Panasonic Lumix ZS20 14.1 MP High Sensitivity MOS Digital Camera with 20x Optical Zoom (Black)

by Panasonic

• 24mm Ultra Wide Angle LEICA DC Lens with 20x Optical Zoom
• Full HD video recording with stereo microphone
• 0.1sec Light Speed AF
• 12MB built-in memory
• Supports SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4.1 x 1.1 x 2.3 inches ; 6.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00728ZBA2
• Item model number: DMC-ZS20K
• Batteries 1 Lithium ion batteries required. (included)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (486 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
  • #85 in Camera & Photo > Point-and-Shoot Digital Cameras
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 30, 2012

Product Description

Color: Black

From the Manufacturer

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-ZS20 14.1 MP High Sensitivity MOS Digital Camera with 20x Optical Zoom and 3.0-inch LCD Display, GPS with Map View & Ultra Wide Angle - Black

Never Lose a Great Shot and Never Get Lost, the ZS20K Digital Camera with Built-In GPS

Geo-Tag Family and Friends, Built-In GPS notes your Favorite Landmarks and Locations Right from Your Digital Camera

This compact GPS digital camera is an excellent travel companion! Covering 203 countries/regions with landmark information for than a million spots in 82 countries/regions, your memory-making scenes will be attached to their real-time world locale with the LUMIX ZS20K GPS digital camera. Revel in a host of travel-friendly functions such as My Location, Auto Clock Setting, and My Landmark Function. When you select the GPS function, the name of the country, state, township or city that you are visiting will be recorded to your photo or video. Traveling in unfamiliar places? No worries! LUMIX GPS will point you to nearby landmarks, helping you find your way.

Let Intelligent Zoom Bring It Closer

20x Zoom with an Ultra Wide-Angle Lens catches all the action
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From stunning architecture to natural landscapes to the funny face your child makes, let Panasonic's powerful 20x optical zoom, with the ZS20K digital camera, bring them into your frame for those special moments. With Intelligent Zoom, extend your reach twice as far, from 20x to 40x, bringing your subjects even closer whether you are shooting pictures or filming a video. And take advantage of the 24mm Ultra Wide-angle Lens - rare on a compact GPS digital camera - giving you a wider range of creative shots due to its viewing space which is approximately 213% larger when compared to a 35mm digital camera.

Shoot like a Pro with these Professional-Grade Control Features on the ZS20 Compact GPS Digital Camera

Go after those pictures-in-the-making with Panasonic's new 12.1MP High Sensitivity MOS Sensor and Venus Engine.
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The ZS20K compact digital camera comes with the newly developed 12.1-megapixel High Sensitivity MOS sensor, and high performance image processing (LSI Venus Engine) provide high speed response, high sensitivity recording and superb image quality to capture even the most fleeting photo opportunities. The ratio of the MOS sensor and the Intelligent Noise Reduction system in the Venus Engine adjusts photos and videos taken in sensitive areas and creates clear, crisp imagery. For low-light images, the camera's Multi-process Noise Reduction System produces dramatically clear photos and videos. Intelligent HDR (High Dynamic Range) in the digital camera's iA Mode overlays several still pictures consecutively shot at different exposure levels and produces a single composite picture avoiding over or under exposure.

Take a Picture and Record It in Full 1080/60p HD with the LUMIX ZS20K Point and Shoot Camera

All-at-once: Shoot and Record in Full HD with Photo Style, Creative Video, MPEG-4, and 3D.

The camera's Motion Picture button lets you record while taking photos without having to switch modes. Make videos in full HD 1,920x1,080 60p in both AVCHD Progressive (MPEG-4) and MP4 formats. The 20x optical zoom, with its redesigned side lever for easier zooming access, captures highly natural expressions and fast-moving sports scenes that the naked eye may miss. Play it back in dramatic slow motion and see the difference. Creative Control and Photo Style render your unique style by coordinating colors to your subject and its surroundings. The Creative Video Mode lets you adjust the shutter speed and aperture any way you like when shooting videos.

