Canon D10 vs Panasonic TS1 / FT1 – In Digital Photography Review’s ‘Waterproof’ Camera Group Test (Q2 2009), Don Wan, the reviewer, sums up nicely the differences, strengths and weaknesses of the
Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera in comparison with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 / DMC-FT1:
The D10 produced the sharpest, most detailed images of all the cameras in this group test at low ISO settings, both in and out of the water. This, combined with responsive performance and a straightforward user interface that has been proven on other cameras in the PowerShot series, means that if you were shopping for a waterproof camera mainly to use in the water, then you can stop reading right now and go order the D10.
When you get out of the water the Panasonic TS1 starts to make more sense with its more pocketable dimensions, wider zoom range, long battery life and much better video capabilities. Certainly if you need a camera to live with day-to-day then the TS1 seems a more sensible choice. Image quality at lower ISO settings edges in favor of the D10 in sharpness and detail but at ISO 1600 the TS1 produces the sharpest and most detailed images of all cameras in this group test.
Both the D10 and the TS1 have flaws. For the D10 it’s the not very compact dimensions, the not very wide zoom lens that extends only from 35mm to 105mm and the VGA-only video recording functionality. For the TS1 it is the soft images at the telephoto end of the zoom range, the sometimes very frustrating-to-use design and ergonomics decisions, the limited underwater ability (3m / 10ft vs 10m / 33ft of the D10), and the rather poor flash performance.