Panasonic threw a camera party in Miami this week to launch 9 new digital cameras. The highlights of the new products were the ZS3, a 10 MP compact camera with a 12x optical zoom, and the TS1, a small but rugged 12 MP cam that’s waterproof, shockproof and dustproof–a spear fishing, rock climbing and desert treking camera perfect for your personal Survivorman episode. What makes these cams stand out, aside from being solid models with Leica lenses, is they also shoot high definition video in a recently finalized AVCHD Lite format. This format, which records in 1280 x 720 resolution at 60fps is ideal for hybrid units (Panasonic’s name for still cams that also shoot vids) as it fits a nice middle ground between compression/space and video quality.
AVCHD Lite (H.264) is a subset of the AVCHD spec, which has been adopted by many manufacturers, including Panasonic, for use in camcorders. However, full HD cams record in 1080p/60fps,which takes up a lot more space on memory cards. Some current still cameras record high definition in motion JEPG, which also takes more card space. On the opposite side of the spectrum is the assortment of pocket camcorders that record HD video at 720p/30fps and do a lot more compression (such as those from Pure Digital, Sanyo, Creative and Kodak). These Panasonic cams also use higher quality CCDs to capture images rather than the CMOS sensors on the less expensive pocket camcorders.
As part of the product launch, Panasonic took a group of journalists on tour through Miami’s South Beach to shoot the natives while testing pre-production models of the cameras. Our first stop was at the hotel pool where we tested the waterproofishness of the TS1 by submerging the cameras to shoot costumed mer people. True to their marketing material, no camera went soggy in the experiments, though the playful mermaids did swim off with a few cams and dared the dry writers to come and get them. My underwater pictures were nicely sharp. The camera’s wide angle lens should make it easier to snag fish as they scatter to get out of the way. Underwater videos were incredible as well and relatively easy to record with the one-button video record feature.
Next we interrupted a group of showoff roller bladers spinning and jumping along the paved path that boarders South Beach along Ocean Drive. For this I mostly used the ZS3, not because I needed the 12x zoom to capture them, but the larger (3-inch) screen made framing easier and the 10-shot-per-second burst mode and auto tracking allowed me to get more money shots from the fast moving skaters.
From there we took off our shoes to watch some beach volleyball. Toned jocks in bikinis under the Florida sun–this was work. With both cameras in Intellegent Auto mode (iA), which is supposed to sense the situation and select the appropriate scene mode, I tried to get serves and volleys. With the TS1 there was little fear of sand getting into the cam, so I concentrated on that one. I had very few out-of-focus shots, but the camera’s slightly sluggish startup did cause me to miss a few moments. Periodically I switched the cam to sports mode, but I didn’t see enough of a benefit to consider that important.
Descending further into South Beach culture, we were led to a barely bikini-clad model clothed more in live python than lycra. Here we were looking for tonal balance, subtlety of texture, boldness of colors, and … OK, it was a girl, a bikini and snake, what do you think we were looking at? Anyway, with ZS3 in hand I bravely approached for some macro work–of the snake. When in iA mode the cam would automatically sense its proximity to the subject and switch into macro mode (it did this for portrait and landscape modes as well) so I could get a razor sharp image of the inside of the python’s nose–all one-handed. I should mention that both cams are equipped with optical image stabilization, which comes in handy for both macro and long zoom work (which some members of our party employed in other ways on this top-optional beach).
Our next to last stop brought us to a quartet of Miami Dolphin cheerleaders performing routines for us to test the video functions of the cameras. Both these cameras employ face detection and auto tracking for both still and video recording, and these features allowed the cam to maintain fairly steady focus on the cheerleaders even as they moved around through their acrobatics. Activating the tracking feature took bit of guesswork (our Panasonic hosts neglected to give us manuals) but once I figured it out, it worked fairly well. Every now and then it would lose track of a face amid the tumbling, leaping and painful-looking splits. Switching between the still and video functions is a one-button operation with both these cams, though I kept getting my buttons mixed up. The video record button is actually on the back of the cameras, rather than on the top (most cameras just use the shutter button to pause and record. This was a little awkward to me, but an owner of the cam would no doubt get used to it.
