Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5A 16.1 MP Tough Digital Camera with 9.3x Intelligent Zoom (Blue)

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2014

I can't even begin to tell you how many reviews I read for different digital underwater cameras. I took a couple of months to really do my research...and it paid off. This camera is amaaaaazing. Took it to Belize for a vacation- used it for a full day snorkeling trip. We were in and outta the water all day- the camera did NOT fail. It was trustworthy, took awesome underwater pictures and was easy to use. Just read the simple directions for underwater use and you can't go wrong. Outside of the water, it was also fantastic! Beautiful pictures of mayan ruins, sunrises, sunsets, beach scenes, wildlife...the list goes on. We even got impressive night pictures of the moon reflecting on the water which is normally not easy to do! Use the intelligent setting OR have some fun and choose for yourself. Lots of neat options and you can also crop and use special features (black and white, etc) on the pictures too.
Another important feature that worked like a charm: the wifi!! I was psyched that this worked so well and we were on a remote island! Once the camera linked to my phone on its' own wifi, I was able to download the pix RIGHT TO MY PHONE with NO problems. It took about 1/2 an hour to figure out; I'm no techie. However, if I could figure it out, using the insert, so can you. You can't upload directly from camera to facebook and you can't send directly from camera to email...but being able to send directly to your phone with no wires is good enough for me.
You cannot beat the price for this camera. It LOOKS really nice too! I got mine in the blue and I bought an orange wrist floatie to go with it...that's a must have if you're taking it in the water. On our snorkeling trip others also brought underwater cameras...one guy's failed as soon as he got in the water. Somebody else had a cheap plastic one so you can't even see what your pix look like until developed. Everyone loved this one and was asking where I got it from.
If you check out other underwater camera reviews, there are so many in which people say that it failed once underwater. There is only a VERY small percentage of reviewers that report this for this camera. This may be b/c of user error- just something to consider.
I highly recommend this camera. You can't beat it!

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Linguist

Great for Amateurs

Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2014

Verified Purchase

I have had this camera for about a year. I love it. Not being a professional photographer, it is perfect for me.

Pros:
1. Really nice photos. I have taken some really nice close-up shots of flowers, insects, etc. I'm surprised at the quality of the photos, since digital cameras generally have a hard time getting colors and lighting correct. The photos I take with this seem to be just as good as the ones my brother takes with his fancy digital SLR.
2. Battery life is good enough that I haven't noticed any problem. It comes with a lithium battery, so no worries about the battery "memory" effect. I have to charge the battery about once a week if I'm taking lots of photos. I thought about getting a back-up battery, but I've never needed one.
3. Durable. You can drop it, freeze it, and take photos under water. You can record video in a sleet storm. I have done all of these.
4. Features/ Modes. The automatic mode works well, but I really like the "P" mode, which is somewhere between manual and automatic. The panoramic mode is awesome - easier to use than panoramic mode on other cameras, and the photo comes out crisp. I've had a lot of fun with the "starry sky" feature, which allows you exposure times of 15 and 30 seconds, and with the "sunset" feature, which enables you to take great photos of sunsets. Other preset modes include sports, food, pets, and babies.
5. SD card is easy to use for storing and transfering photos. It also has slots for video and hdmi cables, I think, but I haven't used them.
6. GPS feature is handy if you can't remember where you were when you took photos.

Cons:
1. Videos are not in Mpeg format. You can't transfer them to a computer without special software. Since I have a Mac, I think I'll need to download this software from the Panasonic website and use a friend's PC in order to convert my videos to Mpeg. There may be an easier way, but I haven't found it yet.
2. Ease of use. I find the camera to be very easy to use, but some users may find it difficult to navigate the various buttons and menus, at first.
3. Speaker is very quiet, which makes it hard to watch your videos on the camera, unless you're in a quiet location.

Overall, I love this camera. I recommend it for amateur photographers who want a camera that is somewhere between a digital point-and-shoot camera and a digital SLR. I also recommend it for people who want to take their camera everywhere without worrying about getting it wet.

2 people found this helpful

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DFW.BR

Works great until it quits on you...then you are on your own.

Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2015

Verified Purchase

I bought this camera at Amazon in July 2014. I used in several activities including snorkeling, pool parties, shallow dives and day-to-day activities. It has worked as advertised and took great pictures (including low light). Last trip was to Hawaii and the camera performed well in several conditions, including the flight back pictures as the closing of the Summer vacation. A week later, grabbed the camera for the kids back to school bash and to my surprise it stopped working. Whenever selected to either film or take picture, the LCD display are black. ALL other functions work fine in the display, including the playback.

I contacted Panasonic twice via email and no reply. Another email was sent tonight I will revisit my rating pending on the Panasonic's Customer Services' performance. For the price paid, it should not be a 'disposable' camera.

It was a good camera but only until it works. It seems like there is no aftermarket support from Panasonic. I had a far better experience with Sony. You should factor that in when deciding which camera to buy.

One person found this helpful

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HighFive

Would recommend but it has some drawbacks

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2013

Verified Purchase

I owned an earlier TS3 model and liked the features and usability so much I waited to buy the TS5. Every time the seal for the battery/sd card compartment is opened, you risk letting in debris which could cause failure. I was extremely excited to use the new wifi features as I hoped they would limit the number of times the camera needs to be opened. The wifi features include sending pictures to an Android device (and maybe more) and using the Android device as a viewfinder and remote trigger. These features are great when they work. Unfortunately, connecting to the camera is difficult and requires me to attempt multiple times most likely due to my phone looking for a wifi signal. The best method for connecting to favorite devices that I have found is as follows: Turn off wifi on device. Turn on camera's wifi. Enter Pin (password for camera's wifi). Click favorite connections. When the camera is looking for the connection, open the app on the device. Turn on wifi on device. Go back to App quickly before it can connect anywhere. Hit refresh until you see the TS5 connection. Click on the TS5 connection and you should be connected. If you don't see the TS5 connection, turn off the wifi, turn it back on and refresh the app again.

Once connected the remote shutter works great. just put the camera on a tripod and snap away with your smartphone; no camera shake! When going for hikes, I can set the camera up walk to where it is pointing, and line myself up for a picture. When ready snap away again.

The other feature that makes this camera stand out is the weather proofing. I bought this to go places my cell phone cannot go. Rainy hikes, pool days, skiing, beach days, etc are the types of places I will bring this camera and if performance is anything like the TS-3 model, I will be very happy.

GPS - I love this feature. It Geo tags the photos so you can relive your vacation and see where you were! While connected to the GPS satilites, the camera shows your coordinates and altitude. Great for hikes. If you know the height of a stop point, just track your progress on the camera.

Dark pictures - I have found using the built in HDR mode and the Starry sky mode produce the best dark/night photos. Starry sky has a shutter time of 15 or 30 seconds (plus processing time) and grabs all light from the area.

I have not had it very long yet so I can not comment on its durability, or how well the seals hold up. The TS-3 died in 18 months but this camera has been redesigned so I am hopeful for longer life. The great pictures and features of the TS-3 made me give Panasonic another chance.

I have a couple more minor complaints:
Battery - Seems to die somewhat faster the the older model. It lasts for a couple of hours of use. The camera is still very usable. I am only commenting because it was disappointing.
difficult buttons - I find the buttons more difficult to push and spaced a bit too close. This is in no way a deal breaker though.

I recommend this camera but be aware of the downfalls. It seems very well built, is easy to use (minus the wifi) and the pictures come out fantastic.

9 people found this helpful

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paddlepro

GREAT vacation camera!

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2014

Verified Purchase

If you are looking for a worry free camera to take on trips look no further. I consider myself a "prosumer" I own and use high end camera and lenses but keep this camera handy for times when I dont want to carry heavy equiptment bags or wouldnt dare take out an expensive camera.

