Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 16x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and Built-In GPS Function (Black)

I have had the TZ1 and TZ3 cameras from Panasonic and, after the latter was damaged, bought the latest in the series, the TZ20 or as it is known in the US the ZS10. Like the others in this series this is larger than many of the "pocket" cameras avaiable but this still fits in my handbag and so I have it with me all the time. This model now has a 16x optical zoom or 21x with digital zoom incorporated. With 14m images, even the full digital zoom still leaves a high resolution image. This new model also adds GPS and I was most impressed when I used it the first time to see it knew the golf course I was playing. However you must reposition it each time you move to a new location, otherwise it retains the previous one and incorrectly tags your photos. I like the switch that allows you to review your pictures without losing your shooting settings. You can use the touch snsitive screen to flip through your photos, rather than pushing buttons. There is a separate button allows you to start shooting video, again without fiddling with the settings dial. Video is up to 1920x1080 with GPS tagging also available. The image quality is good and it has the stabilisation need to use the high zoom levels without getting blurry images. All in all, a great camera, probably the best in its class.

We go through a lot of cameras. This is the only one out of the last 6 that we would buy again if we had to. Make sure you get the upgraded firmware (version 1.2 as of this writing) installed... it really makes a big difference in picture quality and the useability of the GPS features. Panasonic doesn't exactly make this easy, but it is worthwhile. For starters, this camera is fast. Fast startup, fast focus, fash flash charging, fast switches from photo to video, fast switches between shooting modes, and fast times between shots. If you have a decent memory card, most of these things work better, as would be expected. If you put a cheap, slow card in a good camera, you get the lowest common denominator level of performance... so get a good card. Some of the criticism on here complains about the picture quality. I think they either have old firmware, or are blowing up wall murals, because the quality, for normal usage, is superb. If you're sharing photos with friends or printing out standard sized photos for personal or business use, you will be very happy with this camera. Colors are rich, the pics are sharp, and the fast sensor captures motion very well. Even low-light pictures work out well if you take them properly: Tip: For low-light pictures, don't use the built-in night-shot capabilities unless you are using a tripod and the delay timer (to negate the shiver effect of pushing the shutter button... this camera is fast, and takes the photo when you push the button)... for hand-held low-light photos, we found it best to use the touchscreen feature, and tap where we wanted the camera to focus and shoot. We got very good shots using this method in really poor lighting conditions. When using the built in scene modes, they weren't as good. Outdoor shots were great, and the excellent lens lets you get the wide shot, or zoom in for very good detail (without the distortions of a digital zoom on a lesser camera). Use the touch screen again for the zoom to get in and out with one tap. Switching to video was as easy as pushing a single button, and its starts recording immediately, so you can capture shots that the other cameras will miss. Video even works well with the zoom and the touchscreen focusing function. Overall, my only complaint is the batteries. Battery life was good (around 300 shots each charge with most of the features enabled), but extra batteries are very expensive as Panasonic chips theirs and the camera won't work with generics, even if they are the right specs otherwise. Buy the spares here at Amazon for the best prices I could find.

I have owned several Panasonic Lumix cameras in the last 10 years, upgrading periodically when new feature(s) make it economical to buy newer models. I still use my FZ50 professionally, upgraded from an FZ20 to a 35 to the 50. Wanting a point-and-shoot, but something more than snaps, for my personal life, I went to the Lumix. The ZS series has been excellent. For personal work, I don't want to spend a lot of time setting up shots, and I'm more likely to want quick reaction to capture a fleeting moment or motion. No point-and-shoot (p&s) will be excellent at that, but that doesn't mean I can't get one that does well in a majority of situations. My Lumix ZS3 performed exceptionally well for a p&s, and the ZS7 did even better. So looking over the specs of the ZS10, I decided to buy one. While I rarely use the video feature (I was raised on still photography!), much improved in this model, I wanted quality for stills. 16X zoom (to 21 with some kind of electronic extender option) up from 12X, and 14.1 megapixels up from 12.1. Improved antishake (at my age it's very useful), and GPS (which eats battery, can be turned off, but is occasionally useful for verifying sources), and other software I will continue to try out. So far so good, with crisp photos in most situations. Still is only good, not great, in low light; is better at eliminating motion blur (CMOS instead of CCD), and the easy menu help make this a worthy upgrade. Flash is still basic minimal (about 8 feet), typical of a p&s. Uses the same battery as the ZS3, so didn't have to buy new ones. Mini-USB plug (at camera) to standard USB plug is also typical. I invested in SanDisk Ultra cards (Class 6), and they work well. My 8 Gb says it will take 2800 pictures at 12.1 Mp. I don't think I'll ever reach that number, preferring to upload to my computer regularly, but it's nice to have spare capacity. The ZS10 has an SDXC host software, so can take the new BIG cards (48 and 64 Gb), but their high cost makes them uneconomical currently for me. Still, nice to have the capability (NOTE: lots of cautions say NOT to put an SDXC card in an SD/SDHC camera that DOES NOT have an SDXC host software). So instead bought a moderately expensive Extreme Pro SDHC (Class 10) 32 Gb card, and in this camera the irritating lag between pictures (typical in nearly all electronic cameras) was shortened noticeably. That's nice! The ZS10 will run SD, SDHC, and SDXC, so my legacy cards are still fine. From a first day testing perspective, the ZS10 has shown its mettle, an improvement (significant, if not huge) over the ZS3, and in most situations where a personal camera is useful, takes excellent pictures, and has a reasonably useable menu. I like my blue one.

