Panasonic Lumix ZS300 Review: The Old One Was Better

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It was eight years ago that I reviewed the Panasonic ZS200, and I was immediately impressed by the compact size of the camera, along with a massive 15x optical zoom range. Most importantly, the ZS200 didn’t make any compromises when it came to handling and manual control, and the EVF was imminently useful.

Fast forward to the present day, and I have an $899 ZS300 to review. All that Panasonic has to do is make some meaningful improvements over the last eight years, and the company should have a winner. But did that happen?

A black Panasonic Lumix digital camera with a Leica lens sits on a textured gray surface against a green background.

Panasonic ZS300 Review: How It Feels

From a handling standpoint, the ZS200 was a great device and therefore the new ZS300 would only have to maintain the design to win me over. This is largely true of the ZS300, which has the exact same dimensions, 13-ounce (370 grams) weight, and fantastic rubber grip on both the front of the camera and the back of the thumb rest. To comply with current regulations, the ZS300 charges and connects via USB-C.

A person holds a digital camera with a large zoom lens, pointing it upwards. The background is blurred, showing an outdoor urban setting with buildings and a chain-link fence.

Close-up of the back of a digital camera showing control buttons, including Fn1, Fn2, Fn3, a directional pad, MENU/SET button, DISP button, and part of the LCD screen on a green background.

Close-up of a digital camera’s top, showing a zoom lever, mode dial with various settings, power switch, and part of the lens extending from the left. The background is green and the surface is textured gray.

I love having dual control dials on such a small camera body, with one right at the thumb, and another on the front of the lens mount. Many of the buttons are customizable, and I can set the autoexposure lock button to be an AFON button. The menu is simple, and the quick menu is functional too. Storage is through a single SD card slot, and the camera uses the venerable BG-10PP battery. Expect about 360 shots on a full charge.

A close-up of a camera with its battery compartment open, next to a Panasonic Lumix DMW-BLG10PP rechargeable lithium-ion battery standing upright on a gray surface.

A close-up of a Leica camera lens with "LEICA" and technical details inscribed on the rim, attached to a black camera body against a blurred green background.

A close-up of a black Panasonic digital camera with its zoom lens fully extended, displaying "24-360" on the lens ring, set against a green background.

As for the rest of the camera, much of the technology we saw in the ZS200 has been brought across to the ZS300. We get the same pop-up flash, the same mechanical shutter up to 1/2000 second, and an LCD panel on the back that still does not articulate. This latest panel does increase the resolution to 1.84-million dots, but I still struggled to see it in bright light despite having the brightness always cranked to maximum.

The same Type 1, 20-megapixel sensor in the ZS300 which was at the heart of the ZS200 also returns.

A close-up view of the side of a digital camera shows an open port cover revealing HDMI and USB-C ports, with various control buttons visible on the camera body.

Close-up of a black Lumix camera with the built-in flash unit popped up against a plain green background.

A digital camera is displayed on a textured surface with its back facing the viewer, showing a screen with camera settings and several control buttons. The background is a solid dark green color.

The camera seems to be effectively the same product that we saw nearly a decade ago with very little in the way of changes. Very little, but not none: there is one major change and that is the complete omission of an electronic viewfinder.

The previous model had a compact but usable 2.36-million-dot EVF, but the new model has only a flat and barren space where the EVF should be. This is, in my mind, an egregious fault, and one that drastically reduces the utility of the camera for my uses. The EVF was incredibly useful to stabilize the camera when shooting with the extended zoom range, as well as allow for better evaluations of accurate focus or motion blur. We hear many explanations from all the manufacturers about modern audiences not wanting EVFs, or that sourcing small screens is too costly and difficult. Whatever the reason, this basically makes the modern iteration of the ZS camera clearly inferior to the older model.

A camera settings menu highlights the "AF/AE Lock" option in yellow, with related options like "AE Lock," "AF Lock," and "AF-ON" listed beside it. Other menu icons appear on the left side.

Panasonic ZS300 Review: How It Shoots

From a photographic standpoint, very little else has changed. The image quality is identical to what was there before and the camera has only added a Leica Monochrome color profile to the mix. The lens is still an insanely compact 24-360mm full-frame equivalent lens with a floating f/3.3-6.4 aperture. With a small sensor and a max aperture of f/8, the depth of field will always be extensive. The lens seems to be identical to what came before, and has excellent detail overall at the 24mm end, and very good sharpness at the 360mm range.

Side-by-side comparison of two cameras, ZS300 and iPhone 17 Pro Max, showing seagulls standing on rocks beside a calm river, with reflections on the water and some ice patches visible.

An older woman with gray hair, a dark coat, backpack, and pink shoes stands at a crosswalk as cars pass by. A red hand pedestrian signal and a countdown timer display the number 7 above the street.

A round, bright moon is partially covered by dark, dramatic clouds in a grayscale sky, with a diagonal, blurry line crossing the right side of the image.

Two people walk away from the camera through a dark, scaffolded tunnel toward a brighter street scene outside, with other figures and a pedestrian crossing in the distance.

A person with straight dark hair, wearing a denim jacket over a hoodie, a backpack, and earbuds, is standing outdoors and reading a book. The image is in black and white.

I was hoping that we would see some improvements to the autofocus performance, but was disappointed to see the return of the older DFD (depth from defocus) contrast-based autofocus that Panasonic used in the past but has since moved away from in lieu of hybrid phase detection autofocus. DFD was fine eight years ago, but it is showing its age in 2026.

