Product Review: Olympus X-560WP

I have had 2 of Olymus' water proof cameras before purchasing the X-560. Both of my previous Olympus cameras were the $200 models. I purchased the X-560 as my 'fun' camera. Just something to have handy while paddling, with the kids, and just to have handy. I have seen them online for about $65-$70. I purchased mine at Wal-Mart for $49.

This camera runs on a rechargeable lithium battery and takes a XD card or the Mini SD with the converter. The camera comes with the battery charger, wrist strap, battery, card converter, software, usb cable, and RCA cables.

Now the most appealing part of this camera is the price. If you compare this camera to the more expensive versions, you will quickly see where they trimmed the costs. The back of the camera is plastic where as most of the other waterproof Olympus cameras are all metal or thicker plastic. This one is not crush proof because of it.

The screen on the camera is not the best quality. While the camera takes 10mp photos, the screen does not have that quality. You can play back pictures and see what you are pointing it at, so the screen does it's job in that regards.

This camera also takes video. The video option is not the best. It records as an .avi file. There are no speakers on the camera, so when you play back the video on the camera its' self, you will not be able to hear the sound. This is a little troublesome.

Here is a sample of the video this camera produces.

All in all, I feel that this camera is worth the price. It is waterproof up to 10ft, has 3x optical zoom, different photo settings, and the basic features of other cameras. When set to the 10mp mode, the pictures come out great. You would never know that it came from a "cheap" camera.

If your looking for an affordable, durable camera... I think this one will work for you.

Here is a post with some pictures from the X-560wp

Plan B

Well, I had all the time in the world today...so I planned a trip down the Nippersink. The morning was all on schedule. We had one turn to go before we got to the launch, then I would take the 15 mile trip down the creek and meet back up with my ride later in the day. We came around the last bend to find that the bridge was out at the creek. The launch was just around the bend over the bridge. The only way to get to the other side was to go down around the south side of Wonder Lake and come around the other side of the lake. So that's where we went.

My excitement got the best of me. We were all spun around trying to make our way through neighborhoods and we came to Nippersink Creek. I didn't know where on the creek I was, but I got in and sent my ride on his way. The creek was moving pretty good and I was stoked to be on my way to a great trip. Then the creek opened up a little and I saw some pontoon boats docked behind some houses on my right..... That's when I realized I was on the wrong side of the dam. Nippersink comes from the West INTO Wonder Lake then continues North. At the north end of Wonder Lake is a dam.

I didn't loose hope. I paddled into Wonder Lake and headed North to the dam. It was a hot weekend day, so the Lake was pretty busy with jetskis and power boats. I kept my distance and kept cutting the wakes till I got to the dam.

The dam is county property and was fenced with "No Trespassing" signs all over. I jumped out for a second and looked down the hill to see more fences... it was over.

LUCKILY, Wonder Lake is HUGE and I had never been there before. Plan B was now in effect and I was going to be on the lake for the day, so I made the best of it.

Right in the middle of the lake, there were a few sailboats running a course. I was right next to them as they came around. It was pretty cool. The far south side of the lake dropped to about a foot deep. There were no homes, no boats, and no waves in this section. It was so peaceful and a nice break from the 2 hour paddle around the busy lake. There were also fish getting riled up as I passed through. All you could see was the black mud get turned up as they swam away.

I gave my ride a call after I found a place to sneak off the lake. I had about an hour left in making it all the way around the lake at that point. I crossed over a few pretty big wakes and the old canoe took them pretty well.

Although the original plan fell through, the back up turned out to be quite enjoyable. I sent about 3 hours making my way through the chop and around the lake. There were a lot of fishing flying out of the water and I saw my friend Blue Heron again. I don't think I would have made it out onto Wonder Lake (I think you need to have a city permit) if I didn't accidentally get stuck out there today. I am glad that it all worked out. After talking to some folks and looking at Google Maps, it looks like you can portage around the dam. Down the hill past the "No Trespassing" signs and across county property. You can get onto the Nipper from Wonder Lake, but just use Keystone Landing and life will be much easier.

Paddling the Shallows

We braved the 95 degree weather and made it out on the Fox River. We dropped in at Voyager's Landing under 90 and headed North.

