As so many others have said, this is a feature-rich and superb quality camera which I overall cannot fault. But I sadly am sending it back. I don't want to as, for the money, it really can be everything: a still camera with an excellent lens and superb zoom or a video camera capable of churning out 720p video to shame many a camcorder. All in a pocket-sized bundle. But it is not fit for my purpose. Why?
Owing to EU tax laws which differentiate still and video cameras (still has no tax, video has 4.9%), Panasonic have crippled the video recording time to 15 minutes. There's nothing to stop you shooting lots of 15-minute clips but you cannot record indefinitely in one go. I need to be able to as my hobby is gliding and that means being able to just leave it running. A shame because this camera's lack of bulk is exactly why I bought it - it's a one-stop still and video camera which I need to use and/or mount in a highly confined space.
Only the TZ7 has this restriction, the ZS3 for other markets doesn't. Amazon really should mention this in the main literature as there are over 150 reviews for this camera which one can't be expected to read all of. Consequently I didn't come across this shortcoming until I read about the restriction in the manual and then found more information on the web.
So, it gets four stars because of this. It really is a fantastic device but make sure you don't want shoot long videos.
The best for Ametures.
Review Date: March 3, 2010
Reviewer: Alex, UK
Amazing zoom, amazing quality, amazing screen, shutter speed could be better i think, but to be honest Ive been told im just being picky.
If you have the money, this is a fantastic camera to get :D !
A superb little camera
Review Date: February 26, 2010
Reviewer: Robert Howell-jones, West Wales
After a colleague visited me from Canada and showed me photographs taken with the Canon equivalent, I decided to look into this class of 'midi' camera. I already have a Canon IXUS V and a 'top of the range' Canon SLRD but chose the Panasonic DMC-T27 as 12 X optical gain is important to me as is a decent sized lcd screen, and the Leica lens was an attractive option. It has lived up to my expectations and more.
Smashing camera
Review Date: February 21, 2010
Reviewer: Geraldine Whelan,
Love this camera to bits. Great for photographing wildlife, which is my hobby, because of the excellent 12x optical zoom. Also love the HD video function and especially the fact that you can use the zoom function while taking video clips. Have had no problems so far and the fact that I can carry it in my pocket is a great bonus.
hot little number
Review Date: February 20, 2010
Reviewer: Neil Kelly, UK
Spent an age researching which compact zoom to buy but have picked the right one without a doubt. Excellent results both for still and video. If I had one complaint it would be that it's heavy on the battery.
Superb camera but watch out for EU-limited video