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Waterproof digital camera

11K views 64 replies 45 participants last post by  Matey 
#1 ·
What is the best waterproof camera out there for the money?? After fishing with a buddy that has one and looking at the sweet underwater photos we got I think I need one! What do you guys use?
 
#31 ·
Any of the Olympus Stylus SW series. On Amazon you can find reviews of the various models, which should be helpful.

I have the Olympus 725SW (from Costco), and it's a very good camera. The pictures are very good, but not great. However, it's tougher than heck and waterproof, and I never have to worry about if it's going to work or not. I've used the video function frequently, and it's so convenient to take video and stills from the same compact waterproof, durable camera.

I recently listened to a Brian O'Keefe presentation, and he said that he takes his Olympus SW (I can't remember which he head, the 1030 or 1050 or . . . ?) everywhere with him. He loves it. If Brian endorses it, then it's the real deal . . .
 
#40 ·
I use my 1030SW in salt water without fear, even for the occasional underwater shot. But when I get home, it gets a rinse, a buff, I look at the lens and the gaskets on all the little doors just to be safe.
I paid 400 for mine, and later saw the 1050SW at Costco in Lacey for 200, but still don't regret the purchase at all:thumb:
 
#34 ·
I have the Olympus U720SW. I like it for what it is, a weatherproof camera that is easy to take where it can get wet. It does work fine underwater if you can find the fish.;)

It has some major drawbacks for me though.

You have to frame the picture by looking through the screen on the back. There is no 'look through' like on most other cameras. It is very hard to even see what you are trying to with light at your back.

The same thing applies to changing the settings. They change by pushing a little button and you must scroll through all 22 options to find the one you want. It is hard to see the screen outside in bright light and if you are trying to deal with a fish or action it is darned near impossible.

The lens is digital and thus picture quality is not as good as an optical lens. Even at 7 megapixels. Just as optical recordings, you lose on both ends.

I much prefer my old C-50 when I can safely carry it.
 
#35 ·
Nice article Josh and great pics from the WFF users.

I carry a Canon S1 or my phone (with a real good camera for a phone) in a dry bag but it takes too long to get ready for a shot. I have a Rollei 35 that has been repaired (but never been quite the same) after a dunk so I'm ready for an overbuilt weather/splashproof camera. Googling "digital camera waterproof" brings up a hit on a review site where the author has a lot of nice things to say about the Olympus but reader comments are alarmingly negative about reliability. Quite a few users say that their 1030 SWs have leaked from day 1 to a few months after purchase even though they have followed all of the directions in the manual, and when they call or send the camera to Olympus that they are told it's their fault.

This thread is a few months old now and I wonder if there are any 1030 SW and W60 users that can offer any updates.
 
#36 ·
#37 ·
I played with that camera at the PMA trade show. And while I'm typically a Canon fan, in this instance I would suggest that WFF people steer towards the Pentax or Olympus models. The Canon is easily the biggest and chunkiest of the current waterproof cameras. I got the feeling that htye were designing it more for people to use with ski gloves or while snorkeling than while doing something like fishing. It's hard to tell from the images on the web, but the Canon's lens barrel actually sticks out fairly far and so the camera is a lot less "pocketable" then the others in it's class. That having been said, I have no doubt that image quality and user interface will be up to Canon's usual high standards.

There is also the new panasonic TS1 waterproof camera which I also checked out at PMA. Slightly less of a depth rating for this camera than others. But I'm not sure that many people on this board intend to use theirs at 3 meters underwater.
 
#43 ·
The big camera review sites (DPreview, Steve's, imaging-resource, etc) are all about the same as one another. There is good information on all of them regarding technical specs and pixel-peeping performance.

My larger issue is that very few of those places write their reviews from a "photographer" point of view. That isn't to say that the people writing aren't photographers, because they probably are. But the information in the reviews is heavily slanted towards minute comparison of technical specs that may or may not have any real world relevance. When I write reviews for photo.net (which doesn't publish nearly as many reviews at the sites mentioned above), I try to write from the standpoint of an experienced photographer using the camera in real world situations. There are a few other websites that do the same sort of thing, luminous-landscape.com is a very good example. But often photo community forums are going to be where you will get a lot of "real world" questions answered.

