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  1. #1
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    Default Weatherproof adventure cameras

    I have seen a few threads talking about cameras, but after reviewing a number of them, I see very little about the new "adventure cameras."

    These are compact, waterproof cameras, which retail for a fairly reasonable price. For instance, I have the Fuji XP-10. It is waterproof, shockproof, dust proof, and freeze proof. At 10MP and a hd-video (I don't video but it came as is), a 5x optical zoom and at 4.75 oz, this is a reasonable deal; now available under $150.

    It seems to me that over the past year, there have been more of these advenuture cameras on the market. I bought mine primarily for outdoor use, so I would not have to worry about it getting wet.

    Has anyone else looked into these types of cameras? I would like to hear your feedback....
    The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny..." Isaac Asimov

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  2. #2
    Registered User slugger's Avatar
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    I have been researching this for my upcoming thru.. I'm not sure yet but right now the canon Powershot d10 12mp is winning.
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001SER460

    21.1% Done

  3. #3

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    I got a Pentax Optio W90 and absolutely love it. Fits in my pocket and it is fairly light. Only downside is that it doesn't use regular batteries. However, I have found that it will run a long time as long as you aren't using the video function. Of course, you could take two batteries.
    Cabin Fever
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  4. #4
    Registered User WY Fan's Avatar
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    Default

    I've been eagerly awaiting the experts to review the new Panasonic Lumix TS3 due out in march.

  5. #5

  6. #6

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    New Kodak EasyShare Sport - 12mp, waterproof, 2xAA batteries, $80.
    Backpacking light, feels so right.

  7. #7

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    That Kodak seems like a great deal, if you can deal with not having an optical zoom.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cabin Fever View Post
    I got a Pentax Optio W90 and absolutely love it. Fits in my pocket and it is fairly light. Only downside is that it doesn't use regular batteries. However, I have found that it will run a long time as long as you aren't using the video function. Of course, you could take two batteries.
    I agree. This is one of the best cameras I have owned. Are you going to get top-notch DSLR quality pictures? No. However, you will get decent photos and long run times (I shot 200 photos today, and still had just a little bit of juice left). Also, I like not having to worry about putting my camera in an OtterBox every time I feel a drop of rain. Oh, and if you do decide to shoot video with this digicam, it's really not that bad, provided you aren't shooting in low light.

  9. #9
    Registered User 4x4roar's Avatar
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    I use an olympus tough 6020. Optical zoom digital zoom waterproof. I've dropped it on rocks from about 4 feet used it to take pics underwater of rainbow trout. Battery lasts me about 5 or 6 days usually and that's using lots of zoom and taking some video

  10. #10
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    I have an Olympus SW series camera which I've taken 1000s of trail photos. My only problem is sometimes when the sun is going down the camera has a tendency to have blurry photos if I am not totally still

    see all my photos at
    http://sites.google.com/site/isawtman/

  11. #11
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    Seven of them compared here :
    http://www.dslrphoto.com/dslr/2010-c...010,15546.html
    Franco

  12. #12
    Registered User AmyJanette's Avatar
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    Has anyone tried the Lumix D10?

  13. #13
    Registered User AmyJanette's Avatar
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    Sorry, the Lumix TS10...lol...getting my cameras mixed up I've looked at so many today...

  14. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by AmyJanette View Post
    Sorry, the Lumix TS10...lol...getting my cameras mixed up I've looked at so many today...
    If I were going to go with a Panasonic, I'd go with the Lumix TS2. It's similar, but has a better optical zoom lens. You might also look at a Pentax Optio W90. I really like mine. It takes great macro shots!

  15. #15
    Baron
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    Olympus just announced the TOUGH TG-180, which I can only describe as "Kickin' Rad".

    CENTER VALLEY, Pa., March 2, 2011 - Today Olympus Imaging America Inc. unveils the TOUGH TG-810, a shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof and crushproof compact camera designed to capture all of your extreme adventures, no matter where you go. Whether you’re capturing close-ups of sea creatures on a scuba diving trip in the Bahamas, shooting ski stunts in crisp high-definition video (HD video) on the mountains of Colorado or hitting the skate park near your house, the Olympus TOUGH TG-810 is perfect for you. Rugged has met its match.