Snap in Under a Second with the ZS20 Compact GPS Digital Camera

Catch the action even when air-bourne with quick start-up time and Light Speed Auto Focus.
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Click in the moment with a quick start-up time of approx. 0.95 sec. and Light Speed Auto Focus. Get 12 fps full resolution photographs with the 12.1-megapixel MOS sensor as you take a series of shots. Snap consecutively at approx. 5.5 fps/2 fps with Auto Focus Tracking. And the GPS digital camera's newly added focus mode AF Flexible resets automatically when your subject moves. Even high-speed burst shooting is possible with the ZS20 camera's electronic shutter. In Intelligent Burst Shooting, the frame rate sets according to the subject's movement. And faster data transfer is possible as the DMC-ZS20 is compatible with the Ultra High Speed-I standard SDHC/SDXC Memory Card.

Advanced Technology Reduces Glare and Minimizes Image Blurring

Minimize blur and produce picture perfect photos with Nano Surface Coating technology.

Panasonic's Nano Surface Coating technology, on the ZS20 camera, minimizes light reflection within the entire zoom range (380nm-780nm) thus reducing glare and producing super clear pictures. The LUMIX ZS20's powerful 20x optical zoom can be increased to the 40x equivalent with the Intelligent Zoom function, taking advantage of its Intelligent Resolution technology which brings images to life. The LUMIX camera's POWER O.I.S. (Optical Image Stabilizer) minimizes blur, even when zoomed, and Active Mode effectively suppresses handshake vibrations in both still picture taking and video recording.

A Long Zoom Camera that is Easy to Use

iA mode removes motion blur and ensures crisp edges even in long zoom
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Shooting subjects on-the-go under strong sunlight is easy thanks to a minimized screen freeze and the newly developed 0.2-inch EVF (Electronic Viewfinder) that incorporates a 100% field-of-vision that adds high resolution to every scene. With an LCD that rotates 180° on its side and tilts 270° up and down, dynamic, artistic framing is possible with the ZS20 LUMIX digital camera. When propped on a tripod (using Auto Focus and iA Intelligent Auto mode), the camera does all the work, leaving you free to compose shots and capture moments in both photo and video recording. In iA Plus Mode, you have a range of creative settings from Motion Deblur to Scene Detection and more.

A LUMIX Camera that Makes Sharing Your Photos With Your Social Media Circles Easy

Make sure your images make the social circles with easy uploading to Facebook and YouTube.
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With the ZS20 LUMIX GPS digital camera, upload photos and videos instantly to Facebook and videos to YouTube sharing the URL with family and friends via email. Photos or videos recorded in AVCHD on the SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Cards are easy to view on a Panasonic VIERA TV. Simply insert the card into the SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card slot in a VIERA TV or DIGA Blu-ray Disc player and view your content. You can also use an optional HDMI mini cable to export your images onto the VIERA Link. Viewing images taken in the 3D Photo Mode via the 3D VIERA TV will offer an exciting experience.

More Creative Controls & Photo Styles Tell Your Photographic Story

Photo Style, 8 new creative controls, and 3D Imagery will elevate your photographic journey.

Want a GPS digital camera that creates expressive and fun scenes? Choose from among 8 new and 6 original creative control effects as you play with a range from Toy Effect to Star Filter and Impressive Art. Add an artistic touch in Photo Style to your pictures and videos with 6 customizable color types, like Vivid. And get more shooting control with the new Panorama Shot, the Intelligent Handheld Night Shot (iA Mode generates an illuminated night scene), and the White Balance Bracket function, which shoots 3 consecutive photos while adjusting the white balance. You can even produce 3D Images with the LUMIX ZS20 compact digital camera. For advanced photographers, use the manual control mode for even greater creative license.

Accessorize Away with these Great Panasonic LUMIX Products

Marine Case MCTZ30
Go underwater to take stills or to record marine life. Exposure and colors are automatically optimized with special functions.

Panasonic Gold Series SDHC Memory Cards
Choose from 8, 16, 32, or 64 GB memory cards in this gold series that meets your ever-increasing storage demand.

High Capacity ID Secured Battery DMW-BCG10
Keep this replacement Lithium-Ion battery handy for when you need an extra power source for your LUMIX.

