Panasonic Lumix ZS200 / TZ200 vs Sony ZV-1 — Which Is Better?

The Panasonic Lumix ZS200 / TZ200 and the Sony ZV-1 are both fixed-lens compacts with 1-inch CMOS sensors. The ZS200 arrived in 2018 and the ZV-1 in 2020, so the Sony is the newer design by two years.

They also share 20 megapixel resolution and a fixed lens, so neither body takes interchangeable optics. The ZS200 is the larger camera at 111 x 66 x 45 mm and 340 g, against 105 x 60 x 44 mm and 294 g for the ZV-1, so the Sony is the more pocketable of the two.

The ZV-1 is the stronger choice for fast action, with 24 fps continuous shooting against 10 fps on the ZS200 and 315 autofocus points against 49. The larger AF array helps the Sony keep a moving subject sharp, and the faster burst captures the peak moment in sports or pet photography.

For framing in bright sun, the ZS200 holds a real advantage: it has an electronic viewfinder with 2,330,000 dots, while the ZV-1 has no viewfinder at all and relies on its rear screen. Both offer in-body stabilisation and a 1/2000 second maximum shutter, so handheld low-light work and freezing daylight motion are supported on either body.

Slow motion is where the ZV-1 pulls ahead, recording at up to 120 fps against 60 fps on the ZS200, twice the frame rate. That extra slow-motion reach suits clips such as a skateboard trick or a bird taking flight. Both top out at 4K resolution.

Beyond slow motion, the basics are shared. Both record video, offer built-in timelapse and use MPEG-4 and AVCHD formats. The ZV-1 adds XAVC S and the ZS200 adds MOV for workflows that prefer them.

Vloggers get the more useful screen on the ZV-1, which flips out for self-framing while the ZS200's screen is fixed in place. The ZS200 counters with a sharper display, 1,240,000 dots against 921,600, which makes manual-focus checking and image review that bit more detailed.

The shared features cover the daily essentials. Both offer a 3-inch touchscreen, live view, built-in flash, and Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth for transferring images to a phone, and both skip GPS and weather sealing.

Longer days out favour the ZS200, whose DMW-BLG10 battery is rated for 370 shots against 260 shots for the ZV-1's NP-BX1. Both charge over USB, which simplifies topping up from a power bank between locations.

Storage is a difference without much practical cost. Both use single SD card slots, but the ZS200 specifies UHS-I compatibility for faster card writes, while the ZV-1 also accepts Memory Stick Pro Duo and Pro-HG Duo media alongside SD cards.