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A discussion of the design of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3.
Lori Grunin
I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.
Panasonic swapped the traditional placement of the mode dial and shutter button on the ZS3, which takes a little getting used to. As you can see from the mode dial, the ZS3 doesn't offer much in the way of manual controls. The stereo mic does have a bit of separation, however.
The dedicated movie record button (the red dot) certainly comes in handy. But I'm not a fan of the playback switch as the only method of reviewing images, because you can't jump out of it with a press on the shutter.
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