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Fun in the Sun: Panasonic TS1

Seven waterproof digital cameras

Select a topic --------------------------------- 1. Overview 2. Pentax W60 3. Canon D10 4. Panasonic TS1 5. Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 6. Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 7. Olympus Stylus 550WP 8. Fujifilm Z33WP 9. Conclusion --------------------------------- Reader Comments on Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index

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Panasonic TS1

With the solid good looks of a Panasonic Toughbook rugged computer, the Panasonic Lumix TS1 looks like it would be as comfortable mounted on a tool belt as it would on dangling from your wrist as you take off on your next outdoor adventure. The Panasonic TS1 is waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof, covering most of the major elements you'll be concerned about.

Waterproof:	10 feet
Shockproof:	5 feet
Freezeproof:	14°F (-10°C)
Crushproof:	N/A
Resolution:	12.10 Megapixels
Lens:	4.6x zoom (28-128mm eq.)
LCD size:	2.7 inch
ISO:	80-6400
Shutter:	60-1/1300
Max Aperture:	3.3
Mem Type:	SDHC / SD
Battery:	Custom LiIon
Dimensions:	3.9x2.5x0.9in (98x63x23mm)
Weight:	6.5 oz (184 g)
MSRP:	$400
Availability:	04/2009

Lens coverage is just right for outdoor use, ranging from 28-128mm equivalent, or 4.6x, and it includes Panasonic's excellent optical image stabilization.

Look and feel. Available in three colors -- Silver, Green, and Orange -- the Panasonic TS1 is quite attractive, with a flat front of brushed metal, but it's certainly not slim. It stands out in both a shirt and a pants pocket thanks to its thickness and bold edges, making it better suited for a cargo pocket or jacket pocket. The brushed metal finish looks almost gun-like, and though it's not as thick as a pistol slide, the metal does feel substantial, hardly giving when I press down on it.

The Panasonic TS1 weighs 6.5 ounces (184g), light for its size, and includes a good wrist strap with a toggle lock to securely attach it to your wrist or gear.

Despite its simple boxiness, the Panasonic TS1 fits very well in the hand. Your fingers wrap around the front and stick well enough, and your thumb finds an easy home southwest of the mode dial. The dial's detents are firm enough that they don't often turn accidentally.

Controls. The buttons on the back are also firm, not often pressed accidentally, which is good, since they leave little room for your thumb. The shutter button is excellent, and the texture on the top of the shutter button really does help find and press the button in wet conditions. The zoom slider is a little close to the shutter button, but I've gotten used to it since I completed our initial review. The power button is the only truly vexing part of the Panasonic TS1, because you have to hold it down for a second to activate it. That fact alone confounded most everyone who tried the Panasonic TS1.

The rear buttons have a feel of high quality, and the four beveled navigation buttons are easy to differentiate from one another despite their tight proximity.

My favorite button on the rear is the red Record button. All digital cameras capable of video should have a button ready to start recording.

Shooting. Autofocus speed and shutter responsiveness make the Panasonic TS1 stand out as one of the best cameras in the roundup for capturing action. Of all the cameras we had in the water, we learned pretty quickly that if you wanted an action shot, you grabbed the TS1 first, and the Canon D10 or Tough-8000 second (the Pentax W60, it turned out, was actually faster, but its LCD was harder to see). Full autofocus speed is quite good, coming in at 0.44 shutter lag at wide angle, and at 0.01 when prefocused.

Movie mode is a little slow to start, which can be frustrating when capturing action. However, the Panasonic TS1's video quality is pretty good. You can record in AVCHD or Motion JPEG. For better compatibility with my older computers, I generally shoot Motion JPEG.

Leaving the camera in Intelligent Auto mode was a good move most of the time, especially when handing the camera to the kids, as the Panasonic TS1 quickly looks at the scene and picks a relevant Scene mode.

As I mentioned in the TS1 review, the LCD doesn't always convey the same color balance as the computer screen, partially due to the cold blue screen filter designed to improve daylight viewability. Otherwise, the screen is quite good for framing in bright daylight; it's lower contrast than the two Olympus Tough cameras, and doesn't show as much nuance as the Canon D10, but still serves well.

Panasonic's image stabilization is rock solid, even when shooting one-handed. It's surprising how much you need stabilization when shooting in water, but the waves can move you around quite a bit, and image stabilization becomes essential.

The Lumix TS1, like many recent Panasonics, makes good use of post-processing technology to improve the optical quality of its images. Barrel and pincushion distortion are processed out of the images almost completely, as is most evidence of chromatic aberration. There's still plenty of blur in the corners, but you can't tell what's optical softness and what's created by the image processor stretching and cropping the image.

How the Panasonic TS1 fared:

Your intended use

• Purpose: The Panasonic TS1's f/3.3 lens is a little less effective for indoor shooting, but Panasonic's excellent image stabilization makes up for that. However, the TS1 really isn't the best dive camera, thanks to its 10-foot depth limitation, though limited snorkeling shouldn't be a problem. It's a great swimming camera, to be sure, an excellent for any other kind of watersport activity.
• Kids: The Panasonic TS1's LCD worked well in bright sunlight and was fast enough that we preferred it for candid shots. The kids smiled big when they got the TS1. Everyone liked the textured shutter button, too.
• Ruggedness: Able to handle a drop of around five feet (1.5 meters) the Panasonic TS1 is ready for rough handling.
• Cold: Not freezeproof, the TS1 is better kept in your jacket for your next ski adventure. Don't worry, waterproof does indeed mean sweatproof as well.

Your expected output size

• Print sizes: Print quality is quite good with the Panasonic TS1's images, with ISO 80 images handling enlargement to 13x19 inches. Even ISO 400 images look good at 11x14, and stand up to scrutiny at 8x10. Corner softness is only an issue at 11x14 and up.
• Landscape: There is plenty of luminance noise, as is common among Panasonic cameras, which looks like random texture in otherwise smooth areas, but detail remains strong enough where it matters, so that this noise doesn't affect printed results. The TS1 makes a decent landscape camera as a result, but limit your print sizes to 11x14 at low ISOs for best results.

Versatility

• The Panasonic TS1 is among the better cameras to serve as an everyday carry camera from an image quality standpoint. However, it's a little larger, and the most expensive camera of the bunch, so take that into consideration too.

Click here to see the Panasonic Lumix TS1 review

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