Panasonic ZS1 Review

Name: Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
Brand: Panasonic

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Main Features

10MP - 1/2.5-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 6400

25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.7" Fixed Type Screen

3.0fps continuous shooting

- 640 x 480 video

229g. 103 x 60 x 33 mm

Also known as Lumix DMC-TZ6

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Panasonic ZS1 Overview

Launched in May 2009 , Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 is a 10.0MP Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 1/2.5-inch (5.744 x 4.308 mm ) sized CCD sensor, built-in Image Stabilization and 12.0x zoom 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 lens. ZS1 is also sold as Lumix DMC-TZ6 in some countries.

Panasonic ZS1 Review - Click for Table of Contents

Overview
Pros and Cons
Sensor and Photography Features
Physical Specs
LCD and Viewfinder
Connectivity, Storage and Battery
Other Features
Lens
Photography Type Scores
Alternatives
Popular Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed Specifications

Panasonic ZS1 is a member of Panasonic's Small Sensor Superzoom class cameras. Below you can see the latest models in this class and how their main specs have changed with each new model.

Panasonic Small Sensor Superzoom Series History

Model	Release Date	Sensor	Max FPS	Dimensions	Weight
Panasonic ZS80 Compare	2018	20.0MP - 1/2.3	10.0 fps	112 x 69 x 42mm	327g
Panasonic ZS70 Compare	2017	20.0MP - 1/2.3	10.0 fps	112 x 67 x 41mm	322g
Panasonic FZ80 Compare	2017	18.0MP - 1/2.3	0.0 fps	130 x 94 x 119mm	616g
Panasonic ZS60 Compare	2016	18.0MP - 1/2.3	10.0 fps	112 x 64 x 38mm	282g
Panasonic FZ300 Compare	2015	12.0MP - 1/2.3"	12.0 fps	132 x 92 x 117mm	691g

Check the link below to compare specs of the latest cameras in this series side by side:
Panasonic ZS80 vs ZS70 vs FZ80 vs ZS60 vs FZ300

Panasonic ZS1 PROs and CONs Review

Now let's get in to more details of our Panasonic ZS1 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

PROs

Image Stabilization

Face Detection Focusing

11 Focus Points

229g Light Body

25mm Wide Angle Lens

300mm Good Tele Lens

12.0X Optical Zoom

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Buy Panasonic ZS1 from AMAZON or B&H PHOTO

CONs

No Wireless Connection

No Articulating Screen

No External Flash Shoe

No Full HD Video

No Touch Screen

No Built-in Viewfinder

No RAW Shooting

Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP

Small LCD Screen ( 2.7")

Low Screen Resolution ( 230kdots )

Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps

No Manual Focusing

No Manual Exposure

No Environmental Sealing

Slow Lens at Wide: f3.30

Slow Lens at Tele: f4.90

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Panasonic ZS1 Physical Specs

Panasonic ZS1 weighs 229 g (0.50 lb / 8.08 oz) and has external dimensions of 103 x 60 x 33 mm (4.06 x 2.36 x 1.3″). Considering that the average weight of Compact type cameras is 188g, Panasonic ZS1 is a significantly heavy camera for its class. With a thickness of 33mm, it has an average thickness.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

Panasonic ZS1

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

Panasonic ZS1

Min

Average

Max

In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Panasonic ZS1, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.

Physical size of the Panasonic ZS1 Body Compared to a Credit Card and an AA Battery

Below you can find the comparison of the weight and thickness of Panasonic ZS1 with its main competitors:

Panasonic ZS1 Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Weight	vs ZS1	Thickness	vs ZS1
Panasonic ZS40 Compare	240g	11g heavier	34mm	1mm thicker
Panasonic ZS100 Compare	312g	83g heavier	44mm	11mm thicker
Kodak Mini Compare	99g	130g lighter	18mm	15mm thinner
Panasonic ZS60 Compare	282g	53g heavier	38mm	5mm thicker
Olympus TG-6 Compare	253g	24g heavier	32mm	1mm thinner
Canon G9 X Compare	209g	20g lighter	31mm	2mm thinner
Sony W620 Compare	116g	113g lighter	20mm	13mm thinner
Olympus E-P3 Compare	369g	140g heavier	34mm	1mm thicker

Weather Sealing

Panasonic ZS1 doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

Panasonic ZS1 Lens

Panasonic ZS1 features a 25-300 mm F3.3-4.9 12× zoom lens. Lens has a good wide angle capability starting at 25mm and remarkable super telephoto reach at 300mm.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

ZS1

Widest - Olympus TG-850 iHS

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

ZS1

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

With a max aperture of f3.30 at 25mm, we can not consider this lens fast on wide end and neither at tele end with its f4.90.

