Our Verdict
6.7
Travel Photography
5.9
Landscape Photography
6.3
Sports & Wildlife Photography
7.1
Vlogging
6.6
Studio Video
3.5
Action Video
4.7
Raw Photo
6.7
Travel Photography
5.9
Landscape Photography
6.3
Sports & Wildlife Photography
7.1
Vlogging
6.6
Studio Video
3.5
Action Video
Performance Usages
4.7
Raw Photo
Changelog
- Updated Oct 22, 2026: This review has been updated to Test Bench 0.13.2. The Photo RAW Dynamic Range, Photo RAW Noise, and Photo RAW Sharpness tests now run on our own in-house software instead of Imatest. Results appear in the same format and stay consistent with previous test benches.
-
Updated Sep 23, 2026:
Added a reference to the Panasonic LUMIX ZS300 in the Sensor test box as an alternative with a bigger sensor.
- Updated Aug 11, 2026: We've updated this review to Test Bench 0.13.1. The Sample Picture Gallery, 4K/FHD Video Quality, and Luminosity Patch Detection Chart have been removed, and our Video Dynamic Range test has been streamlined. You can see the full changelog summarizing these changes.
- Updated May 28, 2025: Review published.
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Popular Camera Comparisons
Panasonic LUMIX ZS300
The Panasonic LUMIX ZS300 and the Panasonic LUMIX ZS99 are both Panasonic travel zooms, but they trade off in opposite directions. The ZS300's 1-inch sensor delivers considerably better RAW image quality, with more dynamic range and cleaner files in low light. The ZS99 has a longer 30x zoom and a flip-up screen you can face forward, which makes it a better pick for selfies and vlogging. The ZS99 is also slightly smaller and lighter. Both cameras use the same menu system, and neither has a viewfinder.
Fujifilm X half
The Panasonic LUMIX ZS99 is a more versatile camera compared to the Fujifilm X half. It has a much better autofocus system and can shoot RAW photos and 4K video. It also includes a zoom lens that'll give you much more flexibility. That said, the Fujifilm is quite a unique offering that focuses instead on providing a "back-to-basics" shooting experience that's limited by design. It also includes film simulations that can help you add flair to your pictures without delving into editing. While they're both portable point-and-shoot cameras, both cameras offer very different experiences.
Test Results
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Design
8.9
Portability
Height
2.7" (6.9 cm)
Width
4.4" (11.2 cm)
Depth
1.6" (4.1 cm)
Volume
19.3 in³ (316.9 cm³)
Weight
0.69 lbs (0.31 kg)
Body
Body Type
Point and Shoot
Water Resistance
No
Mirrorless
Yes
Rugged
No
Hot Shoe
No
Customizable Button
Yes
Command Dial
2
Tripod Mount
Yes
Lens Mount
No Lens Mount
Built-In Flash
Yes
Fastest Shutter Speed
1/2,000 s
7.5
Ergonomics & Comfort
Hand Grip: Small Hand
Yes
Hand Grip: Medium Hand
Yes
Hand Grip: Large Hand
No
Hand Grip: Extra-Large Hand
No
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type
No Viewfinder
Advertised Coverage
N/A
Advertised Resolution
N/A
Advertised Magnification
N/A
8.5
Screen
Screen Articulation Type
Flip-Out
Screen Max Brightness
746 cd/m²
Advertised Resolution
1.84 million dots
Size
3.0" (7.5 cm)
Touchscreen
Yes
7.2
Built-In Lens
Preview Graph
Maximum Aperture
3.3 - 6.4
Max Aperture (Full-Frame Equivalent)
f/18.5
Minimum Focal Length
4.3 mm
Maximum Focal Length
129 mm
Max Focal Length (Full-Frame Equivalent)
720 mm
Optical Image Stabilization
Yes
Luminance
76.7%
Light Falloff
93.8%
Sensor
Sensor Type
MOS
Advertised Effective Pixels
20.3 MP
Sensor Size
1/2.3-inch
Processor
Unspecified
Extended ISO Minimum
N/A
Native ISO Minimum (Base ISO)
80
Native ISO Maximum
3,200
Tested Firmware
Ver.1.0
If you want a camera that packs in a bigger 1-inch sensor for better low-light performance, check out the Panasonic LUMIX ZS300.