    This 14-megapixel camera remembers exactly where you took the perfect image, so you don’t have to. The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 also boasts Dual Image Stabilization to cut the blur out of your photography, Wi-Fi compatibility for instant image sharing via an optional Eye-Fi Card, 3D still image capture in and out of the water.
    • GPS, Electronic Compass and Manometer – use as a regular compass, tag images with landmark information or capture your altitude or depth of water in addition to location data and map coordinates;
    • HD Video and HDMI® Control – HD video delivers a broadcast-quality movie experience when played back on a high-definition television (HDTV);
    • 3D Photo Mode – captures two shots of a scene from two different angles to create still photos that can be viewed with the added excitement and realism of 3D;
    • Eye-Fi™ Card Compatibility – allows automatic wireless uploading of images to the website or PC of your choice;
    • New! Magic Art Filters – make it possible to create special artistic effects in still images and/or movies directly in the camera;
    • In-Camera Panorama – offers quick and easy panorama shots; and
    • AF Tracking – tracks a moving subject automatically and keeps it in focus for optimal image quality.
    “The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 is built tough for the extreme explorer and the everyday adventurer alike,” said Jennifer Schmell, product manager, Olympus Imaging America Inc. “Whether taking it under water or high upon a mountain, the Olympus TOUGH TG-810 is a rugged companion that will capture HD video and stunning images far and wide. Its GPS and Electronic Compass track your location and direction, while the built-in Manometer shows how high or how deep your adventures are taking you.”
    Track Your Adventures with GPS, Electronic Compass and Built-In Manometer
    The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 features GPS and an Electronic Compass. The GPS on the camera automatically records your location while you’re shooting so it remembers where you took a favorite photo. The Electronic Compass allows you to check your shooting direction in the field. The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 also offers a Manometer, which measures water and air pressure, enabling you to accurately monitor the depth or altitude of your images. It's the perfect camera for adventure seekers who want to snap shots while scuba diving, hiking or skiing. The location, direction, depth and altitude are recorded when each image is taken, and the information is stored within each picture's digital file so you can easily trace your shooting locations once you’re back at home.
    HD Videos and HDMI Control for a Home Theater Experience
    The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 shoots gorgeous 720p HD video, so you’ll always capture the scene above and below the surface. Playback on your HDTV is also a breeze. You’ll be the hit of the party or any family function when you proudly display your brilliant images and videos on HDTV. Simply connect the camera to an HDTV with an HDMI™ cable, which can be purchased separately at any consumer electronics store. With HDMI Control, you can use your HDTV’s remote to control playback functions and navigate the camera’s menus from the comfort of your favorite couch.
    3D Photo Mode
    Now you can add even more dimension to your photographs by shooting dynamic 3D photos in any mode from macro to landscape, even underwater. Recreate a sense of depth like that of the original scene. Simply select the 3D Photo shooting mode, release the shutter for your first shot, slowly pan until the camera automatically takes a second image from a slightly different perspective. The 3D data is processed in-camera resulting in an .MPO file, the universal industry 3D format for easy display on 3D televisions or laptops.
    Ready for real life
    You don’t have to take an OLYMPUS TOUGH TG-810 outside to appreciate its outstanding build and image quality – but outside is where the camera‘s technology conquers. Whether it’s the local pool or a tropical reef, the Automatic Underwater White Balance feature optimizes white balance settings to deliver Cousteau-like shots of life beneath the waves. It’s also outside that the 3-inch, 920,000-dot, Super Precision HyperCrystal III LCD for TOUGH comes into play. This high-resolution, ultra scratch-resistant display delivers beautifully bright and clear images that are a joy to share – even in direct sunlight. A special layer in the LCD cuts down reflection for better visibility, so it’s easier to frame, review and share movies and stills. An impressive optical zoom is another bonus in the open air.
    Share Images Instantly with Eye-Fi Card Compatibility
    Ready to upload and share your party images live as they happen? The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 is compatible with an optional Eye-Fi SD card, adding Wi-Fi capability so you can automatically upload images to your computer as you take them. Be the life of the social media party by uploading your shots immediately.
    Express Your Inner Artist with New Magic Filter Movie
    The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 is equipped with in-camera Magic Art Filters that enable users to enhance and customize images as they’re being captured. Have more fun and get more flexibility without expensive and time-consuming computer software. Magic Filter Movie is a powerful new feature that allows you to apply Magic Art Filters to your high-definition videos to take them to a new level of artistic expression and places you in the director’s chair.


