Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 Review

July 29, 2013 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 (also known as the DMC-TS5) is a waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof and dustproof compact digital camera. The Panasonic FT5 can be used underwater to a depth of 13m, is shockproof from a height of 2m, freezeproof to -10 degrees C and and pressure resistant to 100kg. In addition, the 16 megapixel Panasonic FT5 offers a 28mm wide-angle 4.6x optical zoom lens, 1920x1080 full-HD movie recording, Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity, an on-board GPS module, a compass, altimeter and even a barometer. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 / TS3 is available in black, blue, white or orange and costs £349.99 / $399.99.

Ease of Use

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 follows on from last year's FT4, and the FT3, FT2 and FT1 models before that. Like its forebears it is fashioned in the rugged style of a workman's toolbox miniaturized and with a lens attached, and is available in a range of four colours. Dimensions are 109.2x67.4x28.9mm, slightly larger than its predecessor, so it's still barely wider than your non-armoured compact, while a weight of 214g with battery and optional SD card loaded ensures it can be comfortably transported in a trouser pocket.

The FT5 / TS5 features GPS for the location tagging of images, a feature retained from its predecessor. This provides real-time information naming the location at which your shot is being taken, with, claims Panasonic, up to a million landmarks stored. It's one of the more precise GPS antennae we've seen on a digital compact, being able to pin down our location within a borough rather than simply flagging up the wider area. And, unusually, we didn't experience the usual problems of getting it to work when we were indoors as well as outside. Longitude and latitude coordinates are stored in the particular JPEG image's Exif data. The GPS also allows you to automatically record your location and view the map and associated photos directly on your camera, rather than having to wait until you get home and download onto a PC.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 can withstand being dunked underwater to a depth of 13 metres and still come up functioning, while it can survive a fall from two metres in height. The FT5 model also retains the previous camera's ability to be used in temperatures as low as -10°C, and the fact that it's dustproof – which again was a capability introduced way back on the FT1. Like Olympus Tough models, it's now also crushproof, to 100kg to be precise.

Though like its predecessors you can't, for the most part, fault the build quality, our gripes continue to include the fact that, with the exception of the main shutter release button, all of the controls are too small and fiddly to be operated accurately with either wet fingers or while wearing gloves (unless of the fingerless variety!). It seems that Panasonic would rather retain a modicum of style than give wholly in to practicality, perhaps mindful of the danger of ending up with something less stylish if image quality and usability is placed higher in priority than creating something that simply looks good.

Such 'compromise' also means that the FT5 retains folded optics, so at no point does the optically image stabilised 4.6x zoom emerge from the body and into harm's way if dropped. Protected by reinforced glass in lieu of an automatic lens cover, the Leica-branded lens offers an adequate focal range of 28-128mm in 35mm terms. We did notice some drop off of focus towards the corners of the frame at maximum wide angle, while as with most pocket compacts offering more than the old 3x capability, results are softer the closer you get to maximum zoom setting, plus there's the option to let the zoom run on and extend it digitally to an equivalent 9.3x. A narrow window for the integral flash, plus self-timer/AF assist light indicator are set alongside the lens. Thankfully the flash is set far enough away from the camera's edge to avoid fingers obscuring it.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5
Front Rear

There is a subtly raised rubberised portion to the front which acts as a grip, although there's no similar area on the rear, instead you find your thumb resting on and obscuring the wi-fi lamp. Press the FT5's power button and the camera readies itself for image capture in under two seconds, initially presenting users with the on-screen offer of a tour of the precautions to bear in mind if using the camera underwater, so you're always mindful of accidentally trashing the camera. A half press of the shutter release dissolves this message if you're on dry land and just want to get on with the business of taking a shot. Press down fully to take a photo and, with no discernible shutter delay, a full resolution JPEG is committed to memory in 2-3 seconds, the screen briefly displaying a frozen image of the captured shot. Like its FT4 forebear it's certainly as quick as anyone would want from what at the end of the day is a point and shoot pocket camera.

