size of charger? I have had a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 (7.2MP / 6x optical zoom), for about 3 years, and I love it. However, I want a camera with more optical zoom. One thing I love about the Lz7 is that it takes AA batteries. I use rechargable AAs, but it is very convenient when on long trips and/or travelling abroad because if the batteries run out, I can buy AAs anywhere. I keep my camera in my purse and take it everywhere at all times. I can't be carrying around a bulky charger, too. I'm considering he ZS1 or one of the which uses rechargable batteries. Which brings us to my question: how bulky is the battery charger on the ZS1? Will it fit in a small camera pouch with the camera?Thanks! size of charger? I have had a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 (7.2MP / 6x optical zoom), for about 3 years, and I love it. However, I want a camera with more optical zoom. One thing I love about the Lz7... » Read More size of charger? I have had a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 (7.2MP / 6x optical zoom), for about 3 years, and I love it. However, I want a camera with more optical zoom. One thing I love about the Lz7 is that it takes AA batteries. I use rechargable AAs, but it is very convenient when on long trips and/or travelling abroad because if the batteries run out, I can buy AAs anywhere. I keep my camera in my purse and take it everywhere at all times. I can't be carrying around a bulky charger, too. I'm considering he ZS1 or one of the which uses rechargable batteries. Which brings us to my question: how bulky is the battery charger on the ZS1? Will it fit in a small camera pouch with the camera?Thanks! « Show Less
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Ginkgo, I know what you re talking about regarding AA batteries. You can find them everywhere. I bought a ZS1 to take to the Philippines rencently. The rechargeable battery is smaller than two AAs. The charger is a bit smaller than half a pack of cancer sticks, and will handle 110-220 volts although you may need an adapter. Charger and adapter are smaller than half a pack and weigh less than two AAs. Both my wife and I took our cameras and chargers. Weight and size are no problem for us one-bag travellers. Monte L. Steiger
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Hi there, I'm just confirming what John said. I ordered this for a Panasonic ZS35 which, per Panasonic, uses the same battery (part #: DMW-BCM13). This charger and battery set has worked well for me. I do notice, however, that when these two batteries start to get low, the camera can misbehave a bit. For example, the lens won't zoom correctly, or the camera is slow to respond to changes in the settings. All of this resolves when a fully charged battery is installed. These batteries also may last for a tiny bit less time in the camera versus the OEM battery, but not enough to concern me. Hope this helps! Hi there, I'm just confirming what John said. I ordered this for a Panasonic ZS35 which, per Panasonic, uses the same battery (part #: DMW-BCM13). This charger and battery set has worked well for me. I do notice, however, that when these two batteries start to get low, the camera can misbehave a bit. For example, the lens won't zoom correctly, or the camera is slow to respond to changes in the settings. All of this resolves when a fully charged battery is installed. These batteries also may last for a tiny bit less time in the camera versus the OEM battery, but not enough to concern me.... » Read More Hi there, I'm just confirming what John said. I ordered this for a Panasonic ZS35 which, per Panasonic, uses the same battery (part #: DMW-BCM13). This charger and battery set has worked well for me. I do notice, however, that when these two batteries start to get low, the camera can misbehave a bit. For example, the lens won't zoom correctly, or the camera is slow to respond to changes in the settings. All of this resolves when a fully charged battery is installed. These batteries also may last for a tiny bit less time in the camera versus the OEM battery, but not enough to concern me. Hope this helps! « Show Less
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yes batteries work great in my lumix and i like to carrier extra batteries with me. i took my camera home to oregon from texas, and i needed to charge them up while at thebeach, just plug the charger into outlet in car and it worked great. have had no trouble at all with them, and yes i would buy them again if i needed them. i have had these for about7 months now.
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No, this camera takes regular, or lithium, AA cells, two of them. You can use rechargeable AA cells, but you'd need the separate charger for them, and a charge does not last as long as the lithium batteries. The regular AA cells don't last long at all. The camera takes beautiful photos, and the 14X zoom is great for concerts.
