Panasonic unveils two new rugged, waterproof models: The flagship TS6 and budget-friendly TS30
posted Monday, January 5, 2015 at 12:59 PM EDT
Adventure seekers take note, as Panasonic unveiled two new offerings today in their rugged, waterproof camera line-up at the CES show in Las Vegas. Their new flagship in the line is the Panasonic TS6, which replaces the TS5 from 2013, while the new budget-friendly TS30 model replaces the TS25 from 2014.
As some are of our readers have likely seen, we put the Panasonic TS5 up against the competition from a few year's ago in our 2013 Best Waterproof Camera shootout. It came in near the middle of the pack for overall image quality, although it boasted enough cool features (like a torchlight for diving) to warrant a Dave's Pick recommendation from us. The replacement TS6 is pretty much identical to the TS5 internally, although the new camouflage appearance is an upgraded option for you wildlife photographers needing a rugged build for the elements in a disguised package.
As expected, the TS6 comes decked out with all manner of modern conveniences, such as built-in WiFi, NFC, GPS, a barometer, compass and altimeter. And of course it sports the torchlight made popular on the TS5 and can withstand quite a bit from mother-nature including being submersible to 43ft. For more information, please head over to our Panasonic TS6 First Impressions report.
And if you'd prefer a slightly smaller form factor and a lower pricetag, and can live without the advanced communications features, you'll want to take a look at the Panasonic TS30. It can still dive down to a fairly impressive 26ft while also being shock-proof, dust-proof and freeze-proof to 14 degrees F.
For more on this model please visit our Panasonic TS30 First Impressions report.
These models will be available sometime around April 1st, 2015 with the TS6 listing for around US$300 and the TS30 for around US$180.
