My new Camera.

Posted By: Creator of Zsup

I got my new camera today.

Why?

Because one of my home digital camera's totally sucked, due to the fact that its a technological relic, from more than 6 years ago, a Nikon which had a kit SD card of 256mb memory. The other camera I had access to was a newer Olympus, which had a kit XD card of 512mb (not much newer huh), however it belonged to my dad and it was a company camera and he forgot to bring his charger home. Plus XD cards are very expensive.

Hence, I obtained permission to source for a new family camera. :D

My conditions:

1. Weatherproof : Shockproof, Waterproof minimum.
2. Uses SD cards
3. Cheap? (The definition of cheap is hard to determine in this case)

I went to Suntec Harvey Norman during one of my days out buying other stuff to take a peek and found what I eventually acquired (secret). Which was when I really wanted to compare with the other models available locally.

I looked up the net with vigour as I wanted to know the choices available to me.
The most useful site I got was: http://www.cacreeks.com/cameras.htm (which will become outdated in a couple of years)

 It listed all the recent models of weatherproof cameras, their specs for comparison and prices. Several specs were of importance to me, the memory card, the image quality, and price.

I then went out once again to take a peek at other competing companies, Courts and Best Denki. Courts didn't have what I wanted, and Best Denki offered me the Olympus Tough series, and the Canon D10 (which I immediately rejected as it was a total asthetic failure)

The Canon D10. Designer aberration.

The first offer to me was priced at SGD 485, uses micro SD cards, 12 megapixel, Waterproof, Dustproof, Shockproof, Freezeproof and comes with a free 8gb card.

The competitors at Best Denki were priced at SGD 500 and above, namely the Tough series by Olympus.

I then went to contact a friend of mine to see if I could get any of the above at a cheaper price. His best quote? Olympus Tough 6000, for SGD 455 with 8gb card and extra battery. Very competitive.

So I had to decide between:

A: SGD 485, 8gb micro SD card, weatherproofness.
                                OR
B: SGD 455, 8gb micro SD card, extra battery, weatherproofness.

Seems like a pretty clear cut deal. But I had to do some research, reviews on both cameras.

My current camera was rather new, released in December 2009 hence had little user reviews. However there were websites that tested it and gave rather favourable ratings and test results.

The competitor however had a lot to fight for, with complaints on its waterproof failing, and the difficulty in the honoring of warranty.

Lets go over my conditions again.

1. Weatherproof : Shockproof, Waterproof minimum.
2. Uses SD cards
3. Cheap? (The definition of cheap is hard to determine in this case)

Weatherproofness was important to me, as my family would use it in rather extreme situations, and the added shock protection was key as it provided some security in the event of drops.

So when push came to shove, I was decided against the Olympus and bled SGD 485 for the........

Casio Exilim G

 

I got the red one.
Yes. So after careful consideration, I decided to opt for the weatherproof gurantee from a company that has been making watches so for decades. :D

I will be testing it out during the Japan trip, and I most certainly hope it will not fail to perform; even more I hope its weatherproofness will not fail.

Stay tuned for the exploits of the camera. Whee~

"I think I have better chances with a company that has actually made waterproof things before." - THY

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