Waterproof / Water-Resistant Digital Cameras

[duckfool]

I would consider my photography skill level as highly advanced (IMHO). I shoot NIKON DSLR's and shot NIKON, Canon, MINOLTA and RICOH before digital.

I've owned several point and shoot digital cameras, High End Sony and Canon products.

The Olympus 7xx SW series are indeed waterproof. I tested down to 5ft with the 720 and 10ft with the 770. Water DOES penetrate into the battery compartment and USB compartment, but not into the actual battery. Waterproof seals are sort of basic and look pretty weak. Bumping the camera while submerged may cause liquid penetration.

The 770SW was returned in 12 hours due to 5 pixels on the imaging sensor going out after it's intial submersion! I downgraded to a 720SW. The cameras (both units) are weak, very weak. The noise at ANY ISO is almost totaly intolerable, at ISO 100 you will have dark noise, light noise, blue noise etc. Also the AUTO mode will produce very poor results and the "image stabilization" is nothing more than boosted ISO which may capture the shot but will NOT create a decent photo. The only hope of a decent image will be in full sunlight at a forced ISO 64, with the lens set at full wide angle (a weak) 38mm. in the real world this is a perfect blue-bird day.

My workflow systems are both MAC and PC based with Adobe Light-Room as workflow and pre-processing. Both show the weakness of this 7.1MP camera against even 3.2MP canon.

I reccomend going with a better point and shoot and a waterproof enclosure.

Camera isn't worth 1/4 of the $290 - $380 they list for. I purchased to evaluate for a "shock-proof" and waterproof "throw in the pocket" camera. If you never print larger than 3x5 and are used to 1 out of 50 images being "semi-keepers" then this camera is fine.

Save your money.

[Trismegistus]

Pentax is staying at the front of the pack with the new W30. And they are listening to the consumer -- let's see what is new:

1) Now 7.1megapixals -- the new standard until the next chip set comes out -- say in 6 months.

2) Enhanced waterproof function (JIS Class 8 waterproof standard) capable of being used to photograph underwater at depths of 3 meters continuously for 2 hours. And the protective glass is now treated treated with SP coating, developed exclusively by PENTAX, making it hard for water droplets to attach to the surface.

3) The LCD monitor -- already much improved in the W20 -- is now equipped with a high-intensity 2.5-inch LCD monitor with an LCD Bright Mode that can adjust the brightness of the screen as necessary, making it easy to view even in strong sunlight.

4) Digital Shake Reduction now reduces camera shakes and blurring of the subject when photographing still images and movies. The sensitivity is adjusted automatically, to as high as the ultrahigh sensitivity of ISO 3200, to match the brightness of the subject.

5) Same high-quality movies at 30 fps (frames per second) at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixles, which is comparable to movies taken with a camcorder.

6) Face Recognition Priority that automatically detects and focuses on faces, regardless of where the people appear in the photo frame. In addition, optimal exposure settings are automatically conducted so that the areas with faces are not darkened even if there is backlighting. Cool!

7) Macro photography as near as one centimeter away from a subject for stunning close-up photography. Wow!

Same 3X optical zoom lens that covers focal lengths from 6.3 to 18.9 mm (equivalent to 38 to 114 mm for 35mm film) and features a refraction lens system so the lens never protrudes from the camera while zooming. Also has digital zoom (4x) but don't use it if you want extremely high-quality prints with crisp detail even when the photo is greatly enlarged.

9) New auto-lock mechanism that automatically locks covers, such as the battery cover, after they are closed. Bout time. Very nice!

Gettin' better all the time. Price -- look to spend about $250.00.

[okieboater]

Jeez, thought I was living large with the W20.

Timing is everything in the digital camera market.

If any one buys one of these cameras, would be interested in feedback on the view finder screen. about the only issue I have with my W20 is the viewfinder screen is totally washed out in bright sunlight. Glad they improved this.

[potterspoint434]

I was shopping for a new camera for a trip to Alaska.
I guess the Pentax
w 30 is what everyone is going for.
I don`t understand why they won`t make one that floats
I seem to drop things from time to time.
How much memory should I have and has anyone shopped the best price
and what about battery life

[okieboater]

Mr. potterspoint434

go back and read this thread from the start.

It has been going on for a long time and I bet most of your questions are answered some where in the thread.

