Panasonic’s new Lumix DMC-FT1 camera is a waterproof, rugged machine with a 12 megapixel 1/2.33-inch sensor, 28-128mm Leica lens with 4.6x optical zoom, and the ability to record 720p high-def video, albeit in a highly-compressed version of the AVCHD format. It can cope with 5 ft drops and submersion in up to 3 meters of water.
What I like about it is the look of solidity, and the bright metallic colors. Check out the blue:
Not cornflower. It also comes in green, according to the leaked PDF. But again, it is an unpleasant one: olive drab.
Also announced were various spec bumps across the existing lineup.
Source [Focus Numerique via 1001 Noisy Cameras via Engadget]
Still waiting for someone to produce an actual waterproof (i.e. to at least 30 metres) digital camera for diving purposes. In theory these things no longer have to have any openable panels (internal memory, inductive charging) so you should be able to lock them up incredibly tightly and still keep them pretty cheap.
Yet we’re still limited to a choice between something only marginally better than splashproof, or a bulky, fiddly, expensive, unreliable enclosure for a normal camera.
Still, nice colours i guess. Sigh.
I like the green a lot.
So in short its a higher quality Olympus stylus. Personally I have had alot of bad experiences with the Stylus series.
The main issue is the recessed lens. Once wet, if you try to shoot above water your subject to water marks. And, if you were shooting in saltwater which then dries you now run the risk of scratching the lens if you try to clean it.
Olympus was great with there warranty but what good is a camera that additionally broke/leaked/failed due to heat when thats what its supposed to do.
Maybe this one will hold up better…personally I’d just treat is a point and shoot you can use on a hike
That leaked PDf looks a bit fake, considering that “vert” means green, and “bleu” means blue…
“Olympus was great with there warranty but what good is a camera that additionally broke/leaked/failed due to heat when thats what its supposed to do.”
huh? I’ve never seen an Olympus advertised as being heat resistant. Were you photographing an active volcano or something? You guys do know that Olympus makes the innards of most Panasonic cameras right? That’s why Panasonic cameras are pretty much always going to be a step behind Olympus. It’s already been said, but a durable camera with a lens that can’t be shuttered is just ridiculous. No wonder they’re going the gimmicky color scheme route with these.
The entire market-load of waterproof cameras infuriate me immensely, because 50% of the usefulness of a waterproof camera is that it will not get filled with grit in the first sandstorm you arrive at, causing the lens to stop going in and out.
However, a camera like this, and all it’s competitors, is useless in any dusty or sandy environment because there is nothing to protect that front bit of glass from getting scratched opaque by the inevitable sand in your pocket, bag, or whatever.
Maddening!
That is some tough camera! Field-ready, as it were, so a camo green is not as inappropriate as most other gadgets.
“You guys do know that Olympus makes the innards of most Panasonic cameras right? That’s why Panasonic cameras are pretty much always going to be a step behind Olympus.”
Only problem, the Olympus rugged cameras take xD memory cards. Can’t get one over 2GB, and they’re about 4 times as expensive.
What a sexy piece of kit! I was thinking of buying a more portable camera to compliment my SLR, that could be the one…
Damn, that’s one sexy piece of equipment.
Where’s the super tough netbook? I want a device that doesn’t need a sleeve or a bag. I mean like, a laptop that has strap mounts on the actual case.
Is it really waterproof or just water resistant?
One man’s sexy is another man’s Kodak Disc camera, I guess.
http://gadgets.boingboing.net/2008/03/31/bad-old-days-kodak-d.html
@ 5 – “It can cope with… submersion in up to 3 meters of water.” That’s more resistant than proof.
Great design though, I like it. The octagonal lens trim and the rivets do it for me.
I agree with #9 Anon. My definition of waterproof seems to be significantly different from the tech makers. I also agree with Riazm. I want a notebook PC that can handle being tossed in my backpack and can suffer as much or more abuse as my books without becoming unusable. I figure if we take Apple’s approach of milling out cases from slabs of aluminum to an extreme, and add in a few more gaskets and O-rings, we might get pretty close.
That lens looks tiny, and I’d imagine the sensor is too. The image quality is probably not going to be brilliant. “Noisy cameras” indeed…