DMC

It's a Prizefight throwdown showdown! We're throwing two of the best point-and-shoot cameras that were made to outlast the elements. It's the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS4 versus the Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS!

Panasonic's TS4 brings a sleeker design that's still rugged with better image quality results. Olympus' TG-1 is chunkier, but it brings a larger feature set and is even crushproof.

Both of these bad boys are waterproof, shockproof, and freezeproof; which do you think deserves to be crowned the Prizefight King of the Ring?

Cast your vote!

Zoom lenses sell cameras these days, so it's no surprise that manufacturers are doing everything they can to get longer lenses into increasingly smaller bodies.

A 3x or 5x zoom lens used to be the standard for ultracompact cameras -- those measuring 1 inch thick or slimmer -- but in 2012, you can easily find a skinny point-and-shoot with a 10x optical zoom.

The frontrunner here is the sub-$250 Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 thanks to its excellent features, fast autofocus, and the quality of its pictures and video (though its color accuracy could be better). Most of the category consists of sub-$200 cameras, though, so there are several options if you're just looking for a simple pocket camera with a long lens.… Read more

While the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3 isn't perfect, it's still my favorite choice for snapshooters looking for a faster, better camera but one that's similar enough to a point-and-shoot that they're not forced out of their comfort zone.

The GF3's small size, well-designed touch-screen interface, fast performance, and solid photo quality -- and, for its type, a more-or-less reasonable price -- make it a compelling option. With the DMC-GF5, Panasonic makes some subtle updates and enhancements that improve on the GF3 for that same snapshooter.

The most important physical change is the new grip; the GF3's was very slippery, and this larger rubberized grip is a huge improvement, especially if you need to shoot one-handed.… Read more

Back in September at the IFA electronics show, Panasonic showed off a prototype of a dual-lens, dual-sensor 3D compact camera. Apparently that wasn't so much a prototype as it was a preproduction model because as of today the Lumix DMC-3D1 is coming to market.

The full details and specs are available on Panasonic's global site, but the gist is that it has two, 25mm ultrawide-angle lenses (that seem way too close together) each with 4x zoom paired with two high-speed 12-megapixel MOS sensors that can capture 8-megapixel 3D images or 9-megapixel 2D images as well as 1080/60i … Read more

There was one thing that kept the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 from earning a CNET Editors' Choice award: photo quality. Its replacement, the FZ150, was announced today, and although much of the camera stays the same as its predecessor, a new imaging sensor might fix its photo woes.

The main issue was Panasonic's JPEG processing of photos taken above ISO 200 that produced soft smeary details and yellow blotching caused by noise. It's not great for any camera, but it's especially disappointing in a $500 one. The FZ150 gets a new 12-megapixel MOS sensor (dropping from 14 megapixels in the FZ100), which Panasonic claims improves its signal-to-noise ratio, and new noise reduction more evenly suppresses noise in dark and light areas of photos as well. The end result should be better photos at higher ISOs. … Read more

Compact cameras powered by AA-size batteries are a rarity these days and when you do find them they're either large megazooms or budget-priced entry-level compacts. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS5 announced today is the latter, but at least Panasonic didn't make it without value.

Instead of sticking a slow, narrow lens on the LS5, it has a 5x, 26mm wide-angle lens with a maximum aperture of f2.8. That's wider and longer than you typically find in this class and while the f2.8 aperture probably won't give you a shallow depth of field for anything other … Read more

One of the things that bugged me about Panasonic's Lumix DMC-FZ40 was its noticeably slower performance in comparison with its linemate, the FZ100. That apparently changes with its update, the Lumix FZ47.

Instead of using the same plain ol' 14-megapixel CCD, Panasonic swapped in one of its 12-megapixel high-speed CCD sensors and backed it with its Venus Engine FHD processor. This combo, which is also in the rugged Lumix TS3, allows it to shoot at up to 3.7 frames per second at full resolution and record full HD video in AVCHD. Panasonic also promises faster start-up and response … Read more

There are a lot of people out there who simply want an affordable camera that takes a decent picture in auto, has some extra zoom power, and can still be slipped in a pocket. The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FH27 is just that. It is what I consider a good walking-around camera, something you just stick in your pocket and use when you're out for the day and want to be able to capture some moments here and there.

With camera manufacturers trying to jam in as many features as possible in some models, the FH27 is notable for having only … Read more

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 is the manufacturer's third shot at a high-end rugged camera. (It's the fourth if you include the more budget-friendly DMC-TS10.) The price continues to hover just south of the $400 mark, but Panasonic has again bulked up the feature set and durability claims.

The big add-in feature this time is GPS, which makes perfect sense for a rugged camera. After all, it's tough to mark down where you were when you took a picture when there are no street signs. The TS3 is just slightly more durable than its predecessor, the TS2, being … Read more