I haven't used the Nikon or the Panasonic, but I have more general experience with the Panasonics. I like Panasonic's menus and controls better than Nikon's. However, I am pretty confident that the Nikon will have better image quality. What do you plan to use the camera for? What's your main subject? Also, what are you shooting with now? If your current camera is a few years old then either one will be a significant image quality upgrade.