This little camera came into my inventory last weekend. It is the replacement for an aging (and not well) Panasonic ZS-40. The latter served as a travel and field work camera for a several years, but was set aside a couple of years ago because of my dissatisfaction with its image quality.
I pulled it from storage a couple of years ago for a big field project. I found it inferior on a job site because it is susceptible to dust and sand. In fact, I thought it was damaged by a few grains of sand in the lens body. However, it seems to be working.
I did an important field walk a couple of weeks ago. I did not make any images or field notes. I should have. I did not want to use my phone as a camera. I should have.
What this told me is that I need a purpose-built tool for making images when I am working in the field. I need to ramp up my field notes as well, and back them up with images. So, that is my self-chastising for this failure.
That set me looking for a suitable replacement for the Panasonic and for my iPhone. Aside: I think the latter might be on its way out as well. More on that another time.
After a bit of research (a couple of hours), I decided that the Olympus Tough TG-7 might be an appropriate candidate. It is waterproof, dust proof, and drop resistant. (Supposedly, it is drop proof to two meters.) I chose red because it is more readily visible than black and less susceptible to solar heating.
After a few test shots, I ordered additional batteries and a lens hood/filter adapter. I will keep a UV filter on the camera despite it having protective glass over the lens.
I am carrying it on daily outings so I can learn to use it. It is quite capable and has a reasonable zoom range (optical). I am taking it to the field next week for its first thorough test as I need to document an extensive field walk on new projects.
My initial impression is that this is a solid compact camera. Despite the small sensor size (1/2.3 inches), the image quality seems much better than it should, based on previous experience. The SOOC JPEGs look good and I have posted several on this weblog already (the Daily Doggo being the most recent).
Not that the camera needs another review, but i will post my thoughts on the camera for my use-case later this summer, once I have more experience with it. There are lots of technical reviews out there, so I will provide a more subjective review based on my experience with the TG-7 in field use.
I think this is a good purchase and well worth the cost. We will see.
Now The Girl is ready for her daily outing. I think I will hit Subway for a breakfast sandwich and we will go up to our Spooner Summit site and get in a good hike. Then I can attend to completing my preparations for several days in the field.
Life is good. I am grateful.