This was one of the first sections of the Fox that I paddled last year. It was cool to see how far I have come since then. Last year, I paddled to West Dundee and that was a LONG paddle for me. This year, we paddled strong past West Dundee and hit the old bridge at the factory in Carpentersville.

L.L. Bean has starts their kayak rental trips from Voyagers Landing and there was a group headed out as we hit the water. We fell in behind them, then quickly moved through the group. They have some nice yaks in that line up!

Right away we saw some Hawks. There were 3 of them and one was very close. It was flying from tree to tree so we really got to see him in detail.

We entered the quicker moving section of the river and made good time into West Dundee. The water is quick and shallow through here. I was working the paddle more as a pole than I was paddling. Between the rt 73 bridge and the Main street bridge, there is a lot of birds and jumping fish. A few fish hit the side of the boat and really gave us a good scare. You could also walk across the river in this area.

The current got really low and quick once we got to the old factory bridge. We tried one side of the island, but got spun around and we ducked back down around the other side to give it another go. We didn't get any further that way either. There is a dam not too much further than this bridge, so we decided to let the current win and we surrendered.

Part of my bribery today was that we had to visit a playground on the trip. This also played a factor in why we paddled this section. Just south of West Dundee is South Park. There is a nice playground, shade, and bathrooms at this park. It is easy to paddle to and there is a ramp at one end and large stone steps at the other. The water was very low so we beached it under a tall tree. I didn't realize how deep the mud was until I was ankle deep in it.

We spent a lot of time on the water today. We stayed cool on a super hot day and it was well worth getting out there. It is great to forget about time and just paddle till you can't paddle any more.

Border Crossing

I continued my journey up the Fox River this morning. I started where I left off on the Heron Run portion. I dropped in at rt 173 at the State Park then headed north. It was nice and overcast, so the sun wasn't blaring down on me yet.

The section of the Fox from 173 to the state line is a nice mix of homes and nature. There were a lot of fallen trees that added to the beauty of the shoreline. I saw some Herons, but nothing like the section of river to the south.

In mile 2, I crossed into Wisconsin. If it wasn't for the sign, I would not have known that I made the cross over. Nothing changed much on the shore or in the river. This area of the Fox was very slow moving so heading into the current was never an issue. The only time you realized there was a current is when you stopped for a second and your boat would start to slowly spin.

There was a lot to look at as I got further into Wisconsin. I came across a few massive trees that had fallen into the river, making a very cool sculpture of limbs. There was also a section that I came to that had very high banks that separated the river from a corn field. I could smell the corn when I got around the bend there. It was pretty interesting.

I also came across a very shallow lily pond on the East side of the river. I paddled in a few hundred feet and saw some very nice lily flowers. I also came across some fish hiding in the mud. They kicked up some murky water as I came close to them.

I spun my trip around as I came to the Wilmont Raceway on the West side of the river. It was starting to drizzle also at this point. It wasn't enough to scare me back, but it was time to head back down with the current. As I was turning around, I came across a snapping turtle that was floating in the water. He was huge so I kept my distance.

This area was a pleasure to paddle. It was very quite and peaceful. There was one portion that I coasted through and didn't even hear the birds for a few seconds. It doesn't get any more quite than that!

Heron Run

This week I made it out to the Fox River in the Chain-O-Lakes State Park. This was one of the first places I paddled the Fox last season. It was not the most interesting section for me last season, but it was different this time.

I dropped in at the boat launch in the State Park and headed north. This section is all cattails and calm water. The river still has a nice flow to it, but nothing like the tight sections down river. Around each bend was more cattails... until I started to pay attention to the Herons. I first noticed 2 white herons together on the first bend. Then there was a Blue Heron on the next stretch. Then I came across a red faced Heron type bird. I do not know what it was and I have had some trouble finding it online.

Now, the Heron has become my paddling mascot because we see one almost every time we go out. On a good paddle, we see about 1-4 of them. On this paddle, I was 3 turns in and I had already seen 10. I was following a flock of 3 of them, but I only counted them once. There is always something that stands out on a trip and I quickly realized that this was going to be the 'Heron Run'.

I saw quite a few of these brown birds with red faces. They were a lot less skittish than the White and Blue Herons. They had a very prehistoric look to them, which gave the hole section a little different feel. I felt that I was going to come around a bend and see a brontosaurus bathing in the river.

