Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200/TZ200 Review

For old guy guys like me, every travel camera should have a movable screen because I can't bend or squat like I used to, and I need GPS to remember where I was.

It seems awesome!

Epic fail with this cam. The previous version is much better. I had to return this piece of crap back to Amazon.

Got it. Sent it back. Was using the older/smaller sensor/fewer featured/ ZS50. This one, a bit fatter, not much but noticeable in my usual "pocket"... The touchscreen was finicky, not easy to lock down, as the screen does not tilt, no overhead shots so not much use for it, the ability to grab-focus on long zoom, not good. To quote karate kid dialogue, zoomin-zoomout. The lens is slow and soft. Miss the ring around the buttons. The changes were insufficient to warrant an upgrade, Thank god for easy return label printing.

Epic fail with this cam. The previous version is much better. I had to return this piece of crap back to Amazon. ;(

Thanks for the in depth review!
Few notes though:
1. Not enough attention is given to the ridiculously outdated app (Android in my case). The app looks like an app from 2013.
The app doesn't allow you to transfer all of your photos to the phone..there is a limit (WHY?) for the amount of photos you can transfer at one time which means I need to keep checking my phone.
I can't transfer RAW photos for to my phone. Believe it or not, I prefer to edit RAW files on my phone than on my PC, also much easier to share the result later.

The comparison tool reveals that sharpness is roughly comparable to the output from the iPhone X. The bigger sensor is handicapped by the softer lens.

I have the ZS100 but I have yet to enjoy a small zoom camera as much as my old Olympus Stylus 1.

Sure, a small 1/1.7 sensor but with very nice processing, RAW capability, a high-quality 28-300mm f/2.8 zoom, built-in EVF, 1080p video, better battery life than this ZS200 and, when powered down, could easily fit in a jacket pocket.

I gave mine to my niece as I purchased other cameras for myself. It's still going strong today and I miss it often.

"Significant sample variation on lenses of three different cameras" This is pretty damning for a Leica lens even if it is really a Panasonic, it has the Leica name on it.

I am disappointed with the Leica brand lenses on the Panasonic. My FZ1000 is also soft.
My son's RX100 with the Zeiss brand lens is much sharper.
The real Leica lens on my M3 is wonderful.
I think Leica is in danger of losing their cachet of quality by allowing the production of these substandard lenses. If Zeiss can manage to keep a semblance of Zeiss quality on lenses that carry their name, why can't Leica?

For those who might be interested, the May 26 issue of the Brit Magazine Amateur Photographer has a fairly detailed review of the ZS200. Book Stores are getting harder to find, but it is available online. It seemed to be somewhat more positive than the review found here. I have had my ZS200 for a few days now, and I am feeling better about my decision to acquire it. Maybe once I figure out how to use Bluetooth, i may be even more positive. There is really no good reason to,own both, as I do.

I have had bad experiences with previous panasonic long zoom cameras. The lens is not sealed so it acts like a bellows when you zoom in and out which in turn sucks particles into the lens body. These particles accumulate on the lenses themselves so i ended up with spots on every shot. No way to dislodge the particles without dismantling the whole lens system. It would be interesting to know if they have some form of weather sealing on this model. Othwrwise i suspect the same thing will happen with this camera

I had a ZS100 but got rid of it due to poor Image Quality. It was a pretty decent camera with a ton of features though. For me it turns out that sharpness is more important than compactness.

I was interested until I saw the price, good luck selling those

The conclusion in the review is NOT consistent with the earlier detailed parts of the review. And its a long way off. Whats up DPR? The personal notes of other DPR associates are only adding to the confusion. And the naming of categories is rediculous. Superzoom, small superzoom, compact. Sometimes "more" is not the equivalent of "better".

Panasonic just did itself a major disservice for the second time. The FZ2000 was the first.

I just have been handling one in a store and was good for my medium sized hands, tomorrow I will go back to the store either some cards to shoot some images and will judge them at home.

