Very nice!
Dang there are some beautiful photos in this thread. Iāll add some below average photos, and a question. Iām a lazy photog, just use my iPhone or my very old waterproof Lumix. But neither serves my purpose for a new interest: birds. Especially Herons. Iāve seen some rare ones lately and now I want a waterproof or water resistant camera that can photograph them. So something with a real zoom, not just zoom software. Any recommendations?
My local ābig waterā, the Ohio River in Louisville.
Itās surprisingly beautiful when you are on it, but you have to have your head on a swivel because of the powerboats and barges.
This is the newest bridge. I love going under this on my SUP especially.
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I like the Panasonic Lumix FZ300 for that purpose. Light, so I donāt mind it around my neck for long periods. Splash proof, so it seems OK with kayaking. The lens reach is about as far as I can hand hold reliably. And it is not so expensive that if it goes in the drink I will be that distraught. And, a key feature for me is that it has a real viewfinder for composing shots.
LUMIX FZ300 4K 24X F2.8 Long Zoom Digital Camera - DMC-FZ300K - Panasonic US
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Thank, you Greg! That actually looks like exactly what I want. Funny itās a 2015 model but still current, and seems quite nice. I have a Canon DSLR and several nice lenses, but itās far too heavy to paddle with.
Iām in that picture!
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Your welcome! I hear you, I have a a few thousand dollars worth of Nikon equipment as my main camera gear, but I am not willing to risk that yet. I carry a waterproof P&S with me all the time while kayaking. Great camera, but lacks a long lens solution. And, it has no viewfinder, which makes it very iffy for composition in bright light. Reading these and other forums, photo and kayaking, I eventually found the FZ300, and, like you, it sounded like it would meet my needs. Over the past year I would say it has. I also found I liked it for walking around the neighborhood too, so light that I hardly notice it around my neck. Great camera for carrying around just in case I happen upon wildlife. It can do macro too, and video. I also reach for it when a quick opportunity comes up for shooting birds at my bird feeder or in my yard. So not a bad all around camera that is light and splash proof.
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The Lumix FZ300 sounds like a very good choice.
Most of the photos I have posted are taken with an older model of the Nikon Waterproof Coolpix camera. It has a 5X optical zoom. It is small and goes in my PFD pocket whenever I am on the water. I paid $200 when it was being replaced by the newer model.
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@GregofDelaware Do you find you use a polarizing filter for on water shots?
@castoff I have a Lumix waterproof point and shoot that Iāve used for kayaking for over a decade. It fits nicely in my pfd, and has traveled the worldās oceans with me, too. Iām always surprised when it continues to not leak since Iāve done a lot of snorkeling with it and never replaced gaskets. Now I mostly just use my iPhone 10, which is waterproof. I got a little tether hook for it so I canāt lose it if I drop it. Neither of these options permit me to capture birds.
The Lumix FZ300 is great for birds butā¦ I find that the photos are a bit blocky. Since Iām primarily interested in bird identification this isnāt an issue.
This is from my Lumix, great shot except there just isnāt any detail in the shot.
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Thank you, this is helpful. And it might be problematic. I spotted an American Bittern, which I understand is very fortuitous and unusual. It really blended into the surroundings and was quite difficult to notice - I got lucky. But no hope of a photo with my current options. I wonder how the Lumix FZ300 would do.
Quick rundown of my cameras.
I have a waterproof Coolpix AW110. The ā140mm equivalentā zoom doesnāt have the range to reach out and touch far away stuff. Over the years it has slowly erred to the overexposure side - easily fixable with Faststone editing but still a pita. It also doesnāt have a lens cap, which is more critical than you might think.
My stabilized FZ300 600mm superzoom shoots barely acceptable pics at max zoom (the anti-shake has to work reeeeally hard at that magnification) but really lets you compose good shots of things far away and is great in low light. The 4K movies are OK. Splash proof but not dunk proof.
Neither shoots close to the quality of my old Canon with Canon lens. Iām too paranoid to take it paddling.
My waterproof-to-3 feet Galaxy S7 phone has zero zoom but takes great pictures otherwise.
Coolpix AW110 shots are 4608 x 3456 pixels.
Lumix FZ300 are 4000 x 3000 pixels.
Rebel T2i are 5184 x 3456.
Galaxy S7 are 4032 x 3024.
Iād love to see more photos of wildlife you and others have taken with this camera. I might give it a try. I havenāt found any other better options.
I do on my regular camera, but have not tried on my kayaking cameras, including the FZ300. I have not had that much trouble with reflected light off the water, sometimes it becomes a feature. And I am loath to have another set of surfaces to get wet. I do have a UV filter on it, and that has been a bit of a pain to dry out between trips. After cleaning, I take the filter off and put the camera and filter on a heating pad for a bit. But if I was taking more time for photography, if it was more central to the reason for kayaking, I would play with one.
If memory serves, some photos in the wildlife photo thread may have been taken with an FZ300:
Ooh! I hadnāt seen that thread. Thank you for pointing me to it, and for the tips.
pretty much all of my photos in there were also taken with the Lumix
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Some of the Oldies but goodies:
Sphagnum bog
Heading out:
Heading in:
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Took these biking today. According to Google Earth the osprey nest is 100 yards from the bike path. I cheated and steadied the camera on a post for the close-up.
Zoomed out:
Zoomed as far in as optically possible:
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Thanks for this!