Panasonic FT3 rugged GPS compact now shipping in UK

Murphy's Law I guess - what can go wrong will go wrong - surely true with geotagging. Forgot to synchronize camera and datalogger time? Summer time discrepancy ? All the photos on one spot on the map? Well in this case it is the news that the new Panasonic FT3 ruggedness GPS travel camera will be shipped by Amazon the day AFTER we returned from Paris!

I'll have to find another UK location to test out the FT3.

Still no sign of the Panasonic FT3 due March 2011

The UK is havng some excellent Spring sunshine at the moment. That only makes it worse that the FT3 rugged compact with GPS built in is still not being shipped here. Must be delayed by the sunami problems in Japan. Just a guess but I understand that Panasonic factories are near the area affected. So, the Easter test of the FT3 will have to wait. Shame.

New Panasonic Waterproof Camera with GPS - FT3

Currently waiting for the new FT3 Panasonic compact to arrive. Was scheduled for March release but Japan's sunami problems must have delayed the launch date. It's currently scheduled for delivery during April by Amazon UK.

What makes this camera stand out for me? Well my go to camera at the moment is the excellent Panasonic GF1. True it doesn't have built in GPS but with my Sony GPS logger it still makes for the most compact travel camera with close to DSLR quality images. I was so impressed that I seriously considered selling all my Nikon DSLR kit.

Back to the FT3. As a potential replacement for my Nikon P6000 (GPS) camera it has pros and cons:

Pros: Smaller, lighter, hopefully quicker GPS satellite lock, waterproof, shockproof, full HD movie and 3D shooting, built in altimeter, compass and barometer.

Cons: One handed shooting not as secure, no data upload via ethernet cable, no ability to add lens attachments for super wide or telephoto.

It all comes down to how the camera is to be used. Now I have a GPS logger with the GF1 it is not a huge difference in size from the P6000 to take out for serious travel photography or survey work. So, the FT3 is a better choice to have in the backpack/pocket/briefcase for those moments when you see great photographic opportunities but that wasn't the primary mission. Looking forward to testing the FT3 out on a travel trip to Paris.