Cameras That Work

Fuji's version worked great for a year,  now it takes blurry pictures

I've got the same problem with the Fuji. Did fine for a while then all blurry.

I agree with everyone who likes the Olympus TG3.  It is a nice little package, but whatever camera I buy is going to be an auxiliary camera and I can't seem to pull the trigger on spending $500 for pocket camera, no matter how capable it may be.

I'd really like RAW image captures - Photoshop has saved some pretty poorly-executed images for me when I could work with an image in camera RAW format - but I haven't seen any of the cameras in my short list touting a RAW image format; not even the Olympus.

I really hadn't given much thought about GPS and mapping until y'all talked about it, and then it made perfect sense.  Thanks!

I'll have to make up my mind in the next few days when the pre-Holiday sale prices are at their peak (or would that be their valley..?), and everyone has given me great information to help me decide.

I'm looking favorably on the Panasonic DMC-TS5 right now, and it's on sale at around $200, in orange.

Thank you.

I think that a major advantage of the Olympus TG-3 is that it's relatively easy to add a lens cap to the camera.

Here’s what I look for in a camera for outdoor activities in general, and for kayaking in particular, in order of importance:

1.   Waterproof to at least 10 feet.  Don’t mess around with “water resistant” and “splash proof” cameras.  Get a camera you will feel confident using while snorkeling at least, so it will be fine if you get splashed by a wave or take a swim.

2.   Lens cap. Most waterproof cameras don’t include anything which protects the glass which protects the lens.  This is really stupid.  You are going to get thumbprints on the glass, you are going to scratch the glass, and when kayaking you will get water on the glass.  Some waterproof cameras have a metal or plastic shutter which protects the glass from thumbprints and scratches, but which is not waterproof, so water can get behind the shutter and onto the glass.  When water gets on the glass in cool humid conditions, it can be difficult and time-consuming to remove.  If you take pictures with water on the glass, you’re going to throw away most of the pictures you take.  In order to get good pictures while kayaking, you need a lens cap to reduce the amount of water you get on the glass, and to keep the glass dry once you get it dry.

I have added lens caps to several cameras, using Butler scope covers.  Here’s how the lens cap looks on my current camera, which is an Olympus Tough TG-1.





For me, a major advantage of the TG-3 is that you can buy a threaded ring which provides a base for waterproof wide angle lenses, and for a non-waterproof standard lens cap.  I epoxied a Butler scope cover to this threaded ring, after drilling holes  in both the threaded ring and the scope cover to create projections of epoxy which very positively attach the scope cover to the threaded ring. 

In order to add a lens cap to most other waterproof cameras, the camera needs to have a flat smooth surface to which you can glue something to which you can glue a Butler scope cover.  Let me know if you want pictures of how I have done this on other cameras.  Unfortunately, there is practically no way to attach a lens cap or scope cover to most waterproof cameras.

3.   The glass lens cover must be cleanable. When kayaking, you are going to get water on the glass which protects the lens.  It’s inevitable.  In order to take good pictures, you need a way to clean off the glass, even in very adverse conditions.  I do this by gluing a little piece of windshield wiper to a piece of plastic, and use the wiper to squeegee water off the glass.  Some windshield wipers do a good job of removing water, and leave the glass essentially dry.  Other windshield wipers will leave a trail of water droplets every time.  If you get one of the latter, try sanding the edge of the windshield wiper smooth.  If that doesn’t work, rip off the little piece of windshield wiper, go buy a different brand of windshield wiper blade, and try it.  Eventually you’ll find a windshield wiper blade which reliably swipes off all the water.  Treasure and save the rest of that windshield wiper blade.



Unfortunately, many waterproof cameras have a very small glass cover over their lens, or the glass cover is buried in a depression in the front of the camera and is hard to get at.  Don’t buy one of those cameras.  Look for a camera which has a large and readily accessible piece of glass over the lens, so you can clean water off the glass.

