Panasonic ZS99 Review: The Return of the Fun Compact Camera

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Last Updated on 03/24/2025 by Chris Gampat

There was a time when we told everyone that we’re getting rid of reviewing small-sensor point and shoot cameras. In fact, nearly everyone did because the smartphone had decimated that market. But perhaps what we all forget is the fact that the camera manufacturers weren’t even trying to understand what people wanted from compact cameras. In truth, serious compacts were still treated with the respect you pay to your favorite everyday essentials. And though initial reviews of the Panasonic ZS99 seem to be very unenthusiastic about this camera, I can tell you with confidence that having this much power in my pocket again is truly a reminder of not realizing just how good we had it in the 2010s.

In the hand, the Panasonic ZS99 feels like what you’d want a serious compact to embody. If you put this into the hands of a Canon, Nikon, or Sony rep, they’d probably only not like it because their company’s name isn’t on it. But in reality, the Panasonic ZS99 brings me back to a day when Fujifilm cared about solid compact cameras and not just trying to feed off of a meme and social media. This camera sports two dials: one is around the lens to appeal to your muscle memory of how apertures and zoom lenses work. The other is a dial on the back reminiscent of some of your favorite Canon cameras. Most of the back is dominated by an extra large LCD screen that contributes to one of the best features of the camera. Staring at this screen – especially when you’re using the scene mode – is a beautiful experience akin to the high you naturally get when you wear rose or warm-tinted sunglasses. With that said, using this camera gave me a smile that turned my mouth into the moon and my eyes into the stars amongst the dark sky of my face.

But before I get into that, I’ll describe the worst feature: The flash is in the way and gets blocked. That’s because the design makes you want to hold the front like a DSLR’s grip at times. But if you do that, then you block the flash. And you have to pay attention to the sound of the flash or notice the slight pop to realize that. The flash, however, brings up one of the most important things about this camera and why it’s so incredible.

Often, you’ll also need to use the flash to get better pictures — but it throws off the metering to a place I really don’t like — I’m inclined to believe that it has something to do with darker skin tones.

Here's a photo from the Panasonic Zs99 shot all the way zoomed out. — Here’s a photo from the Panasonic Zs99 shot all the way zoomed out.

Here's a photo from the Panasonic Zs99 shot all the way zoomed in. — Here’s a photo from the Panasonic Zs99 shot all the way zoomed in.

Despite my qualms with this, it’s also a return to a bit more of a sensory perspective of the camera. That little flash’s pop is very audible. And for years, the industry has been making cameras way too quiet. To that end, we’ve lost the sensory romance of photography and replaced it with a simulation for a fleeting tribute to the attention economy. Luckily, this camera also has a mechanical leaf shutter that you can hear if you also pay attention.

As a man who’s been legally blind for 15 years and who returned to the world of impeccable eyesight when using my custom-made contact lenses, I love that the Panasonic ZS99 is appealing to the sensory experience. when you hold it in your hands, there’s something unmistakable about the zoom rocker and knowing that you’re supposed to flick it one way or another. The dials have a specific texture that invites the camera to grip into the pads of your finger as you manipulate the exposure settings. These are all much nicer than the buttons, which are nothing special – though they’re also not the worst I’ve used.

Lumix camera with a Leica lens on maroon cloth with a yellow pillow featuring a cartoon face in the background.

A digital camera on clothes displays an indoor image on its screen, surrounded by a sweater and a yellow shirt.

Digital camera with a flip-out screen displaying a photo, resting on a maroon fabric surface.

A black Panasonic camera with an extended lens rests on a burgundy surface, with a yellow fabric featuring a cartoon.

A black digital camera with a leather strap on a pile of purple and grey clothes.

A camera with a screen displaying settings, placed on folded clothes with a visible leather strap.

