Looking for a robust small digital camera

[Mandarax]

I'm thinking about buying a small digicam for travelling as a handy addition to my DSLR. Since I'd like to have it at hand all the time and plan to carry it in a pocket of my riding jacket, I would like a camera that can resist some dust and rain. Elements not sticking out of the housing (like protruding lenses) are a definitive plus. Even better, if the camera would be operationable with gloves.

I found very few cameras that are supposed to deliver that (more or less only the SW types from Olympus).
So I'd like to hear from other riders, what they use.

Any comments or suggestions?

Hans

[mcgiggle]

I've just brought on of these Digital Hero Camera Home it does still and vid, comes with helmet mount and a big sucker so you can mount on a car/surf board/snow board etc etc waterproof to 100 ft. It will take upto a 2GB SD card and AAA batts.
Really pleased with it and all for £144 all in.
HTH

Pete

[Mandarax]

Just to clarify: I'm talking about a still camera.

Hans

[wildbeeste]

I bought a new one of these from ebay. 10X digital zoom. lots of MB. Leica lens.
I wrote a review of it for ebay but there are loads of reviews there.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 Digital Camera: items on eBay.co.uk

It has been superceded by more Megapixels but is still the same camera.
Dropped it in a river in the Himalyas.
Dropped it all the time on hard surfaces many times.
Soaked for hours in a motorcyle jacket
Still works and still use it regularly.
It has antishake and focuses really quickly.
Battery life good
Takes reasonable video if you want.
Only downside is lowlight conditions require some thought. (focusing not so good at night outside) Otherwise it has an intelligent mode that does everything.
It has loads of settings for particular conditions eg fireworks portrait landscape snow that actually work and are not all gimmicks.
Four guys all bought the camera and took it on the trip to the Himalayas. We did not know each other before hand either.
Spare batteries cheap from USA £5
Takes SD cards - cheap memory
Wife has a FX01 (smaller and 3X zoom) Daughter so impressed she bought one too. If the zoom is not important I would go for the smaller one.
Oh yes I nearly forgot - the reason I went for it 28MM lens. So much better than the standard 37mm in most digitals
Oh and later version was camera of the year I saw the other day on same advert

[PocketHead]

I have the olympus 725 sw, it's a nice little waterproof and shockproof camera (but lacks a few features such as wide angle lens)

[djorob]

Just so-y-know.
There is soon to be a digital hero 5 which takes video and 5m stills, has a burst mode and a picture every 2-3 secons mode I believe.
Dave.

[KennyE]

I'm using the Pentax WP20 - It's waterproof and has no protruding lenses etc., and I carry it in my jacket pocket. Was cheap too!! Have a look at the photo's on my website for the sort of quality you can expect.

Kenny

[Warthog]

Go to Buying Guide: Features Search: Digital Photography Review

Select compact rugged under "format" at the top and have a look through the choices. ignore prices on this web-site, but you can see a good review of features and sometimes a comprehensive full review of the camera:

Good resource!

My personal choice, in your shoes: Optio W60. 10mp, 28mm wide angle and 5 x optical zome. Waterproof, and dustproof. Not a bad combination.

[motoreiter]

I've got an Olympus 1030SW. Shockproof, water-resistant, dust-proof, takes panorama pictures. Great camera, only downside is that it doesn't take AA batteries.

Here is amazon linky:

Amazon.com: Olympus Stylus 1030SW 10.1MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Optical Wide Angle Zoom (Black): Electronics

[Mandarax]

Thanks for all the suggestions so far.

I hoped I would find a camera like my old (analogue) Olympus mju-II. This one had a decent cover over the lense that protected the lense and also served as the on/off-switch. Getting it out of a pocket and turning it on was done in one swift move. And the litte thing really could take a beating.

In the last three years I rendered three digital cameras (two from Olympus and one from Canon in between) into expensive electronic junk. Major problem usually was the cover of the lense, may it be like the flimsy aluminium foil most manufacturers use or the sideways sliding thicker hood the Olympus digital µ 800 has which gave up on me first in the libyan desert last December and again (after an expensive repair: 130 Euro, camera was 230 Euro) a few weeks ago in Albania.

For the last few weeks I've been shopping around, going to shops (brick and mortar as well as online), consulting websites (manufacturers and reviews the like) and found nothing that suits my requirements.

So for the moment I'm giving up and stick with my Nikon DSLRs.

Cheers, Hans

[vincent danna]

canon G9
we are very happy about it
strong, reliable, a bit big and heavy and expensive
excellent quality

[Mandarax]

Originally Posted by vincent danna

canon G9

It's a digital camera, but neither robust nor small. And it costs more than one of my Nikon D50 bodies. Sorry, no cigar.

[mollydog]

Not a bad plan. I have trashed 3 Canon's

[butchdiamond]

I use an Olympus mju 1030SW, and although I've only had it four months, it's had a tough life. It's been dropped onto concrete, trodden on by me (90kgs) and generally thrown about. I've also used it in various oceans and pools to about three metres down (although it claims to be able to survive 10m). I'm no camera buff, but it takes lovely 10mp photos and good mpeg movies. It's easy to use with heaps of features (most of which I don't use!). Personally, I can't fault it.