Positives:
1. Rugged, (not indestructable) but it can handle some abuse, small drops, water. Hand it to you kids and just hope they dont loose it.
2. Portable, Stick it in you pocket and you have a much better camera than your phone offers.
3. Take it swimming, snorkling, skiing. Use in the rain without fear.
4. Plenty of manual settings and options.
5. Good battery life - I used it on multiple dives, with flash and video.
6. Waterproof case (sold seperate) makes it waterproof for Scuba (and virtually indestructable) http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMW-MCFT5-Marine-Digital-Cameras/dp/B00BZMVX26/

Negatives:
1. GPS / Wifi on will chew up battery
2. Charges require a seperate wire (silly since this should be portable - charge should plug directly into the wall)
3. NOT recommended for salt water - I think Lumix is playing it safe here, rinse it properly and I haven't had any problems
4. Maybe too many controls

Overall I recommend this camera for anyone going on vacation, its battery will last all day, you can moderately abouse it, drop it, get it wet. Picture quality is as expected for a compact (better than phone/less than DSLR), pocket friendly, addition of a waterproof case is great for divers.

4 people found this helpful

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N

Truly Amazing Camera.

Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2017

Verified Purchase

After a little over a year, can confirm it is SALT WATER proof. Used in Hawaii as well as some mainland shores and still fully functional. Got banged up pretty good on some coral, but only minor scratches visible. Takes beautiful pictures. Macro function allows very close focusing. Color is very true to life with no noticeable edge distortion as you see with some digital cameras. Small enough to fit in jeans pockets, purses, or the hip strap pockets of a pack. Battery lasts several days of light use. Most of a day with heavy/constant use. Favorite part is how quickly it turns on. You can already have a picture saving or a video recording within three seconds of turning it on. I recommend rinsing well with distilled water after underwater use to minimize mineral build-up. Hasn't been a problem for me, but I've been taking good care of it and making sure to do this every time. I expect this camera to help me capture many more adventures. More than worth the money.

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Richard John Nagel

I really wanted to love my lumix, but I don't

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2016

Verified Purchase

Not impressed. I'm a photographer by trade, and this lumix was well rated, on public boards, and private boards, as an underwater gem. But I don't like the color of the photos, the quality, or the build of the camera. Perhaps I just got a lemon, but I have been so disappointed.
I took it snorkeling and diving in Belize, to replace my canon S90 with it's underwater casing (man, I miss that little camera). Its operation is simple, though a bit confusing. Perhaps it's because I'm a canon guy, but the controls seemed extra ordinarily roundabout. But start up was quick, and it seemed well built.
During a dive, the screen did start to show signs of pressure build up, even when I was less than 2/3rds of the death it said it could handle. Camera still works fine, but it was touch and go there for a moment.
The pictures are grainy and the color is un enjoyable. I so wish I could say I loved this camera, but I don't.
It's been sitting on my shelf as a "rain camera", but i've only used it for that purpose a few times. I have to spend extra time in Lightroom just to try and balance out the colors, and it's still not great.
If you are asking my advice, keep looking.

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Daniel Mollino

Great Camera

Reviewed in the United States on September 8, 2015

Verified Purchase

This camera is a workhorse. It followed with me on a bicycle across the United States Of America, then after the beating of a bike ride solo across the country it went to Hawaii with me where it encountered good surfing, bad surfing, a few drops over 10 feet, rappelling of waterfalls, a bike ride of volcano's with a mild drop, then when I got home it went white water rafting, zip lining (dropped it here) and in the end all the photos for a pocket camera were fantastic. The panorama function worked quite well (see an attached) and in the end I am very happy especially with the wifi and gps functions.

Side Note, I got a speck in many photos mid way through Hawaii, it was small enough where I only noticed it when I zoomed in for a photo and it was more a shadow than a black spot. When I got home after the abuse this camera suffered I found the warranty was never going to cover this since i bought a warehouse deal from Amazon (Amazon you need to put a warning on that aspect). So I took it apart found the cause of the spec, and reassembled it. If you see a speck and have checked the lense on the outside you will want to take photos of a white paper and see if it moves over the course of a couple shakes and days. If not there might be a small piece of factory dust on the CMOS sensor like mine had. In my case this happened after a serious beating of the camera. But this is something I can easily let slide simply because of how small we are talking. Take a needle out and look at the tip of the needle ... the dust piece was smaller or the same size as that. After assembling the camera and submerging it on a rope into my lake for a few hours to test if it survived I did the white water rafting trip. So clearly it survived and I am happy.

