I love to see the world at 21mph. There are so many interesting things to see when you are on a bike, but for years it wasn’t so easy to take along a camera, let alone snap a good photo whilst riding.
With the advent of high quality camera-phones, I have become a bit of a photographer too, and I have taken thousands of pictures in last few years. Most of my digital pictures merely document where I’ve been or what I’m doing but, every once in a while, I get a great shot. Every once in a while, I get that photo that ends up as the wallpaper on my computer for the next few months, but most of the time I end up with photos I wouldn’t share with the world.
In fact, I’ve gotten so used to documenting things with pictures that I am starting to wish I had a more serious camera than what I get from my phone. Part of this is that the camera phone isn’t a substitute for a good camera, but a good camera isn’t something I’ve wanted to bring along. All this made me excited to see that Pentax has come out with a camera that fits this idea.
I’m seriously considering getting one of these rugged little adventure cameras such as the Optio WG-1. It seems rugged enough for my serious outdoor adventures, but still is better than anything on a mobile phone. First of all, it is waterproof to 30 ft which is excellent because, as an occasional scuba diver, I know that below that depth, lighting is kind of an expensive proposition anyway. I can stop buying those disposable waterproof cameras which I always leave in my luggage for a few months before getting developed.
But better still, if I’m out cycling, I don’t have to worry about bagging it every time a thundercloud shows up. It can take a hit if I drop it, which isn’t that hard to do at 21mph. It can take 14 MegaPixel pictures and HD movies plus has a 5 X optical zoom. One really cool thing is the microscope feature making super closeup shots possible, not that I need to take pictures of insects, but it is a good feature to have because off the bike you never know what you might see.