Panasonic ZS200 (TZ200) Hands-On Field Test 

I know this is an old review, but I bought this camera a couple of years ago as a travel and street camera, It is now my every day and all the time camera! The macro is brilliant for flowers and insects and the long zoom quite acceptable for bird trips too. As I am now getting on in years I cannot carry full-sized gear and lenses and used to use micro 4/3 before I got this amazing machine and now I hardly use them as I prefer the weight and size advantage of this little miracle!

I am not interested in 85% cameras they review, but I just love the way they do it...Best camera reviews on youtube by far. Great job as always

Thank you for always doing these types of in-depth camera and gear analyses. I'm looking forward to getting this camera soon.

Hey man you're pretty fit to be talking about that technical info while walking backwards and not gassing out. Congrats, happy New Year.

Thank man, that is exactly the type of camera I need for my vacation trips.

So happy you did this video. I really love these high end point and shot cameras so much. I'm glad to see that they are catching on as mini DSLR's. Can't wait to see what the next big ones from Canon, Sony, and Nikon are. The pictures you take on this look like something I'd see in a magazine. Really good work man. Please Canon G5X Mark II and Sony RX100 6.

Best looking video from this channel I must say.

You have the better reviews always !!! thanks you very much. Nicolas from Argentina

Good stuff. Super zoom compacts is where most manufacturers don't really embrace. Panasonic has always had great line ups.

I have the ZS 100 and love it. I have used it for travel and family events. I don't believe I would upgrade to the ZS 200 for the extended zoom. I also love it for selfies it takes a bit of practice and trial and error for centering but once learned I have some very nice results. I really appreciate the smaller high quality formats for travel.

I couldn’t be less interested in this camera, but I’ll watch every video you guys put out. 👍🏼

Thanks for the review, helped me decide on a purchase!

Hello Chris Nichols thank you for sharing the Panasonic what a great camera beautiful pictures and you are awesome thank you for sharing happy holidays

Going to buy this camera for my birthday. I am upgrading from the Sony WX500 (which unfortunately broke a couple years ago). Can’t wait to get the camera, the size looks perfect for hiking and city shots!

Well done for a review that is actually about the product, not the people presenting. It's a great little camera. Just a shame about the in cropping in video and the less than great video stabilisation.

I really love this review and like the way of changed the review by switching to the camera Options to be very clear especially after @10:28 😜👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻 excellent job

Love your reviews!!

I bought the TZ100 last year because of your baby review and still love it as a travel camera, took it to italy and switzerland and got some very useable shots. I don’t think the 200 is really worth the upgrade but thanks for covering it and freezing anyway.

Thanks for a great review! When I travel I leave the dSLR kit at home and carry my RX100iv for it's 1in sensor and great glass and a ZS40 for it's long zoom. Sadly the ZS40 is on it's last leg so this new ZS200 looks like an awesome replacement, with the bonus of a 1in sensor. I may have to order one before my next trip.

Thanks for the video, which helped me decide to buy this camera! The problem with calling this a point-and-shoot is that only works if one is happy with the default settings. I know just enough about photography to realize what I don't know about this camera, so for me it's a "try to read the manual, give up, try to understand the menu options without it, buy a book, send it back, play around with the camera some more, order another book...."-camera. I am sure that it's a wonderful tool that can do everything I would want (yep, largest aperture is a bit small - but I used to work with 200 ISO film... And I hardly ever used to work with smaller apertures than f 8 anyway, and normally am not all that bothered about dof) - but I don't yet know how to use it.

Great review!

Thank you, very informative review.

This may replace my ZS50 for travel. Thanks for a great review.

Informative and thanks for the honest review and Chris cracks me up with the caveats....hilarious

The delayed start is pretty common, btw. Clean and tighten the battery cable ends and check for corrosion that extends into the insulation of the cables. It is also likely that there is corrosion on the cable contacts at the starter itself. If the corrosion extends into the insulation, just replace the cable. If you're not comfortable doing that yourself, I strongly recommend having a dealership do the job rather than an aftermarket shop. You do not want to have to deal with the same stupid problem half a dozen times before they finally get all the bad bits replaced.

Love your videos!

we're at a point where phones became so good that short focal lens dedicated cameras became useless. The only real advantage of dedicated cameras is zoom. This camera is so tempting.

Yes Chris, it happens to all of us.

