Olympus Mju Tough 3000

Olympus has announced the latest digital camera model to join its durable Tough range - it’s the new Olympus Mju Tough 3000. It is waterproof to 3m, shockproof enough to drop from 1.5m and works happily down to temperatures of -10°C. Behind the tough exterior lie sophisticated electronics, including a 12MP CCD sensor, image stabilisation, HD movie mode and even a 1GB internal memory. The camera can also be charged through USB which is very handy. It features a 3.6x (28-102mm equiv.) zoom lens that is perfectly versatile for the outdoors.

Olympus μ TOUGH 3000 is out now and comes in four bright colours - Hot Pink, Emerald (above), Turquoise Blue, and Oxide Red. Click on the link below to check them out.

Tags: compact, digital, olympus

Ricoh GR Digital 3

Ricoh unveils the GR Digital III

Having been in love with Ricoh’s GR-range since the Film Age, I was excited to hear the company announcing its latest premium compact additiion to the range. The GR III’s top feature is its super fast f1.9 28mm equivalent prime lens. Successor to the GR Digital II, it uses a new 10MP sensor with larger pixel pitch. Sensitivity, speed and continuous shoting are also improved. The GR III continues the Ricoh tradition of high resolution screens, becoming one of the first compact to offer a 920,000 dots VGA panel. All in all, this should be one great little camera to keep in your pocket.

Tags: compact, digital, Digital Cameras, gr 3, griii, ricoh gr III

Canon PowerShot D10

Canon PowerShot D10 - Durable & Rugged

Waterproof and shockproof, this cute 12-megapixel Canon PowerShot will take a lot more punishment than your ordinary digital camera. It will also withstand temperatures down to -10C and quite a bit of dust and dirt thrown at it. Inside its rugged protective shell, the PowerShot D10 features clever technology that will help you get a better shot - including image stabilisation, and motion, scene and face detection. The Canon’s built-in lens offers 3x Zoom which is adequate, although main rival Pentax Optio W80 has the edge when it comes to optics with its 4x zoom, allowing for both wider landscapes and close-up action shots.

Buy now from Warehouse Express.

Tags: canon, canon powershot d10, compact, digital, powershot, quirky, waterproof digital cameras

Pentax Optio W80

Oh, it’s Shockproof and Dustproof as well! Pentax have announced their latest compact for the more adventurous amongst us, and it looks like a great little camera. A nice clear screen and simple control layout make it an easy camera to use even in challenging conditions. The quality 12mp sensor and generous zoom lens (equivalent to 28-140mm) makes it ideal for landscape and action photography, and everything in between. The camera is built to withstand temperatures down to -10C and is waterproof to 16 feet.

Tags: camera, compact, optio, pentax, quirky, waterproof digital cameras

Waterproof Digital Cameras

Choosing A Digital Camera For Underwater Photography

The underwater world is full of wonderful serene scenes making us wonder at nature and why species bothered evolving out of the sea. Seeing its beauty is one thing, but capturing it on camera can be tough. Well, not really. The pictures above, for example, are not fancy commercial photos, but rather amateur shots using budget Sealife gear. There are two routs really to shooting underwater - getting yourself a waterproof digital camera or waterproof casing for your current model. Pros and the unevitable cons of both are underlined below.

Waterproof Cameras

These are specifically built cameras for underwater photography. There are no fiddly casings to mess with, the camera is ready for the dive, but on the flip side it is not that great on land. The Sealife Reefmaster pictured below is a great little waterproof digital camera with a depth rating of 40m and is perfect for all those expeditions to the beach or sea.

Waterproof Camera Casings

Alternatively, if you have a digital camera that you prefer and love, you can buy a waterproof casing for it to take it diving with  you. This housing provides rubbery waterproofness typically down to 40 metres and easy to use big bright buttons. On the downside, you can always forget to pack your casing when going away, plus they’re not suited to more serious depths, but apart from that they should help you have all the fun a dedicated waterproof camera would.

Loss of Picture Quality Underwater And The Use Of Flash

A big problem that underwater photographers face, apart from unfriendly marine life and wild hairdos, is the extreme loss of colour and contrast at depth. This is due to colours such as red and orange being easily absorbed by water, which is why the sea appears so blue and green.

One way to solve this is to cut the distance to your subject, ideally to under one metre, as this will minimise the colour loss. You can even use wide angle lenses to get really close. Another way is to use flash, either your built-in one or a dedicated off-camera unit, which will fill-in the scene with a full spectrum of colour.

Tags: buying guide, camera, compact, digital, underwater, waterproof digital cameras

Underwater Digital Camera Mask

Underwater digital cameras are a great idea and have certainly come on leaps and bounds in the last few years. However it’s always a bit of a faff to swim with them, as you tend to need your hands for the swimming bit - preferably without some buoyant snapper dangling from your wrist. Well now you can snorkel through those coral reefs with both your hands free and be able to take great underwater snaps with the brand new Camera Mask.

The 3.1 megapixel camera has been cleverly built into the mask and the cross hairs on the lenses will show you exactly where you need to look to get the perfect snap. As well as being able to take great pics, it can also shoot video. Yup you can film your deep blue explorations that are stored in the 16MB of onboard memory - which you can easily expand with a Micro SD Card if you fancy re-enacting some sub-aquatic adventure.

Now available on the market for under £100.

Tags: camera, compact, digital, underwater

Lego Digital Camera

Lego has announced its plans to introduce a line of electronic devices including its own digital camera. The compact is aimed at children, costing around £50, and likely to be of the cheap and cheerful type with simple settings and controls. The camera will not be actually made out of Lego blocks (otherwise it probably won’t be a camera for long) but it looks decevingly much like it is and maybe it will be “compatible” with bricks.

 

Tags: camera, compact, digital, lego, quirky

Minox Digital Classic

Minox Digital Classic

Treat him to real retro chic. Minox’s ethos comes to the forefront within this camera: clever electronics combined with a touch of extravagance. The top technology and optical systems provide quality images, while the iconic retro look is real head turner. This is a truly great buy for anybody who’s into nostalgia, design, photography or just… anybody really.

Tags: classic, compact, digital, leica, minox, quirky, retro

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W130

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W130

This Sony camera is a real gem, featuring an 8 megapixel sensor and an excellent range of features. The top quality Carl Ziess Lens delivers razor sharp photos whilst the 4x zoom allows you to zoom into any interesting bits. Available in a stylish Black aluminium case, the W130 comes complete with Face Detection, Smile Shutter and even built-in image stabalisation.

Tags: camera, compact, cyber-shot dsc-w130, digital, sony

Samsung NV30

Samsung NV30

Samsung’s new model NV30 features the clever Smart Touch user interface (basically it is realy cool to fiddle with!) and incorporates the new DRIM something-or-other Engine image processor for making really nice photos. And it does! Combined with a shiny 3x optical zoom Schneider lens, the new Samsung NV produces sharp and vivid images shot after shot without the annoying wait between them.

Tags: camera, compact, digital, nv30, samsung