Ask Engadget: Best rugged, waterproof point-and-shoot camera?
By Darren Murph 
posted February 21st 2009 4:04AM
posted February 21st 2009 4:04AM
In the spirit of winter, we felt that Ben's recent question about a camera fit for the slopes was just perfect. And if you'd like to toss out a warm and fuzzy question of your own, just send one to ask at engadget dawt com and keep tuning in. "I'm going skiing over spring break, and I've been reading a lot on some of the newer waterproof, rugged cameras. There are just so many out there to choose from, I was wondering what you guys thought about some of the better ones."
So, what camera should Mr. Ben procure in order to have worry-free shooting days at the slopes? He probably wouldn't mind one that withstands minor bumps and bangs either, 'cause we all know what inevitably happens the first time down a new double black.
I really think that the Pentax Optio W60 is your best bet, that is the one I'm getting and I've heard some very good reviews from amazon.
iphone, trust me guys its waterproof go try it!
Have it and had to get it repaired for a broken shutter button. Got it back and its starting to glitch out.
I have the w60 the buttons are a little small and take some getting used to and the picture seems to have a more noise then my dslr.
@Seightan
It's also microwave proof! Wrap it in tin foil and be amazed!!
got a pentax w60 as well and its great. pictures are stunning outside and 720p is a bonus. best outdoors rough stuff camera
only negative is that indoors its not so great compared to other compacts i've used.
this was the case with my pentax w20 aswell, great outside, not amazing inside
Pentax? No. HELL no.
Why anyone with half a brain would buy a product from a company that decided to proclaim their product to be the "Official Digital Camera Of The Internet" is beyond me.
Olympus Mju 850...1.5m shock proof, 2m waterproof. Excellent picture quality.
Have an olympus stylus. It's water resistant, and has been dropped while cycling several times.
How the hell did you get your camera to ride a bicycle?
I have the olympus 770 sw it is a great waterproof camera. However I don't like the picture quality all that much. I have no expirenve with this particular model but I think over all canon makes the best point and shoot cameras and just came out with a new h2o proof camera. That would be my recommendation site unseen. Just make sure the camera is h2o proof up to a least 30 feet. And no time limit. Which the Olympus cameras some do and some don't depending on which model. Some are 3 feet and some other cameras have time limits in the water.
I second that. Especially when I take pictures of food, it comes out really non-apetizing.
I also owned an Olympus 795SW. Although yes, the waterproofing was nice (but not really recommended for extended underwater use, like scuba), and it was sort of rugged (I can really the same thing about my mobile phone, which has survived 100x more drops), the picture quality left a lot to be desired. It also used the extremely limited (size, functionality, speed, support) xD memory card. One limitation of the xD card made the camera only able to record normal VGA (640x480) video for only ten seconds, a wonder in this day and age. Newer models can record longer, but only if you use special hard to find "H" or "M+" type cards. It's a mystery, really, since my Fuji F31fd, which also used xD cards, could record any length VGA video on any xD card, and it was much older. I originally wanted a waterproof camera, and couldn't find a place to buy the housing for the F31fd, so I sold it and got the 795SW. Then I found out that it took only 10 second videos (something not mentioned anywhere except in the manual), and the picture/video quality was mediocre at best, compared to the F31fd (I've owned/own a ton of digicams/camcorders, I know what a good picture looks like). The worst purchase decision in my life, I think. IMHO, the SW series is really dated technology, and the only selling point is the ruggedness, something which other brands also have.
And, as other people have said, you probably don't need a rugged digicam just to go skiing. You'll be sacrificing a lot for very little.
I own an Olympus 720SW (one of the first shock-and-water-proof models they made). I was reasonably impressed. The only time it truly shined, image-quality wise, was when I went snorkeling on a trip to Hawaii. I got better pictures than the people I was with did with dedicated underwater cameras. For on-land shots, there were options that were better. One of the friends I was with had a Sony that was about the same size as my Olympus that blew it away in speed, image quality and features, and cost about the same.
When price doesn't count, I think it would be something between the new canon and the less new Ricoh. But as canon and some other brands just came with some new camera's in this segment, It is very hard to put a light on it.
If I tell ya, it won't be best anymore.......as the price will scare you away :P
Not first :(
how about the olympus u 1030 SW --- 20 Meter underwater camera, 2 meter drop shockproof, 10.1 Megapixels, big screen, large range of settings and excellent picture quality.
