You can battle the elements, and take pictures of them at the same time, with the newly-announced Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TS1 Digital Camera -- a rugged camera that shoots 12.1 megapixel high-res stills and 1280 x 720 high-def video.
With an airtight body, rubber padding, and reinforced glass, the LUMIX TS1 is designed to be waterproof to a depth of 10 feet, shockproof from falls up to 5 feet, and dustproof.
The TS1 shoots still photos in 4:3, 3:2, and widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio at up to 4000 x 3000 (12 MP) resolution, in JPEG format (optionally with audio clips). And it shoots SD and HD video in 4:3 and 16:9, at up to 1280 x 720, 60P, in AVCHD Lite format at 9 to 17 Mbps quality, plus Motion JPEG. The product includes a (mini) HDMI interface for displaying directly on HD displays.
The camera uses a 28mm wide-angle LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens (to 128 mm telephoto in 35mm equivalent), with 4.6X optical zoom.
The TS1 also features the Panasonic iA (Intelligent Auto) processing to automatically set up the camera for the current subject and environment, including Face Detection to adjust focus, exposure, and contrast, and Intelligent Scene Selector to switche between Normal, Portrait, Macro, Scenery, Low Light modes. And the camera features also work when shooting video, including Optical Image Stabilization and Optical Zoom.
Panasonic LUMIX DMC-TS1 is scheduled to be available in April for $399, in silver, plus surprising shades of green and orange (so you can more easily find the camera after you drop it on the ground or it falls in water).
See my Digital Photo Cameras Gallery more on consumer digital cameras.
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