Before going on an adventure, I always think about clearing space in my camera roll to take as many pictures as possible, so why not save time and bring one of the best cameras for your next vacation?
The Lumix ZS99 (U.S.)/TZ99 (U.K.) is an upgrade from the previous ZS80/TZ95 launched in early 2025. It’s a 20.3 megapixel compact camera that fits into your pocket making it easy to grab and take with you anywhere. Importantly, it features a 30x optical zoom, equating to a maximum focal length of 720mm on a full frame camera: hence why it’s called a “Superzoom”.
However, I’m not sure a 30x optical zoom is enough to justify the price. The camera produces decent pictures in well-lit scenarios but its small sensor is noisy in the shadows and struggles with tricky lighting.
To find out more, read my full Lumix ZS99 review.
Panasonic Lumix ZS99 review: Specs
Panasonic Lumix ZS99 review: Price & availability
The Lumix ZS99 is available for purchase directly from the online Lumix U.S. store for $499. In the UK, the camera has a different model name, TZ99, and can be purchased from Amazon U.K. for £468.
At this price, the camera finds itself in the playing fields of the Sony ZV-1F and that is a camera worth your money. The ZS99 does have in-body image stabilization though (which the Sony doesn’t have) and a wildly more impressive zoom.
Panasonic Lumix ZS99 review: Design
The Lumix ZS99 is a compact camera with a premium feel. The camera I tested was the all-black model. It’s also available in silver where the body remains black but the panel at the top and control dials are all silver, giving the camera classic edge. Personally, I prefer the all-black color design as I think the silver option cheapens the overall look of the camera.
The camera is comfortable to hold, with a grip next to the lens that allows the camera to fit comfortably in my hand. It also comes with a wrist strap to negate any accidental drops.
What I love most about this camera is its size. It fits perfectly in the back pocket of my jeans, and zips into literally any coat pocket with ease. This makes it the ideal grab-and-go camera.
But I hear you — isn’t that the point of a compact camera? And you’d be right. But in that case, why not just grab your phone? Because this compact camera offers 30x optical zoom. And it’s good too.
The 30x optical zoom gives a 720mm full frame equivalent lens. Now, this does look ever so slightly comical coming out of such a small camera body, but its performance totally makes up for it (more on that later).
The OLED display tilts 180º to turn into a selfie cam, which is useful as a lot of compact cameras don’t have this feature. It’s also good for getting low down shots if you flip the screen 90º.
The camera has a thread at the bottom for tripods or selfie sticks, and with the 180º screen, it couldn’t be easier to frame those shots. The display is also a touch screen, so it is super simple to use to focus images.
The 3inch TFT LCD screen is approximately 1,843,200 dots, so you get a good idea of what your pictures will look like when you upload them to your computer. However, as with any screen in bright lighting, it was hard to see what I was doing in bright sunlight.
On the bottom of the camera you will also find the battery compartment which also houses the SD card. The charging ports are found on the side of the unit, where you have the choice of Micro HDMI and USB-C.
Panasonic Lumix ZS99 review: Controls
The controls of the Lumix ZS99 are easy to use for any beginner photographer. The point and shoot style means it is perfect for anyone who loves to snap pictures wherever they go. Also, the user-friendly controls mean there isn’t much to get your head around.
All of the controls are on the left of the OLED screen. The screen itself is a touch screen so you can focus the image using that, although it is temperamental in video mode.
The focal length can be controlled by rotating the zoom ring on the lens barrel or with the toggle on top of the camera. However, both of these can be changed in the menu of the camera to control a different variable, like shutter speed, to let you tailor the controls to your preference.
I would recommend only using the zoom ring to operate the lens and setting the rear dial to something more useful, as I found the rear dial harder to use for zooming.
The mode dial at the top of the camera has 10 options to choose from, and is easy to reach when you want to quickly switch modes.
The camera also has instant wireless smartphone transfer of pictures so you can quickly download your photos and videos without needing to plug into a computer. When I tested I was completely unimpressed. I found that (with iOS devices at least) the camera only connected when it felt like it. I found this annoying as when transferring shots from my Sony a6600, transferring photos via its companion app is quick and simple.
Panasonic Lumix ZS99 review: Autofocus performance
Generally, the ZS99’s autofocus was fast and accurate when snapping quick, casual pictures. I could also select the focal point of the image by tapping on the touch screen. The autofocus worked well for moving subjects as you can see in the below image of my dog walking. The dog’s face is in focus, so I was happy with this shot.
The camera also has a face detection and tracking feature to identify humans and keep them in focus. I found this worked well when snapping portraits of my friend in the park as you can see below, and it managed to stay locked on her even when she moved.
The Lumix ZS99 features a macro mode which drops the minimum focusing distance of the lens down from 0.5m to 3cm at wide angles. It works well for up close items, as can be seen in this close up of the computer key. The lines in the image are sharp and the writing on the key in the foreground is clear.