HDMI Mini Cable RP-CHEM15-K
High speed HDMI Mini cable with Ethernet 4.9ft long, transmits HD digital video up to 1080p resolution in 16-bit color

Panasonic Point and Shoot Camera Comparison Chart

	LUMIX FZ200	LUMIX LX7	LUMIX FZ60	LUMIX ZS20
Dimensions (W x H x D)	125.2 x 86.6 x 110.2 mm / (4.93 x 3.41 x 4.34 inch)	110.5 x 67.1 x 45.6 mm / (4.35 x 2.64 x 1.80 inch)	120.3 x 80.8 x 91.9 mm / (4.74 x 3.18 x 3.62 inch)	104.9 x 58.9 x 28.2 mm / (4.13 x 2.32 x 1.11 inch)
Camera Effective Pixels	12.1 Megapixels	10.1 Megapixels	16.1 Megapixels	14.1 Megapixels
Optical Zoom	24x	3.8x	24x	20x
Focal Length	f=4.5 - 108mm (25 - 600mm in 35mm equiv.) / (28 - 672mm in 35mm equiv. in video recording)	f=4.7 - 17.7mm (24 - 90mm in 35mm equiv.)	f=4.5 - 108mm (25 - 600mm in 35mm equiv.) / (28 - 672mm in 35mm equiv. in video recording)	f=4.3 - 86.0mm (24 - 480mm in 35mm equiv.) / (28-560mm in 35mm equiv. in video recording)
Lens	LEICA DC VARIO-ELMARIT (Nano Surface Coating) / 14 elements in 11 groups / (5 Aspherical Lenses / 9 Aspherical surfaces / 3 ED Lenses / 1 Nano Surface Coating Lens)	LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMILUX / 11 elements in 10 groups / (5 Aspherical Lenses / 9 Aspherical surfaces / 2 ED Lenses(1 Aspherical ED lens) / 1 Nano surface Coating Lens)	LEICA DC VARIO- ELMARIT / 14 elements in 10 groups / (2 Aspherical Lenses / 3 Aspherical Surfaces / 3 ED Lenses / 1 Nano Surface Coating Lens)	LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR / 12 elements in 10 groups / (3 Aspherical Lenses / 6 Aspherical surfaces / 2 ED Lenses)
Optical Image Stabilizer	Power O.I.S. (On with Active Mode(only for Video) / Off)	Power O.I.S. (On/Off)	Power O.I.S. (On with Active Mode(only for Video) / Off)	Power O.I.S. (On with Active Mode(only for motion picture) / Off)
Focusing Area	Normal: Wide 30 cm - infinity / Tele 200 cm - infinity / AF Macro / MF / Intelligent AUTO/ motion picture: Wide 1 cm - infinity / Tele 100cm - infinity	Normal: Wide 50 cm - infinity / AF Macro / MF / Intelligent AUTO / motion picture: Wide 1 cm - infinity /Tele 30cm - infinity	Normal: Wide 30 cm - infinity / Tele 200 cm - infinity / AF Macro / MF / Intelligent AUTO/ motion picture: Wide 1 cm - infinity / Tele 100cm - infinity	Normal: Wide 50 cm - infinity / Tele 200 cm - infinity / Macro / Intelligent AUTO/ motion picture: Wide 3 cm - infinity / Tele 100cm - infinity
Creative Control Mode	Expressive, Retro, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Star Filter, One Point Color	Expressive, Retro, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Star Filter, One Point Color, Radial Defocus, Smooth Defocus	Expressive, Retro, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Star Filter, One Point Color	Expressive, Retro, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome, High Dynamic, Toy Effect, Miniature, Soft Focus
Still Image Scene Mode	Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Panorama Shot, Sports, Panning, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, / Handheld Night Shot, HDR, Food, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Glass Through, 3D photo	Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Panorama shot, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Handheld Night Shot, HDR, Food, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, Glass Through, 3D Photo	Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Panorama Shot, Sports, Panning, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, / Handheld Night Shot, HDR, Food, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Glass Through, 3D Photo	Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Panorama Shot, Sports, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Hand Held Night Shot, HDR, Food, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Glass Through, Underwater, High Speed Video
Continuous Shooting Mode	Full- Resolution Image: 12 frames/sec Max. 12 images / with AF Tracking: 5.5 frames/sec, 2 frames/sec / Intelligent Burst Shooting / High- speed Burst: approx. 60 frames/sec (recorded in 2.5M) / approx. 40 frames/sec (recorded in 5M)	Full- Resolution Image: 11 frames/sec Max. 12 images / with AF Tracking: 5 frames/sec, 2 frames/sec / High- speed Burst: approx. 60 frames/sec (recorded in 2.5M) / approx. 40 frames/sec (recorded in 5M)	Full- Resolution Image: 10 frames/sec Max. 3 images / with AF Tracking: 5 frames/sec, 2 frames/sec	Full- Resolution Image: 10 frames/sec Max. 10 images / with AF Tracking: 5 frames/sec, 2 frames/sec Max. 100 images / Intelligent Burst Shooting / High- speed Burst: approx. 40 frames/sec (recorded in 5M) / approx. 60 frames/sec (recorded in 2.5M)
