It's a good option for manual-minded shooters, thanks to aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and full manual exposure controls. It has excellent video options, as it shoots full 1080p video at a clip of 60 frames per second. It's a touchscreen camera, but it also provides traditional buttons and dials for accessing some in-camera features more efficiently.

In addition, the ZS20 comes equipped with futuristic extras, such as 3D still shooting, in-camera GPS with mapping features, a high-speed video mode, and continuous-shooting speeds that reach up to 10 fps at full 14-megapixel resolution and 60 fps at 2.5-megapixel resolution.

All of that adds up to a camera that does a whole lot, though the ZS20 stumbles a bit in image quality and battery life. In the end, this camera's many benefits significantly outnumber its shortcomings. It's one of the most versatile you can buy right now.

Traditionally, Panasonic's cameras have met the challenge in the PCWorld Labs' subjective tests for image quality. The Lumix line usually errs on the side of underexposure and muted colors in Intelligent Auto mode, which is rare for today's cameras; everything from a smartphone camera to a DSLR tends to oversaturate and "punch up" colors these days, as the masses gravitate toward vibrant images with bright colors. If you'd prefer the punchy colors of other cameras, the Panasonic Lumix ZS20 can do that, too; you'll just need to use the camera's exposure compensation controls or set it to the Expressive Color option in its Creative Control menu.