When I researched point and shoot cameras a couple kept coming up, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS30 the successor the my ZS7 and the Canon PowerShot SX280 HS.
This comparison pretty well sums up what I found. It's a pretty close decision.
A couple of things pushed me to the ZS30.
The ZS30 has a touch screen. It's not as over the top as the my Samsung CL-65 was. The use case for the touch screen that made a difference to me is that while you are recording a video you can simply tap the screen to take a still photo. Now admittedly you have to configure that before you start recording but still...
The ZS30 charges its battery from a USB cable while the battery is still in the camera. Unfortunately the USB cable has a proprietary connector on the camera end. You can buy an external battery charger.
The Wi-Fi on the ZS30 supports the obligatory web services but what I've found more useful is that it natively supports Windows shares. Without any software installed on a PC the ZS30 can connect via Wi-Fi to a folder on the PC and copy selected images/videos to that folder. That's really nice.
The SX280 has a reputation for a battery problem that is either resolved or not depending on who you listen to. It seems to have to do with a low battery indicator that comes on while recording video. Some users report that this causes the camera to power down. Some users report that it is just a nuisance.
I used the same 8GB SD card that I had in the ZS7. I figured out how to make the file numbering on the ZS30 follow the ZS7.
You'll recall that I did a thorough test of the ZS7's GPS capabilities. That resulted in my falling back to a Blackberry to record GPS information. On my first outing I compared the geotags from the ZS30 to those from my Moto X. I got good clustering from the ZS30. Here's the map of the tags.
I flashed the firmware up to v1.3.
Image capture
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Camera type
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Point & Shoot, GPS Capable, Wi-Fi Capable
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Resolution
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18.1 effective megapixels
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Image sizes
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4:3 Aspect Ratio:
4,896 x 3,672 pixels (18M), 4,000 x 3,000 pixels (12M EZ), 3,264 x 2,448 (8M EZ), 2,560 x 1,920 pixels (5M EZ), 2,048 x 1,536 pixels (3M EZ), 640 x 480 pixels (0.3M EZ) 3:2 Aspect Ratio: 4,896 x 3,264 pixels (16M), 4,000 x 2,672 pixels (10.5M EZ), 3,264 x 2,176 pixels (7M EZ), 2,560 x 1,712 pixels (4.5M EZ), 2,048 x 1,360 pixels (2.5M EZ), 640 x 424 pixels (0.3M EZ) 16:9 Aspect Ratio: 4,896 x 2,752 pixels (13.5M), 4,000 x 2,248 pixels (9M EZ), 3,264 x 1,840 pixels (6M EZ), 2,560 x 1,440 pixels (3.5M EZ), 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (2M EZ), 640 x 360 pixels (0.2M EZ) 1:1 Aspect Ratio: 3,664 x 3664 pixels (10.5M), 2,992 x 2,992 pixels (7.5M EZ), 2,448 x 2,448 pixels (6M EZ), 1,920 x 1,920 pixels (3.5M EZ), 1,536 x 1,536 pixels (2.5M EZ), 480 x 480 pixels (0.2M EZ) |
File formats
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DCF, JPEG (Exif 2.3), MPO : 3D Image
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Image sensor type
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1/2.33 inch MOS
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Image processor type
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not specified
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Image stabilization technology
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Optical Image Stabilization
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Expendable recording media type
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SD Card, SDHC Card, SDXC Card
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Video capture
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File format
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AVCHD, MP4
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Video size
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1280 x 720 pixels, 640 x 480 pixels, 1920 x 1080 pixels
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Lens and focus
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Lens type
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LEICA DC Vario-Elmarit
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Lens construction
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12 elements; 10 groups; others: 3 aspherical elements, 6 aspherical surfaces, 2 ED elements
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Optical Zoom
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20 x zoom
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Digital zoom
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4 x
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Lens mount
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Fixed
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Filters
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Not Available
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Maximum aperture
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F3.3 (W) - F6.4 (T)
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Minimum aperture
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f3.3 (w) - f6.4 (t) / mutistage Iris Diaphragm - f3.3 - f8 (w), f6.4 - 8 (t)
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Focal length
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4.3mm - 86.0mm (24 - 480mm in 35mm equiv.) / (28-560mm in 35mm equiv. in video recording)
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Focusing area mode(s)
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continuous AF, macro AF, Tracking AF, normal AF, Quick AF, Macro Zoom
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Focusing distance
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0.5m (w) - infinity / 2.0m (tele) - infinity , 0.03m (w) - infinity / 1.0m (t) - infinity
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Exposure and imaging
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Shooting / Drive modes
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continuous, Movie, self-timer (2 and 10 sec delay), still
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Exposure / Capture modes
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aperture priority, manual, Program AE, shutter priority
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Scene modes
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3D mode, baby 1, baby 2, food, glass through, handheld night scene, HDR, high sensitivity, night portrait, night scenery, pet, portrait, scene (scenery), soft skin, sports, starry sky, sunset, underwater
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Exposure Metering System
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center-weighted, intelligent multiple, spot
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Exposure compensation
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±2 EV (1/3 EV steps)
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Sensitivity
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Auto / i.ISO / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600
High Sensitivity Mode (1600 - 6400) |
Shutter type
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combined mechanical and electronic
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Shutter speed
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1/2000 sec to 4 sec
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White balance mode
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auto, cloudy, daylight, incandescent, shade, white balance adjustment, white set
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Picture effects / Color modes
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sepia, soft focus, retro, miniature effect, expressive, high dynamic, cross process, toy camera, dynamic monochrome, high key, low key, impressive art, star filter, one point color
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Flash and lighting
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Flash Type
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built-in auto
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Flash Mode
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auto, auto with red-eye reduction, forced on/off, slow sync + red eye reduction
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Flash effective range
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0.6m - 6.4m (wide - ISO Auto), 1.0m - 3.3m (tele - ISO Auto)
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Maximum flash synchronization speed
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adjusted to camera's shutter speed
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Physical characteristics
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Dimensions
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108.3mm x 58.9mm x 27.7mm / 4.26" x 2.32" x 1.09"
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Weight
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172 grams
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Available color(s)
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silver, black, white
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Connectivity
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Interface
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USB 2.0 (high-speed), HDMI Mini connector, AV output (NTSC)
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Microphone and Speaker
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built-in stereo microphone, built-in monaural speaker
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Flash connection
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Not Available
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Tripod socket
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standard 1/4 inch
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Remote control
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Not Available
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Cable release capability
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Not Available
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Viewing features
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Display
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3.0" / LCD / 460,000 dots
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Viewfinder
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Not Available
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Menu language(s)
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Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese
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Power
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Power source
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Li-ion battery pack (3.6V, Minimum: 895mAh) (included)
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Camera management
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Additional features
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Water Resistant Capabilities
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Not Available
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Underwater capabilities
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no
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Included "in the box"
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Accessories
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AC adapter/charger, hand strap, lithium ion battery, USB cable, ■ Supplied accessories may vary by region or country!, Lithium Ion Battery Charger
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Software
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Adobe Acrobat Reader, PHOTOfunSTUDIO 9.0 SE
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