Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT5 review
Rugged,
waterproof cameras are perfect for skiing and watersports, but they're also a
sensible option for the beach, fishing, mountaineering, off-road cycling,
building sites and drunken nights out. The FT5's rugged credentials are better
than most. It's able to withstand submersion to 13 metres, drops from two
metres and 100kg of pressure. Its blocky design inspires confidence but we
found the small buttons tricky to press when wearing gloves. Otherwise,
operation is straightforward, with a Q Menu button revealing the most
often-used functions and a Mode button making up for the lack of a dedicated
mode dial.
GPS is
built in and nearly all of our outdoor photos were accurately tagged, although
one batch was mysteriously plotted in the Arctic Ocean. A small LED blinks
intermittently to remind you that the GPS is enabled – we wish there was a
physical GPS switch that worked independently of the camera's main power
button.
This is the
first FT-series camera to include Wi-Fi. It's essentially the same
implementation that we saw in last month's Lumix SZ9, with an Android (but no
iOS) app handling wireless transfers and remote control. The FT5 adds the
ability to use the app as a remote viewfinder while recording video – something
that we'd anticipate using more often than remote photo capture. The camera can
also transfer photos wirelessly to a PC or NAS over a home network.
It's
extremely quick to take photos, averaging 0.7 seconds between shots in our
tests. There are lots of burst modes on offer, including 10fps with fixed focus
or 5fps with continuous autofocus. This is by far the best performance we've
seen from a rugged camera, and it should come in handy for fast-paced outdoor
pursuits.
The capable
video mode is another useful asset. It's definitely worth choosing MPEG-4 if
you're using the Android app, as the remote shooting mode inexplicably drops
the AVCHD resolution to 720p, and AVCHD videos can't be transferred wirelessly.
Picture quality was excellent and autofocus and zooming were smooth, but there
was a faint mechanical chatter in the soundtrack – possibly from the optical
stabilisation.
Photo
quality was generally up to scratch, but the FT5's premium price doesn't equate
to premium image quality. There was some evidence of detail-smearing noise
reduction even in brightly lit shots, although it thankfully wasn't as
pervasive as on the Panasonic SZ9. Dense textures such as foliage had a mushy
quality on close inspection, especially in shady conditions where the ISO speed
was pushed up a little.
Indoor
photographs suffered from noise too, especially on skin tones and hair textures
where problems are easier to spot. The FT5's much faster performance means you
can have more shots to choose from, which may make a bigger difference to the
overall quality of photos. On balance we'd pick the D20, but if the Wi-Fi
functions appeal, the FT5 is a worthy alternative.
Title Post: Panasonic Lumix Waterproof Camera DMC-FT5 review
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Rating: 100% based on 99998 ratings. 5 user reviews.
Author: Unknown
Thanks for visiting the blog The Unique Things, If there are criticisms and suggestions please leave a comment