This camera was purchase from Amazon to replace a DMC-ZS7 with which I was very satisfied. However, the new one offered a wider zoom range and 1080P. In daylight, the camera's pictures are easily a match for those of my Nikon D300. The zoom range of 16:1 is incredible. Handheld at maximum zoom is rock steady. The videos are outstanding. The ability to plug an HDMI cable directly into a large screen TV and see the stills or videos instantly is a major plus. Our 52 inch TV shows incredible detail. The GPS is remarkable in showing hundreds of thousands of locations by name although it does burn up battery life. In low light such as shooting indoor concerts or sports activities where the contrast is not great, the automatic focus can vary and the pictures are not as sharp. The other weaknesses which all small cameras share are the electric zoom and the lack of an optical view finder. I miss the manual zoom and the optical view finder of my Nikon SLR. However, the screen is high resolution and better than most other cameras even in direct sunlight. I would appreciate longer battery life but carrying an extra battery is not a problem. The big feature is that the camera is small enough to be always with me.

Updated Feedback - I've had the camera for over a year now when the lens auto focus mechanism quit working. It's won't close and just sticks out. Out of warranty and cost prohibitive to repair. Currently a non working piece of junk. If I can find another one on ebay for cheap I might try to repair it myself. My advice is don't waste your money on this camera -- the lens mechanical parts are not metal (plastic/nylon?) anyway it appears to be very cheaply made. Original Feedback - I ordered on Fri and received on Sat, played with it all weekend. This is an awesome camera! I shoot primarily manual and I found the features to be very robust. Everything from low-light macro, to night shots, to portraits, you name it ... and it does it. Although the manual and menu functions are well written and very intuitive, this is not a camera for the average consumer. It helps to know about aperture priority, iso settings, shutter speeds, white balance, etc. That's exactly the reason I bought it ... as a semi-pro, I want a point and shoot that I can tweek the exposure settings. Bottom line, this IS my travel camera, I love it!!! If you upgrade the firmware use this link. The one on Panasonic's website returns a ZS10_V12.bin that is the wrong size ... this link returns a self-extracting exe that creates a bin that is the correct size. This firmware update deletes your CS1, CS2, and CS2 settings and your MS1 and MS2 settings ... as well as all other settings, so be sure to write them down before doing the update (that is, if you want to keep them) v1.2 firmware update [...]

I wanted a camera that wasn't bulky and that has a good lens with great zoom capability without having to carry around an SLR. I enjoy taking photos of the local wildlife around my house in Florida and was able to use the 16X zoom feature to see the eye of a Great Blue Heron very clearly! from a distance away. Many little cameras now offer at 14 MP lens but in addition the 16x optical zoom on the Leica lens (same as for Nikon cameras I think) is an excellent quality. Fairly easy to figure out how to use. Though would be good to read through the long on-line manual to learn how to use all the features. I prefer to turn the GPS feature off as I understand that may use up battery life more quickly, or keep that feature on stand-by mode. I prefer to use the automatic settings and it interprets the scene (portrait, landscape, night) very well without my having to change settings. There's a "no-shake" feature but when using the 16x zoom - you really need to keep the camera still as it feels like the scene is moving if not. Overall, great camera - easy to carry - with longer zoom than most (for $100 less you get a good camera but only with an 8x optical zoom for example). I got a good deal buying through Amazon - and was able to get the color of my choice (brown!). I recommend this camera to people who want a beautifully sharp image. Also, the camera was shipped and delivered within a few days.

I'd both the zs3 and zs7 and have really enjoy the Panasonic zs series. The zs3 has accompany me to several concerts and have taken very good videos. I bought the zs10 thinking I might need some extra reach in some upcoming concerts that I plan to go to, unfortunately the zs10 is just bad....this is going back to amazon. Vote with your wallet and don't buy this camera! The video quality is bad.... I'd taken some videos in my room (decently lit) and watching the video on my pc the quality is just not good, with obvious blothes everywhere. Ultimately I end up getting both the fuji ex550 and the sony hx9 to compare, the fuji still has some focusing issue in video mode, the sony hx9 has the best quality and no focusing issue, the zs10 video quality is dead last.

lots of fun with nice reslts