Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT20 Pro Reviews

The Panasonic Lumix TS20 / FT20 probably won't find much appeal either with photography enthusiasts or those who take their outdoor and water-based pursuits seriously. It's a point-and-shoot compact, which photo enthusiasts tend not to get enthusiastic about, but it's also a pretty conventional compact to which water, dust and shock-proofing have been added. If you're looking for a camera primarily to use in the water there are other, better, though generally much more expensive options, ranging from the Canon PowerShot D20 to the GoPro Hero3. For anyone seeking a general purpose compact they can occassionally use in the water though, the Lumix TS20 / FT20 is an excellent choice. It may have a pretty basic specification and if you're looking for top quality stills and video, a nice big LCD screen, or a profusion of video modes you'll need to increase your budget and look elsewhere. But if you're after a basic point-and-shoot that you can take on holiday to get right in to the action in the pool and on the beach then you won't be disappointed.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT20 is an affordable rugged compact camera that would be a perfect fit for the rough and tumble of family life, if it wasn't for its disappointingly poor image quality. It may not offer all the bells and whistles of its substantially more expensive FT4 / TS4 sibling, but the new FT20 still has enough features, build quality and performance to suit life as a take anywhere, use (almost) anywhere pocket camera. Smaller and lighter than most other all-action cameras, the FT20 inherits most of the core features of the previous FT3 model at a much more attractive price-point - indeed, it's one of the cheapest rugged compacts currently on the market.

If you're looking for a rugged pocket shooter that you can take anywhere without worry, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS20 is an inexpensive option. Its lens isn't the sharpest, and noise reduction smears away image detail at higher ISOs, but the camera performs admirably in good light.

The Panasonic Lumix FT20 offers excellent value for money as one of the cheapest waterproof cameras available rated at depths up to 5 metres. This combined with bright colourful images and an easy to use camera make it a good option. Some of the features are a little slow such as the miniature mode and the camera only has 720p video, but for the price these features are quite reasonable. The camera also offers some useful features such as AF tracking and automatic panoramic stitching and is available in a number of colours.

A keenly priced rugged, waterproof camera that takes respectable photos and videos