Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Digital Camera Review

Updated: February 27, 2012

A compact travel zoom camera with a 20X zoom lens, snappy performance, an elaborate GPS setup, and 1080/60p video recording. If only the image quality was better…

3.5 stars
(3.5 out of 5)

Overall, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 is a very capable travel zoom camera that I enjoy using. Panasonic has improved the image quality to the point where I can now recommend the ZS20 (which was not the case for its predecessor), though it still needs some work. While I’m yet to try them, I’m pretty sure that Canon and Sony’s latest travel zooms will best the ZS20 in the image quality department, as their predecessors did last year. Even with that, if you’re mostly making smaller prints or sharing them on social networking sites, then the ZS20 will do just fine. Its powerful lens, generally snappy performance, elaborate GPS setup, nice set of useful features, and Full HD video recording make it worth considering.

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Pros

Good photo quality
Packs a 20X Leica lens in a pretty compact package
Power OIS image stabilization, with active mode for movies
3-inch touchscreen LCD with 460,000 pixels, great outdoor/low light visibility
Built-in GPS with landmark database and maps
Good collection of manual controls
Intelligent Auto mode does it all for you, including scene selection, face detection, blur reduction, shadow brightening, and smart sharpening
Robust performance, especially focusing and shot-to-shot speeds
Intelligent Resolution improves sharpness
Intelligent Zoom gives you double the zoom power (though it’s best saved for small prints)
New HDR feature noticeably improves contrast, doesn’t require a tripod
Fast burst mode can shoot at 4.8 fps with continuous AF and 10 fps without it
Records Full HD video at 1080/60p with stereo sound and continuous autofocus using AVCHD or MPEG-4 codecs — optical zoom and image stabilizer can be used while recording
Optional underwater case

Cons

While improved over the ZS10, photos still have too much noise, even at ISO 100
Tends to clip highlights
Strong redeye — no removal tool in playback mode
Images have yellow/brownish cast in artificial light
No RAW, manual focus, or WB bracketing support — movie mode lacks manual controls
Slow internal battery charging system
Flimsy door over memory card/battery compartment — can’t access memory card while camera is on a tripod
Very little built-in memory — full manual on DVD