    The Magic Art Filters include:
    • Pop Art - enhance and saturate colors to create vivid, high-impact pictures that express the joyful, lighthearted feeling of the Pop Art style of the 1960s;
    • Pin Hole - reduce the peripheral brightness of an image as though it were shot through a pinhole, connecting the viewer intimately with the subject at the center;
    • Fish-Eye - emulate the wide angle of a fish-eye lens by taking extremely wide, hemispherical images and magnifying the center of the frame;
    • Soft Focus - enclose the foreground of an image in gentle, pastel colors with a soft, elegant focus; similar to effects achieved in a studio;
    • Drawing - turn your image into a sketch outline for children to color;
    • Watercolor - transform your images with a finish like that of watercolor paintings;
    • New! Sparkle - shoot photos with the luxurious feel of added twinkling lights; and
    • New! Punk - create two-tone images full of rock and roll spirit.
    Broaden Your Horizons with In-Camera Panorama
    Take the Olympus TOUGH TG-810 to places where you want to capture as much of the scene as you can. In-Camera Panorama mode makes it easy by capturing three images and stitching them together to create one amazing panoramic picture. Simply press the shutter button and slowly pan across the scene. The second and third images will be captured automatically and stitched together with the first image – resulting in one seamless panorama-size picture. To create the ultimate panorama, consumers can use the OLYMPUS [ib] software to stitch up to 10 images together.
    AF Tracking for Friends and Man’s Best Friend
    Whether you’ve got skiers or surfers in your sites, the AF Tracking technology on the Olympus TOUGH TG-810 locks your subject in focus and continuously adjusts focus and brightness whether you or your subject is moving, and is perfect for unpredictable situations like photographing skiers on a mountain, tropical fish while snorkeling or children at play in the backyard. There are even two newly designed “Pet Modes” for animal lovers, offering the ability to recognize the faces of a variety of breeds of both cats and dogs.
    Point-Dunk-and-Shoot Cameras
    The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 performs as well under water as it does on land, thanks to its lightweight, aluminum exterior, interior rubber gaskets and O-rings to seal out the elements. The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 can be submerged up to 33-feet under water. Four preset underwater scene modes make this camera perfect for taking photos while scuba diving, snorkeling or simply having worry-free fun in the pool. It can also capture HD movies under water. The camera features a water-repellant lens coating to prevent water droplets from forming on the lens so you get crystal-clear shots no matter how wet the shooting environment.
    Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Captures it All
    For those close-ups that make action shots special, the Olympus TOUGH TG-810 features a 5x wide-angle 28mm optical zoom lens (28-140mm), so that even more of the subject makes it into each shot – perfect for underwater photography. The lens does not protrude from its body so it is further protected from harsh conditions.
    Nothing Can Shock This Tough Camera
    The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 can withstand a 6.6-foot drop thanks to shock-absorbing technology designed to minimize the impact on the lens and circuitry. The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 can also resist up to 220-pounds of crushing pressure. This vacation-ready digital camera can take a beating and keep up with just about any active lifestyle. There’s no need to think twice about bringing it along on a mountaineering trek or letting the kids take a few pictures at a picnic. Even for shots at the beach or capturing the wonder of marine life while snorkeling.
    Freezeproof for Arctic Adventures
    Whether you’re in the arctic tundra or building a snowman in your backyard, the Olympus TOUGH TG-810 camera can still perform when the temperature dips well below freezing (14 degrees Fahrenheit; -10 degrees Celsius). TOUGH-series cameras continue to allow you to take great images in freezing situations where most traditional cameras would fail.
    Dustproof Design
    The rugged Olympus TOUGH TG-810 is an ideal companion for outdoor expeditions because its airtight construction is impervious to dust, dirt and other particles. When the camera gets dirty, just rinse it off.
    Cut Out the Blur with Dual Image Stabilization
    Dual Image Stabilization combines two technologies – mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization and Digital Image Stabilization – to provide one powerful anti-blur solution for capturing great images whether the photographer or the subject is moving. Olympus’ mechanical Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization keeps images sharp by adjusting the internal image sensor to compensate for camera movement, even in low-light conditions when shutter speeds are slower. Additionally, Digital Image Stabilization freezes the action with high ISO sensitivity and fast shutter speeds to prevent blurry images often caused by a moving subject.
    Tough Cameras, Not Tough to Use
    Whether you’re shooting a portrait under the stars or an action shot of a hockey game, you won’t have to think too hard thanks to Intelligent Auto Mode. It automatically identifies what you are shooting (i.e., Portrait, Night + Portrait, Landscape, Macro and Sports) and adjusts the camera’s settings to capture the best quality results. Anyone can jump into this quick and hassle-free feature that does the thinking for them and produces incredible images.
    LED Illuminator
    An LED Illuminator on the Olympus TOUGH TG-810 works like a mini-flashlight on the front of the camera to enhance focus and exposure for macro shooting – great for underwater close-ups where light is scarce. The LED illuminator also works in conjunction with Bright Capture to help illuminate your subject when taking low-light portraits.
    Beauty Mode
    Taking beautiful portraits in the pool or on the slopes is easy with the Olympus TOUGH TG-810’s Beauty Mode. It enables you to soften shadows and smooth wrinkles or blemishes on your subject’s face – all in the camera and as you capture the image! Additionally, subtle edits can be made post-capture using the Beauty Fix mode. Choose “Clear Skin” to smooth a person’s complexion, “Dramatic Eye” to slightly emphasize the eyes, and “Sparkle Eye” to brighten and enhance the contrast of the iris and pupils. You can also apply all three edits at once. Have fun customizing your brilliant images without a PC and costly image editing software.
    TruePic™ III+ Image Processor Delivers Superior Quality and Performance
    Olympus developed its exclusive TruePic III+ image processor for the demanding performance of digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras. Olympus’ enhanced TruePic III+ Image Processor produces crystal-clear photos using all the pixel information for each image to deliver superior picture quality with more accurate colors, true-to-life flesh tones and faster processing speeds. TruePic III+ also captures crisp, clear images at high ISO settings, which are traditionally associated with increasing image noise or producing grainy photos.
    OLYMPUS [ib] Software Makes it Even Easier to Share and Print Your Photos
    All Olympus digital compact cameras now offer the new OLYMPUS [ib] photo organizing and editing software. It includes photography workflow, browsing, editing and unique photo organizing functions. You can organize photos by person with automatic face-recognition technology, by place with a map-tagging function or by event. All information will be tagged in each photo’s data. You can then easily upload images to the integrated online service, [ib on the net], to share and backup photos, as well as order prints and photo merchandise. The name [ib] stands for image bridge, because the software is designed to create a bridge to help you get images from your camera to services where you can do more with your photos.
    SD Compatibility
    The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 is SD card compatible. The use of an optional SDHC/SDXC card expands the camera’s capacity up to 64 gigabytes.
    Availability
    The Olympus TOUGH TG-810 comes in black and silver and will be available in April 2011. It includes a Wrist Strap, WIN/Mac USB cable, Audio/Video Cable, Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery, Quick Start Guide, Instruction Manual, software CD-ROM and Warranty Card
    U.S. Pricing
    TOUGH TG-810 Estimated Street Price: $399.99 (U.S.)
    ‎"You know your camping trip really isn't going well when you find yourself hoping to stave off sepsis with a six-pack of Icehouse. "

