The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580 is a fair bit more expensive than the Samsung, mostly due to it having a touch screen. In a sensible maneuver, Panasonic has wisely retained a button-based interface system, and augmented it with a touch screen, rather than replacing it. The touch screen can be tapped to focus on a point, sliders can be dragged to change aperture and shutter settings, or for for browsing the quick menu. It still has a traditional four-way pad and menu system, so you're not reliant on the screen. While it only has a 5x zoom to the Samsung's 10x, it has a faster lens (maximum aperture of f/2.8), and an approximately equal wide-angle.
Another feature we really like about the FX580 is its manual controls, even more extensive than the Samsung's. In addition to the manual mode, it has aperture and shutter priority shooting modes. Also, the aperture can be set across the entire available range, not just the minimum and maximum.
Where the Lumix really faltered was in its performance. In our lab testing, it scored lower in almost every test we run. The one area where it was appreciably ahead was noise, which is important. However, it lost out on color accuracy, resolution, stabilization, shot to shot speed, and video sharpness.
Where we would recommend the Panasonic is if you want extensive manual controls in a smaller frame than the Samsung, but don't mind missing out on the 10x zoom, or taking an image quality hit. On the other hand, if you want that extra zoom, and don't want to pay more for a touch screen, the Samsung is definitely appealing.
