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ZS100 or ZS200 that is the question

Started Nov 7, 2020 | Discussions thread
Tom Schum
Tom Schum Forum Pro • Posts: 13,282
Re: ZS100 or ZS200 that is the question
2

I bought my ZS100 a couple months ago, to supplement my Fuji APS-C gear.

I like the zoom range and do not feel I need more, except possibly at the long end, but for this I am thinking about this Canon:

https://www.dpreview.com/products/canon/compacts/canon_powershot_zoom

I haven't owned the ZS200, but if I did I might like it as much as my ZS100.  I like the small size, finding the matte finish on my "silver" version more grippable than my friend's black one.  Even so, I use the wrist lanyard at all times, to prevent drops if I ever lose my grip on it.  The "silver" version is mostly matte charcoal, hardly silver at all.

I find the image quality quite good, especially when developing raws.  Usually I downsize to 1/4 original pixels by the "bilinear" algorithm, or downsize to HD, then post-sharpen.  It's nearly equivalent to my Fujis under these conditions (Fuji images also downsized the same way).  I set noise suppression to minimum at all times, and if there is a choice in the raw developer I set it to minimum there also.  Noise signature (grain) at high ISO is a bit better in the Fujis, probably because of Fuji's xtrans color filter array.

ZS100 high ISO monochrome works quite well, with good grain.  ZS200 ought to be as good though.

By necessity, the ZS100 has an electric zoom lens, which is far slower to use than my Fuji lenses, even the manual focus ones.  At one time several years ago Fuji offered a X30 compact with a manual zoom lens.  Great to use, quick and simple, but not enough zoom range and only 12mp.  ZS is slower but small and light.

I'd recommend the ZS100 only because its lens is a little brighter than the zoom on the ZS200.  I find I use ISO 400 and higher quite a bit, day to day, even in daylight, and this situation would be worse on the ZS200.

ISO 400, 1/40th second during daylight hours

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Tom Schum
Copper: Mankind's favorite electrical conductor

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Fujifilm X30 Sigma dp0 Quattro Panasonic ZS100 Fujifilm X-T3 Fujifilm X-E4 +14 more
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