Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2

Viewfinder (0.00)

There is no viewfinder on this camera: everything is done through the LCD screen.

Display (4.40)

On the back of the camera body is a 2.7-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 231,000 pixels. That puts it at the lower end of the scale for sharpness, and this shows in the images, which don’t show fine detail well. Fortunately, you can zoom in on captured images up to 16x to check on the sharpness of fine details. The screen is fairly bright, though, and automatically adjusts to current lighting conditions. You can also manually up the brightness if you need to with the Power LCD mode.

Flash (5.50)

The small flash is located to the left of the lens. Although it is rather diminutive, it did seem to be pretty powerful: we found that, with the camera in auto mode, it could illuminate objects up to about 12 to 15 feet out, albeit with slightly grainy and dull looking photos.

In between the flash and the lens is the AF assist light, a small bright LED. Although it is bright enough to illuminate dark places out to a few feet, this can’t be used in place of the flash: it is purely for helping the camera to focus.

Lens (4.80)

The lens of the TS2 is a Leica branded one with a focal length of 4.9 to 22.8 mm (4.6x), which translates into a 35mm film camera equivalent of 28 to 128mm. That’s a decent zoom range for a compact camera, with an above average wide angle that should be wide enough for large groups and landscapes.

The aperture range of this lens is rather small; f/3.5 to f/5.9, with no stops imbetween the two. That’s a little limiting; it doesn’t give the camera a lot of options to use when deciding how to meter for a particular situation.

Zoom Ratio Examples
4.9 mm	14.3 mm	22.8 mm

Battery (5.00)

The camera is powered by a small Li-ion batter that can hold around 940 mAh of charge. That’s not a lot, but Panasonic claims a battery life of 360 shots. This feels a little optimistic, though; we didn’t get through more than a couple of days of serious shooting before the camera ran out of juice.

Memory (3.00)

SD and SDHC cards are the TS2’s preferred diet when it comes to memory cards. The memory card fits into a small slot above the battery, below a waterproof cover that keeps the internals dry. This cover includes a locking latch that prevents it from being accidentally opened. When the red locking dot is showing, the cover can be opened, but sliding the locking latch over the red dot firmly locks the cover in place.

Jacks, Ports & Plugs (3.50)

There are two ports on this camera: a mini HDMI port and a proprietary port that provides analog video out and USB connections. Cables are included for the USB and analog video output connections, but these are proprietary: if you loose or damage them, you’ll have to buy new ones from Panasonic. You’ll also need to bring your own HDMI cables, but mini HDMI to HDMI adapters are widely available.

Both ports are located under another cover with a locking latch on the right side of the camera body.

Other Hardware (8.00)

Waterproof

The DMC-TS2 is waterproof to a depth of 33 feet (10 meters), which means it can be used for both snorkel diving and shallow tank dives, but not technical dives. If you go deeper than 33 feet, an optional case is available which can go down to 40 meters (130 feet): the DMW-MCFT2.

Drop-proof

The DMC-TS2 is built to withstand being dropped onto hard surfaces from heights of up to 7 feet (2 meters).

Cold-proof

The DMC-TS2 can keep taking photographs in temperatures of down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (around -10 degrees Celsius), so it can be carried on the outside of your ski outfit and still take photos and videos as you speed down a double black diamond run.