ZS100 or ZS200 that is the question

Michael J Posner wrote:

Bought from ZS200 from Adorama for $417 in excellent condition.

This basic idea has been beaten to death for years.

Personally - and I have LOTS of experience, I don't find that larger sensors do very much at all for you. And the cameras are bigger.

A couple of years ago, the big deal was the ZS-60: it was the "Latest & Greatest" of the ZS line - lots of Zoom &tc.

A fairly frequent poster - Bruce WD - used one to get simply amazing  bird images in the rainforests of Costa Rica and other exotic places, on trip after trip, in terrible conditions of low light, heat & humidity. No "Big Camera" although if he could afford to do all that traveling, I daresay he could afford one. Just a man who knows how to use his camera.

That is, after all, the "Secret".

This almost tempted me - when the first 30x zoom "ZS-Series" camera came out, I went ahead and bought one: a ZS 40; a big disappointment. I stuck with my ZS19 but hated the "Touch Screen", iconoclast that I am, so I got a ZS25, MUCH smaller than the ZS40 - "Only" 20x zoom. And no annoying touch screen. Less expensive, too.

When a discussion like this started about the then-new ZS60, I made a study and determined that with just a tiny bit of PSE 9 work, my ZS25 gave just as good results as the longer-zoom ZS60. I'v since learned more about PSE & can do better..

I happen to carry a camera at ALL times: 24/7, in my trouser pocket. No camera since the ZS25 is small enough for comfort & so far I have seen NO convincing proof that a larger sensor, up to & including Micro 4/3 & APS-C delivers a better image. None.

I come from the era when what is now called "Full Frame" was derided (for good reason) as "Miniature" - and useless for images larger than 8x10 inches - my ZS25 produces very good 20x30 inch prints, at Costco prices. And I actually DO print large sizes.

The only camera that I have tried (including LX7 & LX100, and Sony APS-C) that can - marginally - beat the ZS25 is a Casio ZR 700 or 800, which derive their sharper images from combining bursts with a dual processor in real time. The Casio ZS5100 MAY do even better - I haven't got my hands on one, so I'm taking that on advisement.

Just sayin'

Unfortunately, Casio has dropped out of the camera business, except some specialty "Selfie" type cameras, in Japan.