I'm about to crack and buy a digital camera, so I'm trying to beef up my knowledge of these damn things. I searched TT but didn't find anything specific to my question.

The optical zoom for most of them Ive seen runs in the 3x-6x range untill you break the $250 mark or go with an SLR ( which are >$500 and too big to carry around in social situations anyway)

I use an SLR camera for work and working with that has made me realize that zoom is more important to me than # of pixels.

The one Im looking at is a Panasonic DMC-TZ3...10x optical zoom

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz3/

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/panasonic-lumix-dmc-tz3s/4505-6501_7-32332747.html

Anyone have one? opinnions? comparables that may be better?

3/8/2008 10:37:48 AM

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/recommended-cameras.htm

3/9/2008 11:37:15 AM

there's a kodak out there with a 10x zoom that's the size of a normal point and shoot.

[Edited on March 9, 2008 at 12:52 PM. Reason : its the easyshare V610]

3/9/2008 12:45:53 PM

my Fuji has 10x zoom with 2.2 digital zoom(which I never use, its pretty much useless)


I paid about 500 for it a few years ago but it came with 2 extra lenses and a bag and some other accessories. I love it. I would recommend it or the newest Fuji to anyone.

3/9/2008 1:16:09 PM

i have been a panasonic fan for a while now, ever since getting my lumix fz-30

assuming all is equal in terms of MP, there are 3 things that are important for a point-and-shoot in my opinion:

1.) optics
2.) optical zoom
3.) image stabilization

leica and zeiss are the only name-brand optics i have experience with and they offer a SIGNIFICANT increase in optical clarity over name-brand cameras with "standard" optics...the TZ3 has leica optics, and i like it a bit better than zeiss, though i suppose everyone has a favorite

these days, i'd never recommend less than 10x zoom unless you KNOW for a fact that you're never going to want to do anything more than take drunken pictures at keggers...just about anything outside of that sole purpose will find you 1.) glad you spent the money for high optical zoom or 2.) beating yourself up for not going with the high optical zoom

the best point-and-shoot image stabilization that i've used is canon's, hands down...following with a close second is panasonic's OIS (again, in my experience)

most of that isn't even anything you asked for, but i felt like typing it anyway

as for the panny TZ3, i think it'll work well for you, and i think you'll like it a lot...it takes great shots

3/9/2008 4:47:52 PM