Waterproof Tag

Proof against more things in more ways than any of its rivals – the TG-810 can be dropped from 2m, submerged to 10m, crushed by 100kg, frozen to -10oC and apparently even resists scratches. At the same time it’s crammed to the gills with outdoor extras, so now when the going gets tough the Tough knows where it’s going.

I shall start by getting straight to the point; I wanted to buy a tough camera that could accompany me on my climbing, walking and canoeing trips and I’d narrowed my choice down to one of 4 point and shoot cameras; the Panasonic FT3, the Fuji XP30, the Olympus TG-810 and the Pentax WG-1 GPS. As such, in an act of selfless generosity I offered to review of all four during a trip to Scotland to climb Ben Nevis.

You can be forgiven for not having come across the diminutive GoPro HD Hero before – it’s not what you might call a main-stream camera. Put simply, it’s a small, compact and easy to use HD camcorder and stills camera, capable of recording video in full 1080P high definition or capturing great quality 5 megapixel still photos. So what exactly is it that makes the HD Hero worthy of note? In a word, this…

This is the first self-produced, tailor made demonstration video that WEX have created specifically for the purpose of demonstrating a product to our customers. Now, being our “first-born” as it were, Warehouse Express are incredibly proud of our video baby. It may not be perfect, it may not be the best looking, but we made it, it’s ours and we love it.

To call the Olympus Pen range and their Micro Four Thirds brethren a watershed in the camera market doesn’t sound quite right, even if it’s true. To call the Pen E-PL1 a watershed once housed for diving is maybe a little more understandable – though it’s not any kind of shed you’d recognise from your garden. Sharing the latest toughened up styling with the housed E-620 SLR it carries off a cute Tonka toy look with aplomb, but is it merely a plaything?

It’s not a subtle bag for walking around town; from the proud, chunky rubber Camera Armor (sic) logo to the reflective strip around the top this is an action bag for the kind of folk who aren’t worried so much by street crime as finding their camera downstream after rolling a canoe. The exterior is constructed from ‘Ballistic nylon and waterproof rubber’…

The worlds of photography and outdoor pursuits share a lot of common ground. Both are fields where having the right equipment can be vital, and where, on many occasions, the performance and abilities of skilled amateurs is on a par with that of the professionals. There is of course another far stronger link; many photographers will also be outdoor enthusiasts and vice versa.

Casio are bucking the trend of boring camera design; the new Exilim G1 is a rugged digital camera with heavy style influences from their G-Shock watches. The tank-like appearance is a good indicator of the G1’s tough credentials. The Casio EX-G1 is capable of withstanding 2.13 metre drops, is waterproof up to 3 metres deep and freeze-proof until the mercury hits minus 10° Celsius.

You may have seen that lots of Digital SLRs now offer ‘Live View’ and hoped that it would mean they work like compacts underwater. As of now there are very few Digital SLRs which actually do. Because many advantages of an SLR rely on that direct view of the scene, they cannot easy emulate a compact.

In the web pictures I’d seen of the Olympus PT-E06 I wasn’t really struck by any one feature. In the flesh however this new case is an impressive upgrade. The PT-E06 looks just right.