With images framed and reviewed via the bigger and higher resolution 3-inch, 460k dot resolution LCD screen, commendably, video clips here are the Full HD 1920x1080 pixels, with a dedicated record button provided alongside the shutter release button to commence their capture – no matter what alternative stills mode might be in play. There is also a choice of two formats: the highly compressed AVCHD or the less tightly squeezed MP4 for wider compatibility. The useful wind cut feature remains for making recordings, as does continuous auto focus, and the fact that the optical zoom can be accessed for video as well as stills.

There's no traditional bottle-top style mode dial here for alternative stills selections – indeed the control layout at the rear is very similar to that of the FT4 in its streamlined appearance – whereby a mode button is provided instead, a press of which brings up the shooting options as two rows of icons presented centre of screen. These are then tabbed through and selected via four-way command pad with familiar 'menu/set' button located at its centre as you'd expect, a press of which selects whichever setting is highlighted upon.

Here the ten shooting settings are laid over the image in front of the lens so you don't lose sight of your subject whilst adjusting settings. As well as the familiar scene and subject-recognising intelligent Auto (iA) setting, we get a Program mode, a manual mode which allows the adjustment of aperture and shutter speed - plus Sports, Snow and separate Beach and Snorkeling modes by way of indicating how Panasonic imagines this camera might be used. Next up are separate Advanced Underwater and Panaorama Shot modes, with the former automatically compensating for the red color which is easily lost in underwater shooting. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 has an extensive range of Creative Controls, denoted by an artist's palette in the shooting mode menu, with 14 different options on offer. The 16 pre-optimised scene modes cover the usual range of portrait and landscape photo biased subjects plus the now merely ubiquitous 3D mode.

As with the FT4, on the FT5 this 3D feature again recalls the Sweep Panorama feature of the Sony Cyber-shot and NEX compacts by compositing an image from a sequence of shots taken as you pan with the camera in the direction the on-screen arrow indicates (left to right), through an arc of just 10cm or 0.33 feet. Like competing models, the file generated by the Lumix DMC-FT5 is an MPO file. So this isn't actually viewable in all its stereoscopic glory unless you own a 3D TV – although a Fine or Normal quality JPEG is saved alongside the MPO file for easy reference. However it really is for reference only as the quality is akin to a grab from a video sequence rather than a dedicated still, and delivers a file size of only around 1MB.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5
Front Top

Staying at the back and directing our attention to the top right hand corner, the camera's zoom is now operated by a familiar rocker switch which is much easier to use with slippery, wet fingers. With the camera's lens at its widest setting from the off, a press of the right hand (telephoto) button and its travels through the focal range slowly but steadily and moreover nigh silently, in around three seconds. The zoom can also be utilized when recording video clips, but slows down further to avoid mechanical noise being a distraction, taking around five seconds to get from wide to tele setting.

Underneath the zoom rocker is the self-explanatory Playback button, the previously mentioned Mode button, and the new wi-fi button and indicator lamp. The built-in Wi-Fi functionality (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n) lets you use your smartphone or mobile device to remotely change the camera settings (focus setting, exposure compensation, ISO, WB and Photo Styles) using the LUMIX App. You can even operate the zoom and fire the shutter button remotely, while the auto transfer function automatically backs up your photos onto a tablet, smartphone, PC, web service, AV device or Panasonic's LUMIX Club Cloud Sync service. The DMC-FT5 is also one of the first cameras to feature NFC (Near Field Communication) technology (the same technology that's used for mobile payments), which allows you to connect it to a compatible internet enabled device or another NFC-enabled camera by simply tapping them together.

The regulation issue four-way control pad/cross key set up meanwhile features the same layout as the FT4. So at 12 o'clock we have a means of tweaking exposure compensation (again +/- 2EV with an on-screen slide bar provided) if you're not in iA mode that is, which disables access to certain functions including this one. Then, as we move around clockwise we find a means of adjusting flash options (auto, auto with red eye reduction, forced flash on, slow sync flash with red eye reduction and flash off), then selecting macro setting for close ups (as close as 5cm) and/or self timer (an option of two or ten second countdowns).

