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@volim: he may not be surfing to catch waves, but to paddle surf. [http:] - which may or may not involve catching waves. Judging by the relative calm of the water he's either between swells or in a relaxing mood.
I have had this camera (in orange. you can also get silver) for a couple months now. I wanted a camera that could be my everyday camera and handle any outdoor activities I'd need it for. I thought about the ten feet being a negative, but 1) as someone said it is almost certainly a bit more, and 2) a camera like this would not be my choice for scuba or deep snorkeling anyway. The camera is great for shooting in the rain, taking white water rafting shots, and fun around the pool or in the ocean with friends. It is a great camera that lets you be prepared for almost any spur of the moment activity. Anything more serious and I would want a more specialized rig anyway. You also didn't mention one other selling point: Leica. It does matter. The pictures are great. The video is great. After being a Canon guy for a decade, this camera made the switch an easy choice. I have been very satisfied with the purchase, and I think it was completely worth the price.
@SuprXY: keep in mind the 10 feet rating is for static water, so if you have waves, that pressure can emulate a spike of pressure. always good to have margins.
We bought the DMC-TS1 to take on vacation in Greece earlier this summer and also wanted to upgrade to something that could shoot 16:9. We still really love the Lumix and now use it as our everyday photo + video camera since both the audio and video quality are really good. Battery life is great and we just swim and snorkel with it, so the 10 ft depth rating isn't an issue. I like that It's still small enough so that carrying it around Europe in my pocket for a month didn't annoy me. All of the other rugged cameras we looked at were not easy pocket material.
The AVCHD lite format is kind of annoying if your traveling with a netbook; had to view back our daily shoots on the camera itself. But at home on a mac imovie, etc has no problems with it. All in all its a great camera!
I have this camera and I think it's very good for two reasons and not so good for other reasons. The good. Great quality video. The 10ft limitation hasn't bothered me yet - I used it for lagoon snorkeling and it was great. I also took photos and video while boating on the ocean in changeable weather - meaning it went from rain to sun to rain. Then later I was on the beach and it was great cause I didn't have to be too careful with it. I don't think I would have felt as confident with a non-waterproof and non-shockproof camera. The controls are easy to manipulate and the preset scene modes worked well. As for the bad, well it kinda sucks at indoor or evening/night photos because the lens is so small - it's really not even adequate IMO for a general use camera because I don't like using a flash. When using the flash during these conditions, it seems overly harsh - which doubles my resolve to try and not use it. Everything else about the camera is as good as you would expect from a Lumix, and faster start time and shot to shot times too.
I have the W60 and I like it. One thing you forget: the cheaper price actually makes you more likely to use it. I lost my first one when we flipped a canoe while surfing a wave. No biggie, but if it had been the panasonic, I would have been really bummed.
also, whichever you get it, make a floatie for it the first day. Trust me.
I've been on the verge of buying this camera for a while, but now that summer is about over, I'll probably just wait and see what comes out next year. So far, none of these waterproof cameras seem to match my old Canon SD400 in it's waterproof case. I understand the reasons, and I understand that these are more pocketable, but it's still disappointing.
You know that 10' thing is a "safe" number. In reality it's probably twice that depth but they are avoiding problems. It looks cool and unless you drop it you're not swimming that deep.
For a point and shoot, being a decent all-rounder is exactly what it's supposed to be. $400 is pricey, but I've been happy with every Lumix I've had to date, so I can't imagine it will disappoint. And seriously, unless you're scuba diving, when do you really go deeper than 10 feet anyway?
what perfect timing. I was just looking at cameras today. I've always been a Canon man, but am pissed that their newest small cameras don't have water cases to go with them, so i started looking around and decided just this afternoon that this will be my next camera.
We spend a lot of time in the water and a camera that can record in HD and keep up with getting wet is just up my alley. dpreview did a water camera shootout and this was also their pick.
AVCHD lite? That's a new one. I use a Canon Vixia HG20 HD camcorder, which uses AVCHD, and all I have to say is.. good luck finding (affordable) editing software for AVCHD. I use Premiere, which is far from cheap...
@JoeLikesRamen!: Actually AVCHD and AVCHD Lite are totally different thing. And I have TS-1.. no problem editing the video at all.. no driver needed, just plugin into your mac.. imovie09 will find it and import correct.
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But how much do you water your plants when it's already raining enough to fill up a watering can? haha #adropofwater
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The AVCHD lite format is kind of annoying if your traveling with a netbook; had to view back our daily shoots on the camera itself. But at home on a mac imovie, etc has no problems with it. All in all its a great camera!
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also, whichever you get it, make a floatie for it the first day. Trust me.
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+ 5x Zoom
+ Avocado Green
For a point and shoot, being a decent all-rounder is exactly what it's supposed to be. $400 is pricey, but I've been happy with every Lumix I've had to date, so I can't imagine it will disappoint. And seriously, unless you're scuba diving, when do you really go deeper than 10 feet anyway?
09/03/09
We spend a lot of time in the water and a camera that can record in HD and keep up with getting wet is just up my alley. dpreview did a water camera shootout and this was also their pick.
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