Dang. Over 2x the price over at the Amazon overlord's main site.

Great reviews there, too (22 reviews, avg. 4.5 stars).

ITS VIOLATES MY PAROLE TO OWN A CAMERA.

Over 50% off from Amazon!

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-LUMIX-DMC-ZS6-DIGITAL-CAMERA/dp/B003NYRMGA

If I didn't just purchase a GH1 I'd be all over this!

I paid $10 more for this exact camera on Woot back in December, and I'd do it again if I had to, no questions asked. This is, without a doubt, the best point and shoot I've ever used. I've taken it on vacations, used it to photograph my kids—it's definitely worth it.

Paid a lot more for this last December. Takes great pictures even with my amateur self taking them, even in low light. Not the most compact choice--it's a little clunky--but that wasn't my top priority.

Own it, love it, almost tempted to buy another one Seriously--this is a GREAT camera, the LCD is amazing, the pics are sharp, the color is excellent, I have zero complaints and have had it over a year now. A great price--if you're considering it, go for it.

I bought this at costco a year or so ago. Great camera.

ONLY THING THAT SUCKS is the software's exporting program. For being a camera that is HD, it should allow you to export to youtube with at least 720p. 240p is the max... unless you export first to a DVD or to a memory card.
Can't even export in HD to an external HDD.

Their software programmers are the suck.

I bought one of these the last time around (about 6 months ago) and it has been the best digital camera I have ever owned.

I can't believe I just bought another one ... all that was going through my mind when I pushed the big yellow button was, "what if I break or lose the one I have?"

Here's what appears to be the most recent non-Woot-off Wooting of this camera, from back in December.

I don't often buy refurbs. Are they typically scratched or blemished items???

Bought one of these for my hubby withOUT the 2G card on sale for the seriously great price of $199--and it was worth every penny. My nephew who is a professional photographer uses this as his digital camera--it is really that good. I am thinking it's time to be thinking about who I can buy this for for Christmas...assuming I like anyone that much...

s650t wrote:I don't often buy refurbs. Are they typically scratched or blemished items???

I can't speak for all Woot refurbs, but I bought this exact camera as a refurb from Woot four months ago, and aside from a 'refurb' sticker on the side (which I was able to remove quite easily) it was indistinguishable from a new product.

I actually purchased the Zs7 a few months ago from Amazon. My criteria for a new camera consisted solely of a large optical zoom and pocket-size (because I hated carrying around my Sony Cybershot DSC-h3 if I wanted to take pictures).

Overall, glad I purchased the camera, because I carry it with me everywhere, and can always snap a photo if I need to now without carrying around a bigger one.

s650t wrote:I don't often buy refurbs. Are they typically scratched or blemished items???

So far, I've not gotten any with visible damage. The two cameras and netbook I bought in the last year look and perform like brand new.

I like to think of refurbs as "The manufacturer had to take the time to make sure this one was correct". If you're still anxious, get the Square Trade warranty.

Now if I had only not already bought two cameras in the last year...

I may have said it before, but in case I didn't I'll say it again... Uhh or something....

I have the ZS-1, and it is amazing, If I didn't already own the one I have now, I'd Buy this one in a heartbeat. Hell I still might...

However I do have one question: DPReview.com lists the similar models as the ZS1, ZS3, ZS5 and ZS7.
http://tinyurl.com/3v2rbn9
(Apparently there's also a ZS8 but that's a different megapixel rating)

So where does the ZS6 come from/How does it rank among these?

Where else can you get a Leica lens camera at this price. Great camera.

I've bought several refurb products from Woot before. Never had a problem with them. Sometimes they may not come in original packaging.

Scansinboy wrote:I may have said it before, but in case I didn't I'll say it again... Uhh or something....

I have the ZS-1, and it is amazing, If I didn't already own the one I have now, I'd Buy this one in a heartbeat. Hell I still might...

However I do have one question: DPReview.com lists the similar models as the ZS1, ZS3, ZS5 and ZS7.
http://tinyurl.com/3v2rbn9
(Apparently there's also a ZS8 but that's a different megapixel rating)

So where does the ZS6 come from/How does it rank among these?

The ZS6 is basically the ZS7, only without the GPS, a different video codec, and no dedicated video button. I think it may have also been a warehouse club-specific (i.e. Costco) model.

Here's a breakdown of the specific differences:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1033&message=35341048

I bought this new from Costco.com at the end of January with the 2GB card. I love it! I paid $199.99 plus tax for a total of $219.49. If there is no issue with the refurb, I'd say this is definitely a great deal! Too bad I don't need another camera.

In for one

ditto ditto ditto
love it, love it, love it.
I'm a pro. Git it!

erikendo wrote:Where else can you get a Leica lens camera at this price. Great camera.

yes, leica lens, but still panasonic sensor. i don't care if you have a million dollar lens on the front of this thing, crappy sensor = crappy pictures

My biggest criticism of this camera has aways been the Video. It uses the Motion JPEG CODEC, which is old technology. Most better cameras now use H.264, which is 4X more efficient. In other words, you can store 4x as much video of the same quality using H.264 compression than MJPEG.

