Conclusion
Panasonic has come a long way fast with their Lumix digital cameras. They have some of the best features and best performance available among compact digital cameras right now. I was impressed to learn that Panasonic does the majority of their own manufacturing. That gives me more confidence in the reliability and quality of their cameras. And the new hybrid cameras with AVCHD Lite HD video have me excited about shooting both stills and video.
Image quality has always been the issue for me with Panasonic. The photos I took with the TS1 and ZS3 definitely have the characteristic, pastel/watercolor-like image quality I’ve come to expect from Panasonic compact digital cameras. But those were pre-production cameras so it’s not entirely fair to judge them based on those photos. Plus – it’s not that the image quality is bad for compact cameras – I’d just like it to be better.
The bottom line for me is I came away from this event excited about Panasonic’s new digital cameras. Between the camera design, performance and discovering how well the iA shooting mode works, I am looking forward to shooting with these cameras some more. If they are able to improve the image quality of the TS1 and ZS3 before the cameras hit the stores, I’ll be even happier.
Related Content:
All Panasonic Lumix Digital Camera User Reviews
Digital Camera Forum
All Panasonic News And Articles
Panasonic Lumix Digital Cameras Web Site
- The End –
What I want to know is, where are the pictures of the half-naked men? Hmm?
Having used the TZ4 and TZ5, I agree that iA mode is pretty darn impressive. And I’m interested in the TS1 — it would be great for my summer float trips. But why, I wonder, did they have to go and change the TZ to ZS? TZ sounds better.
I hope Panasonic’s 15,000 layoffs announced today don’t affect its camera lines. Good thing you got that junket in beforehand.
I saw the news about the layoffs. I assume this event was planned before the economy took a big dive. And it was good for me and I hope it was good for them. I found it to be very informative and useful. I definitely got a lot more out of it than I would have a quick booth tour at a tradeshow.
I think I have a picture of some man for you. I will dig it up
Any video samples?
What is your experience in terms of shutter time? I plan to buy underwater housing and use the camera on diving trips, so shutter time can be pretty important. I hear that Canon is very fast, but I haven’t heard anything regarding Panasonic.
Thanks,
Majken-
Do you mean shutter-lag – the delay between the time you press the shutter release and when the picture is actually taken? My experience with Panasonic has been that they’re cameras are excellent with shutter-lag. They may actually have the least. I don’t recall how the ZS3 / TZ7 performed in regards to shutter-lag. But based on experience with other Panasonic Lumix cameras, I think it’s probably pretty good. Although it definitely won’t be as good as a digital SLR.
That is exactly what I meant – thanks
I am looking specifically at the TS1/FT1 and hope that your experience includes that particular camera? Would you say that this camera is as good as other “ordinary, non -waterproof” digital cameras when it comes to taking pictures on dry land? What I mean is, would you say that this is an underwater camera or is it a good digital camera, that just happens to be (more or less) waterproof?
Thanks.
Does anyone know if one is able to adjust the cameras shooting settings in a manual mode?
John-
Neither the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 / TZ7 nor the TS1 have a true manual mode. They both offer exposure composition to adjust image brightness. But that’s the most control you can get. If you want more control take a look at the Pannasonic Lumix LX3. It has full manual exposure controls:
Panasonic Lumix LX3 User Reviews >>
John-
When is the TS1 going to be on store shelves? Do you feel that the TS1 will have better image quality or out perform the new Canon D10?
Photo John-
How does the TS 1 image quality compare to the canon D 10?