Motion Picture Recording	[HD Video] 1920 x 1080 pixels, 60p (PSH: 28Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 60fps) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 60i (FSH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 60fps) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 60p (SH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 60fps) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 30 fps (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 30 fps (HD: 10Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / [STD Video] 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / [High Speed Video] 1280 x 720 pixels, 30 fps (MP4) (Sensor Output is 120fps) / 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (MP4) (Sensor Output is 240fps)	[HD Video] 1920 x 1080 pixels, 60p (PSH: 28Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 60fps) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 60i (FSH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 60fps) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 60p(SH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 60fps) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 30 fps (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 30fps (HD: 10Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / [STD Video] 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / [Hi Speed Video] 1280 x 720 pixels, 30fps (MP4) (Sensor Output is 120fps)	[HD Video] / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 60i (FSH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 60p (SH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 30fps (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 30fps (HD: 10Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 30fps) / [STD Video] / 640 x 480 pixels, 30 fps (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4) (Sensor Output is 30fps)	[HD Video] 1920 x 1080 pixels, 60p (GPH: 28Mbps, PSH: 28Mbps / AVCHD) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 60i (GFS: 17Mbps, FSH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 60p(GS: 17Mbps, SH: 17Mbps / AVCHD) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 30 fps (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 30 fps (HD: 10Mbps / MP4) / [STD Video] 640 x 480 pixels, 30fps (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4) / [High Speed Video] 320 x 240 pixels, 220fps (Motion JPEG)
Still Picture Recording	[1:1] / 2992 x 2992 (9M) / 2448 x 2448 (6M EZ) / 1920 x 1920(3.5M EZ) / 1536 x 1536(2.5M EZ) / 480 x 480(0.2M EZ) / [4:3] / 4000 x 3000 (12M) / 3264 x 2448 (8M EZ) / 2560 x 1920 (5M EZ) / 2048 x 1536 (3M EZ) / 1600 x 1200 (2M EZ) / 640 x 480 (0.3M EZ) / [3:2] / 4000 x 2672 (10.5M) / 3264 x 2176 (7M EZ) / 2560 x 1712 (4.5M EZ) / 2048 x 1360 (2.5M EZ) / 640 x 424 (0.3M EZ) / [16:9] / 4000 x 2248 (9M) / 3264 x 1840 (6M EZ) / 2560 x 1440(3.5M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (2M EZ) / 640 x 360 (0.2M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (3D)	[1:1] 2736 x 2736 (7.5M) / 2304 x 2304 (5.5M EZ)/ 1920 x 1920 (3.5M EZ) / 1536 x 1536 (2.5M EZ) / 480 x 480 (0.2M EZ) / [4:3] 3648 x 2736 (10M) / 3072 x 2304 (7M EZ) / 2560 x 1920 (5M EZ) / 2048 x 1536 (3M EZ) / 1600 x 1200 (2M EZ) / 640 x 480 (0.3M EZ) / [3:2] 3776 x 2520 (9.5M) / 3168 x 2112 (6.5M EZ) / 2656 x 1768 (4.5M EZ)/ 2112 x 1408 (3M EZ) / 2048 x 1360 (2.5M EZ) / 640 x 424 (0.3M EZ) / [16:9] 3968 x 2232 (9M) / 3228 x 1872 (6M EZ) / 2784 x 1588 (4.5M EZ)/ 2208 x 1248 (2.5M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (2M EZ) / 640 x 360 (0.2M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (3D)	[1:1] / 3456 x 3456 (12M) / 2736 x 2736 (7.5M EZ) / 2304 x 2304 (5.5M EZ) / 1920 x 1920 (3.5M EZ) / 1536 x 1536 (2.5M EZ) / 480 x 480 (0.2M EZ) / [4:3] / 4608 x 3456 (16M) / 3648 x 2736 (10M EZ) / 3072 x 2304 (7M EZ) / 2560 x 1920 (5M EZ) / 2048 x 1536 (3M EZ) / 640 x 480 (0.3M EZ) / [3:2] / 4608 x 3072 (14M) / 3648 x 2432 (9M EZ) / 3072 x 2048 (6M EZ) / 2560 x 1712 (4.5M EZ) / 2048 x 1360 (2.5M EZ) / 640 x 424 (0.3M EZ) / [16:9] / 4608 x 2592 (12M) / 3648 x 2056 (7.5M EZ) / 3072 x 1728 (5.5M EZ) / 2560 x 1440 (3.5M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (2M EZ) / 640 x 360 (0.2M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (3D)	[1:1] 3232x3232 (10.5M) / 2736x2736 (7.5M EZ) / 2304x2304 (5.5M EZ)/ 1920x1920 (3.5M EZ) / 1536 x 1536 (2.5M EZ) / 480 x 480 (0.2M EZ) / [4:3] 4320 x 3240 (14M) / 3648 x 2736 (10M EZ) / 3072 x 2304 (7M EZ)/ 2560 x 1920 (5M EZ) / 2048 x 1536 (3M EZ) / 640 x 480 (0.3M EZ) / [3:2] 4320 x 2880 (12.5M) / 3648 x 2432 (9M EZ) / 3072 x 2048 (6M EZ)/ 2560 x 1712 (4.5M EZ) / 2048 x 1360 (2.5M EZ) / 640 x 424 (0.3M EZ) / [16:9] 4320 x 2432 (10.5M) / 3648 x 2056 (7.5M EZ) / 3072 x 1728 (5.5M EZ)2560 x 1440 (3.5M EZ) / 1920 x 1080 (2M EZ) / 640 x 360 (0.2M EZ)
Digital Red Eye Correction (Red-Eye Removal)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
GPS	n/a	n/a	n/a	Yes