Both types of reviews have their place, but be sure you are getting the whole picture when looking for a camera. There is a world of difference between the studio when a camera is bolted to a tripod shooting images of a test chart and the real world where you are trying to figure out which button to press in the 10 seconds you have that record steelie out of the water.

Or, don't stress on it too much and just buy whatever camera you can afford. On some level cameras are a lot like fly rods. Any fly rod will catch fish, any camera will take photos. If you buy from a well known company, you aren't likely to get screwed in any serious way.
 
#44 ·
FYI; Costco has the Olympus 1050SW @ $199.99 on their website right now. They have other higher end waterproof Olympus models available as well for more $. They don't offer the 1030SW with the wider angle lens however as "Gorgefly" mentioned, that's the one I'd like to get. If anyone finds a good deal on that one. let me know!
Thanks, Greg
 
#47 ·
I debated between it and the Panasonic TS1. I went with the pany for a few reasons. While I've yet to see an exact head-to-head test, from what I could tell the pany has: better lens, what appears to be better image stabilization, better battery life, better overall IQ, and hi-def movie option (with zooming and autofocus/expusure during the movie recording!).

The olympus definitely has the higher waterproof/shock/crush ratings, no doubt about that. The shock rating alone was tempting (6 foot drop? Awesome!). But I like what Pany is doing throughout their compact line-up, and wanted to support them. I place a high priority on battery life, and this camera seems to be doing pretty good so far.

I'm still trying to figure out a few quirks and the like. What does this symbol mean, how do I do that, etc. Perhaps when I get more time I'll can do something a little more formal (in terms of testing).
 
#48 ·
I saw an article in a kayaking mag where a guy glued a lens step up ring on his Pentax Optio W10 so he could 1. use a lens cap to protect the lens 2. use a circular polarizing filter 3. use a wide angle lens. Nice reason to have a lens near the center of the camera body.

But I also read where a reviewer was miffed that the W30 (or W60?) owners manual says not to swim with the camera in your hand because it could "force" water into the battery compartment. Really?? I wonder about how the W60 and Tough 8000 stack up in this regard?
 
#49 ·
I'm no camera geek, but I have owned a few Fuji's. I keep drowning them however. They have a new Fuji Z33WP 10 MP for under $200 out now. I don't know how good this camera is, however, the Fuji cameras I have had have worked well and a feature that I have always liked about them is they focus FAST compared to other cameras I believe. Maybe Josh can help us there. I hate slow focus action for a little digital. :)
 
#50 ·
Waterproof digital camera - The Fine Print

I read a webzine's user reviews of the Stylus 1030 and seeing 35%-40% negative reviews saying Olympus Customer support declined to fix cameras under warranty that leaked when used according to the mfg's spec sheets. I realize from doing IT support surveys professionally that you can expect a larger % of negative survey/review responses so number of total responses are critical to interpret results. I shoot for <5% negative for >=50% response rate in my IT projects but 35% is alarming. I checked out the owner's manuals for these waterproof cameras

Canon D10
Scratches or cracks in the seals can cause damage or leaks

Fuji FinePix Z33WP
Do not use the camera in locations that are exposed to rain :rofl: , steam, or smoke, very humid or dusty

Olympus Stylus Tough 8000
The anti shock feature does not unconditionally warrant all defective operation
Replace seals annually
Never drop or the camera or subject it to severe shocks or vibrations (severe not defined)

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1D
Do not strongly shake or bump the camera by dropping or hitting it. Do not subject to
strong pressure
• Take care so fluid, sand, or foreign objects do not fall into the gap of the buttons.
• The camera has cleared a drop test from a height of 1.5 m (5 feet) This does not guarantee no destruction, no malfunction, or waterproofing in all conditions.
Waterproofing is not guaranteed if the unit is subject to an impact as a result of being hit or
dropped etc.
The performance of the camera is not guaranteed in cold climates such as in ski
resorts. Operation at -10 oC is checked, but the zoom lever may get frozen and hard
to move or card/battery door and terminal cover may become hard to open when the
temperature drops rapidly

