What is the best compact digital camera to user during MTB trips? My aging Canon IXUS 400 doesn't perform well in low light and there is no sports mode or continuous shooting – typically I get a nice shot of a moving rider framed, press the shutter and nothing happens for about 2 seconds, by which time the rider has gone.

All reviews and forums seem to love the Panasonic Lumix TZ7 – any STW members use one? If so what do you think? If not, what else do you recommend?

Thanks

i'm going for one of these – love Lumix cameras. this is tough, waterproof and shoots HD – do some vimeo or youtube searches to see mbt footage!

i know you didn't ask for tough ones, i just thing it would be prudent – happy to let the kids mess with it also.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-Lumix-FT1-Digital-Camera/dp/B001T0H03A

pjbarton, I have that, great little camera, I even use it as a helmet cam.

Canon G10 or, for those with a bargain-hunting streak, the G9.
Heavier than your average point-and-shoot, but makes much, much better pictures, faster, at genuinely higher resolution, and built to last.

Olympus also do properly waterproof Mju which, while it won't be optically as good as the Canon or employ any fancy software or hardware to make better pictures, can actually take more than acceptable pictures underwater.

rs – that's great to get real feedback – how did you attach it if you don't mind me asking…
(sorry for slight hijack)

£220 here…

http://www.buyacamera.co.uk/xsearch.asp?searchtype=Name&searchfor=PANASONICLUMIXFT1&pt=f

As BelgiumBob suggest – I have a Canon G10 for proper pictures / sedate rides and an Olympus mju 1050sw (waterproof/shockproof etc) for proper rides. Both work great, bought from camerabox.com

my olympus mu sw is tough as boots and takes good pics

you can take lots of pics on multiple shot mode tho this aint great in low light but only a problem on multishot
white balance is ok but perfectly useable
antishake lets you take pics as you ride which is nice
the underwater pics are excellent too very impressed with that
overall i freakin love it!
as a destroyer of electrical kit it is as tough as you can get imho

Had a TZ5 for over a year. Great camera, pretty good on burst mode, HD is pretty good but the sound is 8khz mono – I know the TZ7 is stereo which would make a great improvement. A little bulky for pockets but I use the soft case and fit that on my camelbak belt.

The tough Lumix looks more user friendly for MTBing. If you can keep it in a chest pocket or something you'd use it more often. Haven't seen image/vid quality though. Mine has 10x zoom which is great – wouldn't want less than that now having got used to it.

oh the zoom could be better on the mu but i guess thats the price you pay for it being so slim and tough

pjb, this is the mount i had knocked together (with old camera), came off the end of an old monopod i never used. works really well and the Panasonic is a million times better than the Olympus 850SW I had before for pretty much everything.

Another Mju user here. Tough as a tough thing, really easy to use and did I mention tough as a tough thing? Pics are great as well. Not too good in low light, but then what is? (Apart from lugging the EOS and flash around on a ride!)

rs.

You ride round with that bolt sticking through there?

Do you have a deathwish?

I keep meaning to get a shorter one, haven't been impaled yet though, I figure the visor is more likely to rip off than impale me though and it would have to go through the shell of the helmet and the inside stuff.

I have a TZ7 and use it in burst mode for mountain biking and skiing action shots, it really takes excellent pictures.

it would have to go through the shell of the helmet and the inside stuff.

That would happen a lot easier than you think. A bolt of that size would put a huge amount of force into a very small area.

Just cut the bolt flush with the bottom of the wingnut.

Thanks for all the replies. Just checked out Lumix TZ7 vids on YouTube – impressed!

TZ7 is brilliant for performance. I like my slightly out of date Canon Ixus 800 though, because it's completely unkillable- titanium shell and decent water resistance. It's been down the front for Bad Religion gigs, left out in a field at Tyndrum overnight in the rain, dropped out of my pocket on Spooky Woods, then my brother took it round the world and filled it with australian sand fines and cuban rain. Still works a charm. But, the pic quality isn't up to the same standard as some of the newer offerings, and it's a little slow.

Canon G10 – by a mile. I use a G9 and it's very tough, very well made and takes excellent pictures. Goes everywhere now and I never use the 1Ds anymore.