Not a review as such but I've just spotted this over at Crave

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/digitalcamer...9292933,00.htm

It's the new Olympus - it's shock proof, water proof and a few other things proof.

It's 7mp - seems quite decent. I recently took my Casio Exilm with me to Morocco (8mp) and it performed really well

http://www.flickr.com/photos/journeytomorocco/

but I'm worried that it's not the most robust camera and may not perform in the wetter parts of northern Europe when I head off to Russia next year - with this new Olympus at least I don't have to worry about that - or if I drop it whilst I'm man-handling it on the bike in thick gloves.

Interesting in any case and I wondered what other people thought... I know it's not an SLR and you're not going to be taking drop dead gorgeous shots with it - but for snapshots?

m

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DCH-1 brilliant! its a bit bulky, but never let me down in over 4700 pictures. it has seen rain, been left outside tent overnight and had dew on it, been dropped down a steep rocky path and bounced from boulder to boulder, scratched but otherwise fine.......
Paid 575 euros including a 512MB memory card 18 months ago, can get them for half that money now.
My dad was so impressed HE bought one and for him to buy one...... they must be good!!!!!!

I've droped my Olympus C5060 (not rated as shock/water/etc proof) a number of times. I've fallen on it and broken a few ribs .. the camera is still fine. A few marks here and there but that just showes it is living the life. I'm happy with it, will buy Olympus again.

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Regards Frank Warner
motorcycles BMW R80 G/S 1981, BMW K11LT 1993, BMW K75 G/S

the new nikon d300 and the canon not sure what the number is both claim to be splash/shock/static blah blah..
so there is a couple of more options and they are both 10mil + pix

BUT you can also get camera armor for £35..much cheaper then a new body
check these out to see if they have one for your camera..
Camera Armor (for Canon and Nikon SLR Cameras)- warehouseexpress.com

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2000 Africa Twin
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I have an 720SW and its a great camera for motorcycling.
Waterproof down to 3 metres (and it really is) so the odd puddle won't worry it and shock proof. If it gets covered in mud or dust you just place in a basin of clean water and rinse off then towel dry.
Highly recommended.

I'm not sure how tough any digital camera really is. I've read about the new Olympus, sounds very good! But in some way they all seem flimsy to me. Have to be treated like eggs.

I grew up with film cameras....Nikon F's for years...F, F2 and F3. Bulletproof but not waterproof! Tough as hell.

I've beat up 2 Canon's....A G3 and an A540. Both still work but won't focus when zoomed in. The A540 has been back to Canon once, and twice for the G3. Both are now off warranty and have a few probs. No zooming at all.

I taken them both on dirt/dual sport rides and they seem to suffer. I'm an idiot...I don't take care of them very well. Work bought one of them (G3) which cost a fortune. I won't spend big money on a glorified point and shoot, not anymore.

Just ordered a Lumix (Panasonic) DMC FZ-8. It's small and has a super zoom.
Does not do well in low light (according to reviews) but over all is rated pretty high. Cheap at just $275 and the Leica lens is very good. If I get a year out of it....I'll be happy. Work is covering it and went for the five year warranty. (If Panasonic knew how this cam. will be treated they'd cancel it out!!!

From now on I'm taking much better care regards my digitals. I'm still developing a good system for off road. Keeping it on your body is best but will
break ribs if you fall on it. (See Frank's post) My G3 hit the cross bar...hasn't been the same since...despite two factory visits.

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!

I've got a digital 5mpixel (Kodak) for the everyday shots and I use it as part of my work kit. For the tank bag I carry a chuckaway waterproof, with film. For the set up "one in a lifetime" shots I use my trusty Zenith that I picked up in Moscow for US$25 with three lenses (East German).
But I fancy a Helmet cam for my next trip. I'll check the threads elsewhere.

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The Gypsy
Second star on the right.
Then straight on till morning.

Although some are tougher than otehrs, most any camera is only as good as you treat it.

I think the cam bodies from most big manufacturers are all pretty decent when you get into the $300+ range so I think it's first important to consider what kind of shots you want to get and what you want to use them for.

If your goal is producing an illustrated book or magazine article then there's really no other good option but a DSLR. Being able to actually LOOK through the lens is where a lot of the magic happen when photographing...at least for me. Of this type, if size is a concern for you, probably the best you could get now would be a Nikon D-40x: 10MP, well built and tiny...not to mention I like Nikon.

If you're looking for a good point-n-shoot to more casually record your journey, then probably the Canon A series would probably be a safe route. Well built, good MP and some with built in stabilization. Then you can dip it in grip surfacing.

CC

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I've been playing with the Panasonic for a few days now but still really haven't clocked all the features and adjustability. The manual is junk. Incomprehensible.
Canon do a much better job. Panasonic spent two pages about programing in your vacation dates so they will show up on your pics. Are they serious?

Explanation of other features are not done well either. So what I'm doing is reading a section and then playing with the camera and trying different things.

No where near as simple or versatile as either Canon.

But the images are very good. Much sharper than either of my three Canon's.
(G3, A540, or 20D with cheap kit lens)

The FZ-8 is so light it's hard to believe. About half the weight of my A540 which is a smaller Camera. It feels very flimsy and delicate but does produce the goods.....for now. I will see how the vibes and bumps of riding affect it.
I'm refining a sort of front harness for it.

The thing is tiny also, handling ergos are not great (its too smooth) but I can adapt. The fill flash works very well, but without it, in low light, anything moving is blurring badly (dogs). But that's my fault for not using manual settings....which are a bit of a pain at this point. I'm hoping once I learn them
I will be able to change settings quickly....so important in taking pics.
Will report from on the road.

Patrick

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Patrick passed Dec 2018. RIP Patrick!