Panasonic Lumix DMC ZS100

The Lumix DMC ZS100 is a pocket compact from 2016 with a fixed lens and a one-inch sensor. At 312 grams and 111 x 65 x 44 mm, it is built to live in a pocket rather than a bag.

That combination suits travellers and everyday photographers who do not want to carry extra lenses. The electronic viewfinder helps in bright sunlight, and 4K video covers moving subjects when stills are not enough.

Owning it means committing to the one built-in lens, so the camera stays simple and light at the cost of expanding the system later.

The one-inch CMOS sensor produces 20 megapixel files, which leaves room to crop and still make prints. Because the lens is fixed, this is the sensor you shoot with always; there is no mount to expand onto later.

Autofocus offers 49 points, and the camera can shoot bursts at up to 10 frames per second. That maximum suits brief moments such as a subject turning towards you, though it is a peak figure rather than a sustained rate.

In-body stabilisation reduces camera shake, which helps keep shutter speeds usable when light drops or you are shooting handheld. The ISO range runs from 125 to 12800 for dimmer conditions, and the shutter tops out at 1/2000, which is fast enough for most subjects but may limit the quickest action.

Framing is through a 1,166,000-dot electronic viewfinder, a real advantage on bright days when a rear screen can be hard to read.

The ZS100 records video as well as stills, and video is a core capability here rather than an afterthought. Recording reaches up to 4K resolution, and frame rates reach up to 60fps; these are separate maximums, so treat them as independent limits and check which pairings the mode you want actually offers.

Footage is saved as MPEG-4 or AVCHD files, so there is a choice of two recording formats.

In-body stabilisation reduces handheld camera shake when filming, though it cannot steady a moving subject the way it steadies the camera.

There is no built-in timelapse mode, so interval shooting cannot be programmed in the camera itself, and timelapse sequences would need to be created some other way.

The 3-inch TFT screen is a touchscreen with 1,040,000 dots, so it is sharp and lets you change settings with a tap. It does not flip or tilt, so overhead and waist-level shooting means composing from the camera's fixed position.

Wi-Fi is built in, but there is no Bluetooth or GPS on board, so location tagging is not something this camera can do itself.

Lighting options cover both built-in and external flash. The built-in flash handles dim rooms, and support for an external flash opens a route to more controlled lighting when you need it.

The body has no weather sealing, so it pays to keep it sheltered in rain, spray or dusty conditions.

A single slot takes SD, SDHC or SDXC cards. With only one slot there is no way to write a second copy inside the camera, so carry spare cards and download important files often.

The lithium-ion battery is rated at 300 shots, a rating rather than a promise for every situation. No test conditions are stated for that figure, so treat it as a guideline. Screen, viewfinder and Wi-Fi use will shorten real endurance, so a spare battery makes sense for long days.

Charging over USB is supported, so a computer or USB power source can top the battery up while you travel. That reduces the need to pack a dedicated mains charger, though it does not remove the case for carrying a second battery.