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I like this camera very much and, yes, it does have rechargeable batteries. However, the charge does not last as long as I would like. Previously I used cameras with rechargeable AA batteries and the charge lasted much longer. Depending on how you use a camera, this might affect your decision. I only use a camera while traveling and take lots of pictures every day so how long the charge lasts is important to me. I do keep extra batteries with me but it's kind of irritating to have to stop and change batteries during a 'Kodak moment' which lasts only a few seconds. While I am happy with this camera, I think I'll go back to the ones that use rechargeable AA batteries. I like this camera very much and, yes, it does have rechargeable batteries. However, the charge does not last as long as I would like. Previously I used cameras with rechargeable AA batteries and the charge lasted much longer. Depending on how you use a camera, this might affect your decision. I only use a camera while traveling and take lots of pictures every day so how long the charge lasts is important to me. I do keep extra batteries with me but it's kind of irritating to have to stop and change batteries during a 'Kodak moment' which lasts only a few seconds. While I am happy with this... » Read More I like this camera very much and, yes, it does have rechargeable batteries. However, the charge does not last as long as I would like. Previously I used cameras with rechargeable AA batteries and the charge lasted much longer. Depending on how you use a camera, this might affect your decision. I only use a camera while traveling and take lots of pictures every day so how long the charge lasts is important to me. I do keep extra batteries with me but it's kind of irritating to have to stop and change batteries during a 'Kodak moment' which lasts only a few seconds. While I am happy with this camera, I think I'll go back to the ones that use rechargeable AA batteries. « Show Less
2068775
DMW-BCL7 Battery & Battery Charger for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ3 DMC-XS1 DMC-FH10 DMC-F5 Digital Camera + LCD Screen Protectors + Cleaning Cloth THis is the battery and charger for the DMC-SZ3!
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Good_Person, Your preference for a "proprietary battery so you can see battery meter on LCD (unlike with the AA batteries)" suggests you haven't used Lumix cameras like our LZ7 and LZ8. The setup menus in these cameras let you choose battery type, so the camera's battery charge indicator is accurate and the camera works well whether you're using disposable alkalines or rechargeable NiMH cells. As far as I know, Canon cameras that use AA cells still don't have this feature. I know for a fact that our PowerShot cameras don't have it. I prefer cameras that can use NiMH AA cells, because AAs are so readily available at reasonable cost, last long, and can be substituted by alkalines if necessary. Good_Person, Your preference for a "proprietary battery so you can see battery meter on LCD (unlike with the AA batteries)" suggests you haven't used Lumix cameras like our LZ7 and LZ8. The setup menus in these cameras let you choose battery type, so the camera's battery charge indicator is accurate and the camera works well whether you're using disposable alkalines or rechargeable NiMH cells. As far as I know, Canon cameras that use AA cells still don't have this feature. I know for a fact that our PowerShot cameras don't have it. I prefer cameras that can use NiMH AA... » Read More Good_Person, Your preference for a "proprietary battery so you can see battery meter on LCD (unlike with the AA batteries)" suggests you haven't used Lumix cameras like our LZ7 and LZ8. The setup menus in these cameras let you choose battery type, so the camera's battery charge indicator is accurate and the camera works well whether you're using disposable alkalines or rechargeable NiMH cells. As far as I know, Canon cameras that use AA cells still don't have this feature. I know for a fact that our PowerShot cameras don't have it. I prefer cameras that can use NiMH AA cells, because AAs are so readily available at reasonable cost, last long, and can be substituted by alkalines if necessary. « Show Less
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I use rechargeable AA's. I buy either Duracell or energizer, and depending on how much I zoom or use the special filters, I get around 200-250 pictures per charge. I keep two sets charged when I'm on vacation, one in the camera and one in my bag, just in case I need extras. I haven't taken any video, so I can't help with that. I've used photo lithiums in another Fuji and gotten pretty good results as well. I wouldn't recommend using just basic batteries unless it was an emergency because you don't get a whole lot of photo time with regular AA's.
