Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 12MP Digital Camera with 4.6x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Orange) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Until this month there were only 2 or three viable options in Waterproof cameras. All were limited, and one, the Ricoh was priced WAY too high.

This Lumix, my father-in-law just bought last month in Japan, same exact camera, different model number. I played with it several days. The images are very nice from what I can see. They are just as good as most other point and shoot digital cameras out. Probably not the best of the best, but definitely good. We shot outdoors and inside in restaurants without flash. We got decent shots. Basically put it up to most digital cameras and it fares fine. But with the water and shock resistance and HD video capabilities, you have a a huge win with this camera.

In my opinion, this Lumix beats out Olympus, Canon, FinePix, Pentax and Ricoh for the all around status. Why? This Lumix is Water and Shockproof. Has a 10 ft water proof (which is enough for most people) Does HD video 1280x720 with Audio. Takes SD cards including the 32GB SDHC High Capacity cards. This and the video is huge for me. The Olympus does not take SD, and is limited. You can put 4 hours of HD video on a 32GB HCSD card on this Lumix. Awesome. Get a couple 32Gig cards and you are more than covered for an entire vacation with a lot of filming. Great pics, great video, all weather with just this slim camera. That's why I love it.
The design is slim (the new Canon waterproof blue camera is awesome, don't get me wrong, but it's kinda big and round (and video isn't as good).
This Lumix doesn't have as good a zoom as the Canon, but it's decent, and sure, it can't go as deep as the Canon, however it's small enough for the pocket, durable, takes great shots, goes deep enough in the water for most, takes the best video as all.

This is the reason I think it gets best all around. If you only care about super small size, get the finepix. If you want the best underwater performance photos, get the Canon. I wouldn't recommend getting the Olympus unless they change to SD cards. Olympus' MicroSD and XD are both lame limited formats. With this Lumix you are ready for all kinds of things and it's easy to put in the pocket. Because the video is so good, I think it makes it the great all around rugged vacation camera. And I'd even consider shooting fun movies with it where perfect audio isn't required, as the quality is much better than some video cameras out now. (I haven't figured out how good the sound is yet on the HD video, so I can't speak to that, but they say it's decent quality.)

Some youtube videos were posted where people with this camera were using it effectively as a helmet cam and they even hooked it to their motorcycle and did driving videos. Stuff like that is why I'm so excited to buy my own. (helicopter / RC airplane / balloon camera shots this would be great being light and video is good)

Lastly, the Macro is very nice too. I'm sure there's better macro elsewhere if you compare, but this does very well and has an LED light for it too. If you have kids and you'd like for them to learn cameras and play and experiment, I think though this is not a cheap camera, it's durable, can do all kinds of nature shots and video of bugs, leaves, snow, rain, tadpoles,and is going to perform well under some stress. I feel like with a water and shockproof camera, you're getting components that are going to last for a while and you'll hopefully only need to replace the camera when a better one comes out (or you lose it.)

Hope this was helpful!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 12MP Digital Camera with 4.6x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Orange)

Product Description:

Panasonic's Lumix DMC-TS1 is the world's first waterproof, shockproof and dustproof digital camera to also feature AVCHD Lite High Definition (HD) video recording capabilities. The TS1's tough and rugged design makes it the ideal choice for active users needing the ultimate hybrid for capturing both still and motion images during outdoor activities. The Lumix TS1, with a 12.1-megapixel resolution, features a 28mm wide-angle Leica DC Vario-Elmar lens, a 4.6x optical zoom and Panasonic's proprietary iA (Intelligent Auto) mode, making this an easy-to-use, yet powerful camera that packs advanced imaging features.

FEATURES:

Scene Modes for Still Images: Beach & Surf mode gives users a single mode with optimized auto white balance for optical shooting on the beach and in shallow water.
Panorama Assist scene mode allows users to shoot a number of consistent photos, either vertically or horizontally, by aligning them according to a guide that overlaps the screen. Then using those photos and the bundled PanoramaMaker software, users can create dramatic panoramic images.
Increased Scene modes for both still and motion image shooting--optimized for a variety of situations. There are 26 scene modes for still image and 17 for motion image (Portrait, Soft Skin, Transform, Self portrait, Scenery, Low light, Food, Party, Candle light, Sunset, High sensitivity, Beach & Surf, Snow, Aerial, Pin hole, Film grain and Underwater)
LED Illumination is available in motion image recording.
High-Speed Burst (Speed Priority) that fires off approximately 10 shots per second.
Menus are clearer and easier to navigate with the Display Size option.
Macro Zoom function lets users pull subjects even closer to capture dramatic close-up shots by using the 3x digital zoom in the wide-angle.

Want to buy Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 12MP Digital Camera with 4.6x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7 inch LCD (Orange) at other amazon sites? Click the corresponding icon below: