7 Tough Tests That Prove the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4 Is the All-Adventure Camera

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Nothing tests the quality of an outdoors-adventure camera than its rugged design. The new Panasonic DMC-TS4 passes this first test easily with its waterproof, dustproof, freeze proof and drop proof body. Rubber padding and reinforced glass on the inside and a tight seal around the lens aperture protects this camera from water, dust and sand. The body is built to iPX8 and iPX6 standards for dust ingress and water immersion.

Read real customer reviews of the Lumix DMC-TS4 here.

Waterproofing is rated to a depth of approximately 39 feet (12m). Dive as deep as 130 feet (40m), when you enclose the DMC-TS4 with Panasonic’s optional Marine Case (DMW-MCFT3).

Panasonic also gave the DMC-TS4 camera additional protective features, so it’s drop proof to approximately 6 feet (2m). Critical areas of the body have extra shock-resistant materials and an additional damper resists any shock to the lens assembly. Its folded-optics design is another level of protection.

The Lumix DMC-TS4 is also made from materials and electronic components that are capable of operating in temperatures as low as 14 degrees F. (-10C). You’ll be able to bring home more pictures—and more exciting pictures—of your skiing, snowboarding and other winter and high mountain adventures and vacations.

Another critical test of an “adventure” camera is its picture-making capabilities. It starts with the lens. The Lumix DMC-TS4 features a LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR 28mm wide-angle lens with a 4.6x optical zoom, giving you a 28–128mm focal length range in 35mm format. Considering this is a compact camera, Panasonic has created an excellent lens element configuration: 10 glass elements in 8 groups, which includes 1 ED (Extra low Dispersion) element and 5 aspherical elements with a total of 6 aspherical surfaces.

The LUMIX DMC-TS4’s quality continues to rate high with its 12.1-megapixel CCD sensor and Venus Engine image processor. Because of the high-speed characteristics built into these components, image data transfers faster and makes it possible for this camera to record 1080 Full-HD video. This speed factor is also important when you’re in the middle of the action and don’t want to miss any of it. You won’t with the LUMIX DMC-TS4, since it captures 12.1-MP full-resolution images at 3.7fps and 3.0-MP recordings at a top speed of 10fps.

Many adventurers want only one thing: video of their swift run down a raging river or taking a dramatic leap on a mountain bike. The LUMIX DMC-TS4 is sure to capture all the action in 1920 x 1080 Full-HD video in either AVCHD or MP4 format. The start recording button is conveniently positioned on the top of the camera, so when you only have one hand, or even one finger, available, you can begin to create your own action movie without missing any thrilling moment.

Wherever your adventures take you, the feature-rich GPS unit on the Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TS4 camera will always know where you are. Altitude, barometric pressure, underwater depth and other data are quickly and easily accessible. The GPS unit also helps you “brand” the location of your photos with the name of the country, state and city as well as nearby landmarks. This database includes 203 countries or regions and more than 1 million landmarks in 82 countries or regions.

The LUMIX DMC-TS4 also passes the creative picture-taking test. Take command of the shooting process with manual control of shutter speed and aperture. Use the Time Lapse Shot mode to program the camera to shoot a specific number of images, with pre-set time intervals and start time. The Panorama Shot mode takes multiple images of a 360-degree scene, either horizontal or vertical, and then combines them into a single image.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4 camera was introduced during late February 2012. At the time of this PhotographyTalk article, the camera was available for pre-order from B&H Photo Video for $399.00, with a projected late-March delivery date. For more information, visit http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=Panasonic+LUMIX+DMC-TS4&N=0&InitialSearch=yes.

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