Here's how I typically handle taking pictures from my kayak in a rapid:  When I'm above the rapid, I wait for an easy section of river and check to see if there is any water on the glass lens cover.  If there is, I swipe it off with my windshield wiper, and then leave the lens cap open to let the glass dry completely.  In warm dry conditions, this can happen quickly.  In cool humid conditions, it can be difficult to get all the water off the glass.  Then I close the lens cap, so I don't get water on the glass as I approach the rapid.  As I'm going into the rapid, I pop open the lens cap, blast off a couple of shots, slam the lens cap shut, and paddle like a monkey.  Then I whip into an eddy, pop open the lens cap, and take pictures of the kayakers following me into the rapid.

4.   Equivalent of a 24mm wide angle lens for landscape photography.  On point-and-shoot waterproof cameras, the wide angle end of the lens is typically the equivalent of a 28mm lens on a 35mm SLR.  I like a lens which is more wide angle for landscape photography.  I look for the equivalent of a 24mm lens.

I've seen your Butler lens cap adaptation - if you didn't post it here, in NWKA, I read your article somewhere else - and it's a sweet and smart addition.

What I end up with won't be my only camera.  It won't be my go-to pocket camera nor will it ever be a camera I'll routinely carry with me.  It will be the camera I'll carry whenever I'm fishing and whenever I'm in the kayak, and that's a very specialized and limited-use purpose where I'm willing to make some trade-offs.

I like the heads-up about protecting the lens, and that's also going to be something I'll consider because you're right: it doesn't matter how good the image quality may be on paper, I'm never going to see it if the lens is spotted or has become scratched.

I agree with everyone who likes the Olympus TG3.  It is a nice little package, but whatever camera I buy is going to be an auxiliary camera and I can't seem to pull the trigger on spending $500 for pocket camera, no matter how capable it may be.

This is probably still more than you want to spend but the TG-3 is only $349 at Best Buy.  I got mine there in July for $319. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/searchpage.jsp?st=olympus+tg3&_dyncharset=UTF-8&_dynSessConf=ATG24395857978&id=pcat17071&type=page&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960&keys=keys 

I have dropped mine numerous times on concrete and other surfaces.  The last time was when I got back from Mexico at the end of October. It hit the garage floor hard.  It quit working properly. I called Olympus since it was under warranty.  The customer service woman asked me if I had dropped it.  I said, "Yes, but it is supposed to be a tough camera."  She said, "You are right. Send it in,  it will be covered under warranty."  I get it back Tuesday this week, so this will be a good test of customer service and a company standing behind their product.

I agree with everyone who likes the Olympus TG3.  It is a nice little package, but whatever camera I buy is going to be an auxiliary camera and I can't seem to pull the trigger on spending $500 for pocket camera, no matter how capable it may be.

I'd really like RAW image captures - Photoshop has saved some pretty poorly-executed images for me when I could work with an image in camera RAW format - but I haven't seen any of the cameras in my short list touting a RAW image format; not even the Olympus.

I really hadn't given much thought about GPS and mapping until y'all talked about it, and then it made perfect sense.  Thanks!

I'll have to make up my mind in the next few days when the pre-Holiday sale prices are at their peak (or would that be their valley..?), and everyone has given me great information to help me decide.

I'm looking favorably on the Panasonic DMC-TS5 right now, and it's on sale at around $200, in orange.

Thank you.

I've got the Panasonic TS25 and have been happy with it. You can get on Amazon now for about 130 bucks. I've beat on it pretty well and it keeps going. It takes good pictures, probably not as good TG3, but solid. I also have a Fuji, XP 10 I think, and I hate it. The photo quality is crappy and it never seems to focus on subject you're trying to take a photo of. Most on the water pictures end up over or under exposed. The GPS feature will also drain the battery super fast when enabled.

I've got the Panasonic TS25 and have been happy with it. You can get on Amazon now for about 130 bucks. I've beat on it pretty well and it keeps going. It takes good pictures, probably not as good TG3, but solid.

Thanks.  Solid counts.

