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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Performance
Timing and Performance
Good to average speed for a consumer camera.
| Startup/Shutdown |
||
| Power on |
2.7 seconds
|
Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy. |
| Shutdown |
1.5 seconds
|
How long it takes to retract lens. |
| Buffer clearing time |
2 seconds
(buffer clearing after LF JPEG) |
Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared. |
| Mode switching | ||
|---|---|---|
| Play to Record, |
1.9 seconds
|
Time until first shot is captured. |
| Record to play |
2.2 seconds
|
Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture. |
| Display |
0.7 second
|
Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card. |
| Shutter response (Lag Time) | ||
| Full Autofocus |
0.76 second
|
Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture in default AF mode, zoom lens at both wide angle and telephoto positions. |
| Full Autofocus |
0.38 second
|
Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture in 1-Area High Speed AF mode, zoom lens at both wide angle and telephoto positions. |
| Prefocused |
0.021 second
|
Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button. |
|
Continuous AF |
0.77 second
|
This mode usually shows no speed increase with our static subject; we have no way to measure performance with moving subjects.
|
| Cycle time (shot to shot) | ||
|
Single Shot mode
Large Fine JPEG |
0.89 second
|
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots. (1.59s at ISO >= 400.) |
| Single Shot mode |
0.82 second
|
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots. (1.39s at ISO >= 400.) |
| Early shutter |
Yes
|
Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer. |
| Continuous High |
0.34 second (2.99 frames per second);
5 frames total; 2 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. (1.13 fps / 5 frames at ISO >= 400). |
| Continuous High |
0.33 second (3.00 frames per second);
7 frames total; 1 second to clear |
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. (1.54 fps / 7 frames at ISO >= 400) |
|
Continuous Low
mode, Large Fine JPEG |
0.47 second (2.14 frames per second);
5 frames total; 2 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. (0.97 fps / 5 frames at ISO >= 400).
|
|
Continuous Low
mode, 640x480 JPEG |
0.47 second (2.14 frames per second);
7 frames total; 1 second to clear |
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. (1.46 fps / 7 frames at ISO >= 400).
|
|
Continuous Infinite
mode, Large Fine JPEG |
0.47 second (2.14 frames per second);
2 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. (1.13 fps at ISO >= 400).
|
|
Continuous Infinite
mode, 640x480 JPEG |
0.47 second (2.13 frames per second);
1 second to clear |
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. (1.46 fps at ISO >= 400).
|
| Flash recycling |
4.3 seconds
|
Flash at maximum output. |
| Download speed | ||
| Windows Computer, USB 2.0 |
835 KBytes/sec
|
Typical Values: |
| *Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. |
||
The Panasonic DMC-TZ3's performance is generally above average. Startup and shutdown speeds are above average for a long zoom. Full AF shutter response is also above average for a long zoom, at 0.76s, (and quite fast in 1-Area High Speed AF mode), with a blistering prefocus shutter lag of 0.021s, making it an excellent kid camera if you remember prefocus. Shot-to-shot cycle times and continuous-mode speeds are also above average, though they do slow down significantly at ISO 400 and above. The flash, which is a bit weak, takes 4.3 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is also above average (but then it isn't packing much of a punch). Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are only average. Bottom line, the DMC-TZ3 is responsive enough to handle most family photo opportunities.
Battery and Storage Capacity
Battery
Slightly above average battery life for a Lithium-Ion design.
| Operating Mode | Number of Shots |
|---|---|
|
Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery,
(CIPA standard) |
270
|
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 uses a custom rechargeable Li-Ion battery for power, and ships with a charger. Although battery life is slightly above average, we recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.
The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.
(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))
Storage
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 accepts SDHC/SD/MMC memory cards, and includes about 13MB of internal memory.
| Image Capacity with 13MB Internal Memory |
Fine | Normal | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
3,072 x 2,304
|
Images
|
3
|
6 |
|
File Size
|
3.7 MB
|
1.9 MB | |
|
2,560 x 1,920
|
Images
|
4
|
9 |
|
File Size
|
2.6 MB
|
1.3 MB | |
|
2,048 x 1,536
|
Images
|
7
|
15 |
|
File Size
|
1.7 MB
|
835 KB | |
|
1,600 x 1,200
|
Images
|
12
|
24 |
|
File Size
|
1.1 MB
|
524 KB | |
|
1,280 x 960
|
Images
|
18
|
35 |
|
File Size
|
672 KB
|
362 KB | |
|
640 x 480
|
Images
|
57
|
94 |
|
File Size
|
220 KB
|
135 KB | |
We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC or SD memory card at least a 512MB or 1GB card, preferably a 2GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)
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Note: For details, test results, and analysis of the many tests done with this camera, please click on the tabs at the beginning of the review or below.
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Shopping for someone else? Try these other Dave's Picks categories:
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