I've owned a few digital cameras over the years. My first,
back in 2004 when film photography was still the norm, was the Ricoh CaplioG4. It was well regarded at the time, and coming in at a cheap $400 (on sale),
you got a 3.2MP digital camera with a 1/2.7" sensor, 1.6" view screen
and a 3x zoom (35-105mm, 35mm eqivalent). It ran on 2xAA batteries and
accepted an SD card (two big selling features at the time), and the 128MB SD
card I bought cost a mere $66 (it would have been $100, but you could talk the
shops into giving you 33% off for buying it with the camera). Haven't we come
a long way since then?....
*It turns out there are a few things that all the sameras have in common.
Anyway, my current compact (a Pentax Optio) isn't doing so
well. I've been using it a lot at work (on railways and mines) and it's taken
more than a few bumps. So before I destroy it completely, I'm looking to
upgrade to a tough camera.
I've got a few priorities for the new camera:
1) Tough. It needs to survive a drop from head height.
2) GPS. I take photos at a huge number of locations that
all look alike. GPS tagging on the photo's will be immensly helpful.
3) Video. The ability to take decent video would be good,
but not necessarily a deal breaker. There are sometimes awesome lightning
storms up here that I would love to capture, so being able to record video at a
high frame rate like 120fps (even at reduced resolution) would be awesome.
4) Zoom. A 35mm equivalent from moderately wide (<35mm)
to moderate telephoto (>100mm).
Other nice-to-haves are high-res (>12MP) so I can read small text from photos, a big aperature, decent battery life
and a low weight/ small size.
The Spreadsheet
Much to my girlfriends dismay, I tend to break everything
down into spreadsheets when I want to pick out the best option. So I googled
and searched dpreview for current rugged cameras with GPS, and here's what I
came up with:
Manufacturer
|
Model
|
Price
($) |
Mega-
pixels |
Zoom
(35mm) |
Aperture
|
Video
|
Drop (m)
|
Water (m)
|
Weight (g)
|
Battery (CIPA)
|
Canon
|
Powershot D20
|
$ 244
|
12
|
140
|
3.9 - 4.8
|
1080p24
|
1.5
|
10
|
228
|
280
|
Fujiilm
|
FinePix XP150
|
$ 228
|
14.4
|
140
|
3.9 - 4.9
|
1080p30
|
2
|
10
|
205
|
300
|
Nikon
|
Coolpix AW100
|
$ 358
|
16
|
140
|
3.9 - 4.8
|
720p60
|
1.5
|
10
|
178
|
250
|
Nikon
|
Coolpix AW110
|
$ 375
|
16
|
140
|
3.9 - 4.8
|
1080p30
|
2
|
18
|
193
|
250
|
Olympus
|
TG-2
|
$ 499
|
12
|
100
|
2.0 - 4.9
|
1080p
|
2.1
|
15
|
230
|
350
|
Olympus
|
TG-830
|
$ 399
|
16
|
140
|
2.9 - 5.9
|
1080p60
|
2.1
|
10
|
214
|
300
|
Olympus
|
TG-630
|
$ 299
|
12
|
140
|
3.9 - 5.9
|
1080p60
|
1.5
|
5
|
220
|
270
|
Panasonic
|
DMC-TS5/FT5
|
$ 499
|
16.1
|
128
|
3.3 - 5.9
|
1080p50
|
2
|
13
|
214
|
370
|
Panasonic
|
DMC-TS4/FT4
|
$ 349
|
12.1
|
128
|
3.3 - 5.9
|
1080p60
|
2
|
12
|
197
|
310
|
Pentax
|
WG-3 GPS
|
$ 399
|
16
|
100
|
2.0 - 4.9
|
1080p30
|
2
|
13.7
|
239
|
240
|
Sony
|
DSC-TX200V
|
$ 375
|
18.2
|
140
|
3.5 - 4.8
|
1080p60
|
?
|
5
|
129
|
220
|
*It turns out there are a few things that all the sameras have in common.
- Wide Zoom (35mm): 25mm-28mm
- Sensor: 1/2.3"
- Memory: SD/SDHC (some can also do SDXC)
*Prices are in Australian Dollars, and taken from B&M stores in March 2013
*Prices are in Australian Dollars, and taken from B&M stores in March 2013
Narrowing the Field
Anyway, of the options above, I've discounted a few possibilities.
Sony DSC-TX200V
The high-res, good zoom, low
weight and reasonable price are all pro's for this camera. However, the lack of a 'drop' rating from the
manufacturer is a deal-breaker. If you
need something trendy to put in your handbag this camera may be the one, but if
you want a tough camera that you can throw in your toolbag I don’t think this
is it.
Canon D20, Fujifilm
XP150, Olympus TG-630 and Panasonic DMC-TS4
These cameras are all good in
their own right. However, they’re not
quite the top-of-the-market, and I’m after the best I can find. If you’re not too interested in the features
of the more expensive models, or you just want to save some cash, these are the
ones to consider. I think the Olympus
and Panasonic hold a bit of an edge over the other two, but you might need to
google that a little more to be sure.
Olympus TG-2 and
Pentax WC-3
These two are quite similar, and
you could be forgiven for confusing the two.
Both appear to be very solid cameras, and if you’re looking for maximum
toughness then they’re ideal! However
the tradeoff is a bulkier heavier camera with less telephoto zoom.
Nikon Coolpix
AW100/AW110
These two look quite good on
paper, but if you read reviews from owners, there seem to be a number of
issues. Nikon hasn’t been doing the
rugged camera for very long, and if their DSLRs are anything to go by I’d
expect future releases from Nikon to address the flaws of these first models.
So I guess the decision comes down to the Olympus TG-830 or
Panasonic DMC-TS5/FT5.
I’m currently leaning toward the Olympus, as it’s cheaper and has a longer zoom (140mm vs 128mm, 35mm equivalents), but I haven't decided just yet. I think I'll have to see them in store before I decide.
Olympus TG-830 | Panasonic DMC-TS5/FT5 |
---|---|
|
|
Manufacturer Link | Manufacturer Link |
DP Review Link | DP Review Link |
I’m currently leaning toward the Olympus, as it’s cheaper and has a longer zoom (140mm vs 128mm, 35mm equivalents), but I haven't decided just yet. I think I'll have to see them in store before I decide.