A press of the centrally located menu/set button meanwhile brings up 5 icon-distinguished folders on screen, including a dedicated one for GPS functionality and the new Wi-Fi options. We also get the regulars of still image capture – the 'record' mode – plus a separate one video recording, and the equally self-explanatory option of 'set up'. The contents of the photo record folder are split across five screens if you have the camera in Program shooting mode and run the gamut of picture quality and size settings along with the ability to adjust aspect ratio from 4:3 to 3:2 to 16:9, and, more unusually on to 1:1.

We also get intelligent ISO among the ISO settings, and the ability here to select incremental stages from ISO100 up to ISO3200 as one would normally, which is a fairly modest range as previously mentioned. White balance can also be adjusted manually, whilst AF mode can be swapped from the default 1-area AF to 23-area, or to spot AF, or by AF tracking, as well as to face detection mode if you're going to be taking portraits in the main. It's within the record folders that we also find the colour mode options, which are rather squirreled away as a result, plus remain unchanged from the old FT1. Colour can therefore be altered from the default of 'standard' to vivid, B&W or sepia.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5
Battery Compartment Memory Card Slot

Dipping next into the video recording folder we find a screens' worth of options and again the ability to adjust quality dependant on end use and swap between AVCHD and Motion JPEG compression options. It's here that as we mentioned earlier users can deploy the wind cutting option when filming video outdoors, as well as activating continuous AF so the shot doesn't go totally out of focus as you gradually adjust framing.

The third folder as indicated pertains to the use of GPS. This can be set to be constantly active (a lamp therefore glowing on the camera even when it is otherwise inactive), turned off entirely, or placed in 'airplane mode', whereby the GPS only kicks in when the camera is switched on, rather than keeping working while it's off. You can also re-position/refresh the GPS settings, plus manually set the compass by perform a bizarre figure eight 'dance' with the camera. An impressive array of functionality is therefore included here.

The set up icon/folder meanwhile provides access to eight screens' worth of options and it's here that we get to turn a histogram on/off or call up a nine zone compositional grid on screen, as well as set date, time, and format the internal memory or card in use.

The remaining two buttons at the bottom of the camera back are for the self-explanatory display and the less immediately obvious 'Q.Menu'. A press of the latter 'Quick Menu' option brings up a toolbar across the top of the LCD screen, allowing the user to quickly tab through options for adjusting the likes of GPS mode, AF mode, burst shooting (maximum 10fps at three megapixels) white balance, ISO, still and video resolution/quality as well as adjusting the LED light and monitor brightness. Basically, these are your key settings at a glance, saving the time required to dip into the menu folders previously discussed. Subsequent presses of 'display' meanwhile turn off the otherwise constant onscreen icons and shooting info to provide an image clear of distractions, and/or call up a nine zone compositional grid on screen for those users practicing their rule of thirds, or, more funky still, a graphical interface of GPS coordinates and compass, which adjusts automatically as you tilt the camera itself.

On the right hand flank of the FT5, if still viewing it from the back, there's not only a sliding catch on the side door protecting the joint battery and SD/SDHC/SDXC card compartment, plus HDMI and USB outputs, but also an additional lock to prevent any ingress of undesirables. On-screen prompts and warnings also lessen the prospect of accidents or jumping into the pool without doing the equivalent of battening down the hatches first. Also located over at the far right hand edge – which curves around to 'bleed' into the top plate – is a lug for attaching a provided wrist strap. Incidentally according to CIPA testing, battery life is good for 370 shots from a full charge, a big increases on the the FT4's 310.

The base of the FT5 meanwhile features the familiar slightly off-centre plastic screw thread for attaching the camera to a tripod, and that's your lot as regards features and functionality.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 6Mb.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 produced images of good quality during the review period. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 produces noise-free images at ISO 100-400, with limited noise and colour desaturation starting to appear at ISO 800. ISO 1600 exhibits quite visible noise, smearing of fine detail and colour desaturation, and the fastest setting of ISO 3200 is even noisier and best avoided altogether.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 dealt well with chromatic aberrations, with limited purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations. The built-in flash worked well indoors, with no red-eye and adequate exposure. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds allowing you to capture plenty of light. Anti-shake is a feature that works very well when hand-holding the camera in low-light conditions or when using the telephoto end of the zoom range.

