Camera for "rough" conditions.

[JonasDK]

Hello ladies and gentlemen.

I registered here because I know nothing about digital cameras, besides how to use one =) And my experience tells me that asking the pro's before i buy electronics, usually makes me end up being happier about my purchase. This is where you come in ;)

So here goes. I am off to Afghanistan in a while, and i am therefore looking for a camera that can take some beating.

Waterproof, dust-proof, able to handle the temperature. Also if it was able to capture videos in high resolution, that would be a huge plus. AND a camera that i can still use when i get back home.

I realise that my demands might be a bit over the top, as I have no idea what the standards are in today's modern digital cameras.

This might be a religious question for you guys as you all have your favourite brands and so on, but i hope that you can help me in my search.

Thank you in advance

Jonas

[SmartWombat]

Olympus or Pentax - both make rugged waterproof cameras.
Handling the temperature will be a problem as battery charge lifetime decreases with temperature.
You'd probably need spare batteries that you could keep out of direct sun.

[snoid]

A Pentax K7 fits what your asking. It's about as small as an aspc DSLR can be.
Get an extra battery or 2.
The camera and kit lens(18-55) is weather proof. It also does acceptable HD video.
A reasonably priced WR 50-200 is also available.

PS Keep the lens cap on when not in use. Blowing sand is hell on coatings and glass.

[SmartWombat]

Hmm, not so sure on the K7, it has to be water proof not water resistant?
And dust is the real killer - that means internal focussing and zooming lenses.
And shock, if you go to ground with a dSLR, it's likely to be toast.
The ruggedised waterproof cameras will take a beating and still work.

[OldClicker]

Also consider whether you want a camera with proprietary rechargeable batteries or standard AA/AAA. – TF

[Greg McCary]

I use the olympus E3. Even though it doesn't do video I would recommend it for rough use. I have put mine through heck and back and it hasn't got a scratch to speak of. You might also consider a film camera for a back up. One that doesn't require batteries to work.

[Photo-John]

Welcome to the site, Jonas. You don't say whether you're looking for a pocket camera or something more sophisticated. Can you tell us a little more? Did you want a point-and-shoot or a more powerful camera? How much are you planning to spend? I assumed you were looking for a point-and-shoot camera but obviously, some of the other folks here think you might want a digital SLR.

There are a whole bunch of waterproof, dustproof, shockproof point-and-shoot cameras available now. That category really took off in the past 12 months. I wrote a buyer's guide for them, which you can see here:

Outdoor And Waterproof Digital Cameras >>

That guide needs to be updated because a whole bunch of new cameras have come out since it was published. That being the case, here's an article I just wrote about the latest batch of waterproof digital cameras:

Waterproof Digital Cameras At PMA 2010 >>

I've also been testing the newest Pentax, Casio and Olympus waterproof point-and-shoots. If you check our underwater photography articles category you'll find a couple of hands-on articles about the Olympus and Pentax:

Underwater Photography news & Articles >>

I hope that helps. I think the waterproof point-and-shoot cameras are the obvious choice. But if you're looking for more, please let us know.