Travel Gear – Waterproof Camera

A waterproof camera is, in my opinion, an essential piece of travel gear. If you’re going to bring just one camera with you, it’s a really good idea to have a waterproof one. You never know when you’ll be jumping into a pool or lagoon or accidentally spill beer on it or drop it in a toilet. Waterproof cameras also tend to be shockproof too, they are rated to be able to be dropped from about 1.5m without breaking (not that I’ve done an experiment and can prove this). After looking at various brands and models, I was pretty set on getting the Pentax Optio W90 . It’s compact, waterproof, shockproof, and rugged. Exactly what I’m looking for. However, the price point is on the high side at 275 USD. I also considered the Olympus Tough 6000, but I had my doubts: build quality, memory (it uses an xd card), and USB connection (it doesn’t use the standard mini-USB connection that most electronic devices today use). But the big selling point for the Olympus 6000 is that I was able to get it for merely 170 USD. SOLD!

 
So far, I’ve been taking it to the pool with me and it’s held up very well. I’ve heard horror stories about it (as well as every other waterproof camera on the market) ceasing to work the moment it hit the water. But so far it’s held up just fine. My recommendation is that when you purchase a waterproof camera, try it out underwater right away in your sink a few times. If it stops working, at least it’s still under manufacturer’s warranty, so you can get a replacement unit which will hopefully work. Assembly line factories aren’t perfect and from my experiences neither is quality control. 
 
Here’s a vid of me swimming:

(18221 KB)
Watch on posterous

 

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