Waterproof cameras

Lumix gets my vote but
remember, it may be waterproof but it DOES NOT FLOAT. I use a lanyard from my pfd

I have a year old one that is …
useless underwater.

Please tell me how you take underwater pictures from your boat ???

See my post above



Jack L

Got iPhone?
In case you do, add a Lifeproof case to it and there’s your point n shoot plus all the other iPhone-y things. It’s also a real case to use terrestrially.



DryCase would be another option but only for aquatic activities.



See you on the water,

Marshall

The River Connection, Inc.

Hyde Park, NY

www.the-river-connection.com

Not so sure of that

– Last Updated: Feb-17-13 4:25 PM EST –

Gopro 3 has 12 MP in resolution. The lens and software combo does favor single width, wide angle to very wide angle, which some won't like, I realize. Fogging is cured with cheap anti=fog devices. The housing is very rugged, goes down deep and the dive housings go deeper. The basic units all come with the waterproof housing as part of the package, so you don't pay extra unless you want one specifically for diving deep.

Your G15 is a $500 camera requiring another $300 underwater housing and has a 12.5 MP resolution. So at twice the price you can have a great zoom, but it's bigger and won't work as well for video nor for places where you need small light camera.

If you understand the Gopro's intended major use - video - and its secondary use - stills - you have a very versatile camera system to work with. If you want a zooming, truly waterproof still camera that might shoot short videos, then you don't go the Gopro route, something like the Canon will do better.

Just depends upon the intented use, really.

Its called not point and shoot
but point, guess and shoot. I have lots of underwater pictures of nothing.



Unless I counterbalance and get on the floor of the boat with my head in the water…which is risky on the ocean.

Pentax

– Last Updated: Feb-17-13 4:56 PM EST –

Still running my Pentax Optio Wpi 6 megapixel
and it's seen a lot of use in Michigan.
Got it the first year it came out, still works today.

The only I miss is Image Stabilization that my
buddy has on his newer model.
Kayaks wiggle a bit and it helps, a lot
http://youtu.be/_ZO3pRLO48E

Underwater shots
- use a StickyPod on bottom of kayak, with a tether.
Got awesome video of wrecks by paddling over them
near Tobermory,Ontario Canada aka Georgian Bay.
Scuba buddies were jealous.

EDITING is always the biggest pain, prepare ahead.

Pentax Optio W90
My wife used a Pentax Optio 43wr for years, and despite being the oldest model - just 4mp - it took the best pix - used 2 AA batteries and had a viewfinder! It finally died, and was replaced by a WPi that worked well, but was ripped off from my car. I now have a Pentax Optio W90, which is a decent point and shoot. As someone else noted, it doesn’t do well in auto mode in tricky lighting situations - and I really, really wish it had a screen grid to help keep horizons straight - apart from that, it’s been a trooper…



BTW - the next manufacturer to bring out an AA battery-using waterproof with a viewfinder will have one guaranteed sale…

Thanks ! You got that right and…
no one seems to understand it.



Jack L

Check out the G15 lens specs.
f1.8 to 2.8 over the 28-140 mm equivalent range of the lens.



Zoom and focus that function while the 1080p video is running. How much video depends on the size of the chip.



Small would be nice, but I can’t accept the concept of mounting a camera even that “small” on top of your head.



G15 has the best LCD screen I’ve seen.



Cost is important, but I can afford what the package actually costs.



And GoPro shot themselves in the mouth with “Hero” and “GoPro”, two of the smarmiest names since Perception Proline. What an insult to users.

Anyone using these in salt water?
I have an mid price range Olympus and it works terrible after a few outings in salt water. Always rinsed with fresh water after salt water use etc… Fresh water is a different story though. Trying to zoom in will leave you dissapointed with mid price range Olympus.IMHO. It’s tough one, depends on what you want to use it for. I will also be in the market for one soon i think.

Coolpix aw 100
I have one and have shot freshwater stills under about 8 ft of water with great success. I paid about 250 for mine.They work well above water too, I use a uv filter and it seems to help in bright light

Yes
You have to be very careful to not get any salt water into the battery/card area. The terminals corrode and/or get coated. The terminals that contact the battery and the card are easily bent and cleaning them without breaking them is difficult. All this depends on maintaining the o-rings so nothing leaks in. So the real answer is both cameras work fine but if you use either in salt water you have to be super careful.

How will you use it?
If you’re shooting surface stuff in relatively controlled conditions, I’d go with a Canon Powershot SX200, or whatever the recent version is, with a waterproof deck box. It isn’t a waterproof unit but is very compact and boasts a 12x zoom which is great for nailing wildlife shots.