I'd love to see more comparison side-by-side photos of regular vs the max zoom images for quality and definition. The zoom lens is the primary reason I purchase 35mm point-and-shoots so I can capture images of animals from far away.

Very good review,thank you! Y like your videos!

Thnak you for your review

Pontiac Fiero Chris. Nice review, as usual 👍

Atlast! A review from TCSTV

--- *Fine review* of this _'highend-point-&-shoot'_ ☺☺☺ ---

And, after shooting with the Leica C-lux, the image quality is excellent. Leica lenses always provide quality. Battery life is EXCELENT! I love the optical viewfinder. I am nearsighted and I can adjust the viewfinder perfectly to my eyesight. And as you say, it is a tool of convenience, But a VERY HIGH QUALITY convenince! I have this one and a Ricoh GRii in my belt. COvers most everything with excellent quality.

Calgary sure looks good in winter, better than Edmonton. Good video.

Looking at camera reviews , and I see the Bow! Calgary bois!

General Motors, Pontiac Fiero by Ford. I love it. Great video.

Im not interested in that particular camera. But Chris and Jordan is so good at making reviews that I must watch :D

Thanks for this review. I'm looking at getting a compact camera to replace my fading Olympus D700. I don't think this is the one, but I'm keeping my options open.

Just found your channel - subscribed 🙂

Hi guys, what a great quality of the video! It would be useful to know what lens are you using on that GH5. Thanks!

It's so good to have a "second" camera that you can keep on you at all times. Cellphones just don't cut it, and nobody is going to take their DSLR with them to dinner with the wife or friends. But with a little pocket camera that is about wallet sized you always have options to get a good picture that would have been completely missed before.

I haven't bought a digital camera in about 4 years lol. The last one i got was Canon PowerShot S120

My first digital camera was the TZ1, for about $250-300. It blows my mind that the modern equivalent is $800

I want ask, if it has a clean hdmi out, so i can use an external recorder. Can you test it if possible? Thanks

This camera is all about the zoom and great video, higher EVF dots, better auto focus....sacrifices a wider Aperture. Great background music midway through.....#Wesdevine

2022, hey, if people want a travel zoom, people want a travel zoom. AND, they don't want an RX100 die while shooting 4k after 3 minutes. Long zooms are so much fun for travel and combined with 4k, it makes for fun travel videos. In 2022, does this zs100/zs200 still cut it?

You mention near the end that the ZS100 does not do 120fps 1080p slow motion... but it does! I have a ZS100 and have done 120fps 1080p many times. The big problem with 120fps on the ZS100 is that there is no stabilization -- none. Gotta use a tripod or a gimbal for 120fps shots. Nice review! However, I will keep my ZS100 for the time being. If Panasonic makes a newer version with a flip screen and/or mic jack, I might get interested. A better lens would be nice, too.

there is a third party filter thread one can mount on those cameras. I saw it in a video about LX15 and ND filter, it should fit right there on the ZS200 too.

Good hands on review. Amazing they added more zoom and 120 fps video. No built in ND filter? Would help in video mode. Canon really needs to catch up lol 😂

Most people who buy travel cameras WANT the background in the shot, so I don't see a lack of a shallow depth of field as a big issue. As you yourself showed in this video, you can get around that by using a longer focal length with a close focus point .

First class review, as always. I also bought the ZS100 shortly after that review was produced and have been very happy with the camera, to the extent that my Sony Nex6 has gathered a lot of dust. The compact size makes the ZS100 just too convenient and the differences in capabilities are insignificant for most of my uses. I haven't seen any mention of how rugged the ZS100 is. Mine takes a beating - carried weekly on a quad on some pretty aggressive trail rides, and so far so good. The biggest concern is that it is going to suck dust onto the sensor when the lens extends and retracts. Can't say enough good things about the 4K pre-burst mode. Around little children, this is the best feature invented for cameras since the advent of digital photography.

Would be nice to see a comparison with the Zs80. Nearly all reviewers ignore that at 720mm, the Zs80 has nearly exactly the same active sensor size as the Zs200. At 720mm, the Zs200 captures nearly exactly the same amount of light from an object as the lens has nearly identical specs: 129mm f/6.4 vs 132mm f/6.4. Many reviewers don't seem to understand what sensor size actually means and that the sensor area gets smaller, when you use digital zoom. Or explained differently: The amount of light per time per angle doesn't depend on the sensor size at all, it only depends on focal length/f-number. When the focal length and f-number are the same, a larger sensor will capture more light per time because it captures a larger field of view, but it won't capture more light per time per angle.

@thecamerastoretv: thanks for the review! What would your suggestion be for the best compact viewfinder (crucial) camera? MFT or below! Thanks Nicolas

Pontiac Fiero. I think this is a good camera for traveling when you just want something with more range than a phone.

Just put an order in for this camera. Buying it used from well-known retailer. I'm exactly the target market- looking for an extended zoom for fast travel that will be just a pocket away (for wildlife), while my DSLR stays in the pack (for other subjects). Nailing focus on the fly is key. I've been disappointed with the Sony RX10 III on that score.

And for enthusiast phographers like myself, you may need 2 cameras. I love having my GRii an my Leica C-Lux.

lol I love how Canadian this channel is

The crux of the question is coverage: What all can you shoot? You get a really nice 800 ISO, and a very long zoom in a compact form factor. The trade-off is loss of decent aperture, so you end up with an outdoor camera, which befits the Travel Zoom category. No such thing as a be-all end-all right? You end up with the same need: two cameras, the other one trades the zoom out in order to get nice apertures. It always costs a good chunk of change. As a "B" camera I need the apertures for indoor light and otherwise I am very happy with the next strap. So, "No". This camera only works as an "A"-ish camera in the significant upgrade away from the phone segment. Though it really is a be-all pretender, not bad at all, the ZS200 does not help me achieve coverage.

Thanks for this video. Panasonic has a interesting lineup or line of camera products. The menu system, 4K, Post Focus/Focus Stacking, Panasonic Touchscreen are excellent. Bridge: Hope #Panasonic #Lumix will update the FZ2000/FZ2500/FZH1. Advanced Compact 1" sensor size: All-in-on-Body - Would be very interesting if Panasonic could combine all the good features of Panasonic Lumix DC-ZS200, Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX10 in one body and add : * Articulated TouchScreen ( Tilting or fully articulated). I think Vloggers love fully articulated. (LX10 = Yes - EVF, ZS200 = No) * EVF (LX10 = No - ZS200 = Yes) * Hotshoe ( (LX10 = No - ZS200 = No) * Mic jack (LX10 = No - ZS200 = No) * Headphones jack (LX10 = No - ZS200 = No) * Flash (LX10 = Yes - EVF, ZS200 = Yes) * Focal Length : 20mm to XXmm (FF Equivalent) - Smarphones still cannot beat digital cameras with their optics. I think the 1" sensor, compact offering opportunities to do live feed, the new Shoot+Edit_in_camera+Share (apps getting better) are a good way to put a technology gap between smartphones and digital compact cameras. The All-In-One-Body is a key. Thanks.

I'm so split between the ZS100 and the LX10. The 10x zoom range sounds great, but I'm curious how much the low-light problems can affect shooting... Viewfinder is great though compared to the LX10.

just bought it and it is amazing in lmonochrome. I am smitten.

Nice camera. I was hoping it would have a flip screen for vlogging but I guess you can't have it all.

The d3 is amazing

SO, having DSLRs, and traveling a lot, I can have these cameras in two of my vest pockets, The Ricoh GRii and the Leica c-lux, and cover all my needs! Not having to carry my DSLRs and lenses.

I'm torn between this and the Canon GX7 MKII. Would be cool to see a shoot out, but couldn't find one. Any thoughts on how they compare? I prefer the Canon's form factor, operation etc. but the zs200 seems better on paper. Love your vids!

Hey, what camera would you recommend getting for concerts? I saw someone shoot video with this camera and it looked really good

I'm wondering if this could be a good concert camera? I mean ho does it performs in low light?

Nice review. Wished I didn't sell mine for the Sony rx100 ii. (An excellent p&s beast too). You can connect via wifi for a selfie.

Aww somebody forgot the captions. Sadface. Anyways, I'm waiting to hear your take on the Tamron 100-400mm Di VC USD , preferably on a crop body like the 80D and 7D Mk II for urban wildlife photography along the trails eh, can we make that a thing. Thanks :D

You are good, dude. I'd like to see you to ask questions of Truedough and tRump. I certain you'd have your details down.