6.6
Battery
Battery Type
Panasonic DMW-BLG10PP
USB Charging
Yes
Power Delivery While Recording
No
Advertised Battery Life In Photo
380 photos
Tested Battery Life In Video
90 min
Photo General
6.8
Photo Shooting Speed
Low Speed Continuous
2 fps
High Speed Continuous
10 fps
Silent Shooting Continuous
10 fps
Raw Buffer Size
40 Photos
JPEG Buffer Size
103 Photos
Buffer Empty Time
18 s
5.1
Photo AF-C Tracking
Autofocus Tracking Shots
Run 01
AF-C Tracking 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
39%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
46%
5.0
Photo AF-C Center Point
Autofocus Center Point Shots
Run 01
AF-C Center Point 01
Perfect Focus Hit Rate
50%
Usable Focus Hit Rate
79%
Photo Image Quality
5.3
Photo RAW Dynamic Range
Dynamic Range At Base ISO
7.5 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/500s Exposure Time
6.6 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/2000s Exposure Time
4.7 f-stops
Dynamic Range At 1/4000s Exposure Time
3.3 f-stops
4.4
Photo RAW Sharpness
Preview Graph
Vertical Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
901 LW/PH
Horizontal Edge MTF50 At Base ISO
992 LW/PH
4.4
Photo RAW Noise
Preview Graph
SNR 18% At 1/8 Exposure Time (125 ms)
28.1 dB
SNR 18% At 1/30 Exposure Time (33 ms)
22.5 dB
SNR 18% At 1/125 Exposure Time (8 ms)
16.5 dB
SNR 18% At 1/500 Exposure Time (2 ms)
0.0 dB
Video General
Video Features
Full HD Video
Yes
4k Video
Yes
6k Video
No
Clean HDMI Output
Playback Only
Advertised Max Chroma Sampling Over HDMI
Playback Only
Advertised Max Bit Depth Over HDMI
N/A
Log Picture Profile
No
Recording Light
No
Video File Format And Compression
MP4 H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
MP4 H.265 / HEVC
No
MOV H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
No
MOV H.265 / HEVC
No
AVCHD H.264 / MPEG-4 AVC
Yes
All-I Compression
No
4k Video
3.1
4k Video Frame Rate
240 fps In 4k
No
120 fps In 4k
No
60 fps In 4k
No
30 fps In 4k
Yes, with a Crop
24 fps In 4k
No
4k Crop At Max Available fps
1.35 x
7.1
4k Video Internal Recording
Bitrate Maximum In 4k
94 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In 4k
94 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In 4k
4:2:0
Bit Depth In 4k
8 Bit
Record Time Limit In 4k
15 min
Overheat Recording Interruptions in 4k
0
6.2
4k Video Autofocus Performance
Object Tracking In 4k
8.0
Face Tracking In 4k
3.0
Face Detection In 4k
Yes
Eye Detection In 4k
Yes
Full HD Video
5.5
FHD Video Frame Rate
240 fps In FHD
No
120 fps In FHD
No
60 fps In FHD
Yes
30 fps In FHD
Yes
24 fps In FHD
No
FHD Crop At Max Available fps
1 x
8.0
FHD Video Internal Recording
Bitrate Maximum In FHD
26 Mbps
Bitrate Minimum In FHD
20 Mbps
Chroma Sampling In FHD
4:2:0
Bit Depth In FHD
8 Bit
Record Time Limit in FHD
N/A
7.0
FHD Video Autofocus Performance
Object Tracking In FHD
8.5
Face Tracking In FHD
4.5
Face Detection In FHD
Yes
Eye Detection In FHD
Yes
Video Image Quality
4.5
Video Dynamic Range
Base ISO Video Dynamic Range Waveform
Strict SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO
7.04 stops
Lenient SNR Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO
7.04 stops
Background Floor Video Dynamic Range At Base ISO
7.04 stops
Storage And Connectivity
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