday and have been taking tons of photos and they are brilliantl! I love it!
955464
Ninan, I have the ZS3 and love it. I reviewed the H20 and it lacks a few things. Most notably, the lens only goes to 38mm on the wide end compared the the ZS3 which goes all the out to 25mm. That was enough for me to rule out the H20, so I don't know much more about it. I'd suggest going to the Panasonic global website at www.panasonic.net/avc/lumix and checking out their info on the ZS3. It is amazing. Then go to youtube and search for "tz7 night restaurant" and "20090514 ZS3 Sample Videos" to see some examples of the video and zoom. (note the ZS3 is known as the TZ7 in Europe).
2018169
I went to the camera store today to compare these two cameras and came away with a definite lean toward the FZ18 vs the TZ3. The three big negative factors for the TZ were: 1. There was significant color blurring (red text on white background) when magnifying comparable shots (the FZ was clean); the compression noise was also significantly higher on the TZ3. 2. The image stabilization on the TZ3 at 12X zoom was WAY inferior to the FZ18 at 18X. I had a LOT of trouble getting one clear shot out of 10 tries at 12X with the TZ3, while the FZ18 gave perfect 18X images 9 out of 10 times. I don't know why this might be, and I checked all the settings on both cameras to be sure I wasn't comparing apples to oranges, but these results are real. 3. The TZ3 does not have a viewfinder and I have found that in bright sunlight outdoors a viewfinder is a huge plus. All this said, the TZ3 is still a nice camera for the size - it is pocketable (in baggy pants) while the FZ18 is not. -- Just my 2 cents. _eric
1418841
I am helping a friend make the exact same choice. (I was happy to see we aren't the only people arriving at the same 2 cameras!) Which camera did you choose and for which reason(s)?
494124
Funny, I was just looking at the two cameras myself and ended up purchasing the SD880IS.The SD880IS is slimmer (0.9 vs. 1.1) and has a bigger LCD screen (3.0 vs. 2.5). Granted, the SD880IS gives up a little in terms of optical zoom (4.0 vs 5.0) but that's the price you pay for having a slim compact camera. I wanted something above the run of the mill 3x optical zoom cameras out there and the 4x SD880IS fits the bill, even if I had to pay $50 extra over the price of the SD890IS. And FYI, the SD880IS is a newer camera, hence the "better" DIGIC 4 Image Processor over the SD890IS's DIGIC III Image Processor. Funny, I was just looking at the two cameras myself and ended up purchasing the SD880IS.The SD880IS is slimmer (0.9 vs. 1.1) and has a bigger LCD screen (3.0 vs. 2.5). Granted, the SD880IS gives up a little in terms of optical zoom (4.0 vs 5.0) but that's the price you pay for having a slim compact camera. I wanted something above the run of the mill 3x optical zoom cameras out there and the 4x SD880IS fits the bill, even if I had to pay $50 extra over the price of the SD890IS. And FYI, the SD880IS is a newer camera, hence the "better" DIGIC 4 Image... » Read More Funny, I was just looking at the two cameras myself and ended up purchasing the SD880IS.The SD880IS is slimmer (0.9 vs. 1.1) and has a bigger LCD screen (3.0 vs. 2.5). Granted, the SD880IS gives up a little in terms of optical zoom (4.0 vs 5.0) but that's the price you pay for having a slim compact camera. I wanted something above the run of the mill 3x optical zoom cameras out there and the 4x SD880IS fits the bill, even if I had to pay $50 extra over the price of the SD890IS. And FYI, the SD880IS is a newer camera, hence the "better" DIGIC 4 Image Processor over the SD890IS's DIGIC III Image Processor. « Show Less