Rob Fuel’s Panasonic TS1 Water Trip
Watch this short memorable clip of a dad and a son on their trip to the ocean. Read More »
Follow Waterproof Depth: 10ft
Shock Proof: 5ft
Freeze Proof: No
Resolution: 12.1MP
Zoom: 4.6x
Focal length: 28-128mm
Shock Proof: 5ft
Freeze Proof: No
Resolution: 12.1MP
Zoom: 4.6x
Focal length: 28-128mm
Panasonic TS1/FS1
Site Score
4.5Good: HD Video, and encased in brushed metal casing
Bad: Small, stiff metal buttons
User Score
8.0
(1 votes)
Click to vote
The Panasonic TS1 fits those who wants a waterproof camera that could double duty as an everyday pocket camera. Not only it delivers sharp photos, it also provides crisp HD videos above and below the water. Although it can’t dive as deep as the Canon, it should be an enjoyable little camera during your snorkeling trip or hiking adventure.
The Good
- Has 28mm wideangle lens. Helps you capture the full breadth of a landscape or squeeze more people into your shots.
- Has HD Video. You can leave your cheap videocam at home.
- 340 pictures per charge. The longest lasting battery life among waterproof cameras (as of 2009).
- Brushed metal casing. No more worries about scratches.
The Bad
- Not freezeproof.
- Metal button are pretty small and stiff to use underwater.
- Limited waterproof depth. Sufficient if you want to use it around the pool or waterfalls. But you’ll need an underwater casing for your deep underwater sea adventure.
The Verdict: How Good Is This Camera ?
| We Review | We Found | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Picture Quality | The pictures from its wideangle lens are sharp, focused and properly exposed - suitable for you to post online or frame on your wall. We also found the optical image stabilization feature effective to help you get good shots - even while cruising down a river on a boat. But like most point and shoot it may struggle when there's little lights. Our suggestion ? Use the preset scenes and you'll do fine. |
A |
| Video Quality | The 720p High Definition video is the best among other waterproof camera we've reviewed as of the end of 2009. You can zoom while shooting and the movies it produces are better than many low end video camcorders. It also has HDMI playback to play those videos on your HDTV. But the HD movies are in AVCHD format. You need to install softwares to view or edit it. |
A+ |
| Ease of Use | The bright 2.7 inch LCD handles sun pretty well. And it smartly adjusted its brightness according to the surrounding light. The user navigation is not as user friendly as the Canon, and you may need to spend some time getting to know this camera. But the menu graphics are big and easy to read and there are plenty of photo settings to play with. Unfortunately, you may find it's scene dial hard to fiddle when you're getting pounded by the waves. |
B+ |
| Battery Life | A single charge will give you 340 shots - better than most rugged and regular compact cameras in the market. | A+ |
| Built Quality | It fits in your hand well and is small enough to put in your cargo pants or pocket. The brushed metal casing feels tough and is intelligently designed - the thin drainage lines moves water away from the camera's openings. We also like the fact that it doesn't look any different from a normal compact. |
A |
| Speed | You need to hold the on button for 2 seconds to power it up. But that is the only thing that's slow about this camera. Autofocus is fast. And the time from shot to shot is around 1.5 second. The high speed burst mode is also good - with 10 pictures per second. | A |
| Toughness | The casings are made of brushed metal. The buttons and zoom controller are also made of steel. So we believe it won't have much trouble handling occasional bump or rough use. But it's not freezeproof. |
B+ |
| Number of Functions | We like the fact that there are ample scene modes not only for your pictures, but also for your movie clips. And if you need to do a fast editing, you can do simple functions like cropping and resizing pictures in the camera itself. |
A+ |
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Panasonic TS1 Specifications
Toughness
Water Proof Depth:
10feet
Shock Proof:
5feet
Freeze Proof:
No
Picture Taking Ability
Resolution:
12.1MegaPixel
Zoom:
4.6x
Focal length:
28-128mm Wideangle
LCD Size:
2.7inch
Picture Taking Assistance
Image Stabilizer: yesMechanical
Face Detection:
yes15 Faces
Scene Modes:
yes23 Options
Viewfinder:
no
Video Taking Ability
Type:
High Def.
Zoom:
yes
Max Shooting Duration
Photos:
340photos per charge
Video:
100 minutes
Memory & Battery
Memory Type:
SD/SDHC, MMC
Battery Type:
Lithium-ion 940mAh
Panasonic TS1 Tips
To get the most out of this camera:
- Use SD or SDHC cards. You can use an MMC card but the camera won’t let you take HD videos with it.
- Use Motion JPEG for videos if you’re running out of space in your memory card. Of course, the picture won’t be as good as the HD.
We suggest you :
- Install VLC Media Player if you have trouble installing the software from the Panasonic CD. It works on Mac, PC and Linux.
- Get extra software installed if you want to do more with your HD movie files. Here’s a list of software that can convert or edit your movie files. Note: Panasonic bundles the PhotoFunStudio CD software along with the camera. It does very basic editing but it won’t convert your file into other more useful formats.
- Buy a genuine Panasonic battery for your second backup battery. Unfortunately, since it’s latest firmware update, 3rd party batteries may not work in Panasonic TS1 cameras.
- Check for water droplets or fingerprints on your uncovered lens. The LCD will not show you any of them. Shake or wipe them off so that your won’t end up with blurred vacation photos.
- Get a floating strap if you plan to take it to the sea.
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So, I need to order the TS1 by Monday to get here for vacation but now I see the TS2 and may be willing to pay the, oh, it’s $106 more, thinking it was $60 more. (Abes of Maine). Anyway, if wifey okays the difference? Should we go to the TS2? I like some of the new features but am concerned about the picture quality you speak of. I alreay have my Fuji 100s but this would be for wife but I’m seeing features I like also.
Glenn,
I still couldn’t get a review unit from Panasonic. So I guess I have to point you somewhere else.
You can look at the pictures taken by the folks at the Photography blog:
http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_ft2_review/sample_images/
Personally, I believe they look softer than the TS1. But you be the judge.
I’ve had this camera for a couple of years now and it’s been great for kayaking where the wettest it ever got was being splashed. The first time I tried it underwater, very shallow snorkeling in waters well short of its 10-foot rated depth, it turned into a brick. A huge disappointment to lose it during my vacation-of-a-lifetime in Hawaii.