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Yes, actually I use rechargeable batteries AA. I have two brands, phillips and sony, and Sony batteries work much more better. If you use Sony batteries around 2000 mAh (I think mine are 2100) camara will last a long long time. Sony charger worked excellent with sony and other brands batteries. Besides that, this canon take good pictures with the right day light, not at noght (like most of its kind), and flash consumes a lot of battery and takes some time to recharge after the light. But for the price, is great. The optical zoom is good, the digital is not. And finally, it has also manual settings. Yes, actually I use rechargeable batteries AA. I have two brands, phillips and sony, and Sony batteries work much more better. If you use Sony batteries around 2000 mAh (I think mine are 2100) camara will last a long long time. Sony charger worked excellent with sony and other brands batteries. Besides that, this canon take good pictures with the right day light, not at noght (like most of its kind), and flash consumes a lot of battery and takes some time to recharge after the light. But for the price, is great. The optical zoom is good, the digital is not. And finally, it has also manual... » Read More Yes, actually I use rechargeable batteries AA. I have two brands, phillips and sony, and Sony batteries work much more better. If you use Sony batteries around 2000 mAh (I think mine are 2100) camara will last a long long time. Sony charger worked excellent with sony and other brands batteries. Besides that, this canon take good pictures with the right day light, not at noght (like most of its kind), and flash consumes a lot of battery and takes some time to recharge after the light. But for the price, is great. The optical zoom is good, the digital is not. And finally, it has also manual settings. « Show Less
191544
I don't understand what you mean by get tired. Rechargeable batteries normally have a limited but large number of time you can drain and recharge -around a thousand times. But as the battery gets to be recharged more often, the amount of energy the battery can store diminishes through time. There comes a time when the battery seem to take a longer time to charge but discharges very fast when in use. When this happens, it's time to replace the battery pack. I hope it answers your question. Another thing to note is that in other models of Lumix, the product box comes with a battery charger inside. in the case of the Lumix DMC SZ3, the camera itself acts as the very battery charger. Charging is done through USB when you connect to a computer or when you connect the USB cable to an USB adopter/wall-outlet-plug. There is an LED on the camera that lights up when the camera is charging and which turns off when fully charged. I hope I answered your question.
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I, too, am using the 1200 mAh battery in my Lumix FZ150, as well as the 7.2 v 895mAh. No problems at all.
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Your responses have been very helpful! I have always used Sony cameras and when looking to upgrade to a good zoom, I find Sony does not have a date stamp on any of their higher end cameras :-( so I'm looking to Panasonic. My question to you is - will this Panasonic FZ18 do well when just set to automatic when used for zooming? I like GOOD pictures...but don't like fiddling with the camera and losing the "moment." Also, what is the difference between OPTICAL zoom and DIGITAL zoom? Thank you.
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I'm no expert, but they work great with my SZ-7, and it has a Lumix (by Panasonic) battery pack model DMW-BCK7PP 3.6V 680mAh 2.5Wh Li-ion for its original battery. The Wasabi is a BTR-BCK7-JWP 3.6V 1100mAh which says it replaces all model DMW-BCK7, model DMW-BCK7PP, and model DMW-BCK7E rechargeable Li-ion batteries, so if the SZ-3 you're looking at has that kind of original battery, the Wasabi should work for it. Good luck!
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I'm sorry but I really can't tell you. I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10. My camera came with an authentic Panasonic battery and battery charger. It worked great but I wanted an additional battery so I ordered a battery charger with two batteries that came in a kit. It said that they were compatible with my camera and could be substituted for the Panasonic battery, had the same battery number but was not authentic Panasonic. I found that although they worked briefly in my camera they didn't work the next time I used my camera. Both of these batteries acted the same way. When I used the authentic Panasonic battery it worked perfectly. I then ordered another authentic Panasonic battery and although it was more expensive than the two battery/charger kit, this new battery worked great. My husband told me to throw out the other battery kit because it may damage my camera. The second authentic Panasonic battery that I ordered was identical in every way to the battery that came with my camera. At least in my case, I would not order a substitute battery for my camera even if they say it is compatible. It may ruin your camera. My advice is to find out the number of the authentic Panasonic battery that your owner manual recommends (mine is DMW-BCG10PP) and order that authentic Panasonic battery. The off-brand substitute batteries I ordered would not hold a charge and I had to replace them each time I used the camera. I then would recharge these batteries and they would again only hold enough charge for one use - then they were dead.
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A recommendation about batteries: For flashlights, the newer type of rechargeables, the low-self-discharge (LSD?) type are great. They can sit in storage for years, while keeping most of their power. And they can be recharged hundreds of times, with no 'memory effect'. To see an example, do a search on Amazon product ID number B00JHKSMJU (Panasonic Enloop). They are also built sturdier, to avoid leaks. The downside is that they were more expensive to buy (and I had to buy a compatible charger too), but am saving money in the long run.
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I don't know. I do know that most battery chargers are very specific to the batteries that they will charge. The battery chargers a and the batteries I have very specific milliamps and also voltage requirements. A 500 mA battery and a 700 mA battery are not the same. Likewise a 7.4 V and a 7.2 V batteries and chargers are not the same. So I think the best thing to do is to check with the Panasonic people to see what battery charger you should use and can use. Hope this helps good luck
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Thanks for your recommendation of the Panasonic Lumix LZ8. (Like others in this dialogue, I'm looking to replace a Nikon that was very disappointing.) It's been three years since your post, and I've noticed that it's hard now to find an LZ8. Is there a newer Panasonic you'd recommend with the same enthusiasm now? Thanks for your help.