Panasonic ZS15

Panasonic ZS15 is Panasonic's Small Sensor Superzoom camera initially revealed on June of 2012. The camera comes with a 12MP, CMOS 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 4000 x 3000. The camera is referred to as "Lumix DMC-TZ25" in certain regions.

Panasonic released the fresher Panasonic ZS20 (Read Full Comparison) in order to improve this camera.

The ZS15 ranks at #196 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom cameras and all-around #880 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. Remember to try out our Smart camera finder to see camera rankings based on your personalized requirements.

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

The Panasonic ZS15 comes with a history of related cameras. Below, you can discover all older and latest models along with main specifications.

You can check the ZS15 from several angles in the gallery here.

Below is a list of upsides and downsides of the Panasonic ZS15 based on aspects that are typically viewed as necessary in a camera.

The spec of the sensor in the Panasonic ZS15 is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor can resolve 4000 x 3000 pixels and aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9. The camera includes Image Stabilization (Optical). In body stabilization is superior than digital stabilization as the latter may produce cropping.

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The CMOS sensor boasts 12 megapixels and gives a native ISO range of 100 - 6400. Sadly, RAW files are not saved so you have less margin for error.

The graphic below illustrates the ZS15's sensor dimensions in comparison to other common sizes. The ZS15 sensor comes with a crop factor of 5.8 and is presented in green.

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To get an idea of specific aspect ratios, you should refer to the visual below.

Panasonic ZS15 is 0.46 lb (208 grams / 7.34 oz) and features exterior proportions of 105mm x 58mm x 33mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 1.3"). The weight of normal Small Sensor Superzoom camera is 387 grams so the Panasonic ZS15 is lighter in comparison with other rivals.

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Listed below is a pic of the Panasonic ZS15 alongside a soda to help you to have a feel for its scale.

The top view here will highlight the button design on the ZS15.

The ZS15 houses an inbuilt lens and it has a focal range of 24-384mm making it a 16.0 x zoom which is great and is going to enable you to zoom right in.

At the widest 24mm, the lens offers an aperture of f3.3 and that's rather slow and not good in low light conditions and you may struggle to capture a shallow depth of field. You will also have to increase the ISO setting which causes noisy pictures. On the tele end, 384mm is superb zoom and comes with f5.9 making it fairly sluggish and you will need to apply slow shutter speeds.

The ZS15 has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes
• HDMI Yes

Cameras with NFC and / or Bluetooth connectivity can be controlled wirelessly through smartphones. You will be able to send pictures and sometimes change camera settings without connecting directly to the camera.

Many applications even allow a Liveview and click the shutter whenever you aren't close to the camera. If the camera comes with a HDMI out, it can be hooked up to an external monitor. Most cameras will allow you to charge the battery with the USB socket.

The maximum video quality in the Panasonic ZS15 is 1920 x 1080 and it can shoot in MPEG-4 and AVCHD format. 1080p quality provides a good balance between quality versus file sizes but FULL HD will not give you much room to crop. The camera doesn't feature a mic and / or headphone socket so you get little control over your sound. It is probably a better idea to consider another camera in case you require good sound in your video clips.

There is no weather proofing on the Panasonic ZS15 so you need to be cautious in rainy or dusty conditions.

The Panasonic ZS15 comes with a 3 inch fixed screen supporting a resolution of 460 thousand dots.

Please note that the screen offers no touch support.

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The ViewFinder specifications regarding Panasonic ZS15 are below:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are rather handy during bright outdoor conditions which may make the camera display washed out and hard to view.

Panasonic ZS15 continuous shooting speed is 2.0 frames/s. The highest shutter speed is 1/4000 seconds.

Panasonic ZS15 includes only in-built flash without external flash ability.

Panasonic ZS15 includes just Contrast Based AF and lacks Phase Detect AF. Phase Detection autofocusing is more snappier & exact in comparison with Contrast Based autofocusing.

The AF system comes with 23 focus points to select from. It also includes Tracking AF for subjects on the move. Panasonic ZS15 has not got manual focusing. Manual focusing mode is useful during low light scenarios or you need more precise focusing control.

The battery on the Panasonic ZS15 is designed to last for 260 shots as per the CIPA requirements which is lower compared with its rivals. The general Small Sensor Superzoom camera battery life is 316. Fujifilm HS35EXR features the highest possible (600) battery life within this kind of cameras.

Below is a listing of Small Sensor Superzoom cameras with the strongest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Fujifilm HS35EXR
ZS15 vs Fujifilm HS35EXR600 yesnono

Nikon B500
ZS15 vs B500600 nonoyes

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Nikon L840
ZS15 vs L840590 noyesno

Panasonic FZ200
ZS15 vs FZ200540 yesnono

Leica V-Lux 4
ZS15 vs V-Lux 4540 yesnono

The following diagram indicates a summation of the Panasonic ZS15 for different kinds of photography. To look at more, have a look at the specific section below.

The Panasonic ZS15 gets a score of 21 which is subpar, meaning that it is not acceptable for portrait photography. Taking portraits leans heavily to sensor size, support for RAW photos in addition to the capability to use external flash.

Having a nice rating of 61, the Panasonic ZS15 is a respectable pick for street photography. A very good street photography camera features a fine balance of picture quality and portability.

A subpar sports photography rating of 36 suggests the Panasonic ZS15 is not acceptable for taking pictures of sports. A camera really should have excellent focusing and continuous shooting for sports photography.

Size is super crucial in picking a camera for travel. All things considered, the Panasonic ZS15 gets a very good 61 for a travelling camera which makes it a respectable choice to take on your journeys.

For anybody who is looking to pick a digital camera for landscape photographs, the most essential factor is going to be image quality. The Panasonic ZS15 at it's subpar score of 37 as a landscape camera is not acceptable in the current marketplace.

A vlogging camera should come with a articulating display, microphone port and ideally IBIS. Considering all things, the Panasonic ZS15 is not acceptable for vlogging as it comes to a subpar score of 33.

If you need alternatives to the ZS15, here is a collection of the top placed cameras that fall under the family of Small Sensor Superzoom.

The chart down below offers you an overview of the ZS15 vs it's top ranked rivals suggested earlier.

Here are a handful of other cameras you may take into account as alternatives. To check out a full comparison, visit the "compare" link.