Time for a new camera...and a review

[streamerguy]

I'm currently having issues with my Olympus Stylus Tough 6020 and am just about ready to call it quits and get a new one instead of sending it in for repairs. So.........does anyone have any reccomendations for a fishing camera? I've read a bunch of the past threads on waterproof/shockproof cameras, but peoples' opinions could have changed, new cameras on the market, etc. so I figured I'd start a new thread. Looking for a camera that's waterproof, shockproof, and is fast to start up and take pics(I'll get to that in the review).

Ok, so here's my overall review of the camera since I'm 90% sure I'm done with using it.

pros: waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, etc. easy to use, shape, once I got it figured out it took some great photos

cons: SLOWNESS! It takes a while to start up, sometimes takes a while to take the picture, can't adjust shutter speed but that's with a lot of point and shoot cameras these days, once it a while it would freeze up but would turn off and start back up on it's own and work fine, never took the best indoor or low light pics regardless of settings, the audio would pic up the lense zooming and all the videos had a noise in the background that had nothing to do with the wind, etc.

The camera being shockproof and "tough" probably gave me a false sense of security and I wasn't being as careful with it as other cameras, but I still didn't beat it up that much and worked fine until Saturday when it started having problems. Overall, it's a decent fishing camera except for it being slow, especially if you don't have a net with you and want to get the fish back in the water quickly.

 

[pcray1231]

I have the Canon PowerShot D10 and it's right up your alley. Waterproof, shockproof, etc. I had generally the same requirements as you. It's the fastest P&S camera I've ever owned. Starts up quick, focuses quick, snaps a pic and saves quick. I can honestly start er up, snap a pic, and power it back down in about 3 seconds. I turn the default to no flash and it stays, which I like. Good screen.

Takes great pics, too. Out of the water, at least. It's ok underwater. It does better on the underwater setting, but that setting isn't default and takes a while to find, so I rarely use it.

Negatives are that it's tough to find, I never saw one in stores and the Best Buy guy even had the nerve to swear to me that Canon doesn't make a waterproof, lol. I got it from Amazon. It's also a little pricy, and not all that small. Weird rounded "egg" shape that doesn't fit right in pockets.

I did see that Canon has now come out with it's next model, the D20. Form factor looks better. But research what trade-offs they made, I haven't seen one yet. If, for instance, in the process of making it smaller, they also made it slower, I'd say I'd rather have the D10. It's a little higher MP (12 I think), but I think anything over 6 is good enough for what I do, and more pixels also tend to make things slower.

 

[streamerguy]

I just looked into it. Yeah, it's pricey, but not out of the question. I saw your pics in past threads and they look awesome so that camera is definitely an option.

Those GoPro cameras are interesting, but they're not really for taking still shots though. The waterproof Fujifilms are more in my price range but I haven't really looked into the reviews yet.

The only waterproof cameras at my local Best Buy are the Olympus' so it's kinda hard for me to check out the cameras before buying one, kinda like buying waders or a rod without trying it first. The camera isn't high on my priority list right now, but I'd hate to not have one if I get that 20in brown, or that wild tiger, etc..

 

[RichFishbelt]

There are many good cameras available at reasonable prices from Canon, Pentax, and Olympus to name a few.
With the many digitals to choose from, I like a camera with a good macro ability. So many of the photos that I take and enjoy are the close ups of aquatic bugs, our flies, and the fish too.

 

[afishinado]

I just picked up a Nikon AW100 waterproof camera two weeks ago. Like Pat said, quick on and shoot is important. I checked out the reviews and it is one of the fastest rated waterproof cameras(< 1sec for power and shoot) is also rated high for features, pic quality and toughness. It's 16Mp, and takes 1080p HD video.

I've only used it a couple of times but the dry pics underwater pics as well as video have been really good, and it's easy to use. Pics are little grainy in low light conditions but it's a point-and-shoot with a teeny, tiny lense like all of them. Overall I'm happy with it. I picked it up for $259.

 

[pcray1231]

From my (perhaps now outdated) research into this, there is:

Image quality, size/form factor, and speed. Pick any 2. Can't have em all.

Olympus goes with image quality and size/form factor. Canon goes with image quality and speed.