Pentax Optio W60
Seals must be changed annually to maintain waterproof performance, a fee will be charged
Substantial vibrations (from car, motorbike or ship are mentioned), shocks, pressure will cause loss of waterproof performance (substantial not defined)

Annual seal changes don't affect warranty because the warranty is expired. But it's interesting to note the life of the seals as a design spec.

I have one experience with Canon Customer Support. I bought a Canon camcorder to replace an aged Panasonic that the firewire port suddenly quit working. Within two weeks the Canon quit working too. Turns out I discovered that the HP Media Center PC I purchased Best Buy (never again on both counts; (non) service and support under both mfg and store extended service plan were a nightmare) had a defective firewire port that damaged both camcorders. I sent the camera into Canon for repair with a note detailing that the camera was damaged by my PC. Received a new camcorder at no charge!
 
#54 ·
I have the 790SW. Took it to Maui last summer. Swam all over with it. My pictures suck, because underwater is hard, but here is some examples.

Turtle......
Great pics, Thanks!
 
#55 ·
Another encounter with Canon Customer Service. Free repair of 5 year old Canon S1-IS for dead CCD. A D10 is sounds pretty good right now
 
#57 ·
Just saw a great summary of the latest wp cameras:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q209waterproofgroup/

(dpreview is among the best camera/photography online resources around)

For those that don't want to follow the link and get right to the meat, they recommend the Canon PowerShot D10 over the other models, then the Pentax Optio W60 as a close runner-up.

Other models included the latest Olympus stylus (2 models) and a Fuji finepix.
 
#58 ·
Just saw a great summary of the latest wp cameras:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q209waterproofgroup/
(dpreview is among the best camera/photography online resources around)...
I just found that review and was going to post a link. That's one of the most detailed tests I've ever seen. The D10 had much better resolution and white balance. My bride saw an ad for it and mentioned she was interested in one to me. I want one.
 
#60 ·
The obvious problem with that review was the omission of the Pany TS1.

Canon makes good compact cameras, but frankly the D10 is pretty underfeatured compared to the competition. A direct quote from the review: "The least compact camera in test, zoom range starts at 35mm, aggressive noise reduction at high ISO destroys fine detail." So...it's the hardest to fit in your fishing vest, doesn't have a wide wide-angle or great zoom range...and doesn't do high ISOs well. While I'm sure this camera will have its fans and make a lot of people happy, I don't think it's the best choice for a fishing vest. But maybe that's just me.

The pentax is in a weird situation as well. The W60 isn't drop/shock-proof and has a horrible, horrible battery. The "HD" movie mode is only 15 fps as well. I like the specs and form factor--specifically, having the lens in the middle of the camera. But the battery situation isn't good. (I had the original WP, and they haven't changed the battery since, and trust me, it sucks.)

The new Pentax W80 looks to be an improvement, namely adding in some shock/drop-proofness to the camera, and getting the largest movie resolution up to 30 fps. Doesn't appear that they've changed the battery situation. :-(

I have the Pany TS1, and it's not without it's issues too. It's expensive, and the telephoto end of the zoom isn't its strong point optically. I prefer lenses in the middle of cameras like the Canon and Pentax, but I'm learning to live with it. Which is to say, learning keep my fingers off of it. ;-) The camera is also heavy (though with a nice solid feel), but I think that's the price of drop/shock-proofing.

The camera takes decent pics, the battery life is pretty good (freaking great compared to the pentax), the 28mm wide angle is nice, and the HD movies are decent (and you can zoom during movies!). Doing movies underwater is more fun than I thought it would be. For some reason I never did this with the WP, but then it's movies were 15fps and had that chunky feel.
 
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