It can be argued that a point-and-shoot doesn’t need blisteringly fast focusing, but some users will want to use the ZS300 for kids’ sports or some wildlife, and the experience will be somewhat frustrating. Added to this is that the lens does still physically zoom quite slowly and the on/off time of the ZS300 is a little ponderous for quick shooting as well — both of these were issues in the ZS200.

the left image is a wide view showing many buildings and sky, labeled "24mm Equiv."; the right is a close-up of one building's windows, labeled "360mm Equiv.

A person walks past a large wire mesh sculpture of a human head in an urban plaza, with tall buildings in the background. The image is in black and white, highlighting the sculpture’s intricate structure.

A historic three-story brick building stands at a street corner, dwarfed by two modern glass skyscrapers behind it. People walk on the sidewalk, and vehicles are stopped at the intersection under a cloudy sky.

A person with curly hair, seen from behind, wears a dark coat while sitting on a bench by the street. The image is in black and white, with parked cars blurred in the background.

A modern glass skyscraper rises toward a partly cloudy sky, its reflective surface capturing clouds. Bare tree branches appear on the right side of the image.

The pop-up flash will give the now-popular straight-on flash look that everyone is clamoring for, and the color filter modes are fun to play with. What is annoying, but not particularly surprising, is that Panasonic’s newer Lumix Lab app is not compatible with the ZS300. It instead asks to connect only with the much older Panasonic Lumix Image App. That means you won’t be able to access or create custom recipes or presets, which is a bummer.

Video capability was considered decent back in the ZS200’s day, but looking at it through the lens of 2026, we found the heavy crop implemented in the 4K record modes being a big downside. Beyond that, there is still no mic jack or option to shoot 24 frames per second in 1080 mode. It really is the same as the ZS200 in pretty much all aspects, for better or for worse, and in this case it is the latter. The final word is that a modern smartphone will probably be a better video capture tool anyway.

Camera menu screen showing video recording quality settings. "4K 4096x2160, 24p, 100Mbps, AAC" is selected, with other options including 4K 30p, FHD 60p, FHD 30p, and HD 30p visible on the right.

Red Chinese lanterns with gold accents hang in a row on a wire next to an ornate street lamp, set against the backdrop of a modern city building with many windows.

A group of people walking on a sidewalk, seen from the knees down. A white arrow and dash are marked on the pavement, pointing to the right. The image is in black and white.

Two men walk along a sidewalk by a brick wall with graffiti. One wears a reflective safety vest and black hoodie, the other a denim jacket and black hat. Both appear relaxed and are looking in different directions.

A narrow alleyway with beige and black brick walls, some graffiti, and a view of a modern glass skyscraper in the background under a cloudy sky.

The Panasonic ZS300 Is a Real Downgrade

I liked the idea of this camera eight years ago, and I also see merit in Panasonic re-releasing it now. This camera is well-designed and has a telephoto lens that can still outperform anything that a smartphone can. It also has excellent manual controls and offers plenty of creativity.

However, the removal of the EVF is just such a detriment to the entire package, especially when nothing else in the camera has significantly improved. As it is, the ZS300 is a markedly worse product than the camera that came before it, so I’d rather buy the ZS200 used.

The price on the $899 ZS300 may only have gone up $100 over eight years, but I don’t like the idea of getting a less capable camera. Panasonic probably could have charged a little more and included the EVF while still finding success on the market. But if you want a big zoom range in an otherwise excellent body design, and don’t need the EVF at all, the ZS300 exists.

A Canada goose stands on a flat rock surrounded by water and other large rocks, looking out over a rippling river or lake.

A colorful mural featuring stylized, fierce-looking lion-like creatures with swirling manes and exaggerated facial features. A red and yellow sign with Chinese characters and "FUKENESE" is visible on the right.

A black and white photo of a large, ornate lion sculpture on a wall, partially obscured by leafless tree branches in the foreground. The lion has a fierce expression and intricate detailing.

Two people in winter clothing stand on a city sidewalk near a colorful, abstract street art box. One holds a phone, and the other wears glasses and faces the street. Buildings and street signs are visible in the background.

Two people walk along a fenced path beside a snowy area, with the large shadow of a tree cast over the snow. The photo is in black and white, creating a stark contrast between light and shadow.

Two people walk along a city sidewalk, framed by the shadowy entrance of a tunnel. Tall buildings, streetlights, and a busy street are visible in the background on a sunny day. The image is in black and white.

Black and white photo of two modern high-rise buildings; one has a geometric glass facade with diagonal lines, and the other features a repetitive pattern of small, protruding balconies.

Bare tree branches in the foreground silhouetted against the reflective glass facade of a modern building, with clouds and sunlight visible in the reflection. The image is in black and white.

A close-up view of a glass building facade with a geometric metal grid pattern, reflecting nearby skyscrapers and clouds in the windows. The image is in black and white.

A dramatic, upward view of a modern high-rise building with staggered, geometric balconies against a cloudy sky, rendered in black and white.

Black and white photo showing reflections of clouds and a building with many windows on a glass surface, creating an abstract, layered effect. The angles and lines blend together, making it hard to distinguish the objects.

A person with glasses and earbuds looks to the side behind a glass panel covered with reflections, stickers, and graffiti. They wear a plaid jacket, a gold chain, and a shirt reading "Press to Open.

Are There Alternatives?

A used ZS200 will go for a similar price on the used market and will function much the same, along with the benefit of having an EVF. Sony still offer the RX100 VII on the market, and it does have an EVF along with a fairly wide zoom range, albeit at a costly price.

Should You Buy It?

Maybe. The ZS300 can still do something that smartphones can’t and it has a bigger zoom range for it’s given dimensions than any other digital camera on the market. I just take issue with the obvious hardware downgrade paired very little innovation to make up for it.

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