Olympus Tough 6020 digital camera - initial thoughts

We needed a new "family camera" and I was getting tired of trying to dig my cell phone out of it's waterproof bag when I wanted to take a picture of a fish. To my surprise, there are quite a few waterproof digital cameras now on the market, most of them were good for taking actual underwater photos down to about 10 feet in depth. So a family camera might also work out fine as my fishing camera and I could leave the phone where it belongs...

I was in a bit of a hurry because my wife was taking a trip and wanted a new camera. My choices were limted to what was in stock in the Moncton - Saint John area. I tried out 4 or 5 models in the store and settled on the Olympus. Early reviews of this camera complained about it being slow to start up and take a picture. Some users also complained on internet forums about leaks. It looks like Olympus might have dealt with these issues in the current model, it starts fast and the first picture is done in about 3-4 seconds. I can't vouch for the leak issue - the camera is now on a plane to Newfoundland so no field testing for me until next week. I am impressed with the door and gasket system that they use to seal up the battery/memory card/USB ports. I will be very surprised if there are any problems with water.

I really like the size of this model, not much bigger or thicker then a cell phone. It also has a slick lens cover system and the lens does not extend from the body when using the zoom. I would be comfortable just dropping this in a vest or pack pocket to rattle around with fly boxes, hook sharpener, pliers, etc and I would expect nothing more then cosmetic damage.

When I get it back next week I will promptly drag it around through a stream for a day or two, bounce it off some rocks, and then post up some pictures and provide a more complete review. My initial impressions are very positive, let's see how long that lasts...