Panasonic Lumix Camera Review

Should you buy a Point-and-Shoot camera or a Dslr (digital single-lens reflex) camera?

The world is all on fire with the most recent Dslr cameras. Mega pixels, super lenses, everybody should get one, right? Not necessarily. It all depends on what you commonly shoot with a camera. The cost discrepancy is essential sufficient - hundreds of dollars for an entry level Dslrs - to take a moment to think if you de facto need a Dslr.

The choices seem bewildering, but in the end it all comes down to a particular question: Are you taking pictures of still objects and population - vacation photos of ruins, mountains, rivers and population posing for the shot - or are you taking activity pictures?

The surmise is the shutter lag of the point-and-shoot cameras. Point-and-shoot cameras can compete with Dslrs in terms of pixels, often beat them in the ease of use, but loose the battle of shutter lag.

What is "shutter lag"? It's the time interval between pressing the picture button, and the time when the camera takes the picture ( technically speaking, it's the delay between triggering the shutter and when the picture is de facto recorded).

Many point-and-shoot cameras have a lag that is as long as 1/2 second. That's an eternity when taking pictures of intelligent objects or children at play. Digital Slrs have a shutter lag that is approximately unnoticeable - and I am not talking about super expensive professional cameras - even simple entry level Dslrs are fast.

If you take pictures of still objects and people, then a point-and-shoot camera may be a great option - simple to use, and much less expensive. The shutter lag of the point-and-shoot cameras is not an issue. Most vacation pictures fall into this class - after all, most of the time you pose for a shot.

If you take activity pictures - population dancing, children at play, favorite pets, animals in their natural surroundings, sports events - you will want a Dslr. The shutter lag of the point-and-shoot cameras makes them unusable for activity pictures. In that case, the Digital Single-Lens Reflex Cameras - Dslrs - are the way to go.

Naturally, if you are de facto into photography, want to originate extra effects, or naturally want to enjoy advanced techniques and running with the photography "in" crowd - well, you will have to spend the money and get a Dslr as well.

I have a friend who was at his friend's house and happened to see a new camera lying on the kitchen counter. His friend let him test it out, and within an hour he was on the computer putting in his order at amazon.

Which camera? It was the Panasonic Lumix Dmc Zs3, of course. I say, of course, because Panasonic a the leader in point and shoot cameras. If you do any research at all, you will see the Panasonic name arrival up time and time again as the top digital point and shoot camera, no matter which class you are investigating.

In this case, the class most likely will be the vacation or trip category. However, this puny camera is so versatile, it can fill the bill in almost any category. Its younger brother, the Panasonic Lumix Dmc Tz5 was (and still is) a trail blazer in the vacation category.

Now, with the Zs3, you get bigger image size with 12.1 megapixels, and you get more range with 12x zoom. The wide end is quite good at 25mm. But then you can zoom up to 250mm on the long end. There is even an additional 2x optical zoom if you honestly need it.

The Zs3 has also improved the video ability over the Tz5 so that now you can take Hd video with Stereo sound. If you have the right kind of Hd Tv, you can just take off the camera storage disc and plug it into your Tv for instant gratification.

One more thing, the Lcd screen has been upgraded to 430,000 dots to make it even easier to view in tough light. All in all, the Panasonic Lumix Dmc Zs3 is a camera that will bring a smile to your face and a lift in your step. Don't forget that a digital camera makes a great gift for Christmas. It is "the gift that keeps on giving".