Is there any point in 'tough' cameras?

[Mr Scruff]

Off on family holiday in a few weeks, to the beach. Thought might invest in a new camera, one that's a bit more 'family proof' so found myself looking at the tough cameras.

Bit of searching brought me to here but wondering how much point there is as they all seem to have some fundamental flaws?

Am I over-reading into this? Would a CoolPix AW110 (for example) be sufficient for the family snapper or am I better off spending on something like the Lumix TZ40 and being a bit more careful? Only reason I've even started looking is because family seem to be growing up so fast and I don't want to miss it so don't want to have to spend too long behind a camera (at least on holiday)

[MysteryLemon]

They serve a purpose.

I wouldn't buy one if it meant sacrificing image quality over a non-tough camera though.

[TigerS6]

I bought the Lumix FT3 as our new snapper camera, both waterproof and shockproof, and both have been put to test!
I was sceptical about the image quality, but after buying I was really very impressed, both the general shots and the underwater shots I was very pleased with.

just remembering that it is just our snapshot camera means that it compliments my 7D a treat.

So, is it a gimmick? No, I don't think so, its an added benefit to an excellent camera.

[Mr Scruff]

Thank you, it's good to hear from people who have actually used them; I'm not sure whether I'd notice the quality differences either.

Hmm.

[pernod]

I love ours! Is serves a very specific set of gaps in the broader camera at though. Specifically the main gaps are :

-places with water /sand
-lightweight snapshots where content is more important that image quality.
-it lives in my wife's nappy bag a lot of the time for when her phone doesn't cut it... Shock proof and leak proof are a massive plus in this scenario
- is also a bit of an insurance policy for our one year old... He can be 'just like dad' while also knowing that touching the other camera gear is out of bounds.

Could I live with one as my only camera, no. Do I love it, absolutely!

[Mr Scruff]

Which do you have Pernod?

[mojitomax]

I have an old Olympus muji tough.

Picture quality is ok but I can throw it around on the beach, take it into the pool and the sea. Tool some cool body boarding pics in the ocean.

I love it. But I have a 7d for proper pics

[rob0r]

I've had two coolpix aw100 go wrong. One after a day of mild snorkeling and the other lasted two more water related holidays since then, I'm not particularly impressed. The battery compartment doesn't seal properly causing the screen to fail. I can still take pics but it's a lottery if any come out and it's hard to tell if it's on or not!

Not sure if this was fixed on the aw110 but they look similar...

For the Caribbean next year I'll be buying something else.

Edited by rob0r on Wednesday 4th September 13:46

[mojitomax]

Forgot to add that the Olympus survived being thrown around and dropped into snow and being submersed in hot thermal pools.

I won't go on Holiday without it. However, for a quick point and shoot I usually use the wife's iPhone 5.

The Olympus tends to be relegated for specific tough usage now. Great for snorkelling.

[chopper602]

I bought a Pentax WG II for a family holiday to Florida last year - feature packed, waterproof, shockproof, coldproof and crushproof. Even has GPS, so can pin point where photos were taken. It's obviously not as good as my Nikon DSLR, but for holiday snaps and underwater at Blizzard Beach it was great.

[Flibble]

My sister has bounced her Olympus TG-310 off a roof and it still works. Try that with a normal camera...

[Ayahuasca]

Went scuba diving with my old Olympus Tough down to 20m and it worked perfectly with no problems - and it is only rated to 10m! Try that with a 'normal' camera...

[littleredrooster]

My Panasonic FT-10 has spent the last couple of years in my motorcycle jacket pocket doing many thousands of wet miles. It has been chucked down a waterfall and survived.

I bought and sold three other waterproof cameras (major names in the market, too!) before I settled on the Panny; the image quality/white balance/chromatic abberation of some of the others was appalling.