VANCOUVER ISLAND WINDTALK

It seems that this is a growing part of the compact digital camera market. I've been looking at the cameras that were new last year:

Pentax Optio W60 (waterproof, dustproof, NOT shock resistant, 28mm eq. wide angle, 1280x720 15fps video)
Olympus Stylus WP 1050 (waterproof, dustproof, coldproof, shock resistant, 38mm eq wide angle)

There are a few new ones on the horizon. The new Olympus is this one:
Olympus Stylus Tough
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0901/09010 ... stough.asp

However, the one I'm really looking forward to is the:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 (or FT1 in Europe).
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0901/09012 ... nicft1.asp
Waterproof, dustproof, shockproof. It has 1280x720 30fps HD Video! It is due out in April, for about $400 USD.



The above 4 cameras can be compared side-by-side here.

Please post if you know of any others, or if you have comments or recommendations!

For "dual use" devices more oriented to video, Sanyo has some new products coming out:
http://www.sanyo.com/xacti/english/index.html

I have the Pentax Optio W60 and it is the best electronics purchase I have ever made.
Its not rated shock proof... but has stood up the massive beating I have put it through.
Used it as a helmet cam with zap straps. Taken over 10000 photos.
Its rated waterproof to 10', but I have been free diving below 15' and its still works fine(though I wont recommend doing it regularly).
The only issue I have had with it is cold weather. I mean really cold.
In whistler it was -24C and it would only take 2-3 pics before I had to take out the battery and warm it by hand. I rarely venture into -20C weather so its not a biggie for me!
Paid $230 for it 2 years ago.
I would highly recommend this product to everyone!

I have an older version of the Pentax Optio (W10), and it has 30 fps video, one of the reasons I bought it. It seems odd that a newer version wouldn't have that?

be sure to use <a href="/http://www.dpreview.com/" target="_blank">digital preview</a>
I did, and it is the reason I bought the Pentax. I had been sold on the Olympia based on the stats, and I previously owned an Olympia that I really liked. But a dude bought both cameras(!) and took identical photos with each camera and posted. The Pentax was clearly the better camera based on photos and video quality (but damn that drop proof sounded good!)

happy hunting!

Thanks for the comments. It is great to have the real-world feedback. DPREVIEW is convenient. More camera review websites to use are:

Steve's Digicams. VERY detailed reviews, but you'll have to wait for the newest cameras.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Ken Rockwell. Great short-and-to-the-point information. Good DSLR info.
http://www.kenrockwell.com/

Imaging Resource
http://www.imaging-resource.com/

Any more that you like?

For me, the number of megapixels (anything over 5 MP is great) or being shockproof is not as important as other features such as:
- start up time. I hate a long lag from switching a camera on to taking the first photo. It is hard to find this info, but Steve usually has it.
- wide angle. I need at least a 28 mm equivalent (that is, in 35 mm film photography). 20 - 24mm would be nice.
- internal focusing/zooming lenses. Less prone to dust/failure.
- quick, one-handed operation, without looking at buttons, right out of the case. You have to try the camera to find this out. My Canon S70 is an awesome one-handed camera.

I only compared the olympus stylus with pentax w60 when i was shopping.
olympus didn't seem to pick up much on the mic. in videos. I also wasn't a fan of being forced to buy their xd memory cards since sd are more easily and cheap to come by especially if you are traveling with a friend who's camera has broken...
I also liked the pentax because it has no lens cover, therefore, when you drop it in the dirt and turn it off before cleaning it, you cant do any more harm to the lens. With this in mind, Pentax only has one port that you open (for battery/usb cable/ memory card all in one) as opposed to 2+ ports in olympus (for battery/usb cable NOTE: lens cover is automatic...can the water get in through these mechanical links eventually?). More seals = more chance of getting water inside, in my opinion. The pentax also has a function where you can make it take pictures every couple seconds (for something like a kite cam) --> with olympus you are stuck in video mode for this type of thing...

Good luck, reviews online helped my decision.

I have the olympus 850 SW. I bought it because it was shockproof to some degree. I am happy with it. I haven't done a lot of video but that seems to work fine. Get the float as an accessory(especially for you 4j)[or get a small float at a marine store], or better yet, they do/did have a camera package in which you get the camera, a case, and a float.

I have had it for three years. Taken thousands of photos.
dropped it many time. filled it with water once.
and it still keeps running.

Me and my film industry buddies switched to Panasonic years ago because the quality is way ahead of other brands and the price is equivalent .That new european version is insane for what it can do and i can pretty well gaurantee the quality will be awesome as always.Cheers. P.S. my one friend took his olympus back because the quality was crap.

Got the olympus stylus (edit: 770), great batteries but no warning if it goes, like 1 shot and yer done. If you don't have a second battery the charger takes several hours to reload it. BAD if you don't have a spare. Spare comes with a great stainless lanyard, worth every penny....until I finally managed to wear it out....had fishing line inside it at the weak link...go figure, the chain is GREAT albeit now useless need a new keyring I guess

Automatic menu okay but not great, confusing at first for sure....but to take manual shots, holy crap, you'd get old setting it up......
No leaks and takes a beating. Crappy indoor and semidarkness pix, started with great to good outdoor pix but is now deteriorating I think.....all the abuse prolly. Great video, quick and painless download, rapid shoot function, doesn't have delayed sequence shots, true. Decent preview screen but sometimes goes black in certain light and draws a lot of juice so I usually have it off.

My first waterproof one so nothing but "wow" at first and still like the slim stainless styling and for everyday use to get that pic to show you were there and not to show you are a gifted photographer, for sure, but hey, I will read about the others now

I have the 770SW an older model and it just completely died on me. To be fair i've treated that thing with max abuse, the one thing i noticed early on when sniorkelling in st lucia, is that it got condensation inside the housing after a long day of snorkelling then going out into the hot sun.

Zip Lock Anyone...;) lol

I was incorect earlier saying I had the pentax W60
Its actually the W30 and it has 30fps video unlike the new model...?

I think the new Pentax W60 has 30fps video, just not in the 720p HD mode.

Does anyone with a Pentax W60 notice a rapid clicking noise on the audio track when recording videos? This happens with a friend of mine's camera. The guy at the store said it was the autofocus noise, and can't be eliminated from the video.

I did notice the noise on some of Wullis' underwater videos from the W60.
The W30 locks the zoom when you start recording so no noise! (but no auto focus... )

I was drunk at Hedo2 in Jamaica when some friends asked me to take their picture. After bieng handed their camera, I promptly dropped it. It bounced once before I caught it. The chick said no problem, it's an olympus! I pointed and clicked with a red face and came home and bought one! Love it! Water proof and drunk proof!