The TZ in Panasonic cameras stand for Travel Zoom, and indeed the TZs are versatile cameras, near ideal for travel…if you can live without a viewfinder.

PROS

• extremely versatile 28-280mm (35mm equivalent) zoom range with very little lens distortion at any focal length
• sharp  lens
• excellent, bright 3″ LCD screen, except when bright sun hits it.
• camera is well-built and a great size; a little heavier than it looks.
• you can set the maximum ISO limit when using Intelligent ISO; a nice feature since the TZ3 leaves a lot to be desired at higher ISO numbers
• Auto Exposure Bracketing and Exposure Compensation easily accessed
• Quick Setting – fast access to key camera settings via the Function button
• variable screen ratios

CONS

• no viewfinder
• read the manual; camera menu icons have no text explanations, though most are quite intuitive
• slow lens; aperture at wide angle is only f3.3
• noise and some loss of fine detail even when using ISO 100, though may not be noticeable when an image is reduced in size
• in-camera noise reduction at higher ISO numbers blurs fine detail and colors bleed - not an ideal camera for those who take a lot of low light photos.
• easy to hit a button that brings up a menu while shooting; annoying
• poor flash – not the best camera for those who have high expectations for or do a lot of low light photography
• lackluster macro mode
• lacks manual controls (not an issue for many since it has plenty of useful scene modes)