I'm thinking of replacing my Canon A520 and from research here and on camera sites have determined the the Canon S100 and Olympus TG-1 seem to be the best-regarded in the ~$350 range. Where they seem to differ:

Manual mode/shooting with RAW: S100 yes, TG-1 no

Ruggedized: S100 no, TG-1 yes

Projected battery life: TG-1 wins

Currently I carry my camera in a Pelican 1010 case strapped to my hipbelt. If I got the Olympus I could ditch the case. While that's appealing, I'd lose all ability to fiddle with settings. Admittedly I don't use manual mode all that much with my current camera, but I do use it some, and I don't know if I'd miss it. Plus, while I've never had a camera that shot RAW, I understand that's the best format if you want to actually print photos, and that seems like a good feature to have.

What do you knowledgeable camera people think?

"Plus, while I've never had a camera that shot RAW, I understand that's the best format if you want to actually print photos, and that seems like a good feature to have. "

I've been using Canon digitals since 2002, and about 99.99% of everything I shoot is RAW.

If you have a dead-perfect eye for exposure, and if you have the ability to fool around a lot at the shot time, bracket exposures a lot, and really take some time with it, then maybe you do not need RAW.

OTOH, most of us find RAW files to be handy so that you can tweak in your exposure (or other factors) at the time of the processing at the computer. I've found that I can tweak exposures by a small fraction of a stop and get good results. If I need to tweak it a lot, then I screwed up too much at the time of the shoot. If I have to correct a RAW file by 1 stop, that is serious. Two stops is ridiculous. Keep in mind that you can still hide a multitude of sins from within Photoshop.

--B.G.--

I bought the Oly TG-1 along with the FCON lens, a CPL filter, and the 40m underwater case to use for my Carribean diving tour last month. This is my first truely waterproof camera.

Pretty pleased so far not only with its underwater performance but as a nature/vacation camera too. Yes, the camera has no manual exposure control except for ISO. BUT, the multiple Oly exposure programs/scene modes seem to be quite intelligent and can nail exposure in most common scenes. The low light program works exceedingly well indoors for example. The Sports, Macro, HDR and Panorama modes work well too. Photos show excellent color reproduction but if you are not happy with the results the included Oly software allows for extensive non-destuctive post-processing of the JPEGs.

The fisheye lens is not strongly distorted, but still allows for cool perspective. I have not used CPL filter much, mainly because I have found it difficult to attenuate with only viewing the LCD in the lighting conditions it calls for! But I think it will come in handy as an faux ND filter to get those "creamy" flowing water river shots since there is no manual control over shutter speed. Now that I am back in Japan I will soon get the TCON lens to play with the extensive portait functions to see how much bokeh I can get out of the lens/sensor.

All that said, IMO the PRIMARY RATIONAL for buying this camera is for use in/near the water. Yes, it is "tough" but it is not indestructible and the LCD/lens still needs babying to prevent scratches and abrasions. But being waterproof opens up a whole range of creative possibilites for pics that can't be done with other cameras.

Edited by rmjapan on 08/28/2012 15:59:48 MDT.

Photokina is on next month.
Some new releses will make to the shelves for xmas, so it may be worth waiting for that.
Franco
(Photokina is the largest photo gear exibition, biennial)