Digital Home Thoughts: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 Waterproof Camera Unboxing

This is an unboxing and first impressions video of the rugged and waterproof Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 [Affiliate]. This camera has a 4.6x optical zoom, a 12.1 megapixel CCD sensor, and can shoot 720p video in AVCHD Lite format. It's dustproof, can be dropped from five feet, and is waterproof to 10 feet. It also features optical image stabilization, a 2.7-inch 230,000-dot LCD display, and all the usual features such as face recognition and smart presets. It comes in orange, green, or silver. I purchased the orange one, largely because I thought a bright orange camera would be harder to lose on a beach or under water. The full specs can be found here.

This is the first "rugged" digital camera I've owned, and it really is constructed to feel quite different than a regular point and shoot camera. I bought it at the same time I bought the Panasonic GF-1, so it's hard not to compare the two cameras even though it's a completely unfair comparison given that the cost of the GF-1 is more than double that of the DMC-TS1. The LCD screen on the DMC-TS1 looks pretty weak compared to the LCD on the GF-1...but I'd have a heart attack if I dropped the GF-1, and I dropped the DMC-TS1 on purpose from three feet up just to see what would happen. True to the specs, it was fine. I'm looking forward to doing some test videos and photos with this camera underwater - but since it's winter where I am, the underwater video footage is probably going to involve a bathtub...stay tuned, and post any questions you might have.

Jason Dunn owns and operates Thoughts Media Inc., a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys photography, mobile devices, blogging, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He likes buying digital cameras...maybe a little too much.

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