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  16. #16

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    I've been shopping around as well and noticed this: Nice summary and comparison of waterproof cameras

    I've only ever hiked with cameras with AA capacity and noticed that all of these waterproof cameras require you to hook it up to a wall or a computer.
    Can anyone tell me how this works out on a thru-hike? Did you mail the charger ahead or schlep it along in your pack? What if the charger gets wet? Nice that the camera is waterproof, but it does no good if the charger won't work when wet...(yeah yeah, I know, carry it all in zippies)
    Snorkel
    AT '08, PCT '09, CDT '10

  17. #17
    Registered User SMSP's Avatar
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    I’ve had 2 different Olympus Stylus Tough cameras and I guess I got the ‘lemons’ on both occasions. The current Olympus I have is the Stylus Tough 3000. I have 3 batteries for it. If I keep the camera on between taking pictures, the batteries run down very fast and become very warm. I have to turn off the camera between pics. It also doesn’t remain in the mode one selects when turning off the camera. For example, if I choose the Scan mode with Landscape, take some pics, then turn the camera off, it goes to Program mode each time it is turned back on. The pics are of good quality and the video part is good and the audio of the video is good. But with the way it consumes batteries, I cant depend on it. I have never been able to go 2-3 days on one battery. I am lucky to make it through 2 days with 3 batteries. My next purchase will likely be one that takes AA’s.

    SMSP
    South MS Patriot

  18. #18

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    That's too bad, as the Olympus Toughs seemed to for its price range to perform the best and hold up the best. Too bad the others cost almost double...
    Snorkel
    AT '08, PCT '09, CDT '10

  19. #19
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    Default Kodak Easyshare Sport c123

    Quote Originally Posted by couscous View Post
    New Kodak EasyShare Sport - 12mp, waterproof, 2xAA batteries, $80.
    I am really liking this low priced option. It does not officially hit the shelves until March18th though.
    It uses AA batteries and SDHC memory cards, which is probably the only new camera out there to do so.
    I am definitley going to score one of these for my thru hike this year. I will post a review here when I do.
    The lack of an optical zoom but with a 12MP sensor should be interesting.
    Anyhow I am due for a new "trail-snapper" since I lost my last camera.
    Last edited by Iceaxe; 03-05-2011 at 01:36. Reason: atrocious spelling, run on sentences, the usual
    Headed in to town.. You gotta rock the down! -fellow hikers mantra

  20. #20
    aka Kudzu
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    Quote Originally Posted by SMSP View Post
    I’ve had 2 different Olympus Stylus Tough cameras and I guess I got the ‘lemons’ on both occasions.
    Our 850SW takes some of the worst pictures I've ever seen. Certainly not what I'd expected. I guess you pay all that money for water- and shock-proof, not quality.
    Last edited by JaxHiker; 03-08-2011 at 10:32.
    JaxHiker aka Kudzu - WFA
    Florida Trail Association: NE FL Trail Coordinator (Gold Head to Stephen Foster)
    Problems on the trail? Have a great experience? Please let me know. trails at northfloridatrailblazers dot org
    Blazing Trails with Kudzu @ www.idratherbehiking.com
    Follow me @idratherbhiking

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