It was all cattails until I got to the north end of the park and came up to the 173 bridge. The river looked like it got more wooded and interesting at that point. I was fighting the light, so I turned around at the bridge. I think I may launch in this section next time and head to Wisconsin.

So how many Herons did I see on this trip? 30. That is no lie or exaggeration. I was just as surprised while I was counting them. I didn't count any on the way back either!

First Official Paddle on the Pink Kayak

Lake Atwood was calling us last weekend. The sun was out and the breeze was on vacation so we headed out to the clearest lake in the area. This was the first official trip for the lil' pink yak.

We dropped in at the launch and joined the few other kayaks out on the lake. Lake Atwood is all about the clarity. This was the clearest that I have ever seen. You could see 10 feet into the lake. There were a ton of blue gills and trout to look at. Some of the trout were pretty big too!

We paddled the whole lake and doubled back through the little gap on the north side of the lake. We had a little practice paddling around fishing lines and around other paddlers. The little pink boat got some real attention.

It wasn't long before Kiara took off ahead of me looking for fish. She got the hand of things really quickly. She was turning and guiding the kayak like a pro.

There were a few times that she took a break and hung on to the main ship...lol. There are times that I wish I had a larger paddler to hang on to so I could power through the tough spots. That would come in handy!

So the first trip was a success and she said she had a lot of fun. I think this last picture solidifies that. A few more trips out on Lake Atwood and maybe another trip to Busse Woods and this little one will be ready for the slow moving section of the creek.

Just One More Bend

I think I have found one of the things that I love most about paddling. It's the curves. I find myself drawn to rivers, creeks, and connected lakes more than just a large round lake. I was curious why that was. I like the sense of adventure and I like to try and put some miles down, but I could not tell you why exactly the winding rivers and creeks appealed to me.

This last trip to Busse Woods I realized that it was the curves of the shore that had my interest. I love the wonderment and suspense of not knowing what is around the next bend. They also act as a milestone. "I will just paddle up to this next point", then I see that the NEXT peninsula is in sight..... "well that next one isn't far. I will paddle up to that next one" and so on and so on.

The turns, points, bends, coves, peninsulas, bays, and obstructions are what keep my attention when paddling. I am not saying that the big oval lakes are not beautiful and fun, but the tight windy rivers connecting them are what I have fallen in love with.

Busse Woods

We made it out to Busse Woods today and we had NO TIME CONSTRAINTS!! This may be the first time that I was able to get out and not have to worry about getting off the water. This was our first trip out to Busse and it was just as I expected. The weather was great. It was overcast so the sun wasn't beating down on us. There was also a breeze. It was a 85 degree breeze, but it was still a breeze.

We dropped in right by the rentals and headed north. We passed a lot of fisherman and there was one line that I almost clipped. I saw it at the last second and hit the brakes. We passed under rt 72 and headed into the shallows.

North of 72 was very quite and peaceful. We dipped into the first cove on the east side and met a crazy fish. He was flopping out of the shallow water. He came right up to the boat and I was a little nervous that he was going to jump in! He ducked back under the weeds and swam away, so we moved further north.

We saw both a Blue Heron and a White Heron sitting in neighboring trees. It was pretty cool to see both birds in the same area. The Heron has become our unofficial paddle mascot, as we see one every time we are out. Up into the next little lake we saw quite a few more White Herons in the very shallow water. We didn't go too far into this lake because of the shallows...

We headed back south down the east side of the lakes. We came across the "poop tree". There is a bald tree that must be a hot spot for the birds because everything under that tree was covered in bird poop. I mean it was COVERED in poop.

We made it down to the dam at the South Pool then headed back to the launch. I didn't get very close the the South Pool dam because I could hear the water falling from about 100 yards. I didn't want to be anywhere near that.

Past the North Pool dam (far less noisy) we came around the final bend of our trip. We found a huge fallen tree and stopped for a photo. We were really able to get deep into the branches. It was pretty cool.

I really liked Busse Woods. It is about 40 minutes from our house and it was large enough to make an adventure out of. I liked that it was a lot of little lakes and channels. There was plenty of wildlife to watch also. This made it to the top of my list.