Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4 Digital Camera Review

Sharpness

Sharpness has been dramatically improved since the TS3, but since the lens apparently hasn't been reconfigured, we're guessing this upgrade is due to software changes. Such techniques are able to fool our tests, but real world images are rendered in a less flattering way. Our sample photos support this theory: close crops with the TS4 show far more haloing than those captured with the TS3.

And even though Panasonic has made improvements within their product line, this isn't to say the TS4 is particularly sharp versus competitors, especially non-toughcams. Rarely was this camera able to resolve more than 2000 MTF50s of detail in our resolution test. 1450 was average, with some zones plummeting below 500. More on how we test sharpness.

Image Stabilization

Image stabilization, on the other hand, is empirically better in this camera than most on the market, just like the TS3 before it. In a device specifically intended for outdoor adventuring, stabilization can make or break the product. We're happy to report Panasonic has carried over the TS3's extremely effective optical stabilizer for use in the TS4. With the feature turned on, we measured a whopping 51% sharpness improvement in our shaker test, and absolute sharpness was some of the best we've seen.