Prior to Christmas 2009 all the photo's on here were shot with a Fujifilm FinePix S5600 Ultra Zoom digital camera, this is a fairly bulky 5 Megapixel camera with a 10x Optical Zoom lens (38 - 380mm equivalent) and a 1.8" screen. (If you want more info on the FinePix S5600 there is a full review here) . It was a neat camera that took great pix but for the type of pictures I take (mainly out on a bike) it was too big and cumbersome and as a result it often got left at home. Based on this I was on the lookout for something better but smaller...
Enter the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ6....I picked up one of these over the Christmas break and ever since then all the photo's you see on here have been taken with this little baby. It's a 10.1 Megapixel 'Ultra Compact Super Zoom' camera with an f=4.1-49.2mm (25-300mm in 35mm equivalent) LEICA DC VARIO-ELMAR lens and a large 2.7" TFT LCD Display. The pictures are the the proof as all the pictures you see here have had no post-processing done whatsoever so are 'as-is', give or take the odd 'crop' (but that's rare)
Size wise its perfect for slipping into a Camelbak or a jacket pocket at 103.3 x 59.6 x 32.8 mm so as a result it gets taken out on every ride.
For more info on this camera there is a full review here.
I've tried carrying this while out on the bike in a variety of ways, my preferred choice was in a Chest Pouch attached to my Camelbak straps but I couldn't find anything suitable to hold the camera due to its small size, the closest I found was a Blackhawk 'Tactical Ops' magazine pouch which was the perfect size but offered no padding or weatherproofing.
My searching eventually led me to a Berghaus E-case Large which I believe is marketed at carrying GPS devices and is a hard protective case that you can open with one hand and has a pull out rain cover, plus loads of fixing options. I slung to one side the various straps and fixed it to the waistbelt on my Camelbak so it sits right on my hip and out the way of my legs while I'm pedalling but still staying accessible for those 'out on the trail' photo opportunities.
When I get back to the ranch the Lumix gets plugged into a Samsung NC-10 Netbook to dump and resize/rename the photo's and also to write this blog with. The Netbook is neat, has a long battery life and great Wi-Fi and most importantly it matches my TV
The 'Old Toy'
The 'New Toy'
Berghaus E-case (Large)
Samsung NC-10 Netbook