One of the best things about the Panasonic ZS99 is the single best menu system I’ve seen in a camera in years. Panasonic’s menu system has always been good – but the smaller screens on their interchangeable lens cameras didn’t let you use the full potential of the Panasonic menu system as well because of the more right handed interface. You can quickly get to where you want to in the menu system by tapping a menu section on the left and then sliding your finger up and down along the edge of the right side of the screen. With their ILCs, you have to tap a menu on the left, then tap and slide to somewhere else on the left. It’s good, but just not as simple in practice. With that said, this beats Canon’s menu system implementations by far.

As far as image quality goes, I think we need to embrace the idea of fun over seriousness. If you’re shooting for social media, then this will be positively fine. I love the ease of implementing the filters like the Appetizing Food scene or the Retro image filter. On top of that, the Panasonic ZS99 offers quite a bit of zoom range that’s incredibly useful. Imagine my surprise at realizing how far in I could zoom on a scene with something that could fit easily into my jacket pocket or that I could walk around with all day using a wrist strap.

What’s really fun are all the scene modes. For example, the camera will shoot images with a star filter around lights. It also does some really weird stuff when it comes to white balance, skin tones, and low light. It’s almost like the brand is expecting you to use the flash.

The Panasonic ZS99 is a toy camera of sorts – and the child inside me who loved toys grew up into a man who loves gear. This camera is a bit expensive, but it’s also the most compact modern zoom camera on the market with an interface that will appeal to so many folks.

In the end, I would’ve loved a successor to the LX1 Mk II. But I can’t fault this for what it is, especially when I’d surely see myself using it often.

Is it worth $500 and change? I think so.

Dimly lit room with sofas, round stools, and star-shaped lights on the walls, decorated with framed photos.

Dimly lit bar with people sitting on stools, surrounded by shelves of liquor bottles and warm red lighting.

Dimly lit lounge with people sitting on couches, ambient lighting, and framed art on the walls.

Two people sitting together in a dimly lit bar, looking at a phone, with drinks on the table.

Dimly lit lounge with brown seating, small tables, and warm ambient lighting. Art decorates the walls.

Man in cap looks at phone in dimly lit bar with people at counter and warm lighting.

Dimly lit lounge with a couch, multiple round tables, candles, and a neon rooster sign on the wall.

Cityscape at night with illuminated skyscrapers and a tree in the foreground.

Subway train at sunset, with platform lights on and a cityscape in the background.

Silhouette of a skyscraper with a spire at sunset, traffic light in the foreground.

Sunlit restaurant corner with red chairs, wooden tables, set with napkins and glassware, overlooking a city street.

Restaurant menu on a table with a fork and glass, offering various dishes like starters, seafood, and biryani.

Black and white city street scene with brick buildings, bare trees, and pedestrians crossing.

A rainbow flag with Love Trumps Hate hangs in a cafe with people sitting by the window.

Three people smiling together for a selfie in front of a neon Record Room sign.

Tall metal utility pole with wires and vines, set against a clear blue sky and adjacent to an industrial building.

Subway train at a station platform with passengers, motion blur visible on the moving train.

City street view with an Extra Butter New York sign and a yellow dumpster beside a concrete wall.

A woman smiling and holding a black purse in a cozy, dimly lit restaurant with people in the background.

Various bottles of liquor are lined up on a wooden shelf with sunlight casting shadows on the wall.

A cup of coffee on a wooden table next to a fork, menu, and a glass of water.

Cozy restaurant interior with red chairs and wooden tables, set with glasses and napkins, by large windows.

Black and white photo of a city sidewalk with shadow patterns from trees and streetlamps.

Grilled chicken on a sizzling platter with greens and a lemon slice, on a table with a person eating in the background.

A table with Indian dishes: naan, curry, spiced rice, and herbs garnish food in white bowls and a basket.

Street scene under elevated tracks with graffiti, SEPERATE FROM THIS PLANE, and LIC condo ad nearby.

Sidewalk with geometric shadows cast by overhead structures, a few feet visible near the top.

