Panasonic Lumix
ZS20
 vs
Samsung
WB850F

Updated (January, 2013): Compare the Panasonic Lumix ZS30 vs Samsung WB850F

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20

89

  
Samsung WB850F

72

  

Reasons to buy the Panasonic Lumix ZS20

GPS
 Built-in GPS
Great for travel
Size
 Really small
Compact 105x59x28 mm
High-speed framerate
 High speed movies
220 fps
Touch screen
 Touch screen
Less buttons
HDR
 In-camera HDR
Combines multiple exposures
Panorama
 In-camera panoramas
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
 
Runner-up

Samsung WB850F

Reasons to buy the Samsung WB850F

Wide angle
 Wide angle lens
23 mm
Aperture
 Wide aperture
f/2.8
GPS
 Built-in GPS
Great for travel
Screen resolution
 High resolution screen
921k dots
Size
 Really small
Compact 109x61x24 mm
Screen type
 OLED Screen
Bright and vivid
 

differences

Advantages of the Panasonic ZS20
Touch screen Has a touch screen Yes vs No
Help
 Fewer buttons to worry about and direct interaction with camera menus
High-speed framerate Records high-speed movies 220 fps vs None
Help
 Capture events too fast for the naked eye and play them back in super-slow motion
Lowest price Cheaper $299.00 vs $379.00
Help
 The best price we've seen is $80 cheaper (more than 20% less)
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Learn more about
the Panasonic ZS20

Advantages of the Samsung WB850F
Screen type Has an OLED screen OLED vs LCD
Help
 OLED screens are often brighter and more vibrant than typical LCD screens
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen 921k dots vs 460k dots
Help
 More than 2x higher resolution screen
Aperture Wider aperture f/2.8 vs f/3.3
Help
 At its widest zoom, the WB850F's lens captures marginally more light (0.5 f-stops)
Wide angle Better wide angle 23 mm vs 24 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Zoom More zoom 21x vs 20x
Help
 More than 10% more zoom
Thickness Thinner 1" vs 1.1"
Help
 More than 10% thinner
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution 9.8 MP vs 9.6 MP
Help
 Almost the same
Size Slightly smaller 109x61x24 mm vs 105x59x28 mm
Help
 Almost the same
Samsung WB850F Learn more about
the Samsung WB850F
vs

recommendations

Relative to the best recent travel zooms, and ignoring price

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Panasonic Lumix ZS20
89 vs 72
Explain scores
Samsung WB850F Samsung WB850F
Green arrow Snapsort recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20.

similarities

Compared to recent compacts

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses
Zoom Incredible zoom Help
ZS20:20x
WB850F:21x
Wide angle Good wide angle Help
ZS20:24 mm
WB850F:23 mm
3D 3D photos Help
View photos in 3D on 3D televisions
HDR In-camera HDR Help
Combines multiple exposures
GPS Built-in GPS Help
Great for travel
Sensor type Better sensor types Help
Better in low light
Image stabilization Good image stabilization Help
Lens
Panorama In-camera panoramas Help
Stitches together multiple photos into a panorama
Lowest price Very expensive Help
ZS20:$299.00
WB850F:$379.00
Size Large Help
ZS20:105x59x28 mm
WB850F:109x61x24 mm

Compared to recent travel zooms

Common Strengths Common Weaknesses

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting strengths shared by these two products.

Snapsort is not aware of any interesting weaknesses shared by these two products.

competitors

Shared Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

Canon PowerShot SX260 HS

Travel zoom

$259 - $269
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Fastest shutter speed Has a faster max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the PowerShot SX260 HS vs the Lumix ZS20
Compare the PowerShot SX260 HS vs the WB850F
Panasonic Lumix ZS30

Panasonic Lumix ZS30

Travel zoom

$399
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Lumix ZS30 vs the Lumix ZS20
Compare the Lumix ZS30 vs the WB850F
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V

Travel zoom

$300 - $378
Light sensitivity Much higher maximum light sensitivity
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V vs the Lumix ZS20
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V vs the WB850F
Nikon Coolpix S9500

Nikon Coolpix S9500

Travel zoom

$327
Macro focus Slightly closer macro focusing
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Longest exposure Slightly shorter exposures
Compare the Coolpix S9500 vs the Lumix ZS20
Compare the Coolpix S9500 vs the WB850F
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V

Travel zoom

$366
Light sensitivity Much higher maximum light sensitivity
Battery life Has a slightly longer battery life
Fastest shutter speed Has a slower max shutter speed
Lowest price Is slightly more expensive
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V vs the Lumix ZS20
Compare the Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V vs the WB850F
Canon PowerShot SX280 HS

Canon PowerShot SX280 HS

Travel zoom

$299
Light sensitivity Slightly higher maximum light sensitivity
Fastest shutter speed Has a faster max shutter speed
Thickness Is thicker
Weight Is slightly heavier
Compare the PowerShot SX280 HS vs the Lumix ZS20
Compare the PowerShot SX280 HS vs the WB850F
Canon PowerShot SX240 HS

Canon PowerShot SX240 HS

Travel zoom

$207
Supports 24p Records movies in 24p
Lowest price Is slightly less expensive
Thickness Is thicker
HDR Lacks a built in HDR feature
Compare the PowerShot SX240 HS vs the Lumix ZS20
Compare the PowerShot SX240 HS vs the WB850F

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Panasonic Lumix ZS25

Panasonic Lumix ZS25

Travel zoom

$298 - $300
Screen resolution Significantly higher resolution screen
Weight Lighter
Wide angle Much worse wide angle
GPS No built-in GPS
Compare the Lumix ZS25 vs the Lumix ZS20
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS15

Panasonic Lumix ZS15

Travel zoom
Longest exposure Much longer exposures
True resolution Slightly higher true resolution
GPS No built-in GPS
Zoom Less zoom
Compare the Lumix ZS15 vs the Lumix ZS20

Samsung WB850F Competitors

Advantages

Disadvantages
Samsung WB800F

Samsung WB800F

Travel zoom

$269 - $278
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Size Slightly smaller
GPS No built-in GPS
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Compare the WB800F vs the WB850F
Samsung WB150F

Samsung WB150F

Travel zoom

$149 - $229
Size Smaller
Lowest price Significantly cheaper
GPS No built-in GPS
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Compare the WB150F vs the WB850F
Samsung WB250F

Samsung WB250F

Travel zoom

$218 - $219
Touch screen Has a touch screen
Size Smaller
GPS No built-in GPS
Screen type Doesn't have an OLED screen
Compare the WB250F vs the WB850F

appearance

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Samsung WB850F
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Samsung WB850F
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 Samsung WB850F

discussion

Showing 1 comments

Avatar for Steven Steven (4:13 PM, February 27, 2012)
"Snapsort recommends the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20. This recommendation, however, should be taken with a grain of salt since it doesn't always make sense to compare a travel zoom with a digicam."

Panasonic ZS20 and Samsung WB850F are both travel zoom cameras (i.e., high zoom lens in a compact body)