Super Zooming With The Panasonic ZS3
Are you looking for a super zoom point and shoot camera that can take great shots in low light? Then check out the Panasonic ZS3.
The ZS3 is one of the most highly regarded models in the current lineup of Panasonic Lumix digital cameras.
In a slim casing that is only 1.3 inches thick, the ZS3 holds a 25-300mm wide angle lens with 12 x digital camera optical zoom. You’re probably wondering how Panasonic managed to fit such a versatile lens in a cramped space. I think everyone in the digital camera manufacturing industry is wondering the same. As with most of the cameras in the Lumix line, you can benefit from high-precision optics by Leica with the ZS3.
This amazing Panasonic DMC camera features a 10 megapixel sensor that can capture images as jpeg files at a maximum resolution of 3648 x 2736 pixels. Several ISO ratings are offered, including 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and auto.
The 3-inch LCD display has 460,000 pixels, an amazingly high quality screen on such a small camera. Two things however that you will not see on the ZS3 are RAW support and manual exposure controls. But seeing as this is by no means a DSLR camera, they probably won’t be missed anyway.
Aside from the phenomenal, highly detailed and well-balanced photos that the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 takes, the other selling point for this camera is its amazing high definition video recording capabilities. The ZS3 can record video with excellent results at a resolution as high as 1280 x 720 pixels at 60 fps, the same that most consumer camcorders record now.
The HD footage is saved using the new AVCHD Lite codec. Optionally, you can shoot normal resolution videos as motion JPEG files. Good quality sound is recorded with a built-in stereo mic located on the top of the camera.
Both photos and videos are written to high capacity SD or SDHC storage cards, so you won’t have to worry about running out of space.
The Panasonic ZS3 also features an HDMI jack so that you can view the HD video and photos that you’ve shot directly from the camera on a high-definition television.
This is an excellent camera to have in case you want to leave your DSLR at home and need something dependable to take fantastic photos at a moment’s notice. If you want a solid performing camera at a great price (under $399 at various online outlets), you should definitely consider the Panasonic ZS3.
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