On the advice of a friend I recently purchased the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5A16.1MP Tough digital camera. I took it with me on a dive trip to Bonaire.
The intelligent features of this camera made it very useful above and below the water. In the automatic mode in would detect back-lighting and take multiple exposures to integrate for the optimal exposure of foreground and background features. The auto-focus was a bit fussy in low-light conditions with an in-experienced operator. If time isn't allowed for the camera to properly sense some low-light pictures at dinner were out of focus.
The battery held up well. I purchased a back-up with a plug-in wall charger that worked well from Big Mike on amazon.
I used it for shallow dives (typically second dive of the day). Keeping my depth to less than 35 feet, I put the camera into advanced underwater mode and set the flash to always on and got some really amazing pictures. It really captured the vivid colors of fish, corals, and my dive buddy. The water clarity in Bonaire contributed to easily getting great pictures. On one night dive when the water was very turbid only my macro shots looked good. I could typically get into small areas that those with larger cameras could not and take some "blind" shots to try and get some fish hiding in the coral. At the macro level I could get shots to within 8-12 inches that would remain in focus. One curious fish came within 6 inches of the lens and I could not keep him in focus. The best part was that I could put the camera on a retractable cord attached to my BC and just let it fall if I needed to use my hands. I typically kept it in my BC pocket when entering and exiting the water. I did have to be cautious to make sure the retractable cord did not become entangled with my Reg/Octo. On deck I stored it in a waterproof otter box 3000 to protect it from heavy gear.
It seems to feature some good stop action as well. I was able to use it while skiing to capture great images of the kids taking some jumps under good lighting conditions.
The wifi was a little difficult to figure out at first. But, I was able to directly transfer my images to my iPad after getting it set up. First, I downloaded the Panasonic Image App for my iPad. When you turn on the wifi for the camera there is an option for direct connect. I used this and then in my iPad settings I connected to the wifi sent from the camera and entered the passcode. The camera then detected the direct connection with the iPad and instructed to open the Panasonic Image app. Opening the app allowed initially does not appear to connect to the camera if one is looking at the iPad. But, on the camera I was able to manually select multiple images (a bit tedious) and then send them to the iPad. While the iPad seemed to be still searching, the camera began uploading the images which wen t very quickly. Once the images were uploaded the iPad prompted to view the images. The images were then available to any of the apps I was using to view pictures on the iPad. Overall, a very cool feature that allowed me to directly transfer images via wifi sent directly from the camera when no other wifi was available. You can also save the connection as a favorite on the camera to speed up the process in the future. You need to set the iPad wifi to the camera generated signal in order to transfer directly if the iPad is detecting multiple wifi sources.
Stepwise: Download Panasonic Image app to iPad.
1. Turn on camera wifi
2. click New Connection
3. click Send images stored in camera
4. click Smartphone
5. click Direct
6. click Manual Connection
7. In iPad wifi settings, set iPad wifi to SSID sent by camera and enter password provided by camera
8. When camera indicates Wifi connection complete, open the Panasonic Image App as prompted by camera
9. Camera will prompt to connect to iPad
10. Camera indicates connection completed. click menu/set on camera
11. Option to send single or multiple images. click multi
12. tab through images using up/down/left/right keys. Select images by using DISP. button to select/deselect.
13. click menu/set to send images
14. camera indicates "proceed time" (yes/no), click yes
15. images begin uploading
16. iPad prompts to review images once fully uploaded.
Save the connection as a favorite on the camera to speed up the process in the future.
I found this feature very useful since I didn't bring my PC and wanted to review/share images daily.
Overall, I highly recommend this camera.
Frequently purchased items with fast delivery
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Compare with similar items
This Item  Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5A 16.1 MP Tough Digital Camera with 9.3x Intelligent Zoom (Blue) | Recommendations  |  |  | |
| Price | $224.99 | -16% $109.00 List: $129.99 | $149.00 | $139.95 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Friday, Apr 25 | — | Get it as soon as Thursday, Apr 24 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||
| Sold By | HDD Shop | Amazon.com | PORTABLE GUY | FABBLE |
| display type | LCD | LCD | LCD | LCD |
| display size | 3 inches | — | 2.7 inches | 2.7 inches |
| lens type | Zoom | Wide Angle | Telephoto | Wide Angle |
| zoom type | Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom | Optical Zoom |
| shooting modes | Panorama, High dynamic rang, Automatic | Easy | Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Underwater, Panorama | Automatic, Movie, Panorama, Portrait, Macro |
| connectivity tech | NFC, HDMI, USB | USB | Wi-Fi, USB | USB |
| video resolution | 1920 x 1080 (60, 30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) | 1080p | 1080p | 1080p |
| optical zoom | — | 4 multiplier x | 4 multiplier x | 4 multiplier x |
| wireless tech | BuiltIn, with NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities | — | Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi |
| model name | DMC-TS5PC-A | Kodak PIXPRO FZ45 Digital Camera | WPZ2 | Kodak PIXPRO FZ45 Digital Camera |
| form factor | Compact | Compact | Compact | Compact |
Product information
Warranty & Support
Amazon.com Return Policy:Amazon.com Voluntary 30-Day Return Guarantee: You can return many items you have purchased within 30 days following delivery of the item to you. Our Voluntary 30-Day Return Guarantee does not affect your legal right of withdrawal in any way. You can find out more about the exceptions and conditions here.
Product Warranty: For warranty information about this product, please click here
Feedback
Would you like to
tell us about a lower price?
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5A 16.1 MP Tough Digital Camera with 9.3x Intelligent Zoom (Blue)
Share:
Found a lower price? Let us know. Although we can't match every price reported, we'll use your feedback to ensure that our prices remain competitive.
Where did you see a lower price?
Please sign in to provide feedback.
I took some great pictures with this camera while snorkeling in Belize
I took some great pictures with this camera while snorkeling in Belize. I did my research and ended up with this camera and it provided no issues. You have to obviously make sure that nothing is in the way of the closure that houses the battery and the memory card, and you also have to soak it in fresh water after each use for 10min. These are all on the instructions, so READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. I am glad that I got this camera...it also made for a good sidekick to my DSLR for quick point and shoots.
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews. Please reload the page.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2014Color: BlueProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase
- Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2014Color: BlueProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase
- Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2015Color: BlueProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase
Top reviews from other countries
- MasterSlimesReviewed in Canada on May 30, 2017
Beats Olympus TG-4 and Sony TX-30...Honest review.
Color: BlueProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase - J. MarshallReviewed in Canada on March 18, 2017
Great camera for a decent price
Color: BlueProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase - Anthony BarranReviewed in Canada on May 1, 2015
waterproof, dust/sand proof, durable camera
Color: BlueProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase - Gordon MurrayReviewed in Canada on February 25, 2017
Products from countries that are Communist or dictatorships.
Color: BlueProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase - NeilaReviewed in Canada on December 23, 2016
Excellent delivery & product.
Color: BlueProduct Packaging: Standard PackagingVerified Purchase
