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8.0
final rating

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Criteria Comments Rating
  • Image quality No comments
  • Video quality No comments
  • Battery life No comments
  • Design and form factor No comments
  • Durability No comments
  • Speed (start-up time, lag) No comments
  • Ease of use No comments
Detailed review
I bought the DMC-TZ3 three years ago before a trip to England, Ireland and Scotland - handed it to my boys (then 9 and 12) and told them to go crazy. Halfway through the trip, I was using their camera as much as my own.

The TZ3 is a great travel camera. Big zoom (10x), plenty of pixels (7MP), good images. It's not tiny and it has some heft to it; that said, it's easy to carry around and fits in a pocket on a loose-fitting pair of pants or cargo shorts.

It shoots video. The boys used it on the trip to England to create stand-up shots at various venues, and we turned it into a movie. Sound wasn't good, but no reason to expect it would be.

On the down side, the camera is not very good in low-light situations. It's a lousy party camera, and generally not good indoors. Flash is OK.

In summary, great camera if you shoot outdoors and want a big zoom in a small package; take a pass if you shoot lots of birthday parties, weddings, or office events.