Waterproof digital camera !?!

[IK0HBN]

Hi all you,

the Buying guide of this site does not allow to search for a camera "WATERPROOFed". Instead there are a lot of other search keys, but the above it's not mentioned.
So, digging into this site and others I found the
Pentax W10, W20, W30,
the Olimpus 770SW.
Are there other brands for a medium priced waterproof digital camera?

I have read what all you have posted on this site about the above cameras and what stunned me was to find one person who felt in love with his camera and another who almost found a fish in his camera after minutes in the water while we were talking of the same model/brand!

So to choice becomes a thrill.
Thanks for the help in advance.
you can also use my email at
[email protected]
PS. I need using the camera not very deep, lets say in the range of few meters.

 

[Robert Anderson]

Two more come to mind. I don't know if they are still available. There was a Fuji BigJob and a Ricoh Caplio 500G. I have not seen reviews or photos from either one.

The Olympus and Pentax models are not really intended for underwater photography. They will take a quick dunk or splash. Neither one has an optical viewfinder. I think the image quality of both are not very good, OK for snapshots in good light, but not for large prints or low light shooting. They are small and handy to carry.

I would suggest you look at a small digicam that has really good image quality, especially in low light, and get an underwater housing for it.

 

[Peter Khor]

The Olympus and Pentax models are not really intended for
underwater photography. They will take a quick dunk or splash.

read the specs.

 

[Diopter]

All models mentioned by you make some trade-off's with image quality. Zip-Lock bag protecting your favorite camera is the simplest way to avoid such problems.

 

[IK0HBN]

Thank you for your posting.

Reading the specs on W30, it would easily stand 2 hours at 3 mt deep, but reading some complaints on this site, sometimes it ceased running after a few minutes splash...

Is it mandatory to remove Zip-lock case when taking pics out of the water? As thought to be used during my sea kayak paddling, the 80% of pics would be done out of the water, even if the risk of capsizing force me to buy somewhat of waterproofed...
I'll check the Fuji and Ricoh models mentioned above.
Any other model you know about?
Thanks to all you for your help.
Ciao
Sante

 

[Craig J]

Why not just buy a waterproof case for the camera of your choice. that way the compromises of the waterproof case are only there when you actually need that feature.

I think most manufaturers to underwater cases for their P&S.
--
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Homepage: http://microstockphoto.googlepages.com/home

 

[Tim the Grey]

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[f64]

So, digging into this site and others I found the
Pentax W10, W20, W30,
the Olimpus 770SW.
Are there other brands for a medium priced waterproof digital camera?

I have read what all you have posted on this site about the above
cameras and what stunned me was to find one person who felt in love
with his camera and another who almost found a fish in his camera
after minutes in the water while we were talking of the same
model/brand!

I own the W20 and take it in the water regularly without a problem. I am very careful to keep the gasket that seals the compartment with the SD card and battery very clean and free of particles. I bought it primarily to use while paddling my Outrigger Canoe. Picture quality is acceptable. My Canon SD550 takes much better pictures, but I decided that the housing for it was too bulky for use on my canoe. I generally keep the camera sitting on my lap (secured to my waist). I don 't want to miss an opportunity. If use while snorkeling was my primary objective, I would have bought the housing for the Canon.

Here is a shot while snorkeling this winter. It was taken at 400 asa at 1/30 of a second, which was too slow to completely stop the motion of the shark. Also, it was a very rough day out in the water and that caused considerable camera motion. It is not a good example of what this camera can produce, but it does show the noise at 400 asa.



Note: from the picture you can tell that I use this in the ocean.

The new W30 is suppose to be more waterproof than the W20. The W20 is good for only 30 minutes.

From the posts I had read, I concluded that the Olympus has better build quality, but slightly worse IQ. I still was more interested in the Olympus because it is a little smaller, but I didn't want to buy xd-cards as I had sd cards already. Hope this helps. Good luck and enjoy. I love bringing this camera with me because I never worry about the weather.

This seems to be a niche that isn't well represented.

--
Greg Koop

 

[becksi]

All models mentioned by you make some trade-off's with image
quality. Zip-Lock bag protecting your favorite camera is the
simplest way to avoid such problems.

I am just wondering, having the plastic of a ziplock bag between the lens and the subject you want to photograph does not compromise IQ?

becksi

 

[Delvo]

Why not just buy a waterproof case for the camera of your choice

Because most cameras don't have any such accessory available. The ones that do are just about as few and far between as the ones that are waterproof in the first place.

 

[Miss Sophie]

Not sure that's 100% accurate. There are several independant producers of underwater housings, and several of the major camera manufacturers produce their own. For instance, Olympus, in addition to the 770SW which in itself is waterproof to 10m, offer housings for many of their SLRs and compacts: http://www.olympus.co.uk/consumer/198_278.htm

A tip: using a 770SW in a housing gives additional safety should the housing suffer a minor leak at depth. All it takes is one tiny hair across the O-rings. Seawater is highly destructive to any electronics. With the transparent housing you can spot the leak, and with a bit of luck ascend to 10m or less and save the camera.

Sophie.

Why not just buy a waterproof case for the camera of your choice

Because most cameras don't have any such accessory available. The
ones that do are just about as few and far between as the ones that
are waterproof in the first place.

 

[Miss Sophie]

The Olympus 770SW is rated to 10m without a housing. It also holds up well to impacts and crushing.
Zip-lock bags will cause image deterioration if you shoot through the plastic.

Ewa-marine bags are a better option, but not ideal compared to waterproof camera or a proper housing.
Sophie.

Thank you for your posting.
Reading the specs on W30, it would easily stand 2 hours at 3 mt
deep, but reading some complaints on this site, sometimes it ceased
running after a few minutes splash...
Is it mandatory to remove Zip-lock case when taking pics out of the
water? As thought to be used during my sea kayak paddling, the 80%
of pics would be done out of the water, even if the risk of
capsizing force me to buy somewhat of waterproofed...
I'll check the Fuji and Ricoh models mentioned above.
Any other model you know about?
Thanks to all you for your help.
Ciao
Sante