Don't know much about the fuji's or pentax. I had a non-waterproof fuji once and it sucked, bad image quality, and an annoyingly buggy sliding lens cover thingy. As soon as you were lined up to take a pic, the thing would think you closed the cover and turn itself off.

I think Nikon has entered the fray with the waterproof options too. That's probably worth a look. Unlike Fuji and Pentax, they do rank up there with the big boys in terms of brand respect. Hard to imagine them making a bad camera.

 

[DJBerg]

Here's a little guide on what to look for when choosing a camera....

I.S.O. Capabilities, pretty much this in a nut shell is how fast the camera can collect light. Starting at 200, and going up to 10,000... The higher the number the faster it collects light. But also the faster it collects light, the grainier the image will be.

Appature- how much light the lens can let in, point and shoots like you are looking at are "fixed" lenses. Aka you cannot swap them out like on a dslr. The smaller the number aka f2.8 the more light it will let in and this requires less time to collect light, or also to put it the faster the light can be collected to make a proper exposure, thus giving you that freeze frame action shot. But, a large apperature will only give you a shallow depth of field, so if you are not focused on the subject, it will be out of focus. Another little detail with fixed lens cameras the more zoom you are using the less apperature you will be able to lose, and in most cases for really long zooms the camera cheats and auto crops the image to make it seem like a longer zoom, but you lose image quality...

As for shooting with a go pro it can totally be done you will just be taking a paused frame from your video and making it a photo. But if you are looking that way, I would go with a drift innovations. They are a lot more user friendly and a whole lot easier to hold to get angles...

Good luck and google is your friend. Check out sites like dp review, they give an awesome review from a basic walk through on the camera to image testing.

And I'll run to the big computer and post up a photo taken from a drift camera video. A few guys I know work for them so any time we go skateboard, longboard, or snowboard the one guy is always there...

 

[DJBerg]

photo by dj.berg, on Flickr

 

[billfrech]

I have a Panasonic Lumix (forget the model) but it is waterproof and has GPS. I wanted both of these features.

I have been very happy with its quality for both dry and underwater pictures as well as its HD video.

My wife also has a Panasonic Lumix, not waterproof. She has had it for several years now and is very happy with the picture quality.

 

[afishinado]

Here's one of the latest reviews:

http://waterproof-camera-review.toptenreviews.com/

 

[mcwillja]

I have the pentax optio and it takes nice pics, its fast, easy to use, and very waterproof and shockproof so far.

The only con for me is battery life. I always seem to have to charge the battery.

 

[pcray1231]

dpreview is a great site, my #1 camera research site. Not real quick with getting reviews on each model. But when they do review them, they are in depth and accurate, and you can read into what you're going to like and dislike about each model.

 

[tomitrout]

I've been very happy with the Pentax, mine is a couple years old, not the most current model. Takes some decent quality shots...

Logan Pass in GNP (came out real nice as a 10x15" print):

Pretty decent macro function:

Underwater Brookie:

Letort brown from Weds evening, no flash under dark grey skies:

 

[jdaddy]

Tomitrout, those are the best photos I have ever saw posted on here. You may have a good camera but you have a great tallent.

 

[Fishidiot]

+1!

Can I save that underwater brookie?

 

[DJBerg]

Tomitrout, those are some serious images!!

Streamerguy, that last photo no flash and dark skies make a good representation of what to look for in a camera, though I have no idea what the shutter speed on that image was its perfectly sharp!

Plus the waterproofing, I would put that as a high contender on my list if I were you.

 

[FiveWeight]

Fishidiot wrote:
+1!

Can I save that underwater brookie?

Nope.... C & R only!

 

[streamerguy]

Wow, those are some awesome photos!

This weekend was my first time fishing with my "old" camera(Canon Powershot something) in a long time, and actually I'm going to stick with it for awhile. Overall my Olympus takes better pics I think, but my Canon is a lot faster to turn on, take the pic, etc. so I was able to take tons of pics and yeah, I did get a bunch of blurry ones, but if you take a ton your almost gurranteed some good ones. It's not water proof, and it's lens cover is broke(that's why I got the olympus) but it still works and takes great pics.

 

[mcwillja]

My pics aren't in the same league as Tomitrout but here are a few from my Pentax Optio W80.

 

[Chaz]

Make sure when you buy cards that the cards are the fastest you can get for your camera, it keeps things moving along. The higher the number the higher the speed.