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

ZS1

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

ZS1

Fastest - Fujifilm XQ2

Average

ZS1 is equipped with Optical image stabilization system which is very handy especially at lower shutter speeds.

Panasonic ZS1 Sensor and Photography Features

Panasonic ZS1 has a 10.0MP 1/2.5-inch (5.744 x 4.308 mm ) sized CCD sensor . You can shoot at maximum resolution of 3648 x 2736 pixels with aspect ratios of 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2. ZS1 has a native ISO range of 100 - 6400 but unfortunately, Panasonic ZS1 doesn't have RAW file support. If you need a Compact camera with a RAW support, consider or in the same price range.

Panasonic ZS1 is not the highest resolution Small Sensor camera. Kodak Astro Zoom AZ651 with its 21.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Panasonic ZS1 vs Kodak Astro Zoom AZ651 or take a look at Highest resolution Compact cameras list.

Let's look at how the size of the Panasonic ZS1's 1/2.5-inch sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Comparison image of Panasonic ZS1 Sensor Size with other standard sensors

Panasonic ZS1 LCD

Panasonic ZS1 has a Fixed Type 2.70-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 230k dots. At only 2.7", the screen is on the smaller side and 230kdot resolution is lower than most of the recent models in this class.

Unfortunately Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 doesn't have a Selfie friendly screen. If this feature is important for your shooting style, check here the list of Best Compact Cameras with Selfie Friendly LCD screen.

ZS1 doesn't have a viewfinder and no option for external viewfinder. Lack of a viewfinder can be problematic especially under strong light where visibility of LCD screens goes down dramatically. If you need a Compact camera with a built-in viewfinder in a similar price range, consider Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 (Lumix DMC-TZ100) (Compare) or Nikon Coolpix P7800 (Compare).
Alternatively, check here the list of all Compact cameras with viewfinder..

Panasonic ZS1 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

Panasonic ZS1 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port to connect your camera to other devices.

Panasonic ZS1 Features Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Panasonic ZS40 Compare	1920 x 1080	300shots	Yes	No	Yes
Panasonic ZS100 Compare	3840 x 2160	300shots	Yes	No	No
Kodak Mini Compare	640 x 480	shots	No	No	No
Panasonic ZS60 Compare	3840 x 2160	320shots	Yes	No	No
Olympus TG-6 Compare	3840 x 2160	340shots	Yes	No	No
Canon G9 X Compare	1920 x 1080	220shots	Yes	No	Yes
Sony W620 Compare	1280 x 720	220shots	No	No	No
Olympus E-P3 Compare	1920 x 1080	330shots	No	No	No

Panasonic ZS1 Other Features

Max Shutter speed

Panasonic ZS1 can shoot continuously at max speed of 3 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/2000 sec.

Flash

Unfortunately ZS1 doesn't have an external flash shoe so you are limited with the built-in flash.

Focusing

Panasonic ZS1 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 11 points to choose from.

Panasonic ZS1 also features Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.

What type of Photography is Panasonic ZS1 Good for?

In this section, we review and score Panasonic ZS1 in 5 different photography areas.

Panasonic ZS1 for Portrait Photography

Panasonic ZS1 has a score of 21 for Portrait Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Portrait Photography list and consider these alternatives over theZS1.

Image Stabilization
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe

No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS1 for Portrait Photography

Panasonic ZS1 for Street Photography

Panasonic ZS1 has a score of 54 for Street Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Street is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Street Photography list.

Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Image Stabilization
25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small Body

No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No RAW shooting capability
Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS1 for Street Photography

Panasonic ZS1 for Sports Photography

Panasonic ZS1 has a score of 17 for Sports Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Sports We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Sports Photography list and consider these alternatives over theZS1.

11 Focus Points
Image Stabilization
300 mm Tele Lens
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings

Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Manual Focus Mode
No Built-in Viewfinder
No External Flash Shoe
No RAW shooting capability

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS1 for Sports Photography

Panasonic ZS1 for Daily Photography

Panasonic ZS1 has a score of 61 for Daily Photography which makes it a GOOD candidate for this type of photography. If you are looking for a camera that is better suited to Daily Photography, we recommend you to check our Top 10 Compact Cameras for Daily Photography list.

Compact Body
229g
12.0X Optical Zoom

Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS1 for Daily Photography

Panasonic ZS1 for Landscape Photography

Panasonic ZS1 has a score of 15 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theZS1.

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Manual Focus Mode
No RAW shooting capability

Small 1/2.5" (5.744 x 4.308 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings

Read the details of how we scored Panasonic ZS1 for Landscape Photography

Panasonic ZS1 Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Panasonic ZS1 compares with other Compact cameras within a similar price range.

Read a more detailed analysis of Panasonic ZS1 alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Panasonic ZS1

Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Panasonic ZS1 amongst Camera Decision readers.

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Panasonic ZS1 Alternatives in Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare Panasonic ZS1 with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Panasonic ZS1's price range.

Panasonic ZS1 Conclusion and Scores

Currently, Panasonic ZS1 has an Overall Score of 31/100 which is based on our evaluation of 69 different technical parameters. Our scores are dynamically updated whenever a new camera is added to our database or when we change our ranking algorithm and the maximum score is always 100. Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 is ranked #483 out of 629 in Compact cameras (Top 20 Compact), and ranked #1067 out of 1233 in all Cameras (Top 20 Overall).

#1067 out of 1233 in All Cameras
#483 out of 629 in Compact Cameras
#239 out of 244 in Small Sensor Superzoom Cameras.
#590 out of 738 in Small Sensor Sensor Cameras.

Main Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

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Frequently Asked Questions about Panasonic ZS1

Does the Panasonic ZS1 have Image Stabilization?
Does the Panasonic ZS1 have RAW support?
Does the Panasonic ZS1 have Weather Sealing?
Does the Panasonic ZS1 have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Panasonic ZS1?
What is the Sensor Size of Panasonic ZS1?
is the Panasonic ZS1 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Panasonic ZS1 have Touch Screen?
Does the Panasonic ZS1 have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Panasonic ZS1?
What is the Weight of Panasonic ZS1?
What are the Dimensions of Panasonic ZS1?

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Panasonic
Model	Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1
Also known as	Lumix DMC-TZ6
Announced	2009-05-14
Body Type	Compact
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	25-300 mm (12×)
Max Aperture	F3.3-4.9
Macro Focus Range	3cm
Screen
Screen Type	Fixed Type
Screen Size	2.7"
Screen Resolution	230k dots
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a
Photography Features
Min Shutter Speed	60s
Max Mechanical Shutter Speed	1/2000s
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation	n/a
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.30 m (Auto ISO)
Flash Modes	Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested
DxO Color Depth	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested
	Report a correction

Sensor
Sensor Type	CCD
Sensor Size	1/2.5-inch
Sensor Dimensions	5.744 x 4.308 mm
Sensor Area	24.74mm²
Sensor Resolution	10 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	3648 x 2736
Max Native ISO	6,400
Min Native ISO	100
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	11
Number of Cross Focus Points	Unknown
Video Features
Video Resolutions	848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max Video Resolution	640 x 480
Video Formats	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	229g
Physical Dimensions	103 x 60 x 33mm
Other Features
Self Timer	Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None
Storage Type	SD/MMC/SDHC card, Internal
Storage Slots	1

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20 MP | 1/2.3' Sensor| 24-1200 mm

Panasonic FZ300
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Panasonic ZS70
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Nikon P1000
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Panasonic FZ80
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Sony H300
20 MP | 1/2.3-inch Sensor| 25-875 mm

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