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cameras, waterproof worth it?

anthonyk

16-Sep-2008
5:33:02 PM

Any thoughts on whether the olympus mju795 is worth getting or its better getting a conventional compact camera? They seem to be pretty popular, there was even a mention of them in shmux magazine recently.

I actually used to have one before it got stolen but i've never owned any other digital compacts. The picture quality of the 795 was pretty crap but the solid/waterproof side to it was kinda handy, until it got stolen.. Am interested in what other ppl think, if is worth getting one again or going for better picture quality for $. I do a fair bit of canyoning which makes a waterproof camera pretty useful, but its still a lot of money for the quality of pictures you get.

wallwombat

16-Sep-2008
5:58:21 PM

A friend of mine had one but it got stolen too. They must be popular with thieves.

I think that if you do a lot of canyoning and aren't a total photo Nazi, they are a good way to go. They certainly are tough. I imagine they would cope OK with the rigours of alpine climbing too, except maybe when it gets really cold.

evanbb

16-Sep-2008
6:04:34 PM

On 16/09/2008 wallwombat wrote:

>I think that if you do a lot of canyoning

We took a couple of them on various canyons and climbs last season and were generally disappointed with the results. They're pretty finicky about light, since the lense is about 3mm wide, and once they've been underwater droplets stick to this lense and bugger every subsequent photo. Took some decent snaps on multi pitch climbs in good light, but I'm generally not impressed with them. I've recently been thinking along similar criteria to yourself and think I'll go with a Canon G(something) for their flexibility and general photo betterness. I reckon a good waterproof bag is the go, and just pick your moments.

EJ

16-Sep-2008
6:15:05 PM

I've got a version similar to the 795, but the slightly higher megapixel versionmju 1095. Took it trekking in Nepal a couple of months ago during Monsoon and it was fantastic. Bear in mind what exactly it is.... a compact, very handy and rugged camera, therefore don't expect the same results as you might get out of a digital SLR.

I haven't used too many other similar cameras to give you any kind of comparison. THe "wide angle" lense is good, but expect some distortion. It captures colours well in resonable lighting but struggles when there is flat light conditions and also strong contrasts.

All comesdown to what you want it for!

D.Lodge

16-Sep-2008
6:32:21 PM

I have an older model the 670 or something and love it. I have got some good shots with it the things look like what they are and i can treat it like s**t and it comes back for more. So maybe 2 cameras is the way to go one tough one schmikko for 'good' shots.

wallwombat

16-Sep-2008
6:49:46 PM

Aldi were selling a Vivitar waterproof digital camera a month or so ago. It was around $165 and looked OK.

dave h.

16-Sep-2008
6:55:29 PM

hehe.... at Aldi I saw a Rotary Hammer Drill (850W) for $79.95. Can't remember the brand... but heck at that price, everyone can go bolting!!

(If only for one or two holes before the crappy thing breaks...)

DanNQ

16-Sep-2008
9:45:01 PM

I bought one as soon as I saw the ad where the dog had it in his mouth (MJU700 I think) and it is still going strong.

It has been canyoning in the bluies (water mist/droplets can be a bit annoying but with a 1 gB card you can take 500+ HQ pics so your bound to salvage some gooduns), driving through the cape, rafting the Tully and N. Johnston, climbing.

But my biggest clincher is I droppped it out of my top pocket at the top of Tinaroo Dam wall where it tumbled 35+ metres to the ground AND SURVIVED - I did this about 5 months after buying it in 2006.

I rate them highly for the robustness alone clip it to your harness, throw it in your bag or kayak. Since you dont have to worry about breaking it youre more likely to have it on hand I reckon.

Alex

17-Sep-2008
12:58:27 PM

I used to have the first waterproof digital released, the Pentax Optio WR33, it was pretty much bulletproof, and took it everywhere on land and water and nothing could kill it, until a few weeks ago it finally stopped working. Originally it used to shed water off the lens pretty well, but I never kept it in a case of any kind and eventually the coating on the lens wore off so any water tended to stay on it instead of beading and falling off.

I've now replaced it with the newest one in the same line, the Pentax Optio W60. Seems about as tough and a lot more waterproof, this time i'm going to try and protect the lens so the coating lasts, something as simple as keeping it in a sock should help.

I can definitely recommend getting a tougher/waterproof camera, especially a smaller one as you just tend to always have it on hand when you just might want it.

anthonyk

17-Sep-2008
3:52:18 PM

thanks..

how does the pentax compare with the olympus ones? i've noticed the pentax has 5x optical zoom compared with 3x for the olympus, but is only waterproof to 4m instead of 10m. anyone know how the picture quality compares?

Rat Man

17-Sep-2008
7:29:34 PM

I just recently went thru this whole dilemma myself.

I saw some of Richard Lodge's shots taken on his olympus and was impressed with how vivid the colours were, but not having used it, I don't know how flexible it can be in low light as some people have described. So I went into the store to buy one and they recommended the pentax (my previous film camera was a pentax and I was well impressed with that) so I got the pentax - The picture quality was terrible compared to the old canon digital compact I was using at the time - so I exchanged it for the canon G7 (now upgraded to the G9). This camera is fantastic. Not rugged or waterproof, but takes amazing shots is a bit more expensive and is much quicker to meter and focus which I value highly. (so much that I now shoot with a Canon SLR).

So in conclusion - It depends on what you value more. Picture Quality or Durability.

In my opinon the olympus takes better shots than the pentax in good conditions (again, haven't used the olympus in trying conditions). But both take mediocre shots compared to a G7 (or G9) - But you wouldn't take the G7 canyoning.
I chose the G7 and love it as a quality compact.
Christian

Wollemi

17-Sep-2008
9:25:17 PM

So what digi would you take canyoning?
I have a bulky waterproof housing for the Canon PowerShot A85, but is somewhat
cumbersome. Taking a tripod is not a great problem, really. With care, I used my other
digital last week while racing a yacht around Sydney Harbour (other crew raved about
the pics). It is a Canon PowerShot A710 - and I don't have a housing for that.

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