33ft or 10.1m underwater not 20m. Great camera though. (Coming from the guy who works in a camera store :P)
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1363
I own the later iteration of the 1030, being the 1050. It is by far the best camera i have ever used. I love it so much!
its only rated to 10m, but I've gone diving with it down to 20m without any problems. even after droping it on land a few times.
good solid camera. The picture quality on land isn't all that great and you still get back scatter using flash underwater, but that can't be helped unless you have an external strobe.
I love my Olympus 1030sw
Like Josh, I have the 1050SW and one thing you might really like, because you are going skiing, is the tap feature. In Snow mode you don't have to hit a button, just tap the screen to take a picture. You can even tap the bottom, top, and sides to change settings without having to take your hands out of your gloves.
Stylus 1030sw by far the best camera ever for the adventurer. It's survived ice climbing, downpours while sea kayaking, SCUBA diving, rock climbing, falling on cement from 5 feet, above 19,000 feet altitude on Mt. McKinley, and stills works great. Picture quality is decent and it's easy to use.
However, I did take it on three 60+ min SCUBA dives at around 26ft. in one day and it was not entirely waterproof. Some water leaked into the LCD. Dried out after a day and works fine again. For SCUBA diving and to really waterproof it, I'd suggest the Olympus underwater housing.
The sandwich bag isn't far from the truth. While I wouldn't trust a $2000 camera to it, they sell plastic bags for just about any point and shoot you can buy. I use DiCAPac for my Canon Powershot S3 to take photographs in the ocean. No harm yet. It was under $40.
It's probably going to take better quality images through a bag than any reasonably priced underwater camera. They also sell underwater plastic casings for most cameras. I had another small canon point and shoot that I bought a plastic case for . . . it leaked . It was almost $200.
I'll stick with the bag.
I second that. I would think that if I had to take a camera underwater with a bag, I'd go with a used DSLR with kit lens.
How about a scuba mask with camera built in. It frees up your hands to concentrate on swimming, it make a nice augmentation to a full sized camera, plus you need a scuba mask anyways and at $99 the price is right!
https://www.adorama.com/UWLIDCM5MP.html
I've been using Pentax optio W10 for more than 2 years and love it!!
Olympus mju can go deeper and is shock proof but Pentax has better picture quality.
The manual suggests that you change the rubber seal of the battery/SDcard compartment every year... but I haven't had any trouble with water leak... yet.
I had my Olympus 1030 SW out for a swim/snorkling/diving 1-2 meter underwater. My camera took in water and is now destroyed,it is not as waterproof as they say. The quality of the pictures were ok, though.
Canon D10 all the way!
I agree the new Canon D10.
Unfortunately my spring break ski trip is about a month before this camera comes out. Otherwise, I would get it.
-BTW, I was the one who sent the question to Engadget.
Without a doubt it's Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 (or DMC-FT1 in Europe)
Waterproof to 3 Meters
Shockproof to 1.5 Meters
Dustproof
12.1 Mpix, 2.7" LCD, 4.6 optical zoom, 720p HD movie mode (AVCHD) with zoom, 28mm Wide-angle LEICA DC Lens with Folded Optics Technology, etc
[url]http://panasonic.net/avc/lumix/compact/ts1_ft1/index.html[/url]
I'll second this with the assumption that this Panasonic model keeps up with the other Panasonic P&S models in terms of performance. I honestly believe they're making the best non-dslr cameras on the market right now.
Wow, very impressive specs. I'm digging the metal case too. I think the fact that it lets you choose your shutter speed is pretty great considering my Sony HD AVCHD video cam doesn't even give me that option. Looks to be a solid p&s for going skiing over spring break!
I'm gonna surprise you:
Fuji FinePix S5800.
Try to belive.
Moreover its price is unbeatable: it's more convenient to destroy 3 or4 of them than risking to damage my EOS.