Macro performance is good, allowing you to focus as close as 5cms away from the subject. The images were a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpening setting and ideally require further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you can change the in-camera setting if you don't like the default results. The Intelligent Resolution feature either makes a standard image look sharper, albeit with some unwanted artefacts appearing, or it digitally increases the 4.6x optical zoom to 9.2x, again with a slight loss in quality. The various Creative Effects and Color Modes allow you to easily add a twist to your images.

Noise

There are 6 ISO settings available on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso200.jpg
   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso800.jpg
   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

iso1600.jpg iso3200.jpg

Focal Range

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5's 4.6x lens has a fairly versatile focal range of 28-128mm, as demonstrated by the examples below.

28mm

128mm

focal_range1.jpg focal_range2.jpg

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting and benefit from some further sharpening in a program like Adobe Photoshop. Unfortunately you can't change the in-camera sharpening level.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

sharpen1.jpg sharpen1a.jpg
   
sharpen2.jpg sharpen2a.jpg

Chromatic Aberrations

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 handled chromatic aberrations well during the review, with limited purple and green fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.

Chromatic Aberrations 1 (100% Crop)

Chromatic Aberrations 2 (100% Crop)

chromatic1.jpg chromatic2.jpg

Macro

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is 5cms away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro

Macro (100% Crop)

macro1.jpg macro1a.jpg

Flash

The flash settings on the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 are Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.

Forced Off - Wide Angle (28mm)

Forced On - Wide Angle (28mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Forced Off - Telephoto (128mm)

Forced On - Telephoto (128mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Auto/Red-eye Reduction settings caused any red-eye.

Forced On

Forced On (100% Crop)
flash_on.jpg flash_on1.jpg
   

Auto/Red-eye Reduction

Auto/Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

flash_redeye.jpg flash_redeye1.jpg

Night

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5's maximum shutter speed is 60 seconds in the Starry Sky Mode scene mode (there are also 15 and 30 second options) and 8 seconds in the Night Scene mode, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 4 seconds at ISO 100. The camera takes the same amount of time again to apply noise reduction, so for example at the 15 second setting the actual exposure takes 30 seconds.

Night

Night (100% Crop)

night1.jpg night1a.jpg

Image Stabilisation

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 has an antishake mechanism which allows you to take sharp photos at slower shutter speeds than other digital cameras. To test this, we took 2 handheld shots of the same subject with the same settings. The first shot was taken with the stabilizer turned off, the second with it turned on. As you can see, with image stabilisation turned on, the images are sharper than when it's turned off.

Shutter Speed / Focal Length

Image Stabilisation Off (100% Crop)

Image Stabilisation On (100% Crop)

1/15th / 28mm antishake1.jpg antishake1a.jpg
     
1/6th / 128mm antishake2.jpg antishake2a.jpg

Intelligent Resolution

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5's Intelligent Resolution feature makes a standard image look like a higher resolution one by processing the contour areas, texture areas and smooth areas individually, or it extends the 4.6x zoom to 9.2x.

Off

On

intelligent_resolution_01.jpg intelligent_resolution_02.jpg
   

i.Zoom Off

i.Zoom On

intelligent_resolution_03.jpg intelligent_resolution_04.jpg

Colour Modes

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 has 4 different color mode options.

Standard

Vivid

color_mode_01.jpg color_mode_02.jpg
   

B&W

Sepia

color_mode_03.jpg color_mode_04.jpg

Creative Controls

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 has an extensive range of Creative Controls, denoted by an artist's palette in the shooting mode menu, with 14 different options on offer.

