Well, more of a mini review. Not much to say about this little camera.

It’s waterproof to 3 m, shockproof up to 1.5 m, rated to -10 degrees C, 14 megapixels with a zoom covering 28-100 mm (in 35 mm equivalent terms).

October Rain

Image quality is ok – click on any photo here to see the original. There are a few options (e.g. flash, macro mode, white balance and iso settings) which are useful but require several button presses to access. The “High ISO” setting is nice. I find point-and-shoots often favour low ISO to the point of risking camera shake. On that topic, this camera also has sensor-shift image stabilization.

Staying Home

A key feature (exposure lock separate from focus lock) is absent. I would usually never consider a point-and-shoot without some sort of exposure lock as a minimum.

Salt and Pepper

Despite the lackluster specs, I decided this was the waterproof camera for me. Why? I don’t know of any waterproof point-and-shoot with great image quality (most reviews I’ve read seem to agree on this shortcoming) and I only use one when there’s no other option. Snorkeling and kayaking. Outside in the rain or snow. The reality is, if it’s precipitating heavily, it’s so difficult keeping the lens clean that my shooting is limited anyway.

Rainy Day

If you can only have one camera, don’t make it this one. Get a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3. For a rugged camera that will see only occasional use, this is a great deal. Whatever you do, don’t stay home in the rain.