I would recommend this camera to anyone looking for a quality camera, great picture, and all the other beat the heck out of it options this contains. Panasonic won this compared to my Fuji I replaced this with.

Daniel Mollino
tbitovictory.com

3 people found this helpful

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WJM

This is a fun camera to use. Great and easy to use features that puts the Panasonic DMC TS-5 above the rest.

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

The media could not be loaded.

The Video is from a group of still pictures using the time lapse picture option. Then with the camera in the review,menu option you can create a time lapse video and select a group of time lapse photos. You can edit or remove each of the pictures prior to editing. Once a time lapse video is created you will have all of the still pictures as well as the newly created video. Very cool feature!

I bought this camera after mine broke on my first day of vacation. I wanted a tough, waterproof camera and this TS-5 was the best that I found after comparing it to several other waterproof cameras. This TS-5 had a larger battery, which allowed 340 pictures on a charge and that is about 100 more then the closest similar camera. By the way I bought additional batteries (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CIVVT04/ref=pe_175190_21431760_3p_M3T1_ST1_dp_1) that allowed me to take 700 pictures on a charge.

This camera has a time lapse option that s a great feature when used with a tripod. You have several options such as 10 second intervals up to 30 minutes to take pictures of the changing sky or a blooming flower etc. once you have set and taken time lapse photos the camera has an option to convert it to a movie at 6 frames per second or 30 fps to create a seamless movie from the still pictures.

There is also a feature that will allow you, while reviewing video that you have already recorded, to save/convert any frame to a still picture. This will also keep the newly created still picture in perfect focus. I recorded a bird drinking and flying off and was able to create still pictures of it taking flight. This was a very cool effect and is simple to use.

I would recommend a tripod to use some of these options. I bought a flexible tripod, which allowed me to wrap the legs in a small tree and use the remote control function to take video of a birds nest feeding new born chicks. I found myself keeping the camera with me all the time to try to get familiar with the functions and I had a lot of fun doing it.

This camera was the only one that has built in WIFI. The remote control function uses this feature. The camera generates its own wifi signal and you just have to connect your tablet, I-Pad, I-Phone or other smart phone to that SSID wifi network, did use a I-Pad and an I-Phone 4s and each worked fine. You do have to download the free Panasonic app to use this feature. With the remote control function you can take video, still pic's and zoom. You can also review still pictures only with this, not video, as well as drag and drop them to save them on your smart phone or tablet. You can setup a link to apps like Facebook and send them right from the camera if you setup a Lumix Club account (free) and it will create a Lumix folder for uploads to Facebook and other apps.

Once you have connected to your own wifi setting you can go to the wifi history and rename that setting and save it as a favorite connection, this will remember your network SSID and password and connect quickly without having to re-enter your password, which can be a pain if you do this a lot. With the wifi you can automatically save pictures to your connected device as you take each picture. You can also use this to send pics to your pc without having to connect your camera or remove the mem card. However this did not work with my IMac, nor does the software that comes with the camera work on a Mac. This was not an issue for me as I did open the camera and put the mem card into the Mac and copied all pics that way.

The GPS, Altimeter,depth gauge and compass features are also very cool, but I have not used all of them yet. The camera can use the GPS to tag your city and your pictures. I have not been on a vacation to take advantage of this, but I am looking forward to trying it out in a remote setting.

This camera has a bunch of preset settings for different situations such as night time shots, pictures through glass, far off scenery etc. it also has an automatic setting that will automatically change according to each situation to take a great pictures. The camera powers up very fast, about 3 seconds so you can shut it off to save the battery and turn it on quickly to take fast shots. You can use burst shooting to take several frames with one push of the shutter button to make the best picture out of the many frames used. This camera focus quickly as well.

I haven't even used this under water yet and I absolutely love this camera. Is has these great features plus it is a waterproof (up to 43 feet), shock proof (for a drop up to 6 feet), dust proof and freeze proof and a rugged tough camera.

I would recommend extra batteries, a hard case, a tripod and a floating strap in case you drop it in the ocean. As some other reviewers stated you may want to use the heavy or thick part of the strap instead of the thin string to attach your strap to the camera.

