JCarter
Member
A couple of years ago, I bought a Pentax Optio W80 camera to take with me hiking (after previously purchasing an Olympus waterproof camera that turned out to be a POS).
My primary requirements were: waterproof, shock-resistant, compact, and cold-resistance. I do a fair amount of canoeing and kayaking, and hiking year-round, so I like to keep it in my pocket for quick photos. My SLR really can't do that.
My only complaint with this camera is that it doesn't have a long zoom (5x optical), so I just can't get wildlife pictures. But this is because the lens is behind a piece of flat glass so it doesn't 'poke out' like so many compact cameras. But this means when I sweat on it in my pocket, I just swipe the lens clean with a bandana, and I'm good to go.
Monday, I went up Garfield, and I forgot my compact tripod (as usual), but wanted to get the obligatory 'fat guy with mountains in the background' shot, so I propped the camera on my daypack on top of the old foundation, and lined up a timer shot. Just as it got down to 4 seconds, a gust of wind blew, and the camera went over the edge into the foundation. It's about 3 feet straight down onto granite.
Of course it did it in slow motion
When it hit, it landed on a corner of the case, bounced, and then landed lens-down. And took the shot.
I was sure that I now was the owner of a busted pile of metal and plastic. But I climbed in, retrieved the camera, and it completely works. Apparently the 'shock resistant' part is way better than I could have hoped for.
Pentax hasn't made this camera in a couple of years, so you can't run out and buy one. But if you see one used, I can attest to the fact that this camera can take a beating, and works well winter.
My primary requirements were: waterproof, shock-resistant, compact, and cold-resistance. I do a fair amount of canoeing and kayaking, and hiking year-round, so I like to keep it in my pocket for quick photos. My SLR really can't do that.
My only complaint with this camera is that it doesn't have a long zoom (5x optical), so I just can't get wildlife pictures. But this is because the lens is behind a piece of flat glass so it doesn't 'poke out' like so many compact cameras. But this means when I sweat on it in my pocket, I just swipe the lens clean with a bandana, and I'm good to go.
Monday, I went up Garfield, and I forgot my compact tripod (as usual), but wanted to get the obligatory 'fat guy with mountains in the background' shot, so I propped the camera on my daypack on top of the old foundation, and lined up a timer shot. Just as it got down to 4 seconds, a gust of wind blew, and the camera went over the edge into the foundation. It's about 3 feet straight down onto granite.
Of course it did it in slow motion
When it hit, it landed on a corner of the case, bounced, and then landed lens-down. And took the shot.I was sure that I now was the owner of a busted pile of metal and plastic. But I climbed in, retrieved the camera, and it completely works. Apparently the 'shock resistant' part is way better than I could have hoped for.
Pentax hasn't made this camera in a couple of years, so you can't run out and buy one. But if you see one used, I can attest to the fact that this camera can take a beating, and works well winter.
