Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4 Digital Camera Review

Conclusion

The hefty, rock-solid Panasonic TS4 is equally capable of inflicting blunt force trauma on your enemies, as it is capable of capturing gorgeous shots in extreme environments. It’s a handy combination, you never know what you’ll encounter in the woods, or underwater. Sadly we don’t test cameras for their viability as weapons, but strong image quality and a slightly (very slightly) improved feature set over the TS3 gives us plenty of other topics to discuss.

Search as hard as you want for a better in-camera GPS solution than the TS4’s. You won’t find one. This, plus the new interval timer and full manual control mode, are the key differences from the TS3. And if you think that implies everything else has remained exactly the same, well you’re pretty much right.

That’s a good thing though. The same strong image quality returns, along with some modest improvements to color accuracy and chromatic aberration. More aggressive edge enhancement boosts sharpness scores into contention with the Nikon AW100, though we don’t really think techniques like this actually help. But thankfully the TS3’s excellent optical image stabilization is unchanged.

The price too is unchanged, leaving us with scant few reasons to complain about the TS4 at all. Image quality is close to the Nikon AW100, and although the body isn’t stylish like the Sony TX10, the new GPS features offer a very compelling advantage. For true adventurers, the TS4 is an ideal hiking, diving, or climbing companion. And for the industry at large, this is how your replace a product in your lineup.