Garmin Oregon 550T navigates and photographs the great outdoors

With a built-in 3.2MP digital camera, you may not have to lug a separate camera with you on your hikes.

(Credit: Garmin)

Garmin has just announced its newest outdoor handheld GPS units, the Oregon 550 and 550t.

The new units pack a 3-inch, color touch screen and a high-sensitivity GPS chipset into a rugged, waterproof casing that should withstand the bumps and splashes of Mother Nature.

Not only will the Oregon 550/550t get you where you're going, it will also help you remember what you saw while you were there. A 3.2-MP autofocus digital camera is wedged into the mix, so you can capture photos of the great outdoors. We haven't seen any test photos to discern the quality of the camera, but as soon as we get our hands on a unit, we'll let you know if it's any good!

The Oregon 550/550t automatically geotags the location of each photo taken, as a GPS device with a camera built into it should. A microSD card slot makes sure you always have space for one more shot.

The unit also features a built-in three-axis electronic compass with tilt-compensation, so it doesn't rely on motion to know which way you're pointed. A barometric altimeter helps keep track of the altitude and certain weather conditions. According to Garmin, you can also wirelessly share routes, tracks, waypoints, and geocaches with other select Garmin devices.

The Oregon 550t is available now and comes preloaded with detailed U.S. 100K topographic mapping for $599.99. The 550 forgoes topographic data for the lower price of $499.99.