Panasonic TZ200 vs TZ100: which camera should you choose? Review

Panasonic’s new premium travel compact goes head-to-head with the predecessor in our Panasonic TZ200 vs TZ100 comparison to find out what’s new, and what’s stayed the same.

The Panasonic TZ200 is the company’s latest premium travel zoom camera, following on from the popular TZ100. Panasonic has decided to keep both cameras in its line-up, so if you’re wondering which one is the right one for you, we’ve had a look at the main differences in this article – as well as exploring a couple of features that have stayed the same.

Sensor

Both the TZ200 and the TZ100 have a one-inch 20.1-inch sensor, coupled with a Venus engine – in terms of picture quality then, images should be roughly on par with each other. It is other features of the two cameras which set them apart.

Lens

Here we see the biggest difference between the TZ100 and the TZ200. While the TZ100 has a 10x optical zoom (roughly equivalent to 25-250mm), the TZ200 has upped the stakes with a 15x optical zoom, which is ever so slightly wider (equivalent to 24-360mm).

It’s a tricky task to pair a large sensor with a long zoom lens, and for this reason, both the TZ100 and the TZ200 are unique in the market for offering such a high zoom factor in a compact form.

To facilitate the extra length, a small sacrifice has been made to the speed of the lens. It’s now f/3.5 at the widest point of the lens, dropping to f/6.4 at the full 15x reach of the lens. This compares with the TZ100’s ability to shoot at f/2.8 at the wide end, dropping to f/5.9 at the 10x section of the lens.

An improvement has been made to macro focusing for the TZ200’s lens – it can now focus as close as 3cm, compared with 5cm for the TZ100 – making it better suited to shooting close-ups which fill the entire frame.

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Autofocusing

This is another feature which has been brought over from the TZ100 – both use Light Speed AF with DFD (Depth from Defocus) technology. Both are also capable of shooting at 10fps with AF fixed to the first frame, or 6fps with continuous autofocus.

Viewfinder

Another good improvement has been made to the TZ200’s viewfinder. Both are relatively small, but useful, finders which can be used when it’s too bright to use the screen (an obvious benefit for a holiday camera).

The TZ200’s viewfinder is higher in resolution, offering almost twice as many dots as the TZ100 (2,330k vs 1,170k), has a better magnification (0.53x vs 0.45x) and is ever so slightly larger (0.21inch vs 0.20inch). All of this together makes for a better experience when using the finder – although you may find that it’s the screen which you tend to opt for most often with a camera like this.

Screen

Good news it that the screen also has seen a slight improvement – it now has 1240k-dots, compared with 1040k-dots of the TZ100. Touch functionality remains, and both are 3-inch in size – neither of them articulate or tilt, though.

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Design

Panasonic says that feedback regarding the TZ100 criticised the handgrip – to make it feel more comfortable in the hand, a new rubberised strip has been added to the front of the grip.

Other than that, the design remains very similar to the TZ100, with a mode dial on the top of the camera, and a useful dial around the base of the lens which can be used to control various functions.

A new user interface also makes an appearance on the TZ200, along with the new “My Menu” feature.

Connectivity

Both the TZ200 and the TZ100 have Wi-Fi connectivity, but the TZ200 adds Bluetooth functionality. This means you can maintain a low-power connection for automatic transfer of your images to your phone – ideal for showing off your holiday shots when on your travels.

Battery Life

The TZ200 has a battery life rated at 370 images, a significant boost from the TZ100’s 300-shot battery life rating.

4K Photo

Panasonic has been including 4K Photo modes in its cameras for some time, so while the TZ100 has it, the TZ200 adds some new functionality.

It now has “Auto Marking”, which allows you to quickly jump to the action in your 4K sequences, “Sequence Composition”, which allows you to merge together sequence shots into one from for a multiple-exposure type effect, and “Bulk Saving”, for quickly saving more than one shot from your sequences.

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Price

As the TZ100 has been on the market for some time, the price has dropped significantly since launch, and you can now pick it up for around £525. Meanwhile, the TZ200 is set to launch with a recommended retail price of £729 when it becomes available from March. Customers who choose to pre-order the TZ200 will benefit from a free leather case.

Panasonic TZ200 vs TZ100 Specs Comparison

Description

Panasonic’s new premium travel compact goes head-to-head with the predecessor in our Panasonic TZ200 vs TZ100 comparison to find out what’s new, and what’s stayed the same.

Author

Amy Davies

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Camera Jabber

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