Panasonic LUMIX ZS99 Review Update: March 2025

We’re updating the review specifically for a request that we feel is important enough. This camera is great, and monochrome modes are obviously important to this crowd of users, too. The camera has a few different monochrome modes:

Standard: available in any mode
Rough: available only in scene mode
Dynamic: Same as above
Soft: same as above

Black and white photo of leafless trees with intricate branches against a clear sky. — Sample images from the Panasonic ZS99 in Monochrome mode. Credit: Chris Gampat

Two people laughing and gesturing in an outdoor plaza on a sunny day, with historic buildings in the background. — Sample images from the Panasonic ZS99 in Monochrome mode. Credit: Chris Gampat

Generally speaking, the images look satisfactory. That’s to say that I’m not overwhelmed or underwhelmed; I’m just whelmed. The best black and white photos I’ve seen have come from OM System and Ricoh. These are just alright and don’t particularly remind me of film in any way. Instead, they look like all the black-and-white presets that photographers had back in the retro digital days.

In Adobe Lightroom Classic, the ZS99 has RAW support available. And generally speaking, there’s a lot to say. First off, I’m not sure who’d really use the RAW function on a point-and-shoot with a small sensor anymore. But if you are indeed one of those folks, know that it functions like a point-and-shoot with a small sensor. With that said:

It’s noisy beyond ISO 400 – which is a critical part of the look that this camera can deliver. It’s nice to see that kind of image noise again in Lightroom as I really haven’t seen anything like this in years. It’s both a pleasant surprise and I’m sure that it’s bound to annoy lots of photographers who want a very manicured, prim and proper look.
Lightroom’s Denoising abilities are years and years ahead of anything that Capture One has done.
With that statement said, I encourage photographers to think of this almost like a film photography challenge where you don’t shoot above ISO 400.
If you’re looking for really high-quality detail in low light, go for a full-frame camera at this point. I wouldn’t even necessarily trust it with APS-C or Micro Four Thirds because of how noise and details can come out.
ISO 80 can even produce noise in darker areas of the frame. But that’s fine.
The JPEGs look great and get rid of all those problems that I talked about. You can also custom program in a few settings to get certain looks. But the ZS99 cannot take the LUTs that higher end cameras can.

In fact, the ZS99 uses Panasonic’s older imaging app; and not LUMIX Lab.

Empty restaurant with red chairs and wooden tables set with glasses and napkins, sunlight streaming through large windows. — Image from the Panasonic ZS99, unedited. Credit: Chris Gampat

Cozy restaurant corner with wooden tables, red chairs, and sunlight streaming through large windows. — Image from the Panasonic ZS99, unedited. Credit: Chris Gampat

While it’s important for folks to know that I’m stating and providing this information, it’s also quite honestly also important to balance that out. This is a point-and-shoot with a small sensor and a 30x optical zoom range. It’s reasonable for us to expect processing algorithms equivalent to what Apple and Google might give us with the sensor output from their phones in 2025. At the same time, you’d probably buy this camera to get that retro digital look from the early 2000s. And the LUMIX ZS99 has it in bounties.

Would I use this camera again? Absolutely. Would I buy it today? Not necessarily, only because I have a few other point-and-shoot cameras, and I don’t need another one like this. Do I enjoy the zooming capabilities? Oh yes! Is the lens flare you can get from this camera also really nice? Yup.

During my trip to Istanbul with the rest of TIPA, I realized that tons of photographers, journalists, and editors on the trip would probably hate the output from this camera because it isn’t super sharp, manicured, or perfect. They, and many others, are entitled to that very valid idea. And at the same time, I’m very happy to embrace a look that we can’t get anymore — and that strikes me the nostalgia and excitement of the time I first picked up Four Thirds cameras to start my photo career. What makes cameras sometimes so fun is that they deliver unexpected results for us. And when we get something that we can’t easily predict within reason, we can make more intriguing images.

For only a few hundred bucks, the Panasonic LUMIX ZS99 is worth it if you’re looking for a reliable, modern point-and-shoot with the retro digital quality you crave from the late 2000s.