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Sunday 2 August 2015

Tech special: These cameras want adventure

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By Harpreet Kaur Sapra |Posted 02-Aug-2015

They'll accompany you on your bunjee jump, deep-sea dive and the climb up that steep mountain. The gadgets that come handy when your smartphone stays back in the locker

With a decent in-built cameras in your smartphone, you may find little need to invest in a camera. However, on adventure trips, you'd rather have a sturdy, waterproof camera meant for in extreme conditions instead of a delicate cellphone. The gadgets are designed to withstand windy conditions on a fast moving bike, capture moments under water and are break proof (to a certain extent). Here's a list of cameras you can invest in before you go bungee jumping or snorkelling.

GoPro Hero4If you want to strap a camera around your head and jump off a mountain, then this is the camera for you. Rated as one of the best action cameras, GoPro Hero4 is small, light, aero/hydro-dynamic and tough. The series consists of two models, Black and Silver. The more expensive Black shoots 4K videos at 30 frames per second and 1080p videos at 120 fps. Silver, which looks identical, is comparatively slower, but has an LCD screen, which is great for lining up shots or reviewing them on the move. You can adjust the settings using the touchscreen.

GoPro Hero4

The waterproof housing of the camera is rated down to 131 feet deep, which is good enough for your scuba dives too. You can use the side buttons to adjust modes — video, photo or multi-shot — and views — ultra wide, medium and narrow. It comes with  Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, which is used to connect your camera to its app on your iOS or Android smartphone.

It can also connect to GoPro Smart Remote, which enables you to see a live view of what the camera is recording using an app. GoPro Hero4 can be mounted anywhere, but, the camera is a battery guzzler, with an active life of around 90 minutes with the Wi-Fi on. However, the camera is not enough. Be prepared to shell out a few more thousand for the accessories.

Cost: Rs 34,000 – Rs 42,000

Olympus Tough TG3The Tough TG3 is a compact digital camera that sports full protection against water, sand and accidental falls. It is waterproof up to 500 feet deep, drop proof from a height of 7 feet, freeze proof to -10 degree Celsius, and can take up to 100 kg of weight. It can fit in your pocket and is easy to operate using a single hand.

Olympus Tough TG3

The lens has a fast f/2 aperture for a better low-light photography, allowing for a faster shutter speed at lower ISO, making it great for under-water photography.

The BSI CMOS sensor or  Back-Side Illuminated sensor makes it more responsive to low light and reduces noise in your pictures.The quick autofocus system captures all the action and the macro mode to capture pictures of tiny insects and flowers.The Tough TG3 is fitted with a GPS, a Wi-Fi and an e-compass feature. So, the camera can record where and when the picture was taken as per latitude and longitude.

Even with the camera off, the Wi-Fi gives instant gratification by letting you share your pictures online.

The 3-inch LCD screen lets you toggle the various functions right from the screen, select between video, photo, playback and set-up, and change the modes — sequential (7.5fps for 2 seconds), Hi1 (15fps for 6 seconds) and Hi2 (50fps for 2 seconds).

Cost: Rs 20,999 onward

Nikon 1 AW1AW1 is a 14-megapixel mirrorless camera that is good enough to swim with you in the water to a depth of 49 feet for 60 minutes.

Nikon 1 AW1

It survives a drop of up to 6.6 feet on a hard surface. The AW1 roughly weights 300 gm with a compact size of 4x2.9x1.5 inches. It allows you to click pictures in both formats, JPEG and RAW, and record videos at 1920x10180p at 60fps with stereo audio.

The controls let you select between various modes — full manual, aperture, shutter priority and 1200fps for a slow motion playback. It also has an in-built land GPS.

AW1 accepts any of the 1 NIKKOR lens for land use, but for underwater use, you'll have to invest in 1 NIKOOR AW 10mm f/2.8 or 1 NIKKOR AW 11-27.5mm f/3.5-5.

Cost: Rs 39,950


Source: Tech special: These cameras want adventure

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