Product Description

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.What's in the box: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Digital Camera (Silver), Battery Pack, AC Adapter, USB Cable, Hand Strap, DVD (Map Included) and 1-Year Limited Warranty.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

644 of 650 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars 20x Pocket Zoom Comparison - Panasonic ZS19 (ZS 20 w/o GPS) vs. Canon SX260 vs. Sony HX20V September 27, 2012

By Artemaria

Color Name:Black

I couldn't decide between these three cameras (and their variants, the Sony HX30 and the Panasonic ZX20) because many of the reviews of each made the cameras sound very similar. So, I went out and bought (from merchants who accepted returns) one of each of these three cameras (I didn't need WI-FI or GPS, so that's how I settled on these less expensive variants). And then I took photos and videos in various conditions. I am not a professional photographer, and I didn't do Imatest or any other specific tests on the images (you can read C/net for that), but this is an experience of a regular person who was taking pictures and videos with these three cameras side by side, which is a comparison that you do not often see.

The bottom line is that these three cameras are very similar with a few minor differences, but those differences set them apart and may make you decide that you like one more than the other.

Generally speaking, NONE of these cameras is a DSLR replacement. Whomever writes that the pictures are as good as a DSLR is not speaking accurately. Also, none of the cameras is a replacement for a high end camcorder.

OUTSIDE PICTURES

If you are taking pictures outside on a sunny day all of these cameras will take very nice pictures for small to medium enlargements (no bigger than 8 x 10). The cameras all produce nice fairly sharp images that would be well suited for that purpose. And, like most people, I don't remember ever enlarging a picture more than 8 x 10, so it is not a common problem.

What might be an issue is if you are zoomed in all the way and wanted to crop a photo (which sometimes happens), the differences in the way the cameras' photos look when you "pixel peep" might make a difference. In good light outside, the cameras were close, but the best photos were from the CANON with the SONY and the PANASONIC a close second.

INSIDE PICTURES - GOOD LIGHT

If you are inside and you are taking pictures in low light, you will see a different story. Again, at smaller sized prints 4x6, 5x7, most people will see almost no difference between the pictures of the three cameras other than the PANASONIC's colors are a little less vibrant than those in the CANON and the SONY. I am not sure whether those colors are less accurate, they are just a little less vivid.

