The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT30
Time to test the new camera, this is going to be my take anywhere tough cookie. It is waterproof and shockproof - so slime-proof and sand-proof by default, it even takes underwater photos.
It's smaller and lighter than my previous camera and even my phone and set me back £105 so didn't break the bank and saved money will go on a DLSR. Time to test the photo quality.
Chub photo, a bit washed out but factory setting aren't great for something that is shiny and wet, need to play with the exposure.
First things first, try and catch a fish! Wandering along scouring the bottom with polaroids I spotted a
monster barbel - that would be perfect! But she ignored the bait and even the free samples...
I dragged myself away and soon found a shoal of chub and landed a
4lb 14oz fish. My best from the river for a few years and not the biggest in the shoal! My first test subject.
Better but exposure still too high.
A bit of wandering about and I spotted a couple of barbel grubbing up the bottom, both looked about 5 or 6 pound. Test subject number two?
One nailed the bait straight away and after a cracking fight went
7lb 10oz - they are really piling on the weight - I wondered how big the
monster I spotted was?
Exposure set to -1 to show the details in the scales, I'll keep tweaking it but this looks like a pretty good daytime photo.
I continued fish spotting but they were proving elusive, I did manage two little splashers - they spooked the bigger fish but provided test subjects three and four...
I was pretty happy with the results, same sort of quality as my old Lumix but hopefully it'll be harder to break this one. I'd run out of daylight, time for home - just a quick stop off to see if the
monster barbel from earlier wanted to play...