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Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40

Portability
92
Imaging
37
Features
46
Overall
40
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 front
 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40 front
Portability
90
Imaging
43
Features
58
Overall
49

Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 Key Specs

Panasonic ZS20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-480mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 206g - 105 x 59 x 28mm
  • Released April 2012
  • Additionally Known as Lumix DMC-TZ30
  • Older Model is Panasonic ZS15
  • Successor is Panasonic ZS25
Panasonic ZS40
(Full Review)
  • 18MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200 (Bump to 6400)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 24-720mm (F3.3-6.4) lens
  • 240g - 111 x 64 x 34mm
  • Revealed January 2014
  • Additionally referred to as Lumix DMC-TZ60
  • Old Model is Panasonic ZS35
  • Newer Model is Panasonic ZS45
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Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 Overview

Following is a extended review of the Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras and they are both manufactured by Panasonic. There is a considerable difference between the resolutions of the ZS20 (14MP) and ZS40 (18MP) but they come with the exact same sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The ZS20 was introduced 20 months earlier than the ZS40 which makes the cameras a generation away from each other. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a thorough comparison, below is a concise summary of how the ZS20 matches up vs the ZS40 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS20 over the Panasonic ZS40

 ZS20 ZS40 
Touch screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Panasonic ZS40 over the Panasonic ZS20

 ZS40 ZS20 
RevealedJanuary 2014April 2012More modern by 20 months
Manual focus More precise focus
Screen resolution920k460kSharper screen (+460k dot)

Common features in the Panasonic ZS20 and Panasonic ZS40

 ZS20 ZS40 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen measurements
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen

Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is aiming to carry around your camera frequently, you'll have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic ZS20 offers outer measurements of 105mm x 59mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) and the Panasonic ZS40 has specifications of 111mm x 64mm x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3") along with a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Take a look at the Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have at the time. Below is the front view dimensions comparison of the ZS20 and the ZS40.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the ZS20 and ZS40 is 92 and 90 respectively.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 top view buttons comparison

Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is very tough to envision the gap between sensor sizes only by going over technical specs. The pic underneath will give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the ZS20 and ZS40.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have got the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Panasonic ZS40 to offer you more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The more aged ZS20 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor tech.

Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 sensor size comparison

Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and ViewFinder

Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS20
Portrait photography with Panasonic ZS40
30
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
52
focusing manually
good megapixels (18MP)
features face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
external flash not possible
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Street Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 as a Street photography camera
Panasonic ZS40 as a Street photography camera
65
built in image stabilization (Optical)
boasts touch to focus
lighter than competition (206g)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
69
has image stabilization (Optical)
exports RAW formats
lighter than competition (240 grams)
no articulating screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
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Sports Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Sports photography features
Panasonic ZS40 Sports photography features
47
excellent zoom range (24-480mm 20.0 x zoom)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
comes with tracking autofocus
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (260 per charge)
has no phase detect auto focus
54
great zoom range (24-720mm 30.0 x zoom)
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18MP)
features tracking focus
very small sensor (1/2.3")
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Travel photography features
Panasonic ZS40 Travel photography features
68
lighter than competition (206 grams)
boasts touch to focus
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
flash built-in
decently wide (24mm)
long zoom (480mm)
does not have Time Lapse mode
not so great battery pack (260 per charge)
does not posses selfie friendly display
slow max aperture (f3.3)
69
lighter than competition (240 grams)
good megapixels (18 megapixels)
has built in flash
fairly wide (24mm)
very long reach (720mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Landscape photography factors
Panasonic ZS40 Landscape photography factors
42
decently wide (24mm)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Optical)
megapixel count good (14 megapixels)
no manual focus
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
not so great battery pack (260 per charge)
does not have Time Lapse mode
56
focusing manually
fairly wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good megapixels (18MP)
exports RAW formats
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Panasonic ZS20 Vlogging information
Panasonic ZS40 Vlogging information
34
decently wide (24mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Optical)
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competition (206g)
slow max aperture (f3.3)
does not posses selfie friendly display
does not have external mic socket
34
fairly wide (24mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
features face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than competition (240 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
does not have microphone support
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Panasonic ZS20 vs Panasonic ZS40 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Panasonic ZS20 and Panasonic ZS40
 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
General Information
Brand Name Panasonic Panasonic
Model type Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS40
Also called as Lumix DMC-TZ30 Lumix DMC-TZ60
Category Small Sensor Superzoom Small Sensor Superzoom
Released 2012-04-26 2014-01-06
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip - Venus Engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.08 x 4.56mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 27.7mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 14MP 18MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4320 x 3240 4896 x 3672
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Highest boosted ISO - 6400
Min native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Total focus points 23 23
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 24-480mm (20.0x) 24-720mm (30.0x)
Largest aperture f/3.3-6.4 f/3.3-6.4
Macro focusing distance 3cm 3cm
Focal length multiplier 5.9 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Display tech - TFT LCD with AR coating
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 200 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Features
Lowest shutter speed 15 seconds 4 seconds
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 10.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 6.40 m 6.40 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-eye, Slow Syncro Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (220 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p/60i/30p), 1280 x 720 (60p/30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, AVCHD MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn BuiltIn
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 206g (0.45 pounds) 240g (0.53 pounds)
Dimensions 105 x 59 x 28mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.1") 111 x 64 x 34mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 260 pictures 300 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Internal
Card slots 1 1
Retail price $349 $450