I should mention here that playback of the videos (and stills as well) on the cam’s screens was simple and looked great. The screens are bright and include a gain feature to make it easier to see in sunlight. The LCD boost does suck away battery life though. When I turned on the LCD gain, the camera immediately lost a whole bar on the battery meter.
After the cheer squad broke up, our photog group was free to wonder and sniff out our own photo opps. The former Versace mansion and the Miami Ink tattoo shop were on my list (Versace’s house is now a restaurant and the original Miami Ink is now a tattoo gift shop–I bought a T-shirt). We also entertained ourselves capturing the life essences of some of South Beach’s various unique characters including End-of-the-World-Man, Fishnet-Robin-Man, and Smelly-Man-with-Bike-and-Snake.
Our shutterbug journey ended back on Ocean Drive as we watched the sun descend and the neon lights of the art deco hotels emblazon themselves on the streetscape. Users more skilled at manipulating the manual functions were able to draw out some stunning pictures here. For myself, I mainly stuck to iA mode (auto mode with added Viagra) and resulted with merely very good shots. I also discovered (thanks Gary) a black and white film grain mode which creates very dramatic images. There’s also a pin hole mode, which I never figured out but sounds cool.
A few notes on the cameras themselves: First, we were frequently reminded that these were pre-production models. The finished products won’t be available until April. Things like loose mode dials, slow startups, strange error messages on screen and the occasional lockup plagued us, but we were promised these kinks would be ironed out by release time. Overall I liked the ZS3 and TS1 very much. I preferred the ZS3, though I can’t fathom how Panasonic got a 12x zoom into such a small body. The versatility of the TS1 is attractive, especially if you’re an outdoorsy person or tend to be rough on your stuff (one member of our gaggle tried out the shockproof claim by dropping his TS1 repeatedly on the sidewalk from about 5 feet–it passed the test with a few scratches). I’d like to post some of the videos I shot but I don’t think anyone would be interested in underdressed cheerleaders jumping around. Plus, Panasonic asked that we not post our HD videos because, well, the system isn’t quite finished yet. Hopefully when the cameras are in their shipping form I’ll get to try them again and share my results with you. In the meantime, let me know how you like some of these still shots ,and check out the specs below:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3
$399
.45 pound
10.1 mega pixels
12x optical zoom
25mm wide-angle Leica lens
Optical Image Stabilization
AF assist lamp
Face detection
Face recognition
Face tracking
Intelligent scene selector
AF tracking
Intelligent ISO control
AVCHD Lite video (720p/60fps)
Movie scene modes
Continuous shooting mode
ISO to 6400
Multiple aspect ratios
Histogram
DPOF printing
PictBridge
HDMI output
Wind cut (video)
40MB built-in memory
Stereo mic
Lithium-ion battery
PHOTOfunSTUDIO v3 HD software
Available in black and silver
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TSi
$399
Waterproof
Shockproof
Dustproof
12.1 mega pixel
4.6x optical zoom
28mm wide-angle Leica lens
F3.3 – 5.9
Optical Image Stabilization
AF Assist Lamp
AF Metering
Face detection
Face Recognition
Intelligent ISO
Intelligent scene selector
Intelligent exposure
AF tracking
AVCHD Lite (720p/60fps)
ISO to 6400
Multiple aspect ratios
Audio dubbing
Flip animation
Composition guide lines
Orientation dectector
Scene mode help screen
Histogram
DPOF printing
PictBridge
HDMI output
Wind cut (video)
LED light
Mono mic
PHOTOfunSTUDIO v3 HD software
Lithium-ion battery
Check out my Miami Ink blog: http://www.victoriasrighthip.typepad.com/
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 Waterproof Intelligent ISO and ISO to 6400 is good
This is a good camera for the price. It is simple to use and takes clear, crisp pictures. Also, the battery life is good. And the price makes it affordable to take good pictures.