80 people found this helpful

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Hutchy

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 - TOUGH WATERPROOF Point & Shoot (GREAT piece of engineering)

Reviewed in the United States on May 5, 2014

Verified Purchase

If your looking for one of the new tough waterproof PAS cameras you may be paralyzed by all the choices and features. You'll search the web, make the comparisons and hopefully NOT choose the least expensive . . . or most expensive. Still a LOT of choices and its hard to decide. You need to narrow them down. As an avid Nikon digital photog, I understand most of the important features one looks for in a camera, but still had to narrow down the tough waterproof PAS choices somehow.

The Nikon looked a little too delicate, but its not. The Canon D20 is a great camera, but I'm not a Canon fan. I wanted full 1080p HD video @ 60 fps. I wanted the best lens system possible. Super fast lens (low aperture) in low light isn't as important as it used to be wit the new technology, so I wanted about 5x zoom. Didn't care about the additional 5x DIGITAL zoom on the TS5, but honestly in "intelligent" zoom setting it works way beyond my expectations. This Lumix TS5 has a Leica lens system. Pixel resolution is so high on most all of them, its enough for anyone @ 12 megapixels. The Lumix TS5 has 16.1. Like I said, that's higher resolution than you'll ever need. Good anti shake technology is important with these small tough cameras you take out into the field. I am amazed at what you can keep sharp handheld with this camera.

All things equal. Narrow down the choices to 3 or 4. Make sure your most important features are included, and then get the one with the most NEW features on top of those. The one's your not sure about, because chances are they are worthwhile. Read the reviews and then go back to your comparison pages and bring up all the features side by side. You'll be amazed at some of the new features such as true HDR, and low light capability via multiple automatic exposures blended together seamlessly and staying sharp.

Pro's: 1) The low light capability is amazing 2) the anti-shake system exceeds my expectations 3) The Panorama mode is terrific. Naturally on the camera screen its simply a long narrow shot very hard to see. What is great it has a "play" feature and places back the panorama shot like a video. Very cool. Maybe all of then do so - not sure. 4) the video quality in FULL 1080p HD video is also amazing. This is a little PAS camera that can do this? HD video in AVCHD or choose MP4. Vid quality is much better in AVCHD, but unless you have a Mac running OSX Mavericks, your system likely will choke on AVCHD if you want to transfer and play the video's on a PC. My iMac & Macbook can play AVCHD with a few mac tricks, or VLC will handle them for you. 5) Full GPS. Not for navigation, but for geotagging your photos & video's if you wanna. You can turn it on and off at will to conserve battery power. 6) Too many positives to go any further. You'll like the camera. I didn't really care much, but it also comes in black, gray, orange & blue.

Con's: 1) Lack of availability of optional accessories. Try to find an OEM Micro HDMI to standard HDMI so you can play back direct from camera to your HDTV. They can't be found. I bought a $7 including shipping micro HDMI to HDMI cable that does the trick & works exactly as it should. 2) The "manual" settings are very limited, but how much are you actually going to need that with a PAS that has so many awesome automatic features? 3) The WiFi is a little tricky to get setup, and doesn't really work as I expected, but it does work. It's easier, and faster, to simply remove the SDHC card and transfer the files that way. 4) It comes with a smallish charger, but with a BIG AC cable that plugs into the side. I'd like to see a fold out plug type to keep the size down in your backpack and do away with the big AC cable. 5) I'm sure I'll get used to the lens it the upper left, rather than the middle of the case, but I've adjusted my grip.

Last - DON'T FORGET to buy as big and fast SDHC card as possible and an extra battery. I was able to find a 64 GB Sony SDXC Class 10 card (40 MB/s) for $35 & a 2 pack of batteries with an extra small charger from Big Mike's for another $26.

All in all, once you do your homework you will be very happy with any of the top 5 tough waterproof PAS's. I'm pretty sure if you choose the Lumix TS5 you will be tickled pink. I'd give it 5 stars if the accessories were available, and the WiFi worked as expected. You simply can't go wrong with the Panasonic Lumix TS5. Thumbs way up.

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