I also found that although Lumix states the lens’ minimum focusing distance is 0.5m at 4.3mm, I was able to get much closer than that and the autofocus still performed well (even when not in macro mode).
Panasonic Lumix ZS99 review: Image quality
I was impressed by the 20.3 MP resolution and 1/2.3 sensor. The Lumix ZS99 produces clear and sharp images with true-to-life color representation. As can be seen from the photo of the bunch of daffodils, the camera delivers well saturated colors. The hues of the different shades of yellow are vibrant and true-to-life.
As you might expect for a camera called “Superzoom”, with this camera you're paying for the 30x optical zoom. It is truly insane. Because of the 30x optical zoom you get plenty of telephoto reach without a loss in resolution. At full telephoto, the focal length is 129mm, or a 720mm full frame equivalent. As you can see in the image below, I was able to take a clear picture of the moon which is really impressive for a camera that can fit in your pocket.
The first picture of the two mallards on the lake below is taken using the 129mm focal length. The second image of the trees framing the lake shows the field of view at the widest 4.3mm focal length. In the second image you can hardly see the ducks, as they are on the other side of the lake, but the 30x optical zoom means I was able to capture subjects far away without compromising resolution.
While the full 129mm focal length is deployed, the camera looks slightly ridiculous with the size of the lens that protrudes, but the image quality is really great, so it’s well worth it.
While relatively modest in resolution, the 20.3MP still captures lots of fine detail, and is suitable for mild cropping. The above picture of a tree trunk was taken using a focal length of 71.7mm and shows plenty of fantastic details. The second image is a mild crop into the first, showing all of the fine ridges in the wood.
To test the Lumix ZS99’s 5-axis stabilization, I slowed the shutter speed and took pictures of the Knuckles figurine to find where the optical image stabilization began struggling to keep things blur-free. The optical image stabilization did a good job at counteracting my movement until a shutter speed of 1/8, at which point it started to struggle.
As you can see in the images above, both taken at 1/8sec, the camera was able to keep things stable enough to counteract blur for around half of my shots.
While in natural daylight this camera excels, it struggles in low light conditions, with exceptionally noisy shadows. As you can see in the first gallery image above, of the path taken under trees, the darker areas of shade and greenery are noticeably grainy.
The noise issues are particularly problematic in challenging dynamic range scenarios, such as backlit shots. In the image of my friend in the second gallery photo above, sitting with the sun going down behind her, the darker areas of the shot (so all of her) are extremely noisy, to the extent that she looks fuzzy and out of focus. It’s so noisy that it almost looks like a film photo.
Panasonic Lumix ZS99 review: Video performance
The Lumix ZS99 may look like it would be the perfect vlogging, travel diary camera with its 4K resolution, 180º visual display and built in skin smoothing. But you would be mistaken to think so. The video captured by this camera is shaky at the best of times.
This is because its image stabilization doesn’t work for video — massively annoying since the camera uses optical image stabilization for stills. When shooting the video below, where I am panning the camera, it seems to have picked up every slight movement, resulting in very shaky footage.
The camera has two stereo microphones on top and these pick up a wide audio dynamic range. While they did pick up on some wind buffeting, they also picked up the sound of an aeroplane that I couldn’t even hear at the time.
The camera also has digital zoom up to 60x (1440mm full frame equivalent) in video mode. However, I would recommend staying away from this feature, cropping that far into a sensor this small to achieve such a zoom level results in a serious loss of resolution and very poor image quality.
What’s more, at that level of zoom, the lack of stabilization is exacerbated to an extreme degree, and it is damn near impossible to capture any remotely passable footage.
Panasonic Lumix ZS99 review: Battery life
The Lumix ZS999 uses a Panasonic DMW-BLG10E battery that can be charged using the USB-C charging port at the side of the camera.
Lumix claims a 380-shot CIPA rating for the battery. After taking 143 shots and three short videos with the Lumix ZS99 on my walk, the battery had drained by a third. So you can actually expect around 430 shots from a single charge, which isn’t too bad.
If you were taking the camera on a day out, you’d probably want to be pickier with your shots to make sure it can last the whole day, or purchase a second battery.
Panasonic Lumix ZS99 review: Verdict
The Lumix ZS99 is a good point and shoot camera. Its 20.3MP resolution produces some decent pictures given the tiny sensor. The reach you can achieve with the 30x optical zoom is also impressive, colours are true to life and the optical image stabilization is very useful, especially when using the increased focal lengths. What’s more, you can take it anywhere in your pocket.
However, shadow cleanliness is poor at the best of times, and as soon as lighting gets remotely tricky, images are engulfed in noise. The biggest missed trick, though, is in the video department, where the lack of stabilization is ruinous. While this camera is fine if you absolutely need optical reach, it’s difficult to recommend it otherwise.
