A while back I talked a little about Panasonic’s TS2 toughened digital camera, and how it looks perfect for jobsite use. When looking to pick one up for myself, I found that the new TS3 had come out.
Like the TS2, the TS3 is shockproof, waterproof (down to 12m/40ft), dustproof, and freezeproof. Looking at its IP6x and IPX8 ratings (IP Code reference), it’s not possible for it to be any more dustproof. This means that it can handle dust, sand, and pretty much anything with ease.
Although I see the TS3 as a great shop camera, Panasonic sees it as an active lifestyle camera. They outfitted the camera with a GPS, altimeter, depth indicator, compass, and even a barometer.
The TS3 has a 28mm wide-angle lens and 4.6x optical zoom. Its CCD sensor captures 12.1 megapixel images, compared to 14.1MP for the TS2. The drop in resolution was likely done to improve image quality and capturing speed, which is a whopping 3.7 fps – quite high for a point & shoot camera. The TS3 also has a 1920 x 1080 full HD video mode that captures in AVCHD format.
There are four color options available – blue, silver, red, and orange. Street pricing for the camera is about $360-380.
Panasonic Lumix TS3 Tough Digital Camera via Amazon
Product Info via Panasonic
Benjamen Johnson says
Have you had any problems with your other cameras getting dust inside them? My little Canon SD1000 has lived in my shop for the few years and I haven’t had any problems. Given I wouldn’t keep our SLR in the shop…
They made the camera waterproof, but they forgot to make it float. Talking good underwater pictures is hard, I’m guessing most people don’t do it. I betting more people use it on the water or in the field where being water proof is nice because you can get it wet while playing in the water or use it in the rain. What good is it being water proof if it still sinks to the bottom of the lake?
Stuart says
I have seen Canon and other compact P&S cameras jam up due to sand, but not so much sawdust.
Panasonic is marketing the camera as great for climbers, mountain bikers, and really emphasize its underwater capabilities. Letting go of it while in water will result in the cam sinking to the bottom of the lake/pool/ocean. Actually, I’m not sure it’s appropriate for pool use. Panasonic specifically mentions freshwater and saltwater locations, nothing about chlorine. They do explicitly say not to take the cam into a hottub, though, so I imagine if there was a restriction about pools it would say so.
I have a SLR and after slowly upgrading with a few expensive lenses, I’m not comfortable keeping it around sawdust or anything of the sort. Definitely not moving equipment! I’d like to be able to take photos or video while I’m working on something, which means potentially putting a camera in a shower of sawdust, chips, or worse. Since I was looking for a P&S, I figured I may as well spend a little bit extra for one that would complement my SLR as much as possible.
Maikeru says
For the price this little camera might be better than purchasing a waterproof enclosure for a camera.
Stuart says
The way I see it, there is an advantage of using a P&S camera with separate waterproof enclosure in that you can clean the seals better and even replace the O-ring when necessary.