As an engineer for most of my life, maybe the solution for shirtpocket travel cameras lies with the shirtpocket, not the camera. My always with me camera is the iPhone 8+, and it is too big for a lot of my shirtpocket. Maybe a vest is the way to go. The last time I used an airplane, I went for a Viking river cruise of 6 days on the Danube. I had a Nikon D300 at the time, but I brought Canon 850 which I carried on a belt pouch, zoo 35-210mm, powered by 4 Lithium AA batteries, which seem to last forever. I was pleased with the photos I brought home. I have no financial connection with Viking Cruise lines, and the room, meals, and staff were superb. I am approaching age 82, and I hope for a final trip to my hometown of Niagara Falls. The city is a rust belt slum but the Falls are still magnificent. Thinking of using the train from Vancouver to Toronto, since Toronto is only about 60 miles from NF. THE Canadian side is nicer than the New York side.

The lead picture on the home page looks too much like a Kodak Carousel projector ;)

this being a 1" long zoom i would have expected a comparison with the rx10iv in this article. comparing to the rx100 series makes no sense to me. i get the form factor of the rx10iv is totally different, but it's about the only other 1inch long zoom out there. it would be interesting to see a summary of the main differences between the cameras, compared to the price difference.

A real letdown for me. Given the strong starting point of the TZ100, Panasonic had the opportunity to do some great things here. Instead of up, they've gone sideways, with no noticeable improvement over the TZ100. I don't recall many people asking for a longer, slower lens or so-so AF and variable IQ between samples. A tilt screen should have been top of the list for new features, allowing much greater flexibility in framing shots. The camera is pretty small, so a TS would not have added that much of a size penalty.
I'm not much of a videographer, but it seems that area has been neglected as well.
All-in all, a disappointment as far as I can see.

Was going to upgrade then realized my much older ZS50 has a longer zoom... yeah less "pixels" but, 720 vs 360... stick with older... strange for me... ( and I don't shoot much if any video)

Great, but I still like the LX100 more coz I need a bigger EVF

Panasonic has done good things. I hope they keep improving the cameras aggresively.
especially :
1. Use new sensor which work better on low light
2. Use AI to improve the image quality. Look at Huawei P2 phone, it can create good image just from a phone

I would prefer an entry level APSC body than 1 inch sensors.........

Prospective buyers would do well to inquire into the procedures for in warranty repair. I cannot speak for this camera, but I will state that in the case of my Panasonic 1" camera, warranty service (in the US) required shipping the unit to a facility in Texas (at my expense) and a 3 week delay between the time I shipped my camera (via Priority mail) until the time that I received a disposition (which, in my case, was that they would not cover the repair - the cost to repair was about 50% the retail cost of the camera). Also, their tech support line is open M-F, 9-5. It's best if you require support during normal business hours. Again, I can't speak to this camera, but mine was less resistant to dust than any I've had before. Not good if you plan to carry it in your pocket. Look before you leap.

Reading all the fuzz about soft lenses and sample variation, it seems like my copy of the TZ202 is better than what they got at DPreview. I also own a very good RX100iv. At the same focal lengths I have a hard time telling the RAW pictures of both cameras apart. Images are both sharp all across the frame, with only a tiny advantage for the Sony at the edges of a 24mm image. RAW capturing is a must though to get maximum sharpness from the TZ.
Maybe I was just lucky.

interesting to see the quality difference between this and Google Pixel 2.... I give dedicated consumer grade cameras 5 years, and that's being generous.

What we like:
Captures good quality 4K video

What we don't:
1.5x crop in 4K limits wide-angle shooting, increases noise
4K video quality on the noisy side

Contradictory comments: is 4K video good or not ???

And the f/3.3 at shortest FL is very dim. Shame these disadvantages for a furthermore high quality camera.

I'm really confused now... I almost pulled the trigger on this camera based on the pictures from the "Florida trip" gallery. IMO the IQ is pretty good for such a camera, and some pictures like the dragon head close up showed very good sharpness at max telephoto, which I'm particularly interested it. However these studio scene pictures are nothing short but awful. The lens softness is much worse than the ZS100, which was already pretty bad.

Does it all come down to different copies? What are my chances of hitting a good one if I go for it? Not fond of the idea of buying and returning multiple cameras myself.. (plus paying for shipping to participate in the 'lottery').