The Panasonic Lumix TS1 Waterproof Camera

We bought this camera for summer and were so excited to test it out at sea! This camera is waterproof at 10 feet high, dustproof, has a movie mode, automatically and easily zooms and focuses underwater, and is very user-friendly! Not to mention it’s super-cool metal casing appearance, when I first saw it my first thought was:”THAT’s a waterproof camera?!” It surely does not look like one. At $300+ it seemed like a steal! No doubt we can use it at tons of underwater adventures!
We used this camera to take the usual underwater pictures, from sitting and sinking underwater on the sand to snorkeling and making the corny “mermaid swim”, anything we could think of within it’s capturing range, which is again 10 feet - above average than the other underwater cameras which ranges only from about 6-8 feet.
Everything was dandy until we got back home from that vacation. My brother opened the camera to check if there were any damages or if it was still working and he saw the screws were rusted! It was dustproof and waterproof alright, but apparently not rustproof! I did not know how he cleaned it but he tried to and the rust somehow lessened. If we only knew we would pay $300 for a rustproof waterproof camera we would have bought a cheaper one! This camera seemed disposable! How can we replace rusty screws and nails each time we get back from a trip? It is just not practical and reasonable. The best bet would be to buy a new waterproof and rustproof camera in the market, which would be hard to find. We would not want to make the same mistake again now would we?!
On a lighter note, I admit the quality of this camera is way way sharper than the other underwater cameras. I guess each has it’s pros and cons. Our other friends posted their underwater shots and even if they were already photoshopped just to be clear, I could not even make out the background, it was like seeing people swimming on a very dusty and sandy beach down below.
Nothing tops the quality of the Lumix TS1. If you’re not worried about rusty nails and think you got the right tools for cleaning it, get it, but if you’re just someone who wants to take shots underwater, I suggest you try looking for another camera that is less expensive but with a quality that is almost the same as this.