Expressive

Retro

creative_control_01.jpg creative_control_02.jpg
   

High Key

Low Key

creative_control_03.jpg creative_control_04.jpg
   

Sepia

Dynamic Monochrome

creative_control_05.jpg creative_control_06.jpg
   

Impressive Art

High Dynamic

creative_control_07.jpg creative_control_08.jpg
   

Cross Process

Toy Effect

creative_control_09.jpg creative_control_10.jpg
   

Miniature Effect

Soft Focus

creative_control_11.jpg creative_control_12.jpg
   

Star Filter

One Point Color

creative_control_13.jpg creative_control_14.jpg

Panorama

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 allows you to take panoramic images very easily by 'sweeping' with the camera. The camera does all the processing and stitching. In addition 12 of the Creative Filter effects can also be applied to panorama shots in the Creative Panorama mode.

Panorama
panorama1.jpg
 
Panorama with the Impressive Art Filter
panorama2.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 camera, which were all taken using the 16 megapixel Fine JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 1920x1080 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 22 second movie is 46.9Mb in size.

Product Images

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Front of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Front of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 / Image Displayed

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 / Tunred On

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 / Record Mode Menu

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 / Main Menu

 

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 / Main Menu

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Rear of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 / Wi-Fi Menu

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Top of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Bottom of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Side of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Front of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Front of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Memory Card Slot

 
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5

Battery Compartment

Conclusion

Rugged action cameras are one of the few growth areas left in the compact market, offering a combination of point and shoot simplicity with a tough design that should at least survive the family beach holiday. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 is one of the more stylish options in this category, and one of the toughest too, so it doesn't look out of place on or off dry land. As with most action cameras, though, image quality isn't the DMC-FT5's strong point, and you will have to pay quite a substantial premium for the extra on-board protection and peace of mind that the FT5 offers.

With on-board GPS, wi-fi and NFC connectiivity, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 is one of the most well-appointed rugged cameras currently available, making it easy to record where your photos were taken and share them with friends and family. While the image quality from the 16 megapixel sensor isn't bad, there are much better cameras available at this price-point, albeit without the tough credentials, so you really need to make sure that you'll use the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 to the full to warrant the extra outlay. If you want one camera that should be able to withstand everything that you throw at it (or throw it at), then the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 is definitely worth considering.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 3.5
Features 4.5
Ease-of-use 4
Image quality 3.5
Value for money 3.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5.

Canon PowerShot D20

The Canon PowerShot D20 is an all-action compact camera that's water, dust, freeze and shock proof. The new Canon D20 is a distinctively designed 12 megapixel camera with a 5x zoom, 1080p HD video, built-in GPS and a 3-inch screen. Read our detailed Canon PowerShot D20 review now...

Fujifilm FinePix XP60

The Fujifilm FinePix XP60 is a tough water, freeze, shock and dust proof 16 megapixel compact camera. The XP60 also offers 1080i HD movies, a 5x zoom lens and a 2.7 inch LCD screen. Read our expert Fujifilm FinePix XP60 review to find out if this is the right camera for all your family.

Nikon Coolpix AW100

The Coolpix AW100 is Nikon's first all-action compact camera, designed to handle life's hard knocks, and thanks to its GPS features, able to plot your journey's too. The 16 megapixel Nikon AW100 also has a 5x zoom lens, 3 inch screen and can record full 1080p video. Can this new pretender take the weatherproof crown? Read our Nikon Coolpix AW100 review to find out...

Olympus Tough TG-2

The Olympus Tough TG-2 is a new water, freeze, shock and dust proof compact camera for 2013. Boasting a fast f2.0 aperture high-speed lens, the TG-2 also offers full 1080p HD movies, a 4x zoom lens and a 3 inch OLED screen. Read our Olympus Tough TG-2 review to find out if it's still one of our favourite all-weather cameras...

Pentax Optio WG-2

The Pentax Optio WG-2 is a shock, freeze, dust and water proof compact camera. The Pentax WG2 offers 16 megapixels, a 3-inch LCD, a 5x zoom lens, Full HD movie recording and built-in GPS tracking. Available for £279.99 / $349.95, read our in-depth Pentax Optio WG-2 review now.

Ricoh PX

The Ricoh PX is an unassuming compact camera that is a lot tougher than it looks, being waterproof to 3m and shockproof to 1.5m. Ricoh's first entry into the all-action market also offers a 16 megapixel sensor, 5x zoom lens and 720 p video. Can the Ricoh PX take on the likes of the Olympus Tough range? Find out in our detailed Ricoh PX review.

