Panasonic Lumix TZ10 vs TZ8: GPS superzoom camera combat

There's no question that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ10 and Lumix DMC-TZ8 are both excellent cameras. They're also very similar, and should you try to choose between them, you're faced with a question: what kind of gadget lover are you?

Our video is here to help as we pit the two cameras againstt each other in mortal gadget combat. The sensible gadget lover might plump for the cheaper TZ8 -- but the hardcore techhead won't be able to resist the TZ10's killer extra GPS feature. It's a microcosm of the gadget world in one head-to-head video: sensible option or premium extra feature?

Whichever you choose, you'll be getting yourself a hefty chunk of camera goodness. Lumix cameras are built as solid as tanks, and are -- wobbly mode wheels aside -- a pleasure to use. They both take excellent pictures, and both sport a versatile 12x optical zoom with a 35mm equivalent focal length of 25-300mm.

Physically the differences are slight: the TZ10 has a slightly larger 76mm (3-inch) screen than the TZ8's 69mm (2.7-inch), and the GPS system adds a small bump to the top of the camera. A stereo microphone is also on top of the TZ10, and the front advertises that it shoots AVCHD Lite video.

AVCHD Lite is a mixed blessing: it compresses high definition video so that footage takes up less memory, but isn't universally supported. The TZ8 shoots Motion JPEG, which the TZ10 offers as a second choice, and is simpler to work with and upload to video sites. Both record 720p HD video.

The decision comes down to the GPS feature, and how much of a premium you're willing to pay for it. The TZ10 tags your pictures with hidden information, or metadata, that tells Web sites like Twitter or Google Maps where the shot was taken. A cool bonus is that the camera has an extensive list of landmarks so you can assign a picture to the actual place it was taken. And we do mean extensive: in the video we scroll down the list of local landmarks near our office; we're here every day and many of them are new to us.

And finally, the bottom line. As of today, Amazon offers the TZ10 for £250 and the TZ8 for £200. Jessops offers the TZ10 for £290 and the TZ8 for £220. Would you -- or have you -- paid the extra fifty quid for GPS? Click play on the video for more camera comparisons.