Waterproof Digital Cameras.

[Dan Daniel]

Hi All,
I'm shopping for a waterproof digital point-and-shoot camera. There are many price-points out there, and I have read a ton of reviews, but the most important reviews will come from you, the folks who use theirs like I want to use mine. It will live in the pocket of my PFD.
What do you have? What do you like/dislike about it?
I'm not really looking for video, so please no go-pro/contour recommendations. I'm also not really worried about price, I just want the best tool for what I do.
Thanks!
Dan

[Roger]

Dan, whichever model you buy make sure you get one that you can put the clear protectors on the screen in back to protect the surface. Lots of scratches from storing mine in the PFD pocket.

Also, look at the time between when you push the shutter button to the time that the camera takes the actual picture. Can be a lag time there that will mess you up if you fail to anticipate.

I have an Olympus SW1050 that works pretty well except for the lag time in shutter.

[Regud]

I have an older Olympus SW850 that still takes great pics. On the manual setting you can adjust the shutter speed to rapid high resolution pictures. Great for catching river images!

[Roger]

Regud, will look for that option on mine! Problem is that thing does way more than my old Nikon FTN 35mm SLR ever even imagined!

[ShayA]

I have been using the Nikon AW100 for a year now and it is the best camera I have ever owned. Takes the best still pics. It is super fast, no shutter lag, has several pre sets ( i usually leave it on landscape and it takes great action shots). It also has full HD 1080p video with one button push. It is small, fits in my PFD pocket and I tie a small length of paracord to the leash hole and clip it to my PFD just in case I drop it. The screen is impact and scratch resistant. I've had the thing in my PFD at least 20 or 30 times and not one scratch. It takes 16mp pics which are pretty large but you can adjust in the settings.

http://www.nikonusa.com/en/Nikon-Produc ... AW100.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[tomOzarkVideo]

The Pentax wg2 looks like one of the best options out there.

I have never used one, but have been looking at it for a while.

[Karla]

Have a waterproof Nikon that is 16megapixels. Has gps. Takes great still shots and good zoom.

Karla

[Flyfsh]

Great pictures and video with a Kodak Sport. It is 12mp, good to 3 mtrs deep and only $60.00.
Jim

[coldspring]

One of my issues with waterproof cameras was finding one with a 30 second self-timer in the event I wanted to do a self-portrait in the boat. Canon is about the only brand that offers a timer that long, that I know of. I bought their first waterproof model, the Canon Powershot D10. It had absolutely horrible image quality, as bad as on old cellphone. It also was prone to shutting down, and there are plenty of negative reviews to back up my experience as more than a fluke. Mine lasted one fishing trip, then malfunctioned at a craft show in the dry. They now have a D20 replacement, but after that experience I'm staying away from Canon waterproof cameras.

I have a Panasonic Lumix TS10 that has been very reliable, although the image quality leaves something to be desired. Witht the prices I've seen the replacement TS20s going for, they would probably be a decent bet for your purposes. I'm not a camera guy, so I'm not sure of the terms, but after reading many reviews I've determined that no waterproof camera truly takes a good picture, as most of manufacturing effort is put into the case.

Panasonic TS2, TS3, or TS4 are supposed to be the best ones going.

I am considering trying the Nikon AW100, it seems like a good all arond camera. I've seen the come down in price (refurbishes perhaps) under $160. Nikon also has the S30 that has been seen for $50 on clearance, although you're getting a cheap camera with poor picures. Still better than a water damaged normal camera would give you.

[Marlo Krueger]

Have had an Olympus 720SW (7.1 MP) for about 10 years. Lives clipped and zipped in my lifejacket pocket. It has picked up several dents and scratches over the years, but still works and takes good pictures. Been looking to move up the technology scale with a new camera. Thought I had decided on the newer version of the same camera, the Olympus Tough TG-1, that seems to be the reviewer's camera de jure. The one knock was the image quality. Why buy a camera that takes lesser pictures? Then I saw shots that Karla had taken with her Nikon AW100. That sold me. I've never seen prettier pictures from any camera, including Jim's SLR (Nikon D-300). The downside is this...cameras, at least the waterproof ones have apparently had some problems with the mecanical lens cover that opens automatically when you turn your camera on, like the one on my 720SW. Instead of fixing the problem, they removed it, leaving the lense exposed to the elements. Canon did the same thing. Olympus TG-1 comes with a filter on the lens that screws around the lens as normal on an SLR, but isn't teathered and would not be a quick remove to have to unscrew it. Thus with every wave splash, the lens gets a water droplet on it, blurring future pictures until the camera drys or you find a dry cloth to remove the water. Karla's remedy was to get an A1 filter to fit the filter ring that comes as a clip-on device with the Nikon. You Velcro the teather to the camera and then simply snap it over the squarish lens opening of the camera. Snap the filter off to shoot. Water gets on the filter and not the lens. Surprise...I got an AW100 for Christmas, but haven't field-tested it yet. Did take some snow pictures with the camera set for snow scenes. Snow scenes are notoriously hard to capture because the brightness causes the camera to over-react and stop-down the apperature too far causing dark shots. My pictures turned out well exposed, but they had a decidedly blue cast. That may have been caused by shade in some areas, after all I was shooting out of a moving truck at the time--not one blur! Considering the road conditions, we weren't flying. Didn't notice any shutter-lag either. I think the Nikon AW100 is what you are looking for. Hope this helps.

[Karla]

Marlo, glad you posted and got one. I really like the quality of the pics and video of my nikon. The filter is no big deal to clamp on and off as i need it. It stays tucked and tied onto my PFD til ready for pics to be taken.I like that it zooms in digiatally well without blurryness on still and video shots. The battery life is good too. it is 16 megapixels. High def pics.

[Eric Esche]

A trick I have been using, when I remember to charge up the batteries AND take the camera, is to keep it in a quart freezer zip lock in my PFD pocket with a dry bandana. Faster to take it out of the zip lock than to have to make sure it has a dry and unfogged lens before taking pictures, and then easier to dry it when it does get wet. Floats better and is padded better this way too, even though my camera strap has a floatie on it. I also carry the spare battery and memory card in a snack bag in my ammo box, but as Mary and others can tell you, even when I carry it all charged up, I still forget to take pictures.

Eric Esche