Canon IS
I don’t have a P&S (waterproof or not), but I do have a Canon digital SLR and several of their IS lenses. My understanding is that they use the same IS tech in their P&S as they do in their lenses, and it works very well. It actually moves a lens element to account for shake; some of their earlier IS lenses could only account for movement in one direction, but their newer versions account for both vertical and horizontal shake - some of their longer lenses even have a switch to turn off the IS for one direction so it won’t screw up shots taken while panning.
I own one
I bought it specifically for kayaking and I keep it up top in front of me so I can grab it to take photos without reaching below deck.
I’ve had it since it came out a few months ago and don’t have any complaints. Use it in salt water with no issues so far, but who knows how long it’ll really last.
Takes great pictures.
out on a limb here
Good reviews by scott just above this post. I’ll go out on a limb and add that I think IS is way overrated unless you’re shooting in low light. IS started as an aid for long lenses but has become a crutch for slower glass.
I like nikon stuff but I’ve heard that canon processor is a gem.
camera
I almost pulled the trigger on a Canon D10 when Amazon was selling it for $280, but the price has since increased to $325. I’ve decided that is too much to spend, and ordered a Panasonic Lumix FS15 instead. Although the Lumix is not waterproof, it is so compact that I can fit it in a small waterproof bag designed for mini cameras. The Lumix also has a better lens, 5X zoom and is small enough to carry in my shirt pocket for ordinary use. I can buy the Lumix, a 3-year warranty and a waterproof camera bag for $100 less than the Canon. I would have liked the convenience of the Canon, but it’s just not worth the extra cost to me when I can get a high quality digital camera with more features for $150 less.
Great review
DPreview did a review of waterproof cameras-
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q209waterproofgroup/
They usually do a great job with reviews and if nothing else are consistent with their testing. Read the whole thing if you’ve got some time or skip to the last page (conclusions) to get a good synopsis.
I have no experience with any of them have started looking.
Alan
Or just wait longer
As with all things digital, time tends to bring cheaper versions with better technology.
For a few years I was happy enough using an Optio 43WR. Not bad for a P&S camera. Then it began showing signs of dying (hot pixels, strange behavior, unreliable recording of data).
I jumped and bought an Olympus Stylus 1030 waterproof, shockproof, dustproof camera last year. Big mistake. Oh, it was waterproof, alright. And it took decent medium-range photos of manmade things. But when it came to natural objects such as fur, wood grain, leaves, and pretty much everything I like to photograph, the software must have been programmed to blur anything it couldn’t categorize. I tried various settings, turned off auto functions, remapping the pixels, etc, but the poor image quality persisted. Finally I sold it and am waiting for something better to come out.
Lots of megapixels don’t necessarily mean better image quality, and neither do a gazillion auto program functions. How about a P&S that records as RAW format, no auto-fix anything unless user turns it on, and a sharper lens instead!
Panasonic versatile
Panasonic and cannon tied on dpreview
Panasonic is more versatile has HD movies
and way more compact. I have one and love it.
Still having no luck
Come to find out windows xp doesn’t support video shot in .mov and the videos wont play on my computer at home.
I am bummed. I should have done a bit more research. Back to the drawing board or at least the camera shop.
d10 videos wont play on windows xp
without converting them. Just thought anyone thinking of buying one should know they wont be making videos out of the box.
The Panasonic
would be my choice if only it would function below 32*F. It gets mighty cold here. The canon is to fat.
Easy fix - VLC Media PLayer (FREE)
Just download and install that player and your problems will be over, for playing the videos. Or install QuickTime from Apple. Same result - both play .mov out of the box.
I went to free downloads.com
They have a bunch of different converters. I downloaded something called Any Video Converter. Very simple to use once you know what the problem is.
Karma?
Man, that really sucks that you dropped your camera into the water. I know I would be so upset if I dropped mine into the water. ARRG… what a foolish thing to do, especially considering how expensive it must of been. But hey, you know what they say about karma…
Aquapac not a good option
I notice somebody proposed “just buying an Aquapac” to use with a new non-waterproof camera. I thought that looked like a great option too and got one to use on a trip to St. Croix last April (beach, kayaking, snorkeling) with the Canon 790IS I had just bought. Good news is it kept the camera dry. Bad news: the photos shot through the bag were fuzzy as well as distorted around the edge of the frame. Not just a little fuzzy, so bad as to not be salvageable. A waste of $40 in my opinion.
I dislike the 790IS anyway – photo quality is excellent but the lack of a viewfinder (like I have on my beloved 7 year old Canon Powershot A40 – low tech/low res but bombproof) makes it almost impossible to frame the shot in the high light and reflectance conditions I encounter paddling – can’t see squat on that screen. And the touchy Ipod-like thumbwheel selector stinks. In my opinion this camera was designed for teenagers to shoot their friends at indoor parties.
I took that Powershot A40 paddling for 6 years in just a ziploc baggie (removing it to shoot, wet gloves, spray and all) and it never failed me. Yeah it’s bulky but I can change the settings on the brawny indexed controls with gloves on in the dark. Still works (I’ve gone back to it since getting frustrated with the 790). If anyone wants a great beater digital paddling camera that runs on rechargable AA batteries (even regular ones in a pinch) and that you won’t cry about when it drops overboard, you can pick up A40’s on Craigslist and Ebay all the time for under $40.