Owning a Panasonic Lumix FZ20 has made me enthusiastic about the quality of cameras that Panasonic makes.
Today we’re having a first look at a smaller sibling in the Lumix range, the DMC-TZ3.
The Travel Zoom series has culminated now with the TZ3 in a 7 megapixel, 10x zoom camera with image stabilization.
Let’s have a look in this mini-review at the main features of this very capable camera (Street Price around USD330).

We have been handling quite a few very compact digicams lately and compared to one of those the TZ3 feels heavy and solid.
At the same time the one part that seems very fragile and flimsy is the built-in lens cover. A sliding hatch like the one on the Casio EX-V7 seems like a very good idea!

The main features of note are the following:

•    7.2 million effective pixel / 8.5 million pixels total 1/2.35" CCD
•    10x (28-280mm equiv.) Leica DC Vario-Elmarit optical zoom
•    MEGA OIS image stabilization
•    Larger sensor for 28mm equiv. angle of view at 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 aspect ratios
•    Venus III Engine processor
•    Fast Linear autofocus system
•    High Resolution (230,000 pixel) 3.0-inch LCD
•    Movies up to 840 x 480 pixels (WVGA) @ 30 fps
•    20 scene modes plus Intelligent ISO mode
•    Large, 3.0 inch screen

As you can see there is a lot to like.  These are state of the art features for a camera this size.
The Leica zoom is excellent and performance-wise our conclusion is much the same as some of the more in-depth reviews that have been written since the camera came out a few months ago.
So we won’t duplicate these efforts because we only had the camera for a short time.
As far as handling is concerned the lack of a decent grip and the slipperiness of the case makes the use of a lanyard or wrist strap almost mandatory.
I much prefer a bigger grip on a larger camera, which is what the earlier TZ models had.
With the larger viewing screen there is really no need for an optical viewfinder and wisely Panasonic left it out.
Of course, having a slightly larger camera makes it easier to find room for some strategically placed buttons to access certain menu items.
It’s interesting to note that compared to previous models the zoom lens gives a more wide-angled view, covering the 28-280mm equivalent rather than 35-350mm.
This is a good thing as generally wide-angled views are much more useful than an extreme zoom.
There are some 21 scene modes to choose from including a Starry Sky setting which allows you to have exposures up to 60 seconds. 

Initial Impression
Apart from the fact that I would have preferred a more compact camera as a travel companion, this camera offers a lot of features for your money.
The quality of the pictures were quite good not in the least due to Leica’s involvement of course.
There is a bit of a slowness in starting up but I certainly like the image stabilisation on this model.
What Panasonic has done well in the Lumix DMC-TZ3 is the combination of the scene modes, good handling, and a fantastic large bright screen, ensuring that you will have lots of fun exploring this camera and exploring with it.
Well priced at around USD330 makes it an excellent buy for travelling.

Street price    • US: $330
Body Material    Metal
Sensor    • 1/2.35 " Type CCD
• 8.50 million pixels total
• 7.2 million effective pixels
Image sizes    • 3072 x 2304
• 2560 x 1920
• 2048 x 1536
• 1600 x 1200
• 1280 x 960
• 640 x 480
• 3216 x 2144 (3:2)
• 2560 x 1712 (3:2)
• 2048 x 1360 (3:2)
• 3328 x 1872 (16:9)
• 2560 x 1440 (16:9)
• 1920 x 1080 (16:9)
Movie clips    • 640 x 480 @ 30 / 10fps
• 320 x 240 @ 30 / 10 fps
• 848 x 480 @ 30 / 10 fps (16:9)
• recording time depends on Memory Card capacity
• with sound
File formats    • JPEG (Exif 2.21)
• DPOF
• QuickTime Motion JPEG
Lens    • 28-280mm (35mm equiv)
• 10x optical zoom
• LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR
Image stabilization    MEGA OIS: mode 1 / 2
Conversion lenses    None
Digital zoom     Extra optical zoom (4:3: 12x for 5MP, 15x for 3, 2, 1, 0.3MP, 3:2: 12.6x for 4.5MP, 15x for 2.5MP, 16:9: 13x for 3.5MP, 15x for 2MP)
Focus    • Auto Focus system
• Normal / Macro (dial)
• Continuous AF on / off
AF area modes     • 1 / 9 point
• 1 / 3 point high speed
• Spot
AF assist lamp     Yes
Focus distance    • Normal: 50cm - infinity (wide) / 200cm - infinity (tele)
• Macro / Simple mode / Intelligent ISO / Motion picture / Clipboard : 5cm - infinity (wide) / 200cm - infinity Tele (except tele end)
• 100cm - infinity (Tele Macro at tele end)
Metering    • Intelligent Multiple
• Center weighted
• Spot
ISO sensitivity    • Auto
• ISO 100
• ISO 200
• ISO 400
• ISO 800
• ISO 1250
• High Sensitivity mode ISO 3200
Exposure compensation    • +/- 2EV
• 1/3 EV steps
Exposure bracketing     • +/- 1/3EV -1EV
• 3 frames
Shutter speed    • 8-1/2000 sec
• Starry Sky Mode: 15, 30, 60sec
Aperture    F3.3 / 8.0 (Wide: 2 steps) F4.9 / 11 (Tele: 2 steps)
Modes    • Program AE
• Simple
• Normal picture
• Macro
• SCN1, SCN2
• Intelligent ISO
Scene modes     • Portrait
• Soft Skin
• Scenery
• Sports
• Night Portrait
• Night Scenery
• Self Portrait
• Food
• Party
• Candle
• Fireworks
• Starry Sky
• Beach
• Aerial photo
• Snow
• High Sensitivity
• Baby 1 & 2
• Underwater
• Sunset
• Pet
White balance    • Auto
• Daylight
• Cloudy
• Shade
• Halogen
• White Set
• White balance fine tune (+/- 1500k in 150k steps)
Self timer    • 10 or 2 secs
Continuous shooting    • Full-Resolution Image, 3 frames/sec or 2 frames/sec
Image parameters    Standard, Vivid, Cool, Warm, Natural, Black & White, Sepia
Flash    • Auto
• Auto/Red-eye reduction
• Forced On
• Slow Sync/Red-eye reduction
• Forced Off
• Range: 0.6 - 4.2m (wide) 1.0 - 2.8m (tele)
Viewfinder    None
LCD monitor    • 3.0-inch Polycrystalline TFT
• 230,000 pixels
• Field of view 100%
Connectivity    • USB
• DC in
• AV out
Print compliance     PictBridge
Storage    • 12.7MB built-in memory
• SD / SDHC / MMC card compatible
Power    • Li-ion battery pack
• Optional AC adapter
Weight (excl batt)     232 g (0.51lb)
Dimensions    105 x 59.2 x 36.7 mm (4.20 x 2.37 x 1.47 in)