Waterproof cameras

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.

Panasonic Lumix TS


I’ve had a TS-3 about 2 years and used it in Class II and Class III whitewater with great success for HD movies and stills. It has taken a beating on rocks and survided some pretty turbulent Class III flips and swims.



The advantage it has over the GoPro my buddies use it that I can be 20 feet away in the eddy and still get a full frame shot. If they aren’t withing 5 to 15 feet with the GoPro, the wide angle really pushes the subject away. I’ve also watched a case break open on the Upper Nantahala, another camera lost on the Hiwassee, and a Lifecase get knocked off a mount in the last year. I tether mine to my PFD and hand hold to shoot – or occasionally take a small tripod.



Jim

new Canon Coolpix AW 110

– Last Updated: Mar-01-13 3:34 PM EST –

I am also shopping for one...I am considering the new version of the Nikon Coolpix AW100 just out, the AW 110. Looks good on paper and the reviews of the AW 100 were generally quite good.The AW110 is expensive ($350) for a point-and-shoot with a so-so sensor, but has GPS, Wifi-connectivity, and what looks like good general functionality. Specs for depth and drop resistance seem to be enhanced from the AW100. I'm not sure that the changes are worth an extra $120 or so from the AW100, though.
Edit: Sorry, should have been Nikon, not Canon, in title.

as soon as you buy it it becomes
outdated.



Soon we will have no more dedicated cameras. The chief “gripe” I have with the AW 100 is the GPS eats the battery and the flare when the sun is in front of you even remotely.



A 40.5 mm filter fixed the latter. The GPS feature is not something I use for trips. Often I have no recharge capability for one or two weeks.

Did Canon buy Nikon? -:wink:

– Last Updated: Mar-04-13 11:39 PM EST –

Tha AW Coolpix is a Nikon (not Canon).

That aside, my friend has one and, while it makes decent pictures and has a nice screen, his fogs-up way too much. He also has an older Pentax that flooded patially for no apparent reason. We went to all the same places and my Sony TX5 (a veeery old model by now) had no issues, knock on wood. That little camera I carry in my PFD pocket often and it has seen lots of snorkeling and rolling and white water and is still going good despite the scratched-up metal exterior...

Most waterproof cameras, somewhere in the fine print, tell to replace the seals every year to maintain waterproofness. The replacement cost is about 1/2 the camera cost if not more. Something to keep in mind as one's camera ages beyond a year or two (mine is already at near 3 years of active use and I see no issues with the seals or anything else aging)...

Olympus all the way
I’ve been using my underwater olympus camera thats shockproof, freezeproof and waterproof. It’s gone under many an ocean on snorkling, scuba and kayaking trips. I’ve also had it for years and it’s still going. Good luck!

What model?

Old school - film…,.

– Last Updated: Mar-01-13 10:46 AM EST –

Still use me 35mm Nikonos V wit film (on occasion)! Built like a tank an' ah' kin go fer months on a battery.

Now fer all dat new-fangled deecheatool daguerreotypes - ah' use an Olympus T-610 which be purty good, but iffin' ah's gonna shoot some decent video an' stills ah' use a Nikon P7100 (which has an actual oopticool viewfinder still) an' a Fantasea waterproof housing. A wee bit bulky but woyks great. Ah' wuzn't gonna spend $1600 on a dive housin' fer me Nikon D7000 or $4000 on a Gates fer me big JVC HD-100 camcorder.

FE