Ive seen alot of people saying the camera they use in some of their underwater shots are Pentax, like zen and g_smolt. I had a kodak C633 ive always used. And one day it took a dip, and now its done. They are around $70 these days and are not that bad. I cant decide if i should get another one of them and this item, http://images.channeladvisor.com/Sell/SSProfiles/82056311/Images/1/dicapacsample.jpg
Or a Pentax WPi or Pentax w20. Both which are waterproof by themselves. These would be around $150.
Has anyone(Zen, g_Smolt) had any problems with the WPi or w20, whichever one you have. Ive seen alot of good reviews of them but also alot of bad ones like how some leaked do to poor construction and Pentax wouldnt repair them because of "impact damage". Also ive seen that they said the clarity of the underwater shot sucks.
I have both a Pentax W10 and a W30 for work and they both work quite nicely. I've not used a W20.
While the megapixel count is higher as you move up in model number, I don't really see an obvious increase in image quality (though I'm not really a 'pixel peeper'). The W30 definitely shows some engineering improvements and seems more rugged. In fact, I think that the fine print of the 'waterproofness' ("waterproof for X number of minutes at x depth") has increased for the newer ones.
My point:
I like them all but buy the newest one that you can afford since they really have improved.
+1 for the Pentax W30. I toasted a Kodak earlier this year and decided to splurge for the Pentax. It's been in the rain, boat, all over a bunch of rivers and seems to be a solid little camera. I'm definitely digging it.
I have the original Optio WP 5 megapixel camera. It's a good general purpose digital and have never had any issues with failure.
I have taken it on many fishing trips, had it get dunked on a number of occassions and it still lives to this day.
It's not the greatest digital camera in the world. Maybe they have fixed some of the issues on later models. Mine seems to get confused sometimes on what it's supposed to be focusing on. If you don't do the shutter button pre-press to set the focal point your pictures are occasionally out of focus. This isn't so much of an issue indoors because you can see the little focus box on your subject, but the LCD is really hard for me to see in bright sunlight so I am just pressing the button and hoping it's focusing on what I want it to focus on.
But I wouldn't take my wife's point and shoot Canon or my Canon DSLR which tend to take a little better picture, because I know if wouldn't be long before they would find the bottom of a river somewhere.
If you are looking for a good camera for point and shoot fishing photos I don't think you'll go wrong with the Pentax
Jim
PS - attached is a photo my wife took snorkeling in Cabo
I have a Optio 43WR. (WR = water resistent). I have never dunked it to take an underwater shot but probably will do some some time in the future. It is very good camera in my opinion. My only gripe is that it doesn't have a lense cover that you can slide over to protect it from getting scratched.
Olympus now makes a waterprooof camera that as I recall is rated for much more depth than the Pentax. I would look at both brands if I had to replace my Optio.
If the $150 price range is a limiting factor, the Oly may be out of range as well as the newer Optios (the 43WR is not made anymore but replace by a higher pixel and more expensive version I think).
I have the Optio W20 as well. I like it, you cant beat the price. I took it to Alaska this spring
and in the rain and underwater i had no problems. Still works today.
Here's an objective (ie. not biased by advertiser support) web site offering reviews of pretty much all digital cameras: http://www.steves-digicams.com
I'd never buy a digital camera before doing some serious research. Be sure and check out the sample images taken with each camera you might be interested in. In some cases, the differences in the shots from camera to camera are so obvious and striking that they'll practically make the buying decision for you.
As far as underwater housings go, I have used one SCUBA diving and they can fog up if you dont seal them before you get somewhere damp. You might alos think about putting one of those moisture absorbers that you find in some electronics packaging. Good luck
I have the Pentax WP, 5 megapixel. Nice, compact. Basically a point and shoot. Has done an Alaska float and several wet hikes and paddles. Not an artists piece but it will record the memmories.
I have a pentax not sure which one it is but it is part of the waterproof series and it is great. I have dunked it in the water after takin a picture while my hands were covered in fish slime. I have also taken a few underwater pictures and they come out pretty darn good even if the fish is not in the picture. I know that my camera is pretty tough I have dropped it and let it soak in the water for long periods of time before realizing it was sitting on the center console of the boat. As far as an all around camera you cant go wrong with a pentax!!
Here are a few pics from my camera
I have used the Pentax WPi for about 3 years now, I like it but it will take the odd burry shot from time to time. I just shoot a number of shots on each fish if I think I'm going to want to post it or print on up. The 8x10's I've printed come out razor sharp & the color is spot on, I think I could go to an 11x14 print & it whould look fine. The W30 is 2-3 generations ahead of mine, & might have the kinks worked out.....?
Another camera you might want to look @ is the Olympus 720. from what I hear it's one tough little unit, I have looked one over at the camera store & I'll tell you the viewfinder screen is BRIGHT, all in all its a pretty sweet camera. Btw, its is also 'shock-proof' resistant to falls from up to 1.5m that whould be 4 1/2' to us.
I have the Olympus 720 and it is a sweet camera. got it at Costco for 325.00 (on sale) and it came with a 128 meg chip, silicone casing and floating wrist band.
Water proof to 16 feet and shock proof to 5. Big 3 inch screen as well.
Awesome camera. Tried it in Hawaii while snorkeling and took a few fish pix as well.
Hopefully the last fishing camera I buy.
I'll put another vote in for the Pentax W30, got one recently and it rocks, this brookie wasn't scared of it. Will be bringing it out to the Seattle area in a couple of weeks.
:beer2:
Has anyone figured out how to see through these new digital cameras that have no viewfinder window? All I see when I look at the display screen on mine is my own reflection. Sunglasses & mustache. Doesn't matter whether I'm wearing polarized glasses or not. Damn thing is next to worthless outside.
I agree Spey. It's pretty tough to see the LCD on my Pentax Optio WP. The new Olympus claims their larger, glare-proof screen is easier to see in bright light. Would love to hear if anyone has one if that is the case.
I have found that using polarized lenses actually makes it harder to see.
I have had no troubles with my w20. I am currently looking for a mini-tripod for steadyshots underwater, as the old "rest on a rock and shoot" seems to produce odd foregrounds from time to time. The viewfinder on mine works fine, most of the time I don't even use it. Underwater, I just aim on line and plane, then shoot a few, see how they look. The options on the pentax cameras are staggering, certainly not equal to a 35mm slr, but pretty advanced for the digital stuff.
Here are two shots I took while testing out the filters and shutterspeed options...
I dig my w20, and if I had to buy another one, would probably go with the w30...I am intrigued by the "shockproof" part of the Oly720, tho.
I am currently looking for a mini-tripod for steadyshots underwater, as the old "rest on a rock and shoot" seems to produce odd foregrounds from time to time.
Mark
I have the Olympus Stylus 720 sw, Great Camera but u cant see anything on the screen in bright light conditions, u just have to point and click and pray for the best. I think u run into that problem with just about all of them
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