Photographing the Sandbox

February 15, 2009 3:17 PM

What point-and-shoot type cameras would be good for a deployed Marine in Iraq?

My little brother was recently deployed to Iraq and has been asking what sort of camera he should buy. He's looking for a point-and-shoot digital camera.

I know a good bit about digital cameras and photography, but I know nothing about what sort of camera would be a decent one to have in desert conditions.

I suspect that the answer is going to be something like: buy the same camera you otherwise would because nothing is going to keep that sand out of it, but before I recommend a camera, I thought I would see if any of y'all have any first, second, or third-hand experience here... either with respect to features that are good/bad or specific makes or models that have held up well in similar situations.

This is the model he is currently looking at.

posted by toomuchpete to technology (17 comments total)

Canon SD anything (tiny pocket sized) w/ a case (?) and a big SD card (8gb+).
posted by SirStan at 3:21 PM on February 15

Based on what my son has told me (two tours), go inexpensive, the sand/dust is terrible...
posted by HuronBob at 3:25 PM on February 15

I've enjoyed my Canon Powershot. Especially when I've been traveling, this camera's been though hell and still works great. Which I can't say for other cameras I've owned.
posted by miss lynnster at 3:32 PM on February 15

Well, there are cameras that are water and dust-proof, like the Olympus Stylus 8000 or the Stylus 1050SW. Both of those are ruggedized against water, dirt and dust so they are more likely to survive the desert. But you are right to consider the approach of "don't take anything you can't afford to loose". I'm no soldier, but I would imagine that things get lost, stolen, broken or shot at quite a lot out there, so there would be no point in spending a fortune on a camera, only to have it get damaged after a couple of weeks.
posted by baggers at 3:33 PM on February 15

I too would recommend a Cannon SD series. I have the 750 and I love it (see my userpage for some example pics). It's tiny, lasts a long time on a charge, and has a very well designed interface. Look around for a waterproof case to mitigate the dust issue.
posted by phrontist at 3:33 PM on February 15

Googled around and found these sites.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 3:34 PM on February 15

Olympus makes a model line of hardy rugged pocket sized digital cameras.

You basically want a camera that doesn't have a barrel lens. Or a sliding cover.

The caveat is that some of the nicer features of this camera require the stupid Olympus xD card, instead of the standard SD card.
posted by abdulf at 3:37 PM on February 15

Nthing the Olympus Stylus SW series. Waterproof, rugged, and probably sand proof.
posted by Gungho at 4:18 PM on February 15

The Panasonic TS1 might be a good choice once it becomes available.

As others have suggested, the Canon SD series is excellent.

I would also guess that being in the military is like being in college - your stuff is likely to get stolen, so don't get anything too shiny.
posted by b1tr0t at 4:24 PM on February 15

and one that uses standard batterys might help
posted by patnok at 4:28 PM on February 15

My husband is in Iraq now, I sent him off with an Olympus 1030SW that is serving him well. It's water proof, and the same stuff that keeps water out is doing a good job of keeping sand out so far.
posted by rinosaur at 5:47 PM on February 15

I use a Canon Powershot SD1100 IS and it's been wonderful. Photo quality can be seen on my Flickr page. It's smal, fits comfortably into my pocket, and is also durable. I'm pretty clumsy with my camera and it's been solid as a rock for going on a year.
posted by aloneinvietnam at 6:03 PM on February 15

The Canon Powershot SD1100 IS is also what I have and it does have an optional plastic enclosure for underwater use that pretty surely would be dust/sand proof. But cheap may be the way to go. I'd think they have better access to AC power for recharging than easy access to AA batteries. That Olympus 1030SW is looking nice.
posted by zengargoyle at 6:16 PM on February 15

I'm going to add a vote for the SW line from Olympus.

You're not going to find a camera better suited for surviving a tour of duty in the middle east that falls into the pocket size/affordable/great quality pictures for a consumer camera category.
posted by JFitzpatrick at 6:52 PM on February 15

Your brother will probably be better off with a camera that does not have a extending/retracting lens. Sand can be a huge problem for most cameras because even a few grains caught in the wrong place can prevent the lens from moving back and forth. Repairing a malfunctioning lens in Australia usually costs between $100AUD to $200AUD because repairers will just replace the entire lens assembly.

The Olympus line of shockproof and waterproof cameras (such as the MJU 1030SW) have a lens that is completely housed within the camera body. They are also more rugged than other cameras.

The camera you have linked to belongs to a class of cameras more advanced than the regular point and shoot. They're often called super-zoom or compact-zoom cameras. Because of their long zoom range, these cameras are all designed with extending/retracting lenses.

You will probably find the Nikon and Panasonic equivalent cameras easier to use than the Sony Cybershot H50. Those cameras will also have the advantage of using SD cards, which are the standard memory card format for most manufacturers.

patnok suggested finding a camera that uses AA batteries. Both single use and rechargable versions of AA batteries can pretty much be found in any part of the world. The Canon equivalent runs on 4 AA batteries.
posted by quosimosaur at 7:36 PM on February 15

Your brother will also do well with zippered camera case. Make sure it is easy to take the camera out and put it back into the case. This will reduce the likelihood of your brother getting lazy and just leaving the camera out and exposed to the elements.
posted by quosimosaur at 7:40 PM on February 15

Reviews I've read of the Pentax and Olympus waterproof cameras have been pretty mediocre for image quality. Canon is about to come out with the D10 waterproof camera, which has nice specs. Hopefully, the image quality will be better than the Pentax/Olympus.
posted by The Dutchman at 11:17 AM on February 22