Panasonic Lumix DMC TS3 Review

The rapid shooting performance and GPS alone makes the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 a great buy even if the pictures are a little on the soft side.

This camera ruggedness is built for the adventurer. The camera is sturdy and handles wonderfully and it continues to impress us - we give it two thumbs up.

Click here to get a good price on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

The Panasonic Lumix DMC TS3 camera is one of Panasonic's newest point-and-shoot models out in the market today. Designed especially for outdoor use, it comes with a wide variety of features such as an altimeter, a built-in GPS, a barometer and a compass - making it one of the most promising outdoor camera models ever made. Like its predecessor, the Panasonic TS3 is also shockproof, dustproof and can function under temperatures as low as -10 Degrees Celsius.

Product Specifications and Features

The Lumix TS3 has the following dimensions: 4.07 x 2.52 x 1.04 inches, with a weight of 197g, including the battery. It has a 12.5 Megapixel resolution and is capable of producing HD movie clips. The Lumix DMC TS3 is also waterproof up to 12 meters (40 feet) and shockproof up to 2 meters (2 feet). It has a 4.6x optical zoom and a 4x digital zoom. The camera can store up to 19MB of memory and features an impressive 2.7" LCD display.

Product Advantages

The Panasonic TS3 features an all-new 3D photo mode that can produce 3-D pictures playable in Panasonic's VIERA 3D HD televisions. Images can be used on all MPO-compatible equipments - from printers, digital photo frames and televisions. The camera also has an instant image uploader for faster photo sharing on Facebook, YouTube and other online social networks.

The camera also has a wide-angle lens and a 4.6X optical zoom capacity, allowing you to take wider photographs - a great advantage for taking underwater shots. It can also record top quality audio with its Dolby Digital Creator. For night shots, it gives ample lighting through its built-in LED light and a 2.7 inch, wide-viewing angle LCD screen.

The camera's GPS tool has an internal database that covers a total of 203 countries and 1,000,000 specific landmarks in 78 countries. This allows you to determine the actual location of the shoot, wherever you are in the world.

Lastly, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 also features Panasonic's iA technology which can automatically adjust to the best video and still photo settings. Other iA features include Intelligent Exposure, Intelligent Scene Selector, Face Detection, and AF tracking.

Product Disadvantages

One of the disadvantages is its price. The Lumix MDC TS3 can range from $230-300 which is quite a pricey for a point-and-shoot camera. The lens shield is also openly exposed, making it very vulnerable to scratches and smudges. The barometer and altimeter readings are only readable in the camera and cannot be viewed on the computer. The camera's LCD also show motion blur which can result to very soft images.

Conclusion

Although pricey, the Lumix DMC TS3 is considered to be one of the best outdoor cameras in the market today. It is lightweight, compact and durable. Additional features such as its built-in GPS, barometer, altimeter, compass and shockproof and waterproof features makes it more than equipped for use outdoors. It can take clear underwater clips and allows you to make wide angle shots for both video and still pictures.