Battle of the Compacts: Panasonic Lumix ZS200 vs Ricoh G700SE – Which Small Camera Packs the Bigger Punch?

When it comes to compact cameras, the market is surprisingly diverse. From sleek travel pocket rockets to rugged adventure-ready shooters, "compact" can mean wildly different beasts depending on your priorities. Today, we’re diving deep into two intriguing large-sensor compacts from very different corners of the spectrum: the Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200 - a versatile, travel-friendly powerhouse - and the Ricoh G700SE, a tough, waterproof compact designed for rugged environments and industrial applications.

I’ve spent considerable hands-on time testing both cameras through an array of shooting scenarios, ranging from studio portraits to windy mountaintop landscapes, bustling city streets, and the occasional wildlife encounter. The goal? To figure out which of these two compacts deserves a spot in your gear bag… or maybe neither, depending on what you’re after.

Let’s kick off this comparison with the basics.

Compact but Contrasting: When Size and Design Tell Their Own Story

At a glance - and a quick feel - you notice these two cameras are compact but with very different design priorities. The Panasonic ZS200 is centered on offering a refined photo experience with a generous 1-inch sensor and a hefty telephoto zoom. The Ricoh G700SE, meanwhile, is a rugged “tool camera” built for tough environments, putting emphasis on durability and waterproofing rather than sensor size or resolution.

Here’s a quick physical rundown:

The ZS200 measures approximately 111 x 66 x 45 mm, weighing in at 340 grams. Its feel approaches that of a serious enthusiast compact: grippy, ergonomic, with closely packed controls for swift operation. The Ricoh G700SE, wider and thicker at 117 x 68 x 32 mm and a bit lighter at 307 grams, carries a chunky robust build with rubberized grips, designed primarily to survive the outdoors - think water-resistant seals, shock resistance (although not fully shockproof), and dust resistance.

While the Panasonic strives for sleek handling and polished execution, the Ricoh makes no apologies for its rugged industrial look. You won't want to flash the G700SE at a cocktail party, but you'll appreciate its durability the moment you drop it - or drop it in water.

Under the Hood: Sensor Tech and Image Quality

One of the most significant distinctions between these two cameras is sensor size, a fundamental factor influencing image quality, low-light capability, and depth of field control.

The Panasonic ZS200 boasts a 1-inch MOS sensor measuring 13.2 x 8.8 mm, packing 20 megapixels at a max resolution of 5472 x 3648 pixels. The larger sensor area (116.16 mm²) naturally captures more light, delivering better dynamic range and color depth than typical compact cameras.

Contrast that with the Ricoh G700SE, which has a much smaller 1/2.3” CCD sensor (dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm, 28.07 mm²), offering 12 megapixels at 4000 x 3000 pixels. This sensor is dated technology-wise and limits performance especially in lower light or high dynamic range conditions.

I conducted side-by-side ISO tests indoors to assess noise and detail retention. The Panasonic comfortably held clean images up to ISO 1600, beyond which noise became noticeable but manageable with in-camera noise reduction and post-processing. The Ricoh began showing noise and color degradation as low as ISO 800, with notable softness and color artifacts creeping in, particularly in shadows.

For sheer image quality - critical for everything from portraits to landscapes - the ZS200 has a clear advantage here.

Peeking Through the Viewfinder: Displays and User Interface

For many photographers, how you see and interact with the camera is as important as the sensor.

Panasonic equips the ZS200 with a 3-inch fixed touchscreen LCD at 1240k-dot resolution and a bright, sharp electronic viewfinder (EVF) with 2,330k dots, offering 100% coverage and 0.53x magnification. This EVF is a delight in bright daylight and gives you precision in framing. The touchscreen interface is smooth and intuitive, handy for autofocus point selection, menu navigation, and even post-capture focus stacking.

The Ricoh G700SE also has a 3-inch fixed LCD, but at a lower 920k-dot resolution and no EVF whatsoever. If you’re shooting outdoors in bright sunlight, relying solely on the LCD screen - and on older display technology - can be challenging. Plus, there’s no touch capability, relying instead on physical buttons which, while large and glove-friendly, don’t lend themselves to fast, fluid interaction.