I have a Go Pro for whitewater and rough ocean action but seldom use it because the case muffles sound. I have been through a series of Optios, which were decent for either handheld or deck mount, and you could also take them under with you or just hold over the side to get shots of wrecks or whatever. None of them survived much more than a year of heavy use. I switched to a Nikon AW 100 for the latest round and photo/video quality has been better.



However, in cold mountain whitewater situations, the Optios and the Nikon are subject to internal fogging, especially the Nikon. Still looking for the perfect solution.



I always biner the strap - if deck mount, do a grab loop or security bar; if handheld, to the PFD.

OK, let’s get real here

– Last Updated: Feb-18-13 9:40 AM EST –

I was formerly a pro photographer, with a 40 year history using video as well, and part of my daily work is in computer graphics. So what you could post won't be new to me at any level.

But what you're saying here is that you have a thing against Gopro and you want a zoom. So be it. It's your choice.

All I said was that Gopro works (or Canon), depending upon your prefered mode of use. I didn't run down the Canon, while you do seem to run down the Gopro.

And as for having a small camera on your head, I have the original Gopro, which is twice the size of the 3, and add the wifi back as well, and it mounts easily to a headstrap, which you forget you have on in a few minutes.

BTW, when I travel and want a simple point and shoot zoomer that fits in my hand or pocket, I do take a Canon Digital Elph of a certain vintage. I also take along an older larger Canon videocam that fits in my shorts pocket. But having tried to outfit both, as well as other cameras, for work around water or in outdoor sports, I find the Gopro far superior for kayaking, hiking, biking, etc. The Gopro is elegant for its intended uses, though not perfect.

I'll skip the opportunity to make a smarmy pun about Canon.

Re Salt Water
All three of our Pentax Optios - the 43wr, the WPi, and now the W90 - have been used mostly on salt water. I load fresh batteries and a card before heading out - so there is no need to open the battery compartment while paddling. Back ashore, I rinse the body in fresh water, dry the exterior with a soft towel, then open the battery compartment and carefully dry off the seals. I then leave the compartment open for an hour or so. Have never had a hitch with water penetration…

AW 100 and salt water
I admit to only rinsing it off with freshwater twice in an 11 day Everglades trip as fresh water is too precious.



It is working just fine three weeks later.

Right tool for the job
You won’t get this shot from a hand-held. If it were a photo instead of a video screen shot the quality would be a lot better.



I have a lot of semi-OK shots taken from a waterproof point-and-shoot that I’d never have with anything else, because I wouldn’t have had a camera with me kayaking, if it weren’t waterproof. I’ve decided I’d rather have the shot than not.

AA Bats & Optio WR
I’m with VK on the old Optio WRs. I’ve just sent mine to the box of electronics waiting to go to the landfill. It never really did die, it just stopped taking good pictures, due to wear on the lens cover. I used to carry a piece of shammy cloth to wipe the lens with, since it was always exposed and would get drops of water on the lens cover. Over thousands of shots, I ruined the lens cover with tiny scratches.



I thought those lens covers were replaceable, but I was never able to find a replacement. So, the honorable WR43 is headed for the trash. That camera made people with more expensive, better-reviewed cameras mad, because it took better pictures than they got off their newer cameras.



So, this is a timely thread as I am currently in the market for a waterproof p&s camera. AA batteries are high on my criteria. I am not finding any cameras with AA bats, other than an inexpensive Kodak unit that has limited features. I take trips where I am away from electricity, so that basically means you have to buy and carry back ups of the camera’s proprietary battery. I don’t like it.



~~Chip

It wouldn’t do the job for me. But
if I buy one and screw it on my skull, will I be a Hero and a Pro?



There were already dedicated waterproof cameras when I bought my Elph. I bought it and I put up with its additional bulk because it takes good pictures.



The G15, at the $450 I paid for it, is about a light year ahead of the Elph (which cost the same 5 years ago), will take great stills, and pretty good videos. In the waterproof case, it is bulky, no argument. But it will allow me to get good results in conditions where even my Elph can’t do the job.



The GoPros have been a solution to one problem, how to run down serious whitewater while gathering continuous video. That was never my problem, though I sometimes enjoy seeing videos of streams where stopping for stills would be very difficult.

What I’ve done with the lens covers on
my ancient Minolta Weathermatic 35, and on the waterproof case for my digital Canons, is to blow really hard on them and then give them a moment to dry. In bad circumstances, I clean them with the tip of my tongue, slosh the camera in the river, and then blow to clear off residual drops. I haven’t had a problem with the lens covers wearing, not even the coated cover on the Canon waterproof case.



It helps if the lens cover is large enough. A small cover can be hard to clear with any method.