Panasonic Lumix ZS20 14.1 MP High Sensitivity MOS Digital Camera with 20x Optical Zoom (Black)
- High Sensitivity MOS Sensor
- GPS
- 3″ LCD touchscreen
The LUMIX DMC-ZS20 digital camera with an impressive 20x optical zoom, a 24mm ultra wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens and the ability to shoot full-High Definition (HD). The newly-redesigned lens system, the LUMIX ZS20 features a new mechanical structure and optical system to further improve image quality and with Nano Surface Coating technology, the LUMIX ZS20 offers stunning image clarity with minimized ghosting and flare. Beyond the quality of its lens, the LUMIX ZS20 integrates an enhanced built-in GPS*2 functionality, making it easy for users to pinpoint locations where photos were taken and share with family and friends on internet maps.
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One thing to note – plus update re photo quality,
Just got this camera, and have owned its three previous models. One thing for all to note if you are familiar with this series is that the battery must now be charged in camera with a short USB cable to a Panasonic wall charger. For me, this is a disadvantage, since I have enjoyed the flexibility of the previous arrangement — a dedicated charger into which the battery is placed outside of the camera. I found this “old” setup to be more convenient and easier to use when traveling, and easier to pack. Maybe this is not a problem for you, but it was an unpleasant surprise for me. As others have noted, though, the old charger works with this battery (same battery as before), so you can easily purchase a stand-alone charger.
Update 4-6-12
I have now taken some representative shots with the camera and have some observations. Like the previous three models, the display on this one is not ideal in bright sunlight, although it is acceptable. To my eye, the photos are really good for the category, and an improvement on the previous models. Having the extra zoom is quite nice. I have always enjoyed the Lumix menu system, which is fairly intuitive in this segment.
Since many of you are interested in the low light issues, I have taken some extremely low light shots and looked at them closely after enlarging. I find them quite good, and remarkable with a small sensor. I took a shot today, in one of our classrooms with no lights on, only illumination from an outside door half panel over 50 feet away. I cannot imagine better results with a camera this size with such challenging light.
I also took some photos outside with both bright sunlight and deep shadows in the shot. The photos were excellent, rendering detail in both the sunlit elements (as expected) and in the deep, dark shadows (pleasant surprise).
I have not made use of the touchscreen features yet, so I cannot comment on their usefulness. I assume they will be helpful in some situations.
All in all, this is an nice update to the previous models and I am sure will serve me well in my travels. It remains easily pocketable, easy to use and full of features to experiment with and explore. The compromises are few and the benefits are many.
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|Major improvement from previous model,
I had the original ZS-3 which served me well until it broke down. I purchased the ZS-10 and was disappointed with the low-light performance to the extent of returning it. The ZS-20 is a major improvement over the ZS-10.
I have taken only 100-200 pictures but the low light performance is much better and comparable (or slightly better) to the ZS-3. I don’t have hands on experience with the other supercompacts but the panasonic worked well for my needs
Pro’s
-The Zoom is phenomenal (but comparable to other super compact out there)
– AF speed is very good.
– Low light performance is ok (major improvement but still just ok)
– Flash works surprisingly well to improve overall picture quality
– Small, easy to carry around
– Same battery as previous model, so if upgrading, you can re-use old peripherals
Con’s
– Menus could be better, 2-3 clicks to get somewhere, too many buttons and dials *** see update below
– Touch screen is confusing – unclear when it’s used vs. the navigation buttons *** See update below
– Preliminary but I feel that the OS can do a better job. Might be because of the extended zoom
Overall
Great compact superzoom, small, light and produce great pictures. Does well what its intended to do.
UPDATE: April 9
– Learning curve for touch screen is faster than I originally felt
– Video looks great at good light, low light performance for video is not great compared to my panasonic camcoder
– HDR works great with minor caveat – do not shoot moving objects as the processing gets confused and the blended picture includes multiple fragments of the moving object (in my case kids). I believe this is an issue on all HDR’s – general recommendation, always take an extra pic on no HDR since a garbled HDR picture is useless
– Macro works great
– I played with custom setting on the dial which mitigates the multiple switches and dials this to some extend. For example, relatively easy managed to setup custom scene for HDR so to switch from HDR to iA is just a turn of dial
Still very positive on the camera, great buy. Easily fits into my pocket
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