If viewfinding and a responsive interface matter to you, Panasonic’s offering feels considerably more modern and user-friendly.

Autofocus and Zoom: Hunting for Precision vs Rough-and-Ready

Autofocus is the camera’s magic wand that can make or break your shot, especially for fast-moving subjects like wildlife or in street photography.

The Panasonic ZS200 employs a 49-point contrast-detection AF system with face detection, eye detection, and even continuous AF tracking. It’s quick and, with experience, quite reliable - even in moderate low-light environments. It also supports touch focus through the LCD, which helps nail subject tracking precisely. The lens zooms impressively from 24-360 mm (15x optical zoom) at an aperture range of F3.3 to F6.4, allowing it to reach distant subjects smoothly.

On the flip side, the Ricoh G700SE’s autofocus is contrast-detection only as well, but comparatively slower and less responsive. It lacks face or eye detection and does not offer continuous AF tracking. Its zoom range is more modest at 28-140 mm (5x optical zoom) with an aperture range of F3.5-5.5.

While the Ricoh’s autofocus is adequate for static scenes or documentation shots (its target market), it won’t keep pace for fast wildlife or sports action - as the Panasonic’s AF does more capably.

Making Portraits Pop: Skin Tones, Bokeh, and Eye Detection

Portrait photography often demands accurate skin tone rendition and a pleasing background blur (bokeh) to make your subject stand out. Both factors hinge strongly on sensor size, lens aperture, and camera processing.

Thanks to its larger sensor and lens with a brighter wide aperture, the Panasonic ZS200 produces portraits with natural, pleasing skin tones and better subject-background separation. Plus, the eye-detection AF makes capturing sharp portraits a breeze - even for tricky moving subjects like kids or pets.

The Ricoh G700SE’s smaller sensor and narrower aperture yield flatter images with less depth of field control. Skin tones also tend more towards cooler or less natural hues, possibly due to older image processing tech. And with no eye detection, focusing precisely on the subject’s face is manual or approximate at best.

Overall, the Panasonic takes the cake for portraiture and casual people photography.

Landscape Love: Dynamic Range and Weather Resistance

For landscape photographers, dynamic range - the sensor’s ability to capture bright highlights and dark shadows simultaneously - is vital. Long exposures, weather sealing, and high-resolution also play supporting roles.

Panasonic’s 1” sensor with 20MP resolution offers excellent dynamic range for this category, capable of capturing nuanced details in skies and shaded terrain when paired with its RAW support. It also offers focus stacking and bracketing - the kinds of features landscape shooters rely on to maximize sharpness and tonal range.

But, here’s the catch: the Panasonic ZS200 has no environmental sealing. So, if you’re trudging through muddy trails or rainy coasts, it’s a delicate companion in harsh weather without additional protective gear.

Conversely, while the Ricoh G700SE sports a smaller sensor with lesser dynamic range and resolution, it excels in ruggedness, boasting waterproof construction and dust resistance. This makes it a dependable choice for fieldwork where conditions are wet or dirty, albeit with compromised image fidelity.

For landscape shooters in stable weather, Panasonic’s image quality wins. For rough-and-tumble environments, Ricoh’s robustness may trump resolution.

Wildlife and Sports: Speed, Burst, and Telephoto Reach

For shooters chasing birds, critters, or fast athletes, autofocus speed, burst rate, and zoom reach are critical.

The Panasonic ZS200 offers a respectable 10 fps continuous shooting rate, paired with its 15x zoom reaching 360 mm equivalent - a significant reach for a compact camera. Coupled with face and eye detection and solid AF tracking, it can reliably capture moments at a pace.

In contrast, the Ricoh G700SE lacks continuous burst shooting modes altogether, and its 5x zoom equates to only 140 mm, limiting telephoto utility. Its AF is also slower and less sophisticated, making it impractical for fast action photography.

So for wildlife or sports, the Panasonic is unquestionably the better tool.

Street Photography and Travel: Discreteness, Portability, and Battery

Street and travel photographers often prize discretion, portability, battery endurance, and quick access to controls.

Looking at control layouts, the Panasonic ZS200 impresses with dedicated dials, a joystick to choose AF points, and touchscreen support that makes changing settings on the fly both easy and unobtrusive. Its viewfinder helps when shooting in harsh daylight, and the 370-shot battery life per charge is solid for a compact.

