User Report: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Waterproof Compact

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 Lifestyle Tough Camera

Image Source: shop.panasonic.com

 

I am pleased to be a participant in Panasonic's Early Adopter program. My first review was of the new DMC-TS5 waterproof, shock proof, wifi-enabled, GPS-enabled, compact camera. How's that for a list of features?

 

(Click Here) to read my report on Panasonic's website.

 

I thought I'd add some images and video to the mix, since that's the real result of tesing a camera, right?

 

First off, this little camera is very convenient. I took it along on a family trip to pick strawberries at the farm. The macro capabilities are impressive. Put the camera into iAuto mode, and you're good to go.

 

Berries and Blossoms, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

For a real test of the specific strengths of this waterproof, toughened camera, I took it with me on a trip to the Florida Keys. We arrived in Key West just before sunrise, so I stayed up and shot a little at the hotel beach. Here's a video of the surf coming in. At the end of the video, you'll see the camera get knocked over by an incoming wave! No worries; it's tough.

 

Click the Picture to See the Video!

Sunrise, Key West, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

To really test the camera, we took it on a scuba diving trip. Here's the ride out to the reef:

 

Click the Picture to See the Video!

Headed to the Reef, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

The seas were pretty rough on this day, with waves from three to five feet being the norm. Here's what it looked like from the water's surface, before we went down:

 

Rough Seas, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

Of course, once we were under water, waves didn't matter, just current. And there was plenty of current.

 

All Is Good, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

 

Shooting in the "Underwater Advanced" mode, I think the camera does a nice job of achieving color balance. This isn't bad for ~30 feet underwater with just the on-camera flash!

 

Snappers, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

Here's an underwater video - look for the two barracudas:

Click the Picture to See the Video!

Barracuda!, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

Here are some other shots from the Key West trip:

"Through Glass" Scene Mode Seems To Work!, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

I Can Still Feel The Humidity, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

Local, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

I'll finish with a couple of shots of one of the things Key West is famous for - sunsets. I shot these in the sunset scene mode, which also works quite well:

Sunset From The Boat, by Reed A. George

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5

And finally, a sunset panorama, made completely in-camera, using the panorama mode.

I thoroughly enjoyed using the DMC-TS5 on this trip. It's wonderful to be able to carry a camera literally anywhere without having to worry about damaging it. After we got back to the hotel, I simply filled the sink with fresh water and submerged the camera for ten minutes or so. Clean and good as new!

 

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