Panasonic Lumix TS7 Announced—Tough & Tuned

Announced today, Panasonic is releasing a long-awaited update to its Lumix TS series of weatherproof “tough” cameras. The TS7 makes a number of significant upgrades to 2015’s TS6.

The Lumix TS7 is a compact camera meant to withstand anything you can put it through, while maintaining production of high-quality images and video. The TS7 is IPX8 rated and can withstand the following:

• Waterproof to 104′ (up from the TS6’s 43′)
• Shockproof for drops up to 6.6′
• Dustproof
• Freezeproof down to 14ºF
• Pressure resistant to 220 lb/ft

Perhaps the most immediately noticeable new features is the 0.2″ LVF. This is not the sort of cheesy, bubble-like optical viewfinder drilled through most compact cameras of the 2000s; this is a high pixel-density electronic viewfinder with a 100% field of view to help make sure that what you see is what you get, even when the sun is at its most intense.

The TS7 sports several of the same optical perks as the TS6:

• 28mm-128mm (35mm equivalent) zoom
• Optical image stabilization
• Macro focusing as close as 1.9″

The image lands, however, on a much-improved sensor. The TS7 captures 20.4 MP still images at up to 10 FPS, 4K video (3840×2160) at 24 or 30 fps (100 mbps), and 1080/60 video for slow-motion output.  (The TS6 captured 16 MP still images and video maxed out at 1080/30.)

There’s also a rather neat “4K Photo” mode, which shoots a 4K/30 FPS clip and lets you export an 8 MP still photo, so that you can capture a perfect moment with precision of 0.0333 seconds.

Other features include an LED torch for video lighting, compass and altimeter information, WiFi connection to phones and tablets, and a variety of in-camera processing features. In-camera, you can create time lapse videos, resize or crop images, add a text stamp, and even divide videos (which can be a pain even on a full-size computer).

The Panasonic Lumix TS7 is available in blue, black, and orange, and should be shipping in July 2018.  See below for high-res images of the camera and a full list of specifications (click to enlarge). Make sure you’re receiving the Mike’s Camera newsletter if you’d like to know the moment it hits our shelves! What kind of adventures would you take yours on? Let me know in the comments!