Lumix zs60 vs zs100 vs ?

adamsdp wrote:

Thanks for the helpful reply! Sounds like the zs60 will do a much better job at the long zoom end compared to any cell phone, especially if cell phone cameras can't keep up in wide angle photos. I would love to be able to find a comparison between IQ of the zs60 and the galaxy s21 at their longer zooms. I think the s21 ultra has a better performing 10x zoom than the standard s21.

Thanks too for the information on cropping and leaning heavily towards ordering the zs60 and giving it a try. With it's longer reach, it does seem like the better choice for bird photography. Are there other advantages to a point and shoot camera like the zs60 compared to a cell phone camera?

The typical cell phone does not have the many options found in a real camera. Your typical camera will have Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual mode and usually program mode where you can vary aperture VS shutter speed. You will often have options to bracket, shoot bursts, limit your ISO, change your white balance, scene modes and often the ability to shoot RAW. You can tweak your EV, and lock in your ISO and other options. You can vary your metering mode and your focus spot size. A cell phone is not nearly as versatile.   One other thing is ergonomics. I have much more trouble holding my cell phone steady, but my camera grip is much steadier.

I think cell phones may be perfectly adequate for casual snapshots, but they fall short if you want to do some real photography where you have to fine tune your settings to get the result you want.