advice on compact camera

[flower_girl]

Hello all, Wondered if you may be able to help out?

I work on a project to manage sand dunes and I need to purchase a camera for the project. We have £150 in the budget (although I imagine I could push this to £200 if i cut down on a few other bits). It would mainly be used for recording what work we've done and monitoring results.

Now... my own compact camera is broken as a result of too much sand (as I was using it for work) so I don't want to buy a new camera only for the same to happen. So I was thinking about a waterproof camera as this may stand up to the sand and salt better. However the waterproof aspect will push up the price...??

Also, I would like to be able to use it to take photos of the dune plants at a fairly close range and would therefore appreciate a decent macro function.
And one with a good zoom may help when recording wildlife too.

I've had a trawl through some reviews and it seems I have to decide between waterproof/toughness and picture quality/zoom as my budget isn't enough for both.

Anyone able to recommend otherwise??

[JennyS]

Its only my opinion but for image quality photographing wildflowers on a macro setting the Fuji Finepix fd31 still hasn't been beaten.

It also has a very useful Voice memo function so you can add vital identification, habitat, frequency etc notes to photos while in the field. Pretty tough too, though you wouldn't want to drop it in the sea.

Its an oldish camera but still sometimes available on ebay or amazon. Expect to pay as much for it secondhand as for some new compacts. (Testament to its reputation)

[freefeet]

I just bought a Fuji F70EXR. I'm only just getting into learning it's tricks but so far it has more than impressed me for it's size and cost.

A little more than £200.

What i was looking for most in a camera was quietness for wildlife photography and this one was is almost completely silent in operation.

It's macro function is just something i tried out after reading your post. This is my first attempt at macro a couple of minutes ago in my back yard, hand held with built in flash...



If you have any questions about it please ask.

Stan

[The Woodman]

I've been using an Olympus 770 SW compact since July in the field almost on a daily basis.

It is water proof to 10m, crush, shock proof, flattich and fits well in my shirt pocket. Olympus even recommend washing it in a bucket of water!

The camera has been underwater a number of times and also dropped a couple of times on the river bank. Yes, I have washed it under a running tap.

You can get all the spec from the web.

Sand and salt water will not be a problem for this camera. In the handbook it states that it can be used underwater.

If the above properties are your priority, I can recommend it. It has a macro although not as close as my Nikon P5100.

Downside is it's about £225.

[Bruce Williams]

Another possibility is the more recent 12 megapixel Olympus Tough 6010 which claims to be shockproof up to 1.5 meters, waterproof up to 3m and freezeproof to -10 degrees celsius. Not as impressive a waterproof specification as Woodman's Olympus 770 SW but possibly a bit cheaper at around £200 online.

There is also the slightly cheaper 10 megapixel Olympus Tough 6000 (yellow version @ £180 via Amazon) that might also be worth checking out: see Warehouse Express - Olympus Mju TOUGH - 6000: Prize fighter Digital Camera Review by Rob Spray for Warehouse Express

Bruce

[tom00_uk]

i keep a Olympus Tough in my pocket most of the time since its designed to be abused

has a led for assisting with macro and has taken a far few shots that are of ok quality for putting in reports

got its from the well known auction site new for under £100

[tom00_uk]

argos have one at half priceBuy Olympus MJU550WP Waterproof 10MP Camera. at Argos.co.uk - Your Online Shop for .

[flower_girl]

Thanks guys! This is much appreciated.
I'll have a look through at some of the best prices but I do think I will be going for a waterproof one - I amazed that you can wash them under a tap!! Wow!!!

I'll have to make my decision tonight so I'll have a close look at the ones you reccomended (and thanks for the half price link!!).

THANKS!!

[flower_girl]

Thanks all,
I've gone for an oylmpus tough after reading your advice/reccomendations.
Much appreciated.

Bring on the sand and salt, I'll be ready!