The New Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3- Rugged Digital Camera for the Outdoors

Panasonic recently announced the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 the successor to Panasonic's DMC-TS2. Several upgrades have been made to the Lumix TS3 from it's predecessor the TS2 including a more rugged body, increased underwater performance, an altimeter, compass, GPS for geo-tagging and full resolution AVCHD HD movie capture, making this compact digital camera a good match for the traveling outdoor enthusiast. The new Lumix TS3 also has some significant upgrades to image processing.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 packs a new 12.1-megapixel CCD with 2-channel signal output structure that allows higher signal transfer rates for camera operations that require high performance and speed such as 1,920 x 1,080 full HD movie recording and high speed continuous shooting. The picture quality has also improved due to higher sensitivity which has been made possible by efficient light condensation technology found on larger on-chip micro lenses.

The Lumix TS3 lets you shoot images at approx. 3.7 frames per second at full resolution.You can also select High-speed Burst Mode or Flash Burst Mode from Scene Mode. Maximum burst rate is 7 frames. Burst speed values given only apply to shutter speeds of 1/60 or more without flash. The Lumix TS3 shoots very fast for a compact digital camera. On top of that, shutter release time lag is a short 0.005 second, making it easy to capture fleeting, spur-of-the-moment images on the fly.

Driving all the signal processing is the new Venus Engine FHD. By sorting chromatic noise from luminance noise and optimizing the noise reduction to both, you capture sharp and exceptional images even when taking pictures at high ISO's. The Venus Engine FHD also provides precision selective noise reduction to chromatic noise without affecting the color borders which is calculatted from the brightness level of each pixel.

Working with the new Hi-Speed CCD sensor, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 Venus Engine FHD processes a large amount of signals at very high speeds making it possible to shoot 1,920 x 1,080 full HD movies and high resolution images as high as 3.7 fps in 12.1-megapixel full resolution and maximum of 10 fps at 3-megapixels.

Incorporated in the Venus Engine FHD the Lumix TS3 utilizes IR or intelligent resolution technology. Intelligent Resolution technology recognizes three areas – outlines, detailed textured areas and soft gradations, these areas are automatically detected and optimum signal calculations are performed on each area. This signal processing is done at pixel level and as a result, pictures are naturally sharp and clear in both photo and movie recording modes.

Resolutions for common image formats with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3:

Still Images
4:3 Aspect Ratio: 4,000 x 3,000 pixels (12M) | 3,264 x 2,448 (8M) | 2,560 x 1,920 (5M) | 2,048 x 1,536 (3M) | 1,600 x 1,200 (2M) | 640 x 480 (0.3M )

16:9 Aspect Ratio: 4,000 x 2,248 (9M) | 3,264 x 1840 (6M) | 2,560 x 1,440 (3.5M ) | 1,920 x 1,080 (2M) | 640 x 360 (0.2M)

Motion Picture Video Recording

4:3 Aspect Ratio:

VGA: 640 x 480 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG) | QVGA: 320 x 240 pixels, 30 fps (Motion JPEG)
16:9 Aspect Ratio:

Full-HD Movie: 1,920 x 1,080 pixels, AVCHD (FSH: 17 Mbps / GFS: 17 Mbps):
[NTSC Model] 60i *Sensor output is 30p.
[PAL Model] 50i *Sensor output is 25p.

HD Movie: 1,280 x 720 pixels, AVCHD (SH: 17 Mbps / GS: 17 Mbps):
[NTSC Model] 60p *Sensor output is 30p.
[PAL Model] 50p *Sensor output is 25p.
Motion JPEG: 30 fps

The new Panasonic DMC TS3 packs a lot of exceptional features in a compact, rugged digital camera of which only a few are discussed here. The Lumix TS3 is a perfect fit for the traveler and outdoor enthusiast. The camera is due for release in March 2011. Get more details at PanasonicLumixDMCTS3.com.