- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How it compares
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3
- 12 MP
- 4x f/2.8
- 1/2.5" CCD
- 2.7" LCD
Released January, 2010
Rated 80% by by rob (Nov, 2010)The only other cameras in this price range are plasticky toys, but this Lumix has perceptibly good build quality and an impressive feature set.
Conclusion Check out the Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3
First reviewed December, 2011
Features Key features of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3
12 MP
1/2.5"
Rated 40% by by Boogaloo (Nov, 2010)Video- Daylight and Room light: Surprisingly, this is the camera's strong feature universally performing quite well with fun results in "HD" mode on our 42" widescreen TV and a supplied USB-to-RCA cable.
megapixels
| 0 MP | 18 MP    | 20 MP |
Lumix DMC-F3 by JennyG (Nov, 2010)They have very tiny image sensors to begin with, and cramming more, smaller pixels onto an already tiny sensor often results in even heavier "noise" in the photos.
Lumix DMC-F3 by Boogaloo (Nov, 2010)If one shoots higher ISO under 'normal' mode, the image becomes pixelated with lots of noise.
sensor size
Lumix DMC-F3 by C.-Pauli (Dec, 2010)I would guess that they used a very low cost image sensor in this camera because they do A LOT of post-processing.
Lumix DMC-F3 by C.-Pauli (Dec, 2010)The sensor seems to create a lot of noise and then the camera severely over-sharpens.
wide angle lens
Lumix DMC-F3 by JennyG (Nov, 2010)Keep in mind, that you will only get this f2.8 aperture at the wide end of the lens, once you zoom in, the max.
aperture size
Lumix DMC-F3 by Boogaloo (Nov, 2010)As lower light forces ISO 400 or more, and as the lens gets closer to its widest apertures, the results are throwaway; way too soft and noisy.
zoom range
| 0x | 26x  | 30x |
Lumix DMC-F3 by JennyG (Nov, 2010)Since the camera lacks manual controls, I simply set the camera on the scene mode that would give me this fast shutter speed.
Lumix DMC-F3 by John-Smith (Jun, 2011)When I zoomed in to see detail such as the clock arms with the camera it was blurred, with the basic cell phone it was ok.
body size
96 x 54 x 22 mm
119 x 86 x 107 mm
120 x 80 x 92 mm
Lumix DMC-F3 by THERION (Aug, 2010)Great entry-level camera, cheap, small and light weight, user friendly menus and features, be sure to read the user manual before you use the camera, there are a lot of features hiding there.
Performance Real world tests of Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3
max continuous shooting
Lumix DMC-F3 by Boogaloo (Nov, 2010)*The camera features a burst mode claiming 6 frames per second under reduced resolution ... haven't tried it.
Our analysis How does it stack up against its top 10 competitors
pros
-
HD video -
f/2.8 -
60 s -
130 g -
22 mm -
96 x 54 x 22 mm
cons
-
4x -
Jan, 2010 -
230 k dots -
2.7" -
65.03% -
28 mm -
HD video -
12 MP -
2.3 fps -
No automatic 3D -
Less capability to adjust white balance and exposure -
No automatic stitching -
No automatic HDR -
1/1000 s -
Lacks the ability to create slow motion video
Reviews Word on the street
 |    Rated by 10 users at amazon.com Rated 80% by by rob (Nov, 2010) Rated 100% by by JennyG (Nov, 2010) Rated 100% by by JennyG (Nov, 2010) |
|---|---|
Lens
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 40% by by C.-Pauli (Dec, 2010)The optical image stabilization is great and the macro mode is as good as any p&s I have used.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 100% by by JennyG (Nov, 2010)This means that more light can make it into the sensor and it will give you a shallow depth of field.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 40% by by Oakey (Sep, 2012)Bought it from the dealer but after having it less than a year, and only used twice the lenses refused to open.
Image quality
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 40% by by Boogaloo (Nov, 2010)Even at the price point, I expected much better basic performance than this.Snapshots-Low Light: Performance is abysmal in room light under normal, auto-scene and appropriate manual-scene modes.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 100% by by JennyG (Nov, 2010)So, if you low light photos look blurry, add some light or use the flash, because it's likely the noise reduction being applied to the photo.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 20% by by John-Smith (Jun, 2011)The pictures I took were very blurry.
Video
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 40% by by C.-Pauli (Dec, 2010)The LZ7 is a large camera and has many lens issues but the quality of the photos it takes often surprises me for a camera I paid $126 for.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 80% by by rob (Nov, 2010)If you just need decent quality painless shots of everyday things and don't have a lot to spend, this is a winner.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 80% by by rob (Nov, 2010)If you are expecting pro-quality indoor shots in bad lighting, or need lots of pics of Junior taking first at the track meet, maybe you ought to do a little more research and pony up appropriately for a camera more suited to that job.
Sharpness
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 80% by by rob (Nov, 2010)I don't know what the comments about shot time or blurry subjects are about.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 100% by by JennyG (Nov, 2010)As far as the complaints that any movement creates blurry photos, that is simply untrue.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 60% by by Kjoy27 (Oct, 2010)Positive: Chaep, easy to use, very compact, stylish design, nice menu layout, big lcd screenNegative: Poor picture quality - very blurry with any movement, even with the image stabilizer on; Very slow to take pictures - hard to get a good shot of the little ones as they are smiling and looking a the camera when I hit the button and, by the time the picture snaps, they are off doing something else; Picture display does not rotate automatically.
Sensor
Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 | Rated 40% by by Boogaloo (Nov, 2010)In good light under f-stops above f/4 and at ISOs below 400, the results are usable in decent focus.
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V Most detailed video recording mode Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 |
 | 2 | Olympus XZ-1 Fastest lens Olympus XZ-1 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 |
 | 3 | Pentax X-5 Most zoom Pentax X-5 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 |
 | 4 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ48 Most shots per battery charge DMC-FZ48 vs DMC-F3 |
 | 5 | Sony NEX-3 Largest sensor Sony NEX-3 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 |
 | 6 | Olympus SZ-20 3-way tie: Create realistic 3D images Olympus SZ-20 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 |
 | 7 | Kodak EasyShare Z915 8-way tie: Image stabilization Kodak EasyShare Z915 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 |
 | 8 | Samsung CL65 Largest screen Samsung CL65 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-F3 |
New duel?
Let the battle continue or dare to compare.
Unanswered Questions
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