If you pixel peep at these pictures, the CANON's photos are clearly the best with the PANASONIC's being second. The CANON's remain very sharp through a good amount of enlargement while the PANASONIC's, although close, get softer a little faster. The SONY's pictures inside with good light became soft rather quickly and, I'm not sure if this is because the SONY has 18MP on a small chip (as some of the tech reviewers write), but there is a "watercolor" effect where after you enlarge it a little bit, it looks like a Claude Manet painting.

INSIDE PICTURES - LOW LIGHT

In poor light, the hierarchy between the cameras remains the same, but there is less of a gap between the CANON and the PANASONIC. It seems as if the CANON takes somewhat worse pictures in low light, and the PANASONIC just doesn't get that much worse. As a result, the gap between these two becomes somewhat closer. The SONY's pictures remain the poorest of the three in low light.

VIDEO - OUTSIDE GOOD LIGHT

All three cameras take very nice video outside in good light. If you are editing or nitpicky, you will note that the SONY and the PANASONIC take 60 frames per second, which is somewhat easier to edit, than the 24 frames per second that the CANON records. While you have to look for it, the CANON's outside video does have a couple of instances where it seems to be a tad jerky compared to the SONY and PANASONIC's video. But you really have to look for it and most people won't notice if you don't have another video outside for comparison.

While all the outdoor video is close, I would give the edge to the SONY in video, with the PANASONIC second and the CANON third. But they are close for outside video.

VIDEO - INSIDE

Taking video inside is a different story. Inside, the SONY shines and clearly has the best video. The video from this camera is actually good. It is not professional level by any stretch, but it is good solid quite viewable video from a camera that takes still pictures.

There is a noticeable difference on indoor video between the SONY and the PANASONIC. This difference was perhaps most noticeable to me because I had both videos from both cameras and watched them over and over again looking for differences. While the difference is noticeable, it is not a tremendous difference. The SONY video is super smooth and seems to get as much out of the light as it can. The PANASONIC video also is smooth and gets a good contrast tone and color out of the available light, but is slightly less smooth than the SONY. The PANASONIC video is still very viewable and looks good, but not as good as the SONY.

The CANON will take decent indoor video in good light, but in poor light, it just seems to struggle. The CANON's video had many shadows and dark areas that simply were not present in the SONY and PANASONIC videos. I did not notice any hissing in the CANON video as some of the other reviewers have mentioned. This may be an issue that varies from camera to camera.

HANDLING AND SPEED

This was a fairly subjective comparison between the three cameras as to how they felt in the hand and how quickly the camera did what I wanted it to do because if the camera doesn't take the shot when you want to, it doesn't really matter how sharp the picture or video might be.

Based on my experience, the PANASONIC had the best handling of the three. While the PANASONIC and the SONY were both quick to take a picture, for some reason the SONY that I had would take a much longer time (seconds) to record the picture onto the card. This was despite the fact that both cameras had comparable cards with comparable write speeds. Both the SONY and the PANASONIC had rather quick autofocus which also made them seem to react faster. The PANASONIC is noticeably thinner and lighter than the SONY while maintaining a similar full raised rubber grip on the front which made the camera easier to handle. While both the SONY and the PANASONIC were quick, the blazingly fast (by comparison) write speeds on the PANASONIC compared with its almost non-existent shutter lag made this the best handling camera of the three by far.

Even though it consistently took the best pictures, the CANON was the worst handling camera. The autofocus often had issues focusing and there was a constant shutter lag while it was searching for its focus. We did miss some shots because the CANON was so slow to react. Also, the CANON is somewhere in weight between the SONY and the PANASONIC, but has the worst grip of the three. That little rubber strip on the front is not as effective a grip as the fuller grip that appears on the SONY and the PANASONIC.

With respect to handling, I've read many reviews and each of them seems to state different things about each of the cameras. Many of these reviews seem to indicate that the SONY is a very fast camera, and that might be the case, but the write speed of the 18 MP pictures (which are 50% larger than the CANON's photos and almost the same for the PANASONIC) was so slow, it was distracting and detracted from the experience of using the camera.

VERDICT AND CONCLUSIONS

None of these cameras is the best at everything. The CANON has the best pictures, but is slow to focus, somewhat awkward to handle and has the worst video of the three. The SONY handles okay but is heavy and has noticeably slow write speeds, its picture quality varies greatly with the light (and will deteriorate rapidly with any significant cropping) but the SONY has the best video, and it is noticeable.

