Panasonic DMC-TS3 a good choice?

[KingstonU]

Going from a Canon SX-10 that is now giving me constant lens errors after 2.5 years of moderate use, probably due to dust as I use it outside 90% of the time for work. So now I'm thinking of getting a dust/shock/water proof camera.

So far this one is appealing to me the most: Panasonic DMC-TS3, though there are other options and all of them have some sort of trade-offs.

Based on criteria below can you think of a better option? Will this model be replaced soon by an upgrade? I wish Canon would update their contender in this segment but their entry is still the 2 year old D10. Any idea when they might? When might Panasonic replace the TS3?

What I love about the SX-10 in order of importance:
Fully-pivoting screen (single most appreciated feature by far)
standard AA's
standard SD card
standard USB cable
Zoom access during video, photos during video
0cm Macro range (yes things that are touching the lens are in focus)
Manual focus

What I do not like about my SX-10:
Heavy
Large (I almost never use the 20x zoom)
No 720p video option


Thanks a lot for any input!

 

[DaWhim]

your TS3 will survive in most situation where the SX-10 won't.

 

[Munky]

The TS3 is half a year old, it won't be replaced until Spring in the earliest. I have the 2-year-old TS1, and I've been pretty happy with it for a P&S, considering the limitations. The TS3 is supposedly slightly less noisy.

Check out this review - http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q311waterproofcompactgrouptest/. As far as waterproof cameras go, the TS3 consistently gets top scores.

 

[RGUN]

Have owned a TS3 for about 6 monthes now, its great for harsh environments and under water. The one thing I notice is that I get a lot of lens flare with it (not sure if that is the correct term to describe it). Overall I'm happy with the purchase.

 

[KingstonU]

Thanks for the responses.

The only other one that seems to compete with it is the Sony TX10. The Sony has awesome technology and software inside, and I think it's cheaper, but the touchscreen seems to not work well in the environments this camera was intended for, so huge flaw there. And well it's a Sony, which is awful for using proprietary tech (though at least they allow SD cards now!!!)

I can't seem to find it but does the Panasonic use a standard micro-USB cord for transferring or a proprietary one as well?

 

[LostPassword]

Of the waterproof, dustproof, dropproof cameras. Ts3 is the best. But you do compromise some image quality for that ruggedness. lens flare is annoying. Movie mode is excellent. I believe it uses proprietary csble but not sure since I never use it. Ive found that a cheap usb card reader transfer data much faster.