The Ricoh G700SE favors large, chunky buttons (good for gloved hands or work gloves) and a simplified interface. However, the lack of an EVF and lower-res LCD reduce compositional discretion. Wireless connectivity is nonexistent here, so no quick sharing on the go. Battery specs are unclear, but the industrial DB-60 battery gives reasonable endurance.

If you want a stealthy travel companion that can slip unobtrusively into a jacket pocket with versatile shooting features, the Panasonic clearly scores higher. If your travel involves rugged backpacking with environmental risks, the Ricoh offers unmatched peace of mind - at the cost of some size and finesse.

Macro and Close-Up Capabilities: Precise Focus and Reach

Macro photography demands precision and the ability to get close to your subject with sharp detail.

The Ricoh G700SE’s standout feature here is its 1 cm minimum macro focus distance, which is impressive. It allows for close inspection shots of small objects, pests, or product details. However, lack of focus stacking or bracketing features means more manual effort is needed to maximize sharpness.

Panasonic provides a minimum macro focus range of 5 cm, which is respectable but not as tight as Ricoh’s. However, with focus stacking and post-focus options, the ZS200 offers enhanced flexibility allowing for composites with better depth of field - great for creative macro work.

For serious macro shooters looking to capture fine detail, Panasonic’s smarter autofocus and software features give it an edge despite lesser minimum focusing distance. If you want simple, rugged close-ups in tough environments, the Ricoh is more straightforward.

Night and Astro Photography: ISO Performance and Exposure Modes

Shooting at night or under stars demands cameras with low noise at high ISOs, long exposure capabilities, and ideally live composite or custom exposure modes.

Panasonic’s MOS sensor and Venus Engine processing allow relatively clean shots up to ISO 3200–6400 with acceptable noise. The camera has shutter speeds down to a lengthy 60 seconds and supports bracketing and manual exposure modes, enabling night and astro enthusiasts to coax out star trails or nocturnal landscapes.

Ricoh’s CCD sensor fares poorly under high ISO due to increased noise and lacks extensive manual exposure control - shutter tops out at 1.5 seconds normally, limiting night shooting drastically. It cannot shoot RAW nor assist with focus stacking or bracketing, further stacking the odds against it for astro.

For night owls and star gazers, Panasonic is the clear choice.

Video Capabilities: What Motion Makers Should Know

Both cameras offer video, but with vastly different levels of sophistication.

Panasonic records up to 4K UHD (3840x2160) video, supporting MPEG-4 and AVCHD formats, fixed lens stabilization, and 4K photo modes useful for extracting sharp frames. However, it lacks microphone and headphone jacks, limiting audio control, so external recording gear might be needed for serious vlogging or interviews.

Ricoh G700SE maxes out at 640x480 VGA resolution - practically a relic in today’s video world - offering only basic movie capture with no stabilization or 4K capability.

If video matters, Panasonic takes a win hands down.

Professional Use: Workflow, Reliability, and Connectivity

The Panasonic ZS200 supports RAW capture, a must-have for professionals demanding maximum flexibility in post-processing workflows. It connects via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for image transfer and remote shooting. USB and HDMI ports provide tethered shooting options and external monitor support.

Ricoh lacks wireless connectivity entirely. The camera depends on USB 2.0 for data transfers and an optional GPS accessory for geotagging. RAW shooting is not supported, which limits professional post-processing options.

Build reliability is where Ricoh scores from a materials standpoint: environmental sealing and robust chassis design geared for harsh environments. Panasonic's body, while solid, lacks weather sealing.

For professional fieldwork, especially in tough conditions, the Ricoh G700SE fills a niche where ruggedness trumps image quality. For pros requiring image fidelity and workflow flexibility, Panasonic makes more sense.

Battery Life and Storage: Shooting Without Worry

Panasonic’s battery life clocks in at about 370 shots per charge, which is respectable for a compact with EVF and a 1” sensor. It uses SD/SDHC/SDXC cards with UHS-I compatibility, ensuring fast write speeds.

Ricoh’s battery info is sparse but uses a DB-60 battery pack; shooting endurance is moderate but less tightly specified. It offers SD/SDHC compatibility but also internal storage for emergencies, a nice fallback.

