Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Pro Reviews

The Panasonic ZS20 looks so much like any other pocket camera that you might walk right by it as it sits on the digicam shelf at your nearest Big Store. You'd never know it packs a 20x zoom with GPS and touch screen control. Last year we recommended skipping the ZS10 in favor of the next model. And here we are. The touch screen still leaves us flat, the GPS feature is not among the better implementations, but sufficient for recording location. I did like the 20x zoom in the rather nicely-designed body, but I was mystified by the rush to ISO 800 even on flash shots.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 squeezes a 20x zoom lens into its compact body. It isn't the fastest camera, and the lens lags behind the competition in sharpness, but it does well at higher ISOs and has a built-in GPS.

Panasonic's new travel-zoom compact camera is now stepping on the toes of more modest ultra-zoom bridge models, cramming a 20x zoom lens into a relatively tiny body. In many ways the DMC-TZ30 is also a big improvement on last year's TZ20 model, with a better image sensor, full 1080p HD movies, faster auto-focus system, more refined design and of course that even longer zoom. With the same price tag of £349 / $349, the DMC-TZ30 is both a definite upgrade to the TZ20 and a pocketable camera that can deal with most things that you throw at it.

Panasonic originally invented the concept of a pocket super-zoom camera, but now shares this lucrative market with all the big names. As such when it comes to the annual update of its best-seller, the company is increasingly pulling-out all the stops to make improvements and stay a step-ahead of rivals. So now the latest ZS20 / TZ30 boasts a longer 20x optical range squeezed into a slimmer body, full 1080p video, a raft of special effects and built-in GPS mapping in addition to the database of landmarks introduced a couple of generations ago. For many though, the most important improvement for the ZS20 / TZ30 regards image quality, which was disappointing on its predecessor. Well I'm pleased to say Panasonic has visibly improved the quality of photos, although I can't help feeling the simple adoption of the Lumix FZ150's sensor would have been even better (and it also begs the question whether the cheaper ZS15 / TZ25 might deliver better-looking photos). But the important point is the photo quality of the ZS20 / TZ30 is better than its predecessor. You still won't have noise-free images with this pixel density, but overall I was satisfied with the output which is more than can be said for last year's model.

What’s not to like? The TZ30 has taken everything that made the TZ20 good and made it one step better. As follow-ups go they don’t come much better. However, battery life could be longer and image quality could be improved further – though that’s common for most, if not all, compact cameras. Listing the TZ30’s positives is easy: the massive zoom is an obvious attraction, but it also works extremely well and is backed up by impressive image stabilisation; the autofocus is among the fastest you’ll find in a compact camera; and the host of other technologies and a great 1080p movie mode make the TZ30 an immediate crowd pleaser. It’s rare to find a compact camera that’s got so much going for it. The £329 price tag isn’t small, but the TZ30 offers big things for the money.

The Panasonic Lumix TZ30 is quite an expensive camera, although when you take into account the raft of functions it starts to appear good value. Features are one thing, though - image quality is quite another. Although the Panasonic Lumix TZ30 is capable of capturing good pictures, we don't feel the camera's images match the high levels of performance it delivers elsewhere. That said, it's a great all-rounder that gives you a versatile optical zoom, 1080p HD video capture and GPS in a robust body. Few compacts include such an efficient autofocus system, too. While it's a step up from the TZ20 in terms of performance and picture quality, it's possibly not a significant enough one to rush into upgrading.

Beaten for image quality in low light, but in almost every other respect this is the best pocket-sized ultra-zoom camera available

The Panasonic Lumix TZ30 is a serious advance to the TZ-series and delivers in every area. If you're after a pocketable, powerful and easy to use compact camera then the TZ30 is up there with the very best. Although image quality isn't going to see off a larger-sensor competitor, and there's still no Raw capture, this consumer-targeted compact does show improvement compared to the TZ20 model of last year and has plenty of other positives to outweigh these small downsides. The significant zoom range, super-fast autofocus, fantastic image stabilisation and a touchscreen that adds genuine appeal all help the camera to sell itself. Price-wise it's far from budget, but at £329 it's better value than the previous TZ20 release. This is one capable compact and a serious alternative to far bulkier superzoom models. An out and out winner.

The Lumix DMC-ZS20 certainly doesn’t skimp on features, and it’s designed with the demanding traveler in mind. You’ll find better overall image quality in other cameras, but the ZS20’s range of shooting options is second to none in its class. If you buy this camera, you may want to delve into its scene modes, white balance settings, and creative controls outside of Intelligent Auto mode for the best results.

Panasonic's ZS20 is a very attractive compact digital for a variety of reasons, first of which is that big zoom lens that can telescope all the way from 24mm up to 480mm yet travel around in a shirt pocket (power off, of course). Add in good still image and video quality, manual exposure controls, a responsive shutter, quick autofocus acquisition time and a capable stabilization system for shooting at long focal lengths and it's pretty clear the ZS20 oozes versatility. The LCD monitor can be a bit difficult to use in outdoor light, and while this may truly be said of almost any monitor, the ZS20 might be a little bit worse than average. Having to charge batteries in the camera (and the camera being unavailable for any other function such as post processing images during battery charging periods) is not optimal for a camera whose 260 shot battery life will require multiple batteries for all day shoots - unless, of course, you think waking every two or three hours through the night so you can have a fresh set of batteries in the morning is the way to go. And while we're at it, Panasonic, please give us a formatting command in the intelligent auto menu.

The Lumix DMC-ZS20 is arguably the most full-featured travel zoom on the market. Its Intelligent Auto mode and decent set of manual controls combined with an elaborate GPS setup and 1080/60p movie mode make it a traveller's delight. Unfortunately its image quality is not as good as the rest of the package, and enthusiasts may miss things like RAW and manual focus.

The past few top-of-the-line ZS models from Panasonic have been very good, but the Lumix DMC-ZS20 finally makes it over to excellent. The lens is nice, but it's really the overall combination of features, improved low-light photo and video quality, and fast shooting performance that take it up a notch.