Just prior to the Covid Lockdown in Late Feb of 2020 I traded a friend for a used Panasonic ZS100 having lacked a solid everyday carry camera at the time. I had plenty of other pocket cameras that I could carry but not one that delivered a high quality image and was capable of moderately low light shooting after I sold my original Sony RX100 having not really connected with that camera.
The ZS100 is a special camera to me as it was what I had on me when I went through Hell and back during an upside down world having been used to living in a normally "Quiet" area of the planet that got a lot more turbulent during the Pandemic.
This was the primary camera that almost soley kept me sane during the lockdowns and restrictions of 2020-2021 where my interest in Street Photography really blossomed as a coping mechanism to document the strange Political and Social "every day" occurrences and allowed me to take on the role of a Photojournalist in my backyard.
While I shot a good number of different cameras between 2020 and 2022 the Panasonic ZS100 was my go to everyday carry. Its 10x zoom and small size made it the perfect camera for Street Photography especially in Tense situations where having a large camera could garner suspicion from people already pushed to the social breaking point due to the slew of issues all hitting the fan at once.
Released in 2016 the Panasonic ZS100 has a 20mp BSI 1" CMOS sensor, which is the largest sensor you can get on most pocket cameras with certain exceptions (such as APS-C and FF pocket Cameras by Fuji and Sony) but those typically have fixed focal length lenses. There is another exception of the 1.5" sensor used in the Canon G1x which has a zoom lens but that's a fairly odd Unicorn camera along with the Panasonic LX100 which uses a M43 sensor that crops to the 1.5" sensor size.
2016 was at the tail end of the golden era of pocket cameras, and while Panasonic would make an "Upgrade" to the ZS100 with the ZS200 in 2018; many reviewers will state that the ZS100 is still the better camera of the two with a sharper lens that has less distortion while only sacrificing 5x Optical Zoom.
The ZS100 is the Ultimate Jack of All master of None cameras. It can do some Nature Photography in a pinch. It is acceptable enough for indoor shooting while not being the best at it (but still exceeds the capabilities of other smaller sensor pocket cameras). It does decently with Macro photography while not exceling at it. Combine all of this into one small easy to pocket and conceal package and it becomes the ultimate Street Photography camera.
It has a tiny EVF which is useful in a pinch under extremely bright situations but is generally too small to be useful especially for someone who wears glasses. It has three programmable FN buttons and in a lot of way handles and shoots like a "Mini" version of my GX8 which I just reviewed the previous week. This is likely another reason I got attached to this camera; because it was easy to pick up and learn having owned a Panasonic M43 mirrorless body.
My original Panasonic ZS100 lived a short and tough life. The zoom lens broke due to turning on while in my pocket in late 2021. I got the camera repaired only to have it completely destroyed a year later due to being run over by a car in early December 2022 during a time I had a lot going on in my personal life. My parents replaced it as my Xmas gift of 2022.
There's a bittersweet significance to this as my Father passed away on Christmas Day last year so it was the last gift I'd ever get from him if you don't count the inheritance of his car. So in more then a few ways if I had a deeply personal connection to any camera that goes beyond how much I enjoy shooting it; the Panasonic ZS100 would be it.
When I broke this camera I considered asking for a ZS200 which I could have gotten for the same price used as a new ZS100. But looking at the specs and everything the ZS100 was through with me I didn't really need a "Newer" camera I just wanted what I had back, so I opted for a brand new ZS100 instead.
It's not a perfect camera. It is a little slow to shut down but a lot faster then the Sony RX100 was which is a big reason I sold that camera. But the fact that this camera can do everything from indoor street photography in a Mall, Some Nature photography, Macro work and outdoor street photography all in one small package makes me really appreciate this camera. It's a camera that's been through a lot; and I hope it continues to go on Photography adventures with me Everywhere and makes me appreciate not having to fall back to "Taking out my Phone".
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