Fiero is a Pontiac car, Chris. And also, I absolutely adored the video. As a Panasonic user myself, I cringe at the SOOC still coming out of these cameras. I really wished Panasonic stole some of the Fuji guys and worked on the colors of their JPGs (and RAWs). Even Olympus has a great gamut, why can't Panasonic get over that cold, flat VHS era coloring?

hope that guy in the blue parka climbing up the steps at the end isn't hired "muscle" from Canon tasked with pocket camera endorsement readjustment. As always an enjoyable vid from TCS.

All i want it for is low light live band shows, will it do the job well. i know the audio is not too bad so just need to do video only

Cảm ơn bạn đã làm video này .Nó rất tuyệt vời và hữu ích vì tôi đang có ý định mua nó . Tôi đến từ Việt Nam

I thought there might be some out-takes from the sequence of Chris walking backwards over the bridge. Don't tell me you didn't have to have several goes at that one. Nice review.

I can understand compact. I've got a few cameras now, but the one I tend to take with me when I leave the house is my Fuji X20. I kind of wish it had the electronic viewfinder of the X30, but oh well. The lens is fabulous, and the camera's small.

Between this camera and sony rx 100 vii , which one you will choose? Thanks for the review. 👍

How do you thing this camera will perform when mounted to a bicycle's handlebar, to be used as am actioncam? I'm trying to delay buying the Sony RX0. The ZS200 has a 1" sensor and can be purchased for just over $400 Used.

Thanks man. I had this in my Amazon cart, but it's coming out. It's 2021 and still no big zoom 1" sensor compact cameras out there. I'm stuck with Sony's 24-200 I guess.

Just watched the ZS100 again! Maddi was so cute! Should have got Maddi in the chest carrier ; -) Love you GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Self timer --- happens to all of us. :-)

I noticed in your pictures, a very high speed for not moving shots. Is it in manual mode? Sunny day, why such a high shutter speed? Thank you!

Great review! Is the Sony RX100 mark 7 worth the premium price difference considering the performance? In Croatia, the mark 7 Sony is double the price of the Panasonic and since I'm an amateur photographer and use everything in Auto 90% of the time, would the Panasonic be ok for my needs?

How would you compare this camera with the Canon G7X Mark II? I saw your other video on the G7X and was pretty much set on that one.

Got it for $600 on prime day. Nice :)

Do you happen to have any idea why my display screen may not work? I can see the backlight turn on when I turn the camera on but there is no picture or anything on the display screen. It just stays black. Or where you might recommend to get it fixed?

Does video from this camera transfer easily to the most recent Apple OS - Catalina? Photos usually work, but video is always a problem for me when purchasing new cameras and this is one I'm seriously looking at. Thanks! Terrific video.

Hope you take it (or different Panasonic model) to a battle with Canon and Sony successors like before. G7X VS RX100 III movie was great :). I love that old episode :) with cons / pros funny battle. But you need third photographer ;)

Any idea when the XH-1 review is coming ? :))

Actually the ZS200 has a 24fps output not capture. It only has a single frequency sensor (NTSC) as opposed to the GH5 with dual (NTSC/PAL). However just like the GH5 it doesn't capture in 24fps, instead it interpolates the 24fps from a 30fps sensor capture. It's even more noticeable on Sony cameras when a reboot is required from 25fps to 30fps but not 30fps to 24fps. If you pause the video above when there is some fast motion you can see some frames that are two combined frames with objects in different positions at the same time.

Reminds me of the old Pentax Espio 200 film camera. Interesting idea but the working aperture is tiny. I'm surprised anyone still makes cameras like this.

Chris, wanna be friends. Just kidding! Nice video really enjoy watching!

Great review, really top-notch. So I've subscribed. One thing though, image quality better than a new phone? Unlikely. But it certainly has better optical zoom.

Good video. Looking for a small compact camera to have on vacations only to substitute my Huawei Mate 10 Pro. Do you think the ZS 60 would still be a great camera to have in 2018? This is too much money for me. Would like to stay around $300 and still have above average camera quality and zoom. Thanks

while there is no filter ring, you can get a little adapter kit with magnetic ring to put filters on. I got one for my LX10 and it works fairly well

How would you compare the ZS200 to Sony's competition for a travel camera? I understand that no one else has the zoom of the Panasonic.

Great Video, 10/10 would sub! . what lenses did Jordan use on this shoot?

My copy of the ZS100 had an extremely soft lens, and it was a known issue. Hopefully they fixed it in this version. Either way, the slow lens is really disappointing. They really should have kept it at f2.8