This is not another Canon Powershot S100 or Panasonic DMC-ZS10 review with chromatic aberration tests and JPEG artifacts. There are plenty of those around, reviewed by more credible sources with far more technical details. This review is the bottom line for the average Joe, who loves photography, but is looking for a higher end “Point & Shoot” camera. Or it’s for those times that logging around the mass of your DSLR is inappropriate. Or maybe the person who is on the way towards more serious cameras and wants to take control over the manual shots for greater details. You see? When you look at that nice picture on the wall that pulls you close to look it up, you don’t want to walk away disappointed because there was no detail or definition in the picture to admire. That’s when you start looking at this end of the point and shoot class of cameras. There, our story begins: remember, this pair are NOT your average point and shoots. These are pretty much at the top end of their class.
Canon S100 vs. Panasonic ZS10
Canon Powershot S100
The Canon S100 for example sweeps just about everything there is to be won. Some do criticize its battery life though. I happen not to agree with that. Carrying a spare battery with you is a no brainer and should be expected in this class of camera if you want every feature and the light weight. The batteries are so light and small that pause no issues. This Canon camera itself is light and thin, not quite Sony thin (not in this league), but thin enough to fit in my zipped inner jacket pocket or even the trouser pockets. There are plenty of tweaks to save battery life, starting with the obvious GPS settings and Auto Focus adjustments modes. The manual control ring around the front lens is really marvelous – the most useful benefit of this feature for me should’ve been the Manual Focus, something that is rarely seen in this class of camera, but more on that later. I’ve taken over 700 shots with my S100 since Dec. and do really like it.
This little guy and my iPhone might as well be part of my limbs, as I carry them almost always and almost everywhere.
So what does it do better than the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10?
- More that anything, the RAW image capabilities. A damned good one for that matter.
- Lighter and thinner (more portable)
- More refined pictures.
- Far more manual controls making it the next best thing to having your DSLR with you.
- FASTER response time at Shutter press time to capture the MOMENT.
- The wheels and buttons are typical Canon, giving you a sense of longevity in the product – above the Lumix.
- Better Aperture opening
I will not drum on about the ISO range etc. as in real life these are just spec sheet impressive.
There are a handful of gripes I do have about this little marvel. Having the manual focus is so very cool but so very frustrating when the little magnified square appears on the screen for fine focusing. The LCD screen simply has not got the resolution to let you see the fine adjustment. Add to it the slightest camera shakes and the somewhat jumpy steps between the focus settings, the ring becomes just slightly above a so-so proposition for manual focus. The size of the camera is a double-edged sword too. Small and light as it is, it doesn’t quite handle well in my hands – it feels a little unstable and small. Although a good improvement over S95. And there is the flash that almost always bangs on my fingers when it pops up. Granted, Canon had ran out of real estate on the body of the camera and nowhere else to place the popup flash.
Price: Canon Powershot S100 currently retails for around US $429.
These are my actual measured physical details including battery and SD card:
Length: 3.7 inches = 9.4 cm
Height: 2.3 inches = 5.85 cm
Width: 1 inch = 2.54 cm (including the lens)
Weight: 190 grams = 6.7 Ounces
Canon S100 vs. Panasonic ZS10
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10
Yes, I’m a Geek and I live with, and for the Gizmos, but there was another reason I bought the Lumix ZS10. We were going to a concert, and having had to hand in my cameras in the past that got quarantined on entry, because the Zoom was too big, and having had the same thing happen with the smaller bodied Mega Zooms like the Canon SX40 with X35 optical Zoom, I learned that the ushers at the concert halls are not stupid. I did an extensive search and comparison – let me tell you; there is little to nothing out there at this size and at this price that can beat the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 for it Optical Zoom. Put a bit of Leica glass in front of it too… I’m in heaven. This camera is very very nice too. It also has pretty good manual controls, albeit not as good as the S100 and it lacks real manual focus. I don’t think much of the touch sensitive screen. Unless Panasonic does a major software update that puts this screen to “REAL” use anyway. The sad thing is, they can and they should! Having said that, button controls are just fine and intuitive on this camera. Build quality is excellent and metallic. My gripe with its design however is the tiny buttons for ON-OFF and Shoot-Playback. These two buttons do not give me confidence of longevity, but that may well turn out to be false – I hope!
When I compare the picture quality of Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 vs. the Canon Powershot S100; as long as I am “within the focal length” of the Canon S100, that is (35mm film equivalent: 24-120mm), the Canon gives me sharper and truer pictures, 8 out of 10 times. That is in part because of Canon’s bigger CMOS sensor and also the fact that Canon does RAW&JPG while the Lumix is only JPG. But, the Lumix ZS10 actually takes far better Macros and of course there is the whopping zoom (24-384mm in 35mm equiv). Starting at 24mm, both cameras have exactly the same wide-angle (in real life). I took pictures at the widest angle and they both match each other down to the mm. That does surprise me since the sensor sizes are different. But, anything past 120mm, is infinitely better on this camera. I found the HD movie quality better on the Panasonic and the sound reproduction for a Point&Shoot is about the best I have ever heard. The Panasonic is not really much bigger than the Canon, just 0.2 inches in width and a bit heaver. But it feels much more like a camera in the hands. It handles better. The flash is built in and works well. But, you’ll feel a bigger lump in your pocket of course – talking about the camera here!
So what does it do better than the Canon Powershot S100?
- The Zooooom oh the Zoom.
- Better Macro
- Handles better
- 3D pictures
- Better quality movies. Damned close to a mid range camcorder.
- Remarkably good Dolby quality Sound. Way ahead of Canon – another good fit for concerts 😉
- Less than half the price of the Canon!
This camera retailed for $400 last year, but like I did, you can shop around on the web and pick one up for under $200 – factory sealed.
These are my actual measured physical details including battery and SD card:
Length: 4 inches = 10.1 cm
Height: 2.3 inches = 5.85 cm (same)
Width: 1.25 inches = 3.18 cm
Weight: 220 grams = 7.76 Ounces
Canon S100 vs. Panasonic ZS10
Bottom line:
There is no denying that the Canon Powershot S100 is the better overall camera, unless you need the zoom at the kid’s soccer game or the concerts … etc. There is a big BUT however. The Canon currently costs twice as much as this Panasonic and I can assure you, it is NOT twice as good! So if you want the best point and shoot, short of an impressive zoom, Canon Powershot S100 is your baby. But if you want to spend around $200 for a good Point and Shoot that has manual controls, you will not regret your Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 with its impressive Leica Zoom lens. Either which way you go, take my advice and order a spare battery for it.
If you want to see sample pictures, just go to flickr.com and search for either; Canon S100, or Lumix ZS10.
Happy snapping!
Links
Panasonic
or
Canon
Twitter
Comments