Best second camera ever.
i'll say canon instead of olympus
Canon D-10
I've had an Olympus 770SW for just over a year and have had a blast with it in the water and at the beach and in the snow. Highly recommend it. As other reviewers mentioned, the image quality is not that great, especially with colors. But it's ok. And the peace of mind of being able to hang out on the beach or the slopes with a camera and not be stressed out about breaking it is priceless. You get to capture moments that you normally wouldn't capture with a normal camera: underwater snorkeling, catching waves, putting your camera in a glass of beer and taking a picture of your friends from inside the glass! :-)
One note - the camera is not indestructible. It can take a 2 meter drop and you can take it down 10m, but I'd go easy on the horseplay in the water. Over the Christmas holiday, we had the camera in the water at a beach in Brazil and I got slammed hard by a few waves while filming. A small amount of fog appeared on the display window and the display turned off. The rest of the camera functions continued just fine - pictures and movies filmed still came out normally, but there was no way to view on the screen. I noticed back at the hotel that a small amount of water had entered the batter and memory card compartment. I removed the battery and memory card and left the camera in a warm, dry place with the compartment door open for a few days and it returned to normal functioning - display working, etc.
Given my good experience with the 770SW, I will probably later upgrade to the 1030SW.
As an alternative, you may want to use one of those plastic camera bags with a normal camera. 2 notes: 1) when sealing the camera in the bag, do it in a dry, cold place (e..g., near an air conditioner) so you don't get condensation 2) put a few dessicant (dryer) tubes in the bag with the camera just in case you get some condensation.
While I much prefer the image quality of the Canon S and SD series smaller cameras, I've destroyed too many of them in regular use. I still have a Canon, because I like the image quality, but only bring with me to 'safe' situations where there will be no chance of water or a kid dropping the camera half a meter and it breaks. Avoid the underwater camera cases by Canon. They are expensive and they leak! I ruined a camera with one and several people I know bought the cases and had them leak. To be fair - those cases are really for advance photographers that know how to apply silicone get to the gaskets, etc. If you do not do the prep perfectly, the case will leak.
Have fun!
the olympus 1050 and 1030 suck :-\.. i hope the canon one is good!
I've been doing a lot of comparing in this category as I plan to get something soon. The Panasonic looks nice and all things being equal that's the one I would get. But its over $100 more than the Olympus Stylus Tough-6000 for essentially the same specs (except the HD captures which is nice).
The reviews of the image-quality on the older Olympus SW models have been less than glowing, but the new Tough series now has mechanical image stabilization which should help a lot with the slow lenses.
Optio all the way. Owned and abused an Optio wp, finally broke it (though even then it still worked, just cracked the case so it wasn't waterproof), replaced with Olympus 770sw. I went through three warranty replacements in a year, all from water leaking in during mild use. Yes, I lost important (to me) vacation pictures. Replaced with an Optio W60 and I'm happy again.
Picture quality on the optio is better, the new wide angle lens is great, but most of all, it's reliable. The Olys have great specs on paper but they do not hold up to real-world use. The Pentax W cameras are just the opposite. Their specs are generally lower, but they outperform their ratings. Highly recommended.
Why bother with a shock proof water proof camera? I use a regular PnS skiing and it works fine. Why get a crappier picture quality, smaller sensor size, higher noise, lower optical clarity on a ruggedized PnS when you can by a larger sensor compact higher resolution lower noise PnS for the exact same price. Underwater photos are crap without a strobe so I wouldn't really rate the 3m water rating a real feature.
I bought a pentax w60 for my trip to Hawaii and it worked great for snorkeling. It got bumped around plenty on rocks and sand. My friend had one of those sandwich bags and it worked ok as well though I can't vouch for it's ability to withstand bumps. Overall It gives you a lot of freedom if you dont have to owrry about abusing your camera.
Looks like Onion knows :-)
http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony_releases_new_stupid_piece_of
I have had the Pentax Optio w10 For years and love it. Never had a problem. I think I may have had the 5 before this and loved that one 2.
Joe
You guys should really start doing the follow-up articles on this "ask-engadget" posts and posting some sort of summary on the answers/comments received. Otherwise it's pretty useless.
If no one mentions the Sanyo Xcatic waterproof series, then I will. Well it's not really a still camera, but more a video camera, but it takes fine stills anyway. And the video and sound is very nice.
just about any canon camera has a waterproof case that can be bought for it. You get the best of both worlds. A great camera that's not too bulky for everday use and a bulky case when needed to protect it.
Have a Stylus 1030SW, purchased specifically 'cause I don't care to baby electronics on vacation or on long weekends. Survived a 3 day canoe / camping / drinking expedition with no trouble. 10.1 MP, shockproof, waterproof. Recommended.