Panasonic LUMIX DMC ZS20 Review | 108 Data compared

The CNET review awards the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 an "excellent" 8.3/10 rating, praising its 20x optical zoom Leica lens packed into a 1.1-inch, pocketable body. Key strengths include rapid autofocus, 10 fps burst shooting, and 1080/60p video, with added convenience from built-in GPS, HDR, and panorama modes. Conversely, the camera suffers from short battery life due to high power consumption from the screen and GPS, along with noticeable barrel distortion at the wide angle. Despite improvements over its predecessor, it lacks advanced features like RAW support, yet remains a top choice for a compact travel zoom.

The DPReview evaluation of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 highlights a versatile, feature-packed travel zoom with an impressive 20x Leica lens, rapid 10 fps burst mode, and effective image stabilization, all packed into a pocketable body. Key features include Full HD 1080/60p video, a 3-inch touchscreen, and advanced GPS with built-in maps, making it a strong contender for travel photography. However, the review details significant image quality compromises, as the 14.1 MP sensor produces noticeable noise and aggressive, "mushy" noise reduction even at base ISO. Further drawbacks include clipped highlights in high-contrast scenes, lack of RAW/manual modes for enthusiasts, and a sluggish menu system. For the full, detailed review, visit DPReview.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 is a compact superzoom digital camera that features a 20x optical zoom lens with a 24-480mm equivalent focal range, making it exceptionally wide for its class. Equipped with a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor, it performs well under high ISO settings—up to ISO 800—keeping image noise under 1.5 percent. Additionally, it offers a 3-inch touch-screen LCD for intuitive navigation, a built-in GPS with map functionality for geotagging, and versatile video recording capabilities, including 1080p60 AVCHD and 1080p30 MP4 formats. While the camera serves as a solid budget-friendly option, it carries several performance drawbacks. On the positive side, its major pros include its long and wide zoom range, reliable high ISO performance, smooth 1080p60 video capture, and integrated GPS system. Conversely, its main cons are a noticeable lag in image sharpness, as it resolves only 1,662 lines compared to the 1,800 required for a sharp photo, and a relatively slow startup and shooting time of 2.3 seconds. Furthermore, its physical design places the flash directly on the front next to the grip, making it prone to being accidentally blocked...

The Panasonic Lumix ZS20 (also known as the TZ30) is a highly pocketable travel superzoom camera that stands out for squeezing an impressive 20x optical zoom lens (24-480mm equivalent) into a body that is significantly slimmer and lighter than its 2012 rivals from Canon and Sony. It introduces a upgraded 14-megapixel MOS sensor designed to fix the poor low-light noise performance of its predecessor, alongside a 3-inch touch-sensitive screen that allows for intuitive features like tap-to-focus and touch-shutter control. Performance highlights include fast autofocus acquisition, 1080p progressive video recording at 50p/60p, and a robust continuous shooting rate of up to 10fps at full resolution. Additionally, its built-in GPS capabilities have been heavily upgraded to include full global map displays alongside a localized landmark database, while adding the major convenience of charging the battery inside the camera via USB. However, the camera comes with several notable drawbacks, particularly regarding physical operation and stability at long focal lengths. A major handling complaint is Panasonic's insistence on using a physical switch to toggle between record and playback modes, which can easily cause users...

The Panasonic DMC-ZS20 Review by Reviewed highlights the camera as a highly pocketable travel-zoom model that brings massive performance upgrades over its predecessor, the ZS10. A major pro is its retooled 14.1-megapixel Live MOS image sensor, which offers vastly superior high ISO performance and keeps image noise to a minimum up to ISO 3200. It also boasts a powerful 20x optical zoom lens, an excellent burst mode capable of capturing 10 frames per second at full resolution, and exceptional 1080/60p AVCHD video recording that delivers sharp images and smooth motion rendition. Additionally, intermediate and advanced users will appreciate the physical mode dial and quick menu, which allow for a fair measure of manual authority over exposure settings. However, the compact camera does come with several notable cons. The 20x lens compromises edge sharpness for its expansive reach, dropping from 2000 LW/PH at the center down to 600 LW/PH at the edges, and suffers from blue chromatic aberration fringing in high-contrast areas. Color accuracy also took a significant hit, offering only four limited color modes. Furthermore, the built-in GPS is largely...

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 (ZS20) is a versatile travel camera featuring a 20x optical zoom lens with image stabilization, providing strong color rendition, fine detail, and rapid autofocus. It features a 3-inch touchscreen alongside physical controls, plus Full HD video recording with stereo sound and built-in GPS mapping for geotagging. ePHOTOzine While the camera offers high-speed shooting, it is lauded for having very few drawbacks in its performance as a capable compact, according to ePHOTOzine. The review highly recommends it as a well-rounded option for travelers.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 is a flagship travel compact camera that packs a massive 20x optical zoom (24-480mm equivalent) into a slim, pocketable metal shell. Released as an incremental yet refined upgrade over its predecessor, it features a 14-megapixel MOS sensor re-engineered for a better signal-to-noise ratio, an expanded sensitivity range reaching up to ISO 3200, and an upgraded image stabilization system to counter camera shake. The camera comes highly equipped for travelers, incorporating an overhauled autofocus system borrowed from the Lumix G series, built-in GPS with an on-board map, 3D shooting capabilities, and an intuitive touchscreen LCD display that facilitates user-friendly navigation. It also steps up its video performance by capturing Full HD video at 1080p at 50 frames per second. The camera's primary strengths lie in its exceptional build quality, extensive feature set, a highly decent touchscreen interface, and a massive zoom range compressed into slim proportions. However, it does come with notable drawbacks, most significantly the lack of raw file capture, short battery life, and weak noise suppression when shooting at mid-to-high ISO levels. Furthermore, priced at...