great around the water
image quality quite good
auto focus good

controls are a bit too small
not good in glare situations
NOT "waterproof" to the manufacturer's specs

WARNING: waterproof compact digital cameras are really only "splash-proof"

This is the second "waterproof" compact digital I have tried and so far it's the second failure. I do a lot of stuff in and near the water and I wanted a camera that would help me capture some of the fantastic experiences I've had. I jumped on the Olympus 770SW a few years ago when I saw it in a duty free shop in Japan. It was the first of it's kind I believe. It was great on our trip to the Philippines and used it in the surf and while snorkelling for about 18 months. Then one day the battery compartment flooded and the camera was toast. It was after the warranty expired so I got nowhere with Olympus.

Shortly after the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 (the TS2's immediate predecessor) came out in 2009 with rave reviews, I bought one of them. I was enthusiastic about the camera because I had bought the TS1's land cousin, the ZS3 which I loved (and still love). Although the image quality of the TS1 was not quite up to the ZS3's, this is largely caused by the limitation of the waterproof housing within which the lens system has to work.

I was very tentative about using the TS1 in the water after my experience with the Olympus, but over time I got more bold and used it in the water. This was a big mistake. On my trip to Grand Cayman last month (February 2011) both the battery and the cable port compartments got water in them, despite following all the manufacturer's directions. After reading all the comments from other people having similar experiences and their lack of response from Panasonic, I have been debating even wasting my time approaching them.

Crazy as it may sound, I am considering the purchase of a Panasonic TS2!!! I like the concept of a waterproof compact digital camera and I want one and I love my Panasonic ZS3. But what I have done is this: I bought a waterproof housing for my ZS3 for use when I really want to take pictures IN or UNDER the water. I would be using the TS2 for photography AROUND the water... in other words I will use it as a "SPLASH PROOF" camera only.

Customer Service

dread the thought of even trying to contact them based on the experience of others......

Similar Products Used:

Olympus Stylus 770SW

It took (past tense) great photos. Downloading, even into my Mac was a breeze . . . until about 6 weeks ago. It still takes great pictures . . .

however it now longer will download the photos into my Mac or any other computer.
Customer service is apparently nonexistent, as it has now been 1 hour and 25 minutes since I was put on hold.

I waited impatiently for this camera to be released. I had such high hopes!! I got the camera in April, a few weeks after it was released for sale. Today is October 12, 2010 and it no longer works. I am currently on hold waiting for a Panasonic customer support supervisor. I have been on hold now for one hour and 20 minutes. So not only am I completely disappointed in the camera, now I am thoroughly disgusted with the customer service; I mean lack of customer service.

Customer Service

There does not seem to be anyone concerned with my camera that no longer works.

no shutter lag
fast single-shot AF

LCD poor color
Small buttons
Face detection / Red eye reduction slows things down considerably
a bit pricey

First, I'm very picky when it comes to digital cameras, in fact, I really don't like them. I shoot 35mm film for anything serious. With that being said, this is one FANTASTIC camera. Here is why: the shutter lag is almost nonexistent. This is the single most important aspect of choosing a point-and-shoot digital camera. Just about every other flaw can be worked around, but shutter lag is something you have to live with. In this camera's case, it's a non-issue.

In addition to the non-shutter lag, the "high speed" autofocus mode is also impressive for a point-and-shoot. I was able to actually get the pictures I wanted, WHEN I wanted them because of the shooting speed of this camera.

OK, now the rest. Image quality is pretty good, but considering that it offers ISO 1600-6400, the image quality goes down considerably when using these speeds. Frankly, I'm not concerned about "image quality", I'm mostly concerned about getting the shot I want. When using face detection AF, AF tracking, or red eye reduction flash, the normal shooting delays get reintroduced. AF tracking doesn't actually work well because it introduces a delay, it's basically face detection that you can control what the AF locks onto. The screen is decent in resolution but bad in color, the contrast is too high and too "red". The buttons are hard to press even for me, and I don't have large hands. I assume this is due to the waterproofing of the buttons, but I wish they were a bit larger. Specifically, the zoom button and the shutter button are easy to get backwards. The camera is a bit big, but it is light and is hard to really notice in your pocket.

Things I wish the camera had: aperture or shutter control, easy custom white balance, and a little bit faster when switching to play mode. And, the shot-to-shot times are not anything extraordinarily fast.

The camera is a bit pricey too, but it delivers. I assume most of that cost is in the camera's waterproof / shockproof engineering.

Overall an excellent camera mostly because of its fast autofocus and non-shutter lag.

Customer Service

not used

Similar Products Used:

canon ixus 750

Great picture quality, easy to use, hd video and many different shooting modes

not really water proof!

This is my first review and im by now mean a professional photographer. Ive bought the ts2 as an upgrade from my ts1. May of 2010 i purchased this camera, ive taken it with me on my trip to jamaica. At first everything was fine, great pictures, videos, etc. Once i got the camera in the water (not deep, literally just putting it in the ocean) the front lens started getting condensation, once out of the water the condensation would go away after couple of minutes. I was pretty disappointed since the camera didnt do what it was supposed to. After my return from the trip ive called amazon and got a replacement. End of july i went on another trip to mexico with my new replaced camera and the same exact thing started happening with the replacement. Sadly to say i dont think i will be buying another ts2 even though i really liked the camera when its not in the water.

Similar Products Used:

ts1