Samsung WP10

The WP10 / AQ100 is Samsung's first foray into the world of waterproof cameras. Sporting a 12 megapixel sensor and 5x zoom lens, the WP10 can be used at a depth of 3 meters / 10 feet. Available for less than £179.99 / $199.99, read our Samsung WP10 review find out if this budget shooter is all the camera you need.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX9 is a slim, stylish and full-featured digital compact camera. The TX9 has a 12 megapixel back-illuminated Exmor-R sensor, 3.5 inch touch-sensitive LCD screen, innovative 3D Sweep Panorama mode, 1080i HD movies with stereo sound, 10fps burst mode, a 4x zoom lens, and an ISO range of 125-3200. Read our in-depth Sony TX9 review to find out if it can justify its £380 / $399 price-tag.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 from around the web.

dpreview.com »

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5 (known as the FT5 outside of North America) is a rugged camera that has been stuffed with virtually every feature imaginable (see below for a list). It replaces the DMC-TS3/FT3, and can take even more of a beating than its predecessor. Other new features include a higher resolution MOS sensor (16MP CMOS vs. 12MP CCD), Wi-Fi with NFC capability, faster burst shooting, true 1080/60p video recording, and much more. Battery life has also been improved by 20%, due to the use of a more powerful battery, which is alway helpful on cameras with battery-draining features like GPS and Wi-Fi.
Read the full review »

reviews.cnet.co.uk »

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 isn't cheap, but your money is buying a tank-like snapper that's built to last. It's great for the more adventurous traveller who doesn't hanker after extensive manual controls, and anyone who's worried about their kids getting their hands on a more fragile device.
Read the full review »

pocket-lint.com »

The Panasonic FT5 is the tank of compact cameras: it's boxy, hard as nails and tough enough to flatten most traditional compact cameras' specifications too. Brute force is delivered in the form of water, dust, freeze and crush-proofing, while global positioning satellite to geotag images with their location, Wi-Fi to share images with smartphones and other devices and NFC to fire up one-touch sharing ensure the techie angle is covered.
Read the full review »

ephotozine.com »

The Panasonic Lumix FT5 is update to the FT4 with improved ruggedness. The camera also features a new underwater white balance mode and is now waterproof to 13m, shockproof to 2m, can endure temperatures as low as -10ºC and is dustproof. The Panasonic Lumix FT5 is available in orange, black, silver, and blue for £399.99.
Read the full review »

Specifications

Metrics

Dimensions (W x H x D) 109.2 x 67.4 x 28.9 mm / (4.30 x 2.65 x 1.14 inch)
Weight Approx. 188g without Battery and SD Memory Card (0.41 lb) / Approx. 214g with Battery and SD Memory Card (0.47 lb)

Pixels

Camera Effective Pixels 16.1 Megapixels

Sensor

Sensor Size / Total Pixels / Filter 1/2.33-type High Sensitivity MOS Sensor / 17.5 Total Megapixels / Primary Color Filter

Lens

Aperture F3.3 - 5.9 / 2-step (F3.3 / 10(W), F5.9 / 18(T))
Optical Zoom 4.6x
Focal Length f=4.9 - 22.8mm (28 - 128mm in 35mm equiv.) / (33-140mm in 35mm equiv. in video recording)
Extra Optical Zoom (EZ) 5.9x (4:3 / 10M), 8.4x (4:3 / 5M), 10.5x (under 3M)
Intelligent Zoom 9.3x
Lens LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR / 10 elements in 8 groups / (5 Aspherical Lenses / 6 Aspherical surfaces / 1 ED Lens) / Anti-fog Glass
2- Speed Zoom -
Optical Image Stabilizer/Five Axis Correction Power O.I.S. (On / Off) / No
Digital Zoom Max. 4x

