Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TZ3 7.2 MP Digital Camera - Silver

This is a lovely bit of kit if you're seeking good quality results from a compact and reasonably tough point-and-click camera. It's not a camera that allows you to fiddle about with thousands of settings, especially when compared to the plethora of "enthusiasts" cameras on the market at the moment, but then that's exactly what a point-and-click is all about - keeping it simple, fast to use, and hassle free.

I'd looked at the Canon A720 (lovely pictures, but it's a big bulky chunk of plastic when all is said and done), the Sony H3 (brilliant bit of kit, but again, too bulky and the menus are a complete nightmare)and the Ricoh R7 (gorgeous to look at, but slow to use and REALLY noisy - sounds like a wasp is trapped in the lens!) so this was the choice I made.

The wide angle 10X zoom is very effective, and far more useable than I expected. Because of the focal range on it, you can snap close up family shots in your living room without losing half of Autie Mables considerable girth to the edges of the screen, whilst you can also pick out details at a reasonable distance. Huge optical zooms don't neccesarily tell you that they can take shots of things at crazy distances - it's hugely affected by the focal point on the lens itself, so don't think that this will let you get that candid snap of Madonna from across the other side of the county she now appears to own. It simply isn't going happen using this camera, and there is no facility to clip on additional filters and lenses, so you're stuffed there too!

What this lens offers is a very nice and highly practical balance of distance and close up which generally produces great pictures all in a compact and robust package.

A good sensor in combination with a reasonable anti-shake mechanism mean that Low light shots come out well even when using the zoom. The camera itself feels very solidly built without weighing much at all. Everything seems nicely designed and layed out, with the exception of the flash, which is easily covered up by your right middle finger if you're not careful, but this is nit-picking.

Obvious adjustments are easy to make, the display is HUGE, bright and very easy to read. The camera menus are not entirely instinctive, but don't take very long to get the hang of and you can take snap after snap with the flash without waiting an eternity for the camera to get it's life together again.

The only criticisms I would raise are that I'd have liked a viewfinder, but this is just personal preference, and that the lens cover is a bit flimsy. Mine hasn't broken, and with a decent carrying case I don't forsee it happening, but it seems odd to make such a tough camera and leave the most expensive bit only protected by couple of wobbly bits of plastic. In fairness though, if you look at the other compact cameras like this, they're all a bit naff when it comes to protecting the lens so it's not a crime I can soley accuse Panasonic of committing.

All things considered, I really like this little camera, and you could do a lot worse than picking one up.

P.S "Reconditioned" cameras - they're reconditioned for the American Market, and come with a folding, two pin US charger and a wobbly, fiddly little UK adapter. They work just as well as the usual UK versions, but they don't sit in a UK wall socket as securely you may hope, so check exactly what you're getting.

The camera is truly a good product. The 10X optical zoom is really helpful for the photo enthusiast. Photo quality is not excellent though in low light and the camera is a little bulky due to the large Leica lense. Construction quality is excellent though. The operation of the camera is really easy with the different functions easily navigated through its great 3 inch LCD screen.
For the current prices offered in e-bay, I would say that it is surely recommended. If size and weight is an issue though I would definately go fo slimmer Olympus cameras

Ebayers should pay attention when purchasing because a lot of them on ebay are refurbished and not brand new and this is not always clearly posted (not on the title of the ebay page) so there is a feeling for dissapointment when you proceed to buy but only realise that it is a refurbished camera only when you receive it.

Having bought this camera predominantly for its fantastic optical zoom I was a bit apprehensive as to the camera shake problems I would encounter at maximum zoom as I never take a tripod on to my travels. My worries were totally unfounded! The electronic stabilisation built in really does a fantastic job. Out of over 600 images taken, many of them at maximum zoom, we only got about 5 blurred shots. This included taking pictures of the Andes out of the aircraft window at 12 x optical zoom! The camera is sold as 10 x optical zoom which at 7 megapixel is correct. However if you select 5 Megapixel the optical zoom switches automatically to 12 x. don’t ask me how they do it but it works.

What's negative? The only negative thing about this camera is what is common to most modern digital cameras. There is no optical viewfinder and although the 3" screen can be made quite bright, if you are in direct sunlight or even worse sun plus snow you can't see a thing. There is a solution however. A company called Delkin.com sell a stick on pop up hood/ shade which really works well. It can easily be taken off for indoor use and makes this camera absolutely perfect.

The battery live is fairly good to, about 150 shots with lots of zooming on virtually every shot. If you buy a spare battery (cheep on eBay) you can't go wrong.

Overall I am amazed by the quality of the picture this camera produces. It is also not much bigger than my old Nikon Coolpix and still fits nicely in to your pocket. Most other cameras with that sort of zoom are much bigger again one of the main reasons why I bought it.