I think it also uses the MOV container (or is it MP4?). If it uses MOV, that's bad news for Windows users because there is no free or shareware program that can edit MOV. Conversion is tedious, time consuming and often degrades quality.

The comparable Samsung HZ30W was only $119 on Woot, and offers superior video (H.264 compression and the rare ability to pause while recording) and 15X zoom.

If you don't want to drop the cash on a proper DSLR, this is definitely one of the best options. I have one as a back up, or for when I don't feel like lugging my camera bag around.

I guess this is a sign: I over-thought it and missed out the last three dozen times this (or something extremely similar) has been on woot. In for 1.

The big review sites, photography forums, etc all have great things to say about the ZS5-8; It's definitely more than enough to handle what 99% of us will use it for: Taking pictures of trips, etc that will go up on facebook and maybe, if we're feeling exceptionally industrious, a small electric photo frame that nobody EVER looks at.

I love my ZS7, which I bought to replace a similar previous Lumix model. I have a Canon T1i DSLR, but the ZS7 goes everywhere with me, and is really outstanding. If you search for me on Flickr, you can see the pix I have taken with this camera -- the long zoom on the Leica lens captures shots that I couldn't get with the DSLR.

This might be the best Woot of the year!

s650t wrote:I don't often buy refurbs. Are they typically scratched or blemished items???

Refurbs vary greatly in risk depending on who refurbished them. An Apple Refurb for example, comes with a full 1 year warranty and have new batteries. However woot is one of the riskiest places to get a refurb from. There is usually no telling who refurbished the product and yes, they are often scratched to heck. to make matters worse, woot has no standard return policy. so if you are not happy with the product you are out of luck! If you get a broken product then you are stuck with shipping costs and waiting weeks on manufacturers. Woot seems like a great deal but if you ever have problems with a product you will quickly understand why they have cheaper prices (i.e., they don't even have a phone bill since they have no customer service number!).

Good Luck Wooters!

Who can do math at midnight? How may wasted words in 100 photos? Humm.... 100,000!

details online look awesome, was going to by one soon anyway!

I bought this last time it was on woot. LOVE it. The zoom is my favorite part; takes very clear pictures even fully zoomed in.

was looking for a graduation gift and this fits the bill!

I have the 10 MP version, and I hate it. It won't stay in focus taking movies (even when subject is stationary and in good light), the shutter delay is awful, and indoor shots, well, I don't really bother trying those anymore. Needless to say, I wish I had gotten something else.

This was offered back in Dec and appears to be the last batch of Costco returns as it no longer listed at Costco.com. or local B&M. Sold my Costco purchase to my niece for $70 and she says loves it months later. Told her I may have to charge her more money.

hachi wrote:was looking for a graduation gift and this fits the bill!

Make sure the recipient doesn't mind getting a refurbed product before you give one as a gift. Otherwise, things can get awkward, especially if the item has scratches or other obvious flaws. Also keep in mind that refurbed products generally have a shorter warranty. And btw, removing all tags and labels that state "REFURB" won't work. If the recipient registers this camera online, the computer will tell him/her that it's refurbed, based on the Serial Number. Awkward!

Otherwise, I've only had good experiences with refurbed items.

Is there much delay when you are taking the pic? I need a fast pic for animal shots at the shelter for adoption photos. When it delays, you loose the shot.

cranec85 wrote:I bought this last time it was on woot. LOVE it. The zoom is my favorite part; takes very clear pictures even fully zoomed in.

More importantly, it has optical stabilization, which is crucial when zooming. In fact, it seems to have several stabilization modes.

Anybody able to tell me how this does in low light situations? Particularly at concerts where the subjects are jumping around like humans? If I'm in the front row, I want good shots. How fast does it capture the image? Is there a significant delay between pressing the shutter button and the image being recorded? I have seen this in other models...

Thanks!

Catjunky wrote:Is there much delay when you are taking the pic? I need a fast pic for animal shots at the shelter for adoption photos. When it delays, you loose the shot.

One way around that is to take HD videos of the animal (on a tripod) and then create screen captures from the videos. Many cameras, like my Samsung HZ30W, will allow you to do screen captures on the camera. If not, simply do so on the computer. Most video players have the function.

sdc100 wrote:One way around that is to take HD videos of the animal (on a tripod) and then create screen captures from the videos. Many cameras, like my Samsung HZ30W, will allow you to do screen captures on the camera. If not, simply do so on the computer. Most video players have the function.

For concerts and other events when you're away from a computer and need to conserve memory, though, this isn't the best option. It really does need to be responsive.

Anyone familiar with the time between pressing the shutter release and the shutter actually going?