Focus

Focusing Area Normal: Wide 30 cm - infinity / Tele 30 cm - infinity / Macro / Intelligent AUTO/ motion picture: Wide 5 cm - infinity / Tele 30cm - infinity
AF Assist Lamp Yes (On/Off), LED light in motion picture
Focus Normal, AF Macro, Macro Zoom / Quick AF (On/Off, On in Intelligent Auto), Continuous AF(only for motion picture) / AF Tracking
AF Metering Face / AF Tracking / 23-Area / 1-Area / Spot

Shutter

Shutter Speed approx. 4 - 1/1300 sec / 15sec / 30sec in Sarry Sky mode

Finder

Viewfinder -

File

File Format Still Image: JPEG(DCF/Exif2.3), DPOF / 3D Image: MPO / Motion picture: AVCHD, MP4

Recording Modes

Mode Dial / Mode Button Intelligent Auto, P, M, Creative Control, Sports, Snow, Beach&Snorkeling, Advanced Underwater, Panorama Shot, SCN
Creative Control mode Expressive, Retro, High Key, Low Key, Sepia, Dynamic Monochrome, Impressive Art, High Dynamic, Cross Process, Toy Effect, Miniature Effect, Soft Focus, Star Filter, One Point Color
Still Image Scene Mode Portrait, Soft Skin, Scenery, Night Portrait, Night Scenery, Hand Held Night Shot, HDR, Food, Baby1, Baby2, Pet, Sunset, High Sensitivity, Starry Sky, Glass Through, 3D Photo
Continuous Shooting Mode Full- Resolution Image: 10 frames/sec Max. 7 images with AF Tracking: 5 frames/sec, 2 frames/sec Max.100 images Intelligent Burst Shooting / High- speed Burst: approx. 40 frames/sec (recorded in 5M/3M/0.3M for 4:3, 4.5M/2.5M/0.3M for 3:2, 3.5M/2M/0.2M for 16:9, 3.5M/2.5M/0.2M for 1:1) / approx. 60 frames/sec (recorded in 2.5M/0.3M for 4:3, 3M/0.3M for 3:2, 3.5M/0.2M for 16:9, 2M/0.2M for 1:1) / Flash burst shooting

Motion Picture Recording (*2)

HD Video 1920 x 1080 pixels, 50p (FHD: 28Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 50fps) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 50i (FHD: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 50fps) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 50p (HD: 17Mbps / AVCHD) (Sensor Output is 50fps) / 1920 x 1080 pixels, 25fps (FHD: 20Mbps / MP4) / 1280 x 720 pixels, 25fps (HD: 10Mbps / MP4)
STD Video 640 x 480 pixels, 25fps (VGA: 4Mbps / MP4)

Continuous recordable time (motion pictures)

AVCHD approx. 80 min (FHD / 50p), 85min (FHD / 50i)
MP4 approx. 95 min (FHD)

Actual recordable time (motion pictures)

AVCHD approx. 35 min (FHD / 50p), 40min (FHD / 50i)
MP4 approx. 45 min (FHD)

Exposure Parameters

Exposure Program AE, Manual
Exposure Compensation 1/3 EV step, +/-2 EV
Auto (AE) Bracketing 1/3 -1EV step, Max +/-1EV, 3 frames
Light Metering Intelligent Multiple
ISO Sensitivity Auto / i.ISO / 100 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 / High Sensitivity mode (ISO 1600-6400)

Picture Quality

Still Picture Recording [1:1] 3456x3456 (12M) / 2736x2736 (7.5M EZ) / 1920x1920 (3.5M EZ) / 1536x1536 (2.5M EZ) / 480x480 (0.2M EZ) / [4:3] 4608x3456 (16M) / 3648x2736 (10M EZ) / 2560x1920 (5M EZ) / 2048X1536 (3M EZ) / 1280x960 (1M EZ) / 640x480 (0.3M EZ) / [3:2] 4608x3072 (14M) / 3648x2432 (9M EZ) / 2560x1712 (4.5M EZ) / 2048x1360 (2.5M EZ) / 640x424 (0.3M EZ) / [16:9] 4608x2592 (12M) / 3648x2056 (7.5M EZ) / 2560x1440 (3.5M EZ) / 1920x1080 (2M EZ) / 640x360 (0.2M EZ)
Image Quality Fine / Standard (3D mode: MPO Fine / MPO Standard )
White Balance Auto / Daylight / Cloudy / Shade / Incandescent / White Set / White Balance Adjustment (Except Auto)
Photo Style / Film Mode -
Color Mode / Color Effect / My color Color Mode : Standard, Black&White, Sepia, Vivid (in P, M), Happy (only in iA mode)
Aspect Bracketing  -