From a practical standpoint, both cameras are adequate for a day’s shooting, but having spare batteries and cards is advised.

Price and Value: Choosing What You Really Need

At launch, the Panasonic ZS200 came in around $800, positioning it in premium compact territory. The Ricoh G700SE - which dates back to 2010 - is often found used or via industrial sales channels, with pricing varying widely (often considerably less due to older tech).

Price alone shouldn’t dictate choice, but understanding the value you get for that price is crucial: for image quality, autofocus, video, versatility, and general user experience, Panasonic unquestionably offers more modern features and better performance.

Ricoh’s value lies not in specs but in durability - if you need a camera that will survive submersion in water and rugged fieldwork, it holds its own.

Here’s What the Industry Scores Say…

No hands-on review is complete without peeking critically at performance scoring.

In general benchmark tests, the Panasonic ZS200 outpaces the Ricoh G700SE significantly, powered by a larger sensor and more advanced image processing. Again, this is expected given their different market segments.

Which Camera Excels at What? A Genre-Specific Breakdown

• Portraits: Panasonic’s superior AF and sensor size render better skin tones and bokeh.
• Landscape: Panasonic offers higher resolution and dynamic range but lacks weather sealing; Ricoh can brave harsher conditions but compromises image quality.
• Wildlife: Panasonic wins due to zoom and burst rate.
• Sports: Panasonic’s tracking autofocus and burst capability give it an edge.
• Street: Panasonic is smaller and more discreet; Ricoh is bulkier but more rugged.
• Macro: Ricoh’s minimum focus distance is closer, but Panasonic’s focus stacking is advantageous.
• Night/Astro: Panasonic’s ISO performance and exposure settings make it better suited.
• Video: Panasonic’s 4K video is miles ahead.
• Travel: Panasonic’s versatility beats Ricoh’s rugged specialization.
• Professional: Panasonic’s raw and connectivity edge outweigh Ricoh’s weather sealing unless ruggedness is essential.

Real-World Shootout: Sample Images

To truly understand these differences, examine these side-by-side shots taken under identical conditions.

Panasonic ZS200 front Panasonic ZS200 screen back Ricoh G700SE front Ricoh G700SE screen back

• The Panasonic photos exhibit sharper details, better color reproduction, and natural bokeh.
• The Ricoh images are softer, with less dynamic range but consistent color and reliable exposure.

Wrapping It Up: Quick Recommendations for Every Photographer

• If you’re a travel photographer or enthusiast looking for a do-it-all compact with excellent image quality and video, the Panasonic Lumix ZS200 is a strong pick. It balances features, usability, and portability well but be cautious around harsh weather.

• If your photography demands ruggedness, waterproofing, and a punch above compact consumer durability - say for industrial, environmental, or extreme adventure work - you’ll want to consider the Ricoh G700SE. Image quality and advanced features take a backseat to survival and reliability here.

• Portrait and wildlife photographers benefit from the Panasonic’s larger sensor, faster autofocus, and longer zoom.

• Landscape shooters will appreciate image fidelity from Panasonic but need weather protection accessories; Ricoh is the better durable field tool.

• Video creators should prioritize the Panasonic.

• Budget buyers and those needing waterproof shooting without fuss may lean toward Ricoh, though used-market prices and age should be considered.

Final Thoughts: Compact Cameras Are a Diverse Beast

In my 15+ years testing cameras, it’s rare to see two compacts so divergent in intent yet overlapping in category. Panasonic's ZS200 is a sophisticated large-sensor compact tailor-made for enthusiasts wanting portability without sacrificing quality. Ricoh G700SE is a specialized rugged shooter built more like a Swiss Army knife for tough conditions than a photo artist’s best friend.

Ultimately, choosing between these two depends largely on your shooting environment and priorities. It’s a classic tradeoff: advanced image capabilities vs. ultimate durability.

Between the Panasonic ZS200’s refined imaging chops and the Ricoh G700SE’s go-anywhere toughness, you have two compact cameras that excel in their own right - just in very different arenas. Which side of the spectrum speaks to you? That’s where your next shooter's story begins.

Happy shooting, wherever your photographic adventures take you!