first buy

[froggie01]

hi all,

New to taking pictures/videos underwater, I'm thinking of buying the ZS3 (the chinese version of the TZ7) as a diver I met during training recommended it. Can owners confirm this is the model to get? What about the latest version? Do you have experience with other camera brands? I understand have a lighting system is necessary for better quality shootings, is the TZ7 adapted for adding a light to it? Thanks a lot for your feedback.

froggie

 

[a4drk]

I 've just bought the TZ10 + housing
really good camera

 

[slowhands]

Panasonic has released the newer TZ10 (ZS7 in some areas like USA) and MCTZ10 underwater housing. The camera is widely available. The housing is hard to find, but a seller in Malaysia on eBay has them for about $315 (and I hear they are available in Japan).

However, the reviews say the image quality is actually better on the earlier ZS3 model. The images have fewer pixels but much less noise than those of the ZS7. Read some reviews on both before you decide. If you think you really need the features of the ZS10 (12MP, GPS, etc.), then get it. But otherwise, it seems the image quality is better on the ZS3 and it's about half the price.

 

[froggie01]

hi slowhands,

Where did you read reviews on the ZS7 being worse? As far as I know it has the same specs plus an image stabilisation device which I understood would reduce noise not increase it.

froggie

 

[Puffer Fish]

Froggie,

Anytime the next generation of P&S has more pixels, you can expect to hear that the image quality is not as good. Three very different reasons for this:

1. The tiny sensors used in point and shoot cameras have such small sensors that making them smaller really effects the low light performance.

2. At some point, the lens becomes more important than the sensor, and most P&S camera's are at or close to that point already.

3. P&S camera's should know there place and never have the same number of pixels as a good DSLR...

I try to read all the reviews and inspect images from any camera that might make a good underwater camera...so know this camera really well, and the earlier model.

Low ISO, bright light images with the ZS7 seem to be a tiny bit better..low light seems to be slightly different, which one could say was a tiny bit worse, or just look at it as a bit different. For underwater use, it should be better, which is what really should be what is important.

But the ZS7 has added a lot of very nice controls and features... making it one of handful of camera's that will work really well underwater.

I would comment though, that the released, but not available LX5 is an almost perfect camera...well except for only having a 10meg sensor. The macro, zoom ratio, raw... and over all image quality make it the best P&S feature set of any camera I have seen.

 

[froggie01]

hi puffer fish,

thanks for the input, it's good to know. I'm going to test the ZS7 and panasonic housing in January so I'll post further then. happy diving!

froggie