I took Panasonic’s new 15x zoom travel compact camera on vacation, and it still has no rival — but flagship Chinese phones are getting close

by · TechRadar

TechRadar Verdict

The Lumix ZS300 / TZ300 takes on the travel-compact mantle of 2018’s Lumix ZS300 / TZ200 and still holds its own eight years later, despite effectively being a pricier downgrade. That goes to show how little the point-and-shoot camera market has changed in recent years — but has Panasonic missed a trick by relaunching old tech into a resurgent market rather than raising the bar? I suspect not — there’s still little competition for a truly compact camera with stabilized superzoom lens, 1-inch sensor and 20MP stills, although the best camera phones are catching up. The Lumix TZ300 still hits different to a smartphone in 2026, and is a versatile snapper for travels — I just wish Panasonic had given us more camera.

Pros

  • +1-inch sensor beats other travel zoom cameras
  • +Versatile 15x optical zoom and decent stabilization
  • +Compact design and logical control layout

Cons

  • -Panasonic has held back its latest autofocus and color profiles
  • -Fixed screen, and the viewfinder has gone
  • -Some softness in images, especially at the telephoto end

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Panasonic Lumix ZS300 / TZ300: two-minute review

Eight years ago, and before my time as Cameras Editor, TechRadar called the Lumix ZS200 / TZ200 "the most advanced travel zoom camera" and gave it a near-perfect 4.5 / 5 rating in its review — and that discontinued model now has a surprise successor, the Lumix TZ300.

Like the 2018 original, the Lumix ZS300 / TZ300 packs a stabilized 24-360mm f/3.3-6.4 lens and large 1-inch sensor, shooting 20MP stills and 4K video — a tempting cocktail of quality and versatility, all in a truly pocketable body.

Despite the years, there's very little between the two cameras; in fact, I can tell you the key differences in a single sentence: the 2026 model gains USB-C charging, but loses a built-in viewfinder. That’s it.

It’s great to see the once-popular travel zoom compact readily available again — I thoroughly enjoyed reviewing the older model long before my TechRadar days — and it's now compliant with common charger EU laws thanks to its USB-C port, and ready to compete for a spot on my best compact cameras round-up. However, in a way the 2026 version is a pricier downgrade.

Will Panasonic's decision to strip the Lumix TZ300 back, without seemingly compensating with new features, come back to bite it?

The fact is, compact camera shipments are on the up again, and right now the Lumix TZ300 still has little competition, so Panasonic might just cash in anyway — I don’t think it needs to improve is flagship travel zoom compact to maximize sales, just make it available again, which is what it's done.

Here's the rear of the camera. On the old version, there was an EVF nestled into the top left above the screen, but here, just plastic (Image credit: Future / Tim Coleman)

Removing the viewfinder no doubt cuts costs down (not that those savings are passed onto the consumer), and could be a reflection on how people tend to rely on screens more in 2026. For me, it doesn’t feel like a dealbreaker — the EVF in the original model wasn’t the best in any case.

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