Other

Digital Red Eye Correction (Red-Eye Removal) Yes
GPS Yes(GPS / GLONASS) / GPS LOG
Wi-FI IEEE 802.11b/g/n / 2412MHz - 2462MHz (1-11ch) / WPA / WPA2 / Infurastracture mode / WPS / Wi-Fi Direct / Wi-Fi Button
NFC Yes
Zoom in Motion Picture Yes
Self Timer 2sec / 10sec

Display

Playback Mode All, Slideshow, Filtering Play(Picture Only, Video Only, 3D Play, GPS Area Play, Altimeter Log, Travel, Category Selection, Select Date, Favorites), Calendar
Thumbnails / Zoomed Playback 12,30-thumbnails / Yes
Calendar Display / Dual- Image Playback Yes / No
Set Favorites / Rotate Image Yes / No
Show Histogram Yes
Show Highlights -
DPOF Print Setting / Set Protection Yes / Yes

Edit

Retouch Creative Retouch / Auto Retouch / Color Reproduction
Resize / Cropping / Aspect Conv. / Leveling Yes / Yes / No / No
Copy / Title Edit / Text Stamp Yes / Yes / Yes
Cut Animation Yes
Video Divide Yes
PictBridge Support Single / Multi / All / Favorites / DPOF

Setup

OSD language Japanese, English, German, French, Italian, Spanish

Monitor

LCD Monitor 7.5cm (3.0") TFT Screen LCD Display (460K dots), AR Coating / Field of View : approx. 100% / AUTO Power Monitor mode, Power Monitor mode

Flash

Built- in- Flash Auto, Auto/Red-eye Reduction, Forced On, Slow Sync./Red-eye Reduction, Forced Off, 0.3 - 5.6m (Wide/ISO Auto), 0.3 - 3.1m (Tele/ISO Auto)

Media

Recording Media Built-in Memory, SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card
Built- in- Memory Approx. 10MB

Audio

Microphone / Speaker Stereo / Mono

Interface

Interface microHDMI, AV Output (PAL/NTSC), USB(AV/USB Multi)

Power

Power Li-ion Battery Pack (3.6V / 1250mAh / 4.5Wh) / AC Adaptor (Input: 110-240V AC)(Optional)
Battery life (approx.) 370 pictures (CIPA Standard)*1

Standard Package

Included Software PHOTOfunSTUDIO 9.1 PE / Adobe Reader
Standard Accessories Battery Pack, Battery Charger, AC Cable, USB Cable, Hand Strap, CD-ROM

Further Specifications

NOTE *1 / Recording conditions by CIPA standard / - CIPA is an abbreviation of [Camera & Imaging Products Association]. / - Temperature: 23 oC (73.4 oF)/Humidity: 50%RH when LCD monitor is on. / - Using a Panasonic SD Memory Card (32 MB). / - Using the supplied battery. / - Starting recording 30 seconds after the camera is turned on. (When the optical image stabilizer function is set to [ON].) / - Recording once every 30 seconds with full flash every second recording. / - Rotating the zoom lever from Tele to Wide or vice versa in every recording. / - Turning the camera off every 10 recordings and leaving it until the temperature of the battery decreases. / *2 / - These are standard times taken at a temperature of 23 oC (73.4 oF) and a humidity of 50%RH. / - The time available for recording varies depending on the environment, the interval between recordings, and the manner of use. / - Actual recordable time is the time available for recording when repeating actions such as switching the power supply [ON] / [OFF], starting/stopping recording, zoom operation etc. / -Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [AVCHD] is 29 minutes 59 seconds. / -Maximum time to record motion pictures continuously with [MP4] is 29 minutes 59 seconds or up to 4 GB.

Your Comments

Loading comments…