In the end I decided to go with the PANASONIC. While it only was the best in handling, to me that was a significant portion of the photographic experience. It is not DSLR fast (instantaneous), but it is a zippy camera for a superzoom, is light in weight and has a good grip which makes it easier to hold. Also, it does not have a pop-up flash which I found always seemed to come up under my fingers where I was holding the left side camera. As noted above, the PANASONIC's videos were good, perhaps not as good as the SONY, but the PANASONIC was certainly capable of capturing some nice video, even in low light. The photos also were not as good as the CANON's, but they were close and very close in low light. With respect to the vibrancy of the colors, if you set the photo vibrancy on the PANASONIC to "happy" (which I guess is their "vivid") it is less of a noticeable difference. The photos look very nice and certainly are competitive in quality for this type of camera.

Hopefully this comparison and these observations will help you decide between these three similar cameras so you can choose the best one for your needs. Good luck.

414 of 420 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Major improvement from previous model April 6, 2012

By Dubi

Color Name:Black

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

UPDATE: April 22

- Zooming on video adds a slight humm noise to the soundtrack
- Touch screen is great! - I love the fact that you can just touch the specific object you want to focus on and have the camera focus on it and immediately take a picture. No more half way press, turn and then full press to "tell" the camera where to focus

218 of 222 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Serious Photographer's Pocket Camera! May 31, 2012

By stevefoobar

Color Name:Red|Amazon Verified Purchase

I tried the models that directly compete with this camera from Canon, Sony, and Nikon and much to my surprise, overall, this camera was superior in almost all areas that matter most to me. That would be the quality and flexibility of the video, the quality of the optical image stabilization, and the overall quality of the still pictures it takes. I didn't care about the GPS as it is largely a gimmick in my opinion and all the major competitors have it now or they feel they won't be able to compete.

You should realize that the GPS built into this camera (and most cameras) is NOT the same GPS you may be used to in your car or smart phone. It does not have detailed maps, does not have a large database of places or landmarks, and is not as accurate. It is basically for tagging your photos and videos with the latitude and longitude of where you took the image so you don't have to take notes manually to sort out what you shot and where later. That's why I consider it largely a gimmick.

Briefly then, this camera had by far, the best video quality and flexibility. You can select AVCHD video in several quality levels including full HD at 1920 x 1080 @ 60 fps (if your computer can handle it--many can't), MP4 video in several quality settings including full HD 1920 x 1080 @ 30 fps, and even a (not too useful) 320 x 240 setting for high-speed video at 240 fps.

FOR TECHIES ONLY: Note that most of these video settings output progressive video but one of them outputs interlaced (can't remember which AVCHD setting). This makes me suspicious that the internal video circuitry may be interlaced and not progressive and they simply convert (deinterlace) the video when they create the progressive video file on the memory card. I could not find confirmation on this anywhere and calling Panasonic support is utterly useless for something this technical--they just aren't trained to know such things. I must say though that I didn't notice any interlaced artifacts or sharpness/quality issues with the video so I'm satisfied with the video either way.

The optical image stabilization is absolutely amazing and was so far superior to the Nikon for example, that I had to keep checking that I actually had the image stabilization in the Nikon turned on! You can literally hand-hold the camera at full 20x zoom (being very deliberate and careful) and shoot acceptable video, which is almost unheard of in a small camera like this.

The still images are very high quality and have relatively low noise for a camera that has this many pixels in the sensor. Most consumers don't realize that it's mostly the marketing departments that want to keep pushing the number of pixels in these small cameras. The engineers know that when you put this many pixels on a small sensor, you get more noise artifacts and you can do only so much about that. This camera is no different in that regard than all the others that are 14 or higher megapixels, regardless of what they claim in their marketing hype.

And the final selling point over some of the competitors for me was that this camera, even with all its consumer "presets" to make this a "point-and-shoot" camera (actually almost too many--confusing!) still has FULL MANUAL CONTROLS and aperture or shutter priority settings for "real" photographers.

Note that like most other pocket cameras, this one does not support RAW files but that's not what it is intended for. Furthermore, with single images files as large as almost 13 MB in size from the 14.1 megapixel sensor, you have more than enough pixels to do some serious Photoshop work even without having RAW files to work with.

This will now be my "take everywhere" camera when I don't need to do "serious" photography and don't want to lug around my full sized Canon DSLR and lenses.