Panasonic ZS10

Panasonic ZS10 is Panasonic's Small Sensor Superzoom digital camera initially revealed on January of 2011. The camera features a 14MP, CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 4320 x 3240. It is known as "Lumix DMC-TZ20 / Lumix DMC-TZ22" in some regions.

The ZS10 stands at #137 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and all-around #705 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. Remember to look at our Advanced camera search to see camera results based on your custom factors.

Here is a graph of different criteria used in the scoring system.

The Panasonic ZS10 is part of a family of digital cameras. You can read the complete range underneath.

You can check the ZS10 from several angles in the gallery here.

Below is a collection of advantages and drawbacks of the Panasonic ZS10 based on factors which are generally viewed as necessary in a digital camera.

The Panasonic ZS10 is powered by the Venus Engine FHD chip. The size of the sensor on the Panasonic ZS10 is 6.08mm x 4.56mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the capability to resolve 4320 x 3240 pixels and aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Optical). In body stabilization is preferable than digital stabilization since the latter can easily lead to cropping.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 14 megapixels and includes a standard ISO range of 80 to 6400. Unfortunately, RAW format is not saved which means that the user has less room to maneuver in post.

The graphic underneath illustrates the ZS10's sensor dimensions when compared to other popular sizes. The ZS10 sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.9 and is showcased in green.

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To get an understanding of specific aspect ratios, you should refer to the graphic below.

Panasonic ZS10 weighs in at 0.48 lbs (219 gr or 7.73 ounces) and the volume of the camera is 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3"). The weight of normal Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 gr and the Panasonic ZS10 is lighter in comparison with other rivals.

Photography Glossary

Here is a picture of the Panasonic ZS10 next to a softdrink so you're able to have a sense of its scale.

The top view just below will show you the button design on the ZS10.

The ZS10 provides a built in lens and it has a focal range of 24-384mm giving it a 16.0 x zoom which is very good and would make it easier to zoom all the way in.

At the widest 24mm, it offers an aperture of f3.3 which will be really slow and not very good in low light situations and you might find it hard to capture a shallow depth of field. You could also have to boost the ISO setting giving you noisy shots. With the tele end, 384mm is terrific zoom and comes to f5.9 which is very slow and you may need to use slower shutter speeds.

The ZS10 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes
• GPS Yes

Cameras that feature NFC and Bluetooth support can easily be controlled wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to copy images and usually change settings without the hassle of connecting physically to the camera.

Certain applications even provide a Liveview and click the shutter when you aren't near the camera. If the camera provides a HDMI out, it could be attached to an external display. Most cameras enable you to recharge the battery using the USB port.

The maximum video quality on the Panasonic ZS10 is 1920 x 1080 and it can shoot in MPEG-4 and AVCHD file format. 1080p quality is an excellent balance for video quality versus file sizes but FULL HD isn't going to leave you with much room to crop. The camera doesn't feature a mic and headphone socket which means you have got little control over your audio. It is perhaps best to have a look at a different model in case you need decent audio in your videos.

There is no weather sealing for the Panasonic ZS10 so you need to be cautious in wet and dusty conditions.

The Panasonic ZS10 features a 3" fixed display supporting a resolution of 460k dots.

Additionally the display is touch friendly which means that you can easily change focus points as well as change settings by using your fingers.

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The ViewFinder specifications regarding Panasonic ZS10 are below:

• ViewFinder None

In those sunny outdoor conditions which make the camera screens washed out and tough to view, viewfinders can be very helpful.

Panasonic ZS10 continuous shooting rate is 10.0 frames per second. The maximum shutter speed is 1/4000 sec.

Panasonic ZS10 includes only built in flash lacking external flash ability.

Panasonic ZS10 includes just Contrast Detect Autofocus and does not have Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot faster and precise in comparison with Contrast Detect focusing.

The Sensor features 23 focus points to pick from. Panasonic ZS10 has touch to focus. You can easily use your fingers to change focus. It also boasts Tracking Autofocus for objects that move. Panasonic ZS10 doesn't have manual focus. Manual focus ability can be useful for low light situations or you need more accurate control on focus.

The battery for the Panasonic ZS10 is made to last for 260 shutters according to the CIPA benchmarks which is lower compared with its competitors. The general Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR comes with the highest possible (600) battery life for this range of cameras.

Listed below is a listing of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras which have the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
ZS10 vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
ZS10 vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
ZS10 vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
ZS10 vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
ZS10 vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following illustration gives a overview of the Panasonic ZS10 for different categories of photography. To look at more, check out the specific section underneath.

The Panasonic ZS10 gets a points tally of 30 which is awful, and means the camera is not really good for portrait photography. Shooting portraits favors greatly towards sensor resolution, support for RAW files in addition to the flexibility to utilize off-camera flash.

Getting a above average points total of 65, the Panasonic ZS10 is a good fit to use in street photography. A decent street photography camera gives a perfect balance of image quality plus portability.

A average sports photography rating of 47 suggests the Panasonic ZS10 is relatively appropriate for taking photos of sports. A camera needs to have very good autofocus plus shutter speeds for sports photography.

Portability is pretty important when getting a camera for travel. All things considered, the Panasonic ZS10 gets a nice 67 as a travelling camera which is a respectable pick to buy for your journeys.

If you are looking to pick a camera for landscape photographs, the most significant aspect will be image quality. The Panasonic ZS10 at it's awful rating of 42 as a landscape camera is not really good amongst its competition.

A vlogging camera should really come with a articulating display, microphone port and ideally image stabilization. Considering all things, the Panasonic ZS10 is not really good for vlogging as it comes to a awful score of 34.

If you are trying to find alternatives to the ZS10, here is a range of the top placed cameras that fall under the class of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart just below will give you a bird's eye view of the ZS10 compared to it's top rated rivals suggested previously.

Here are a handful of other cameras you may look at as alternative options. To check out a full comparison, visit the "compare" link.