New Camera!!!

I finally have a new camera! It's been nearly 2 years since I ruined my last one, and I've been anxiously awaiting the chance to buy another. I felt that I had to complete my master's and find a new job before I could pony up the cash though. Now that I've finally landed a proper position I figured it was high time to treat myself to a reward!

Thanks to my enjoyment of time spent in the outdoors I've ruined the last 3 digital cameras I've owned. The first got dropped on hard ground, the second got wet due to rain on a canoeing trip, and the third got wet from a leaky hydration pack on a skiing trip. Though I love taking great pictures, and I fully intend on purchasing an SLR type camera eventually, THIS time I wanted something that wouldn't let me down when I really needed it in the outdoors. I needed something waterproof, and shockproof, but of course still wouldn't break the bank. I also wanted to be able to take some nice quality pictures. So all in all a pretty tall order given the limitations that "lifeproof" designs generally place on image quality and manual controls. The answer for me was the Olympus Stylus Tough 6000!


WOW! All I can say is that it's damned hard to pick a camera these days! So many different features, manufacturers and reviews. I'm not going to bore anyone by getting into all of the details here, I'll just summarize what I determined were the most commonly noted pros and cons of the camera, as well as why i decided to go with it.

The Pros
1. Tough as old nails! By all accounts it is truly as waterproof, crush proof and freeze proof as the manufacturer claims.

2. Great wide angle lens. Genuine 28mm wide angle shooting capability on a 35 mm equivalent scale.

3. Fantastic Macro mode. You can really get in close and take clear, high detail shots of small objects.

4. Decent Zoom. Most cameras in this category, including non waterproof point and shooters only have a 3x optical zoom. The stylus tough has a 3.6x optical zoom.

The Cons
1. Compared to others, it's slow; it takes a long time to go from shot to shot. The autofocus also takes a long time before you get a focus lock. The Stylus Tough 8000 as well as others are much faster and better adapted to taking action shots in fast moving situations.

2. It doesn't focus well in dimly lit rooms. It takes a long time and ofter doesn't get a focus lock when taking shots indoors. The pictures you do manage to take are probably not going to be super clear. Look elsewhere if you want something for taking drinkin' party shots to post on Facebook.

3. The video function doesn't record in High Definition (HD). For a camera you're going to pay in the neighbourhood of $300, HD capability seems to be almost expected.

My Thoughts
All the pros I really like, (especially the wide angle lens and macro mode on top of the tough features) while the Cons aren't particularly a problem for me given the use I have in mind for this camera. As I mentioned, I'll be getting a better "Camera" type camera eventually, but first and foremost I wanted something that wouldn't let me down when I really needed it to document my outdoor trips. And while the video may not be HD, it looked looked pretty darn good to me!

Here's a few sample shots using the Macro and Super Macro modes:

MACRO


SUPER MACRO



I'm really looking forward to getting to know this camera over the next few years and reporting back on it's performance and durability for outdoors pursuits!