Panasonic DMC-ZS3

The latest super-zoom shooter from Panasonic is respectable in all aspects. It’s a very solid camera, but at $400, it is a bit of a hard-sell.

The main attraction is the camera’s Leica lens. It’s a 12x unit and is highly usable, starting at a properly wide 25mm equivalent, and going all the way up to 300mm. That’s a massive range for a compact and, more impressively, the optical stabilization means both ends are quite usable.

Additional features include a face recognition system that not only recognizes faces in general, but can identify specific faces, and can search group photos by identifying who is in them.

The 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, gives impressive image quality. It takes clear and crisp images at both ends of that 25mm - 300mm range. Optical image stabilization is quite effective when taking stills. Maximum ISO is 1600, colors are bright and accurate, and images with lengthier exposures are kept sharp thanks to the optical stabilization.

Videos are captured at 720p, and a set of stereo mics on the top ensures good quality audio to match with great quality video. Videos can be stored in either MPEG or AVCHD. The camera does allow optical zooming while filming, and the motor on the lens makes very little noise.

The Panasonic DMS-ZS3 is a very impressive camera on the whole; the fantastic lens on the front makes it far more flexible than your average point-and-shoot. However, the $400 price tag is a major disadvantage. It’s a good choice for those who can afford it.