This is probably still more than you want to spend but the TG-3 is only $349 at Best Buy.  I got mine there in July for $319.

No, Craig, that price is in the ballpark, and it's the first sub-$400 offering I've seen.  The TG-3 is my "ideal" fishing camera, it's the price that's been the problem.  It's obviously popular and the best of class and no one else seems willing to discount it.

And it's red!

I really appreciate the heads up.

- Kevin

http://shop.panasonic.com/shop/model/DMC-TS5S?sc_sn=facebook_ad_main_again_novdealretarget_11182014

LUMIX DMC-TS5 online for $220.

Had a $209 TS5 in an Amazon wish-list while asking questions about cameras, and they bumped the price back up to $249...  When you snooze, you lose.

Panasonic Lumix TS5 is a great little camera. Full HD video.

Does anyone know how "weatherproof" the pentax series of DSLR's are??? 
http://www.costco.com/Pentax-K-50-Weatherproof-DSLR-Camera-2-WR-Lens-Bundle.product.100071823.html

Folks, I'm not longer convinced that I want a rugged, waterproof pocket camera.

There're no tricks I know of in Photoshop to bring the images coming out of the best-rated, $350, rugged camera even close to untouched images from an $80 regular camera.

That concerns me since setting aside all of the technical specifications-on-paper of different cameras, in the end, it comes down to image quality.

I'm spoiled by the DSLR's in the closet.  I admit it.  And I'm not sold, one way or the other, on what type of camera I'll get in the end, but I was surprised that, to me, the camera part of the rugged cameras appears to perform as if the manufacturers have shoved the cheapest camera they make inside a sealed case and up-charged by a factor of 4.

On the other hand, I'm not about to carry a camera worth thousands of dollars in the kayak, so I suppose I must make compromises (or risk being brained by The Boss).

I'll choose before year's end and will let you know.
 

Does anyone know how "weatherproof" the pentax series of DSLR's are??? 
http://www.costco.com/Pentax-K-50-Weatherproof-DSLR-Camera-2-WR-Lens-Bundle.product.100071823.html

Sorta.  They're sealed, but not submersible.  You could get away with using one, briefly, in the rain, but not standing under a waterfall, and if I had one, I'd not want to stand in the mist of the waterfall for long.  The seals are meant to protect the K-5 more from dust than from water.

They're directionally more waterproof than my sealed body Canons, but not waterproof in the way you mean, and Pentax is thought to have problems with their waterproof seals on their small rugged cameras.

You might want to look at the Nikon AW1, a rugged, waterproof interchangeable lens camera (http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikon-1-aw1) that is slightly more expensive than the K-5 but is waterproof and captures far better images than the pocket cameras.

If only Nikon made a digital version of their old Nikonos, we'd both be happier campers.

Does anyone know how "weatherproof" the pentax series of DSLR's are??? 
http://www.costco.com/Pentax-K-50-Weatherproof-DSLR-Camera-2-WR-Lens-Bundle.product.100071823.html

Sorta.  They're sealed, but not submersible.  You could get away with using one, briefly, in the rain, but not standing under a waterfall, and if I had one, I'd not want to stand in the mist of the waterfall for long.  The seals are meant to protect the K-5 more from dust than from water.

They're directionally more waterproof than my sealed body Canons, but not waterproof in the way you mean, and Pentax is thought to have problems with their waterproof seals on their small rugged cameras.

You might want to look at the Nikon AW1, a rugged, waterproof interchangeable lens camera (http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikon-1-aw1) that is slightly more expensive than the K-5 but is waterproof and captures far better images than the pocket cameras.

If only Nikon made a digital version of their old Nikonos, we'd both be happier campers.

ooo...I will look into it.  THANKS!  I'm not pro enough to know the difference of mirror and mirrorless.  But I have come to the realization that while my media of choice is still video, to monetize any of my hobby, high res pictures are still worth MUCH more unless I can capture gopro footage of me being eaten by an orca or something along those lines!