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To compare real-life performance we shot this scene with the Fujifilm FinePix JZ300 and the Panasonic Lumix FS30 / FH20 within a few moments of each other using their best quality JPEG settings. The lenses on each camera were set to approximate the same field of view, and the cameras were set to Program mode with manual ISO selected - 100 ISO in the case of the Fujifilm FinePix JZ300 and 80 ISO for the Panasonic Lumix FS30 / FH20.

The above image was taken with the Fujifilm FinePix JZ300 in Program mode. The lens was set to 5 mm (28mm equivalent) and the metering selected an exposure of 1/420th of a second at f6.4 at an ISO setting of 100. The original 4000 x 3000 pixel image had a file size of 4.42MB.

Generally speaking the FinePix JZ300 produces excellent results. In terms of exposure and colour rendition it deals very well with outdoor landscape scenes like the one used for our test shot. The subject is well exposed with a healthy-looking histogram that stretches to both ends of the horizontal axis with no clipping of the shadows or highlights. Colours are rich and vibrant, but natural-looking and not over-saturated.

Looking at the 100 percent crops, there's nothing that's a major cause for concern. The overall level of detail in these images could be a little sharper, but it's good enough and certainly preferable to the kind of artefacts that inevitably result when manufacturers attempt to process images to produce sharper, more contrasty results. There's no evidence of haloing along the horizon in the first crop - a frequent tell-tale sign of over-processed images, the lighthouse is a well-defined single column of white and you can make out some detail in the cliffs behind it.

Compare the Fujifilm FinePix JZ300 crops with those from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS30 / FH20 and you'd be hard pressed to come out in favour of one or the other. The Lumix FS30 crops show slighly more detail because of its higher resolution 14 Megapxel sensor, so the crops are actually showing a smaller area at a larger size even though both cameras are set to the same (28mm equivalent) focal length. Despite this, we don't think the Lumix FS30 / FH20 is better at resolving detail than the FinePix JZ300, if anything the detail in the foreground houses in the lighthouse crop is ever so slightly softer. You'd only notice this comparing full sized prints though and, even then it's marginal. You can make your own judgement from the crops, but from what we can see it's too close to call. Now let's check out how they compare at higher sensitivities in our High ISO Noise results.