Action or tough camera
QHaving recently retired I am now planning a number of trips that will involve some passions of mine, including hill walking in all weathers and, in warmer parts of the world, snorkelling. I already have a Fujifilm X- E1, but when the weather is bad or I want to take photos and video under (sea) water, I will need an alternative camera. I see there are various ‘tough’ category compact cameras like those covered in your August 2017 issue, including the Canon PowerShot D30, Fujifilm FinePix XP120, Nikon Coolpix AW130 (the camouflage finish looks great) and Olympus Tough TG-5. There are also the ‘action’ cameras like GoPro, Campark, Xiaomi Yi, etc. Is there a considerable overlap between these two categories, or am I imagining things? Ken Daly
AAs you have pointed out, ‘tough’ cameras are based on compact cameras, with zoom lenses, autofocus, flash, conventional controls and a display screen at the back. The difference is that they have strengthened bodies designed to withstand being dropped and knocked and are usually water-resistant to at least 10m and usually 20m or more. Some even have advanced features like GPS, altimeters and depth gauges. But all these features make them bulky and heavy to attach to things such as bike helmets, small or medium-sized drones, or be used where space is a limitation. Enter the digital action camera: a very small, light and comparatively simple camera with a very wideangle lens. There are lots of GoPro models and alternatives available now and besides superwide or ultrawideangle lenses, often with pronounced curvilinear distortion, not having AF and optical zoom, flash, etc., is the norm. Only recently have display screens started to appear on these cameras. Some, like GoPro models, are water-resistant, but most have standard or optional removable waterproof casings. They are getting increasingly sophisticated, with electronic image stabilisation, Wi- Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, touchscreens, voice control, live streaming and control via smartphone apps, recording 4K video, and some now produce raw-format still images. The choice is yours. Ian Burley