I think the floating question has been covered with at least one suggestion. basically hook up a fishing float to the camera or a tether to your pfd

memory size is the larger the better go for the couple giga bytes at least

batteries last depending on flash and other options, but mine last quite a long time. I picked up a spare battery off the internet.

I just did a google on batteries for the pentax and you will find all sorts of prices and offers, same for buying the camera. Deals change daily and depending on how much a chance you want to take, you can go for the ultra cheap or pay a bit more for more established retailers. I have gotten both good and poor service from both sides of the question

I'm real happy with my W20 and the W30 sounds like a better setup.

[Crane]

For a trip to Alaska, I'd get at least a 4 gig sd card... and I might buy a 2 gig back-up... and go on-line and pick up several spare batteries, they are fairly cheap now... You want to be sure to have memory & juice to get all the pictures and video you might ever enjoy!!

[Roy Staggs]

Have a new Pentax Optio W30 but I have been so busy I really havn't had much of a chance to use it. No chance to use it on the water. I plan on giving it a real workout going down the Grand Canyon next month, or, if there is water between now and then (assuming I can get off work). I will post with a review and pictures when I can.

[duckfool]

For Memory I shoot 1GB and 2GB Compact Flash in my nikon. Some folks will go with larger capacity, but I like having more than one piece of media to record on.. just in-case something happens to one. Write Speed on the card is critical for newer cameras. For example a 1st Generation Nikon D70 can use an 80X CF card and the card can keep up. The new Nikon D200 requires a 133x CF card to keep up. If I shoot in RAW with the D200 I get about 63 images per 1GB. During an intense shoot if I use the 80x CF cards it can often take more than a minute for the D200's buffer to write to the CF card even when the card is "full".

Bottom line, get the fastest card(s) you can afford. Go for professional versions if possible. I shoot Sandisk Ultra II, Extreme III, and Lexar Professional cards in all of my cameras.

I'd love to see how the pentax compares to the Olympus models. I've used the Olympus a couple of times on the river again, the images are OK but continue to disapoint me. Perhaps I'm just DSLR spoiled.

For online purchases I use adorama and B&H Photo either of these retailers are super reliable, often are cheaper than local sources and in most cases will get the gear to you in amazing time. They communicate with you to advise the status of your gear. Example... Sigma 70-200 2.8 HS EX was $1200 local, picked it up for like $900 at B&H. Pelican 1600 and 1400 cases as well as hardback laptop and desert storm laptop cases were well over $75 cheaper from B&H. I always give the local retailer the opportunity to match, but often they just simply cant.

[Roy Staggs]

I have bought several thousand dollars worth of equipment from B&H and have not had a single problem.

[okieboater]

another vote for good experience with B and H

often they are not the cheapest, but are almost always in the ball park

and, at least on the cameras I have purchased from them, it all has the USA warranty not the less desirable import version.

I'm not much of a expert on the difference, but the USA version of the warranty is a big plus if you encounter problems.

[duckfool]

Most cameras and camera gear can be purchased in either a USA or non-USA version. Often these are the same exact products. Sometimes the names differ slightly. The savings may seem significant (sometimes a couple of hundred dollars). However the SN will be non-USA. And I know for a FACT, that with Nikon anyway, if you purchase a non-USA item you CAN NOT have it repaired by Nikon USA. So under a warantee claim you might be SOL. Not worth it because these things sometimes do go bad or have some sort of hardware / software issue.

One should certainly inquire to any online reseller with a significant price difference (lower) if the equipment is USA or not.

[Trismegistus]

And a plug for Abe's Of Maine -- great folks, good service, nice prices, all USA warranties. It seems like the New York dealers -- Ritz, Broadway, etc. -- are getting increasingly "pushy" to make sales and talk you into "add-ons" -- albeit I did find out that if you "push back" they'll often throw in those add-ons at no cost...making some of my prior purchases seemingly below cost.

[Richard]

I am in the market for a waterproof digital camera. My Canon A70 took a shower today and quetly passed away. Roy Staggs says he is not happy with the Pentax W30 and less happy with their customer service. So the Pentax is out. What is the best Waterproof camera for less that $200.

[duckfool]

I don't think you'll find a true waterproof camera (new) for $200 or less. I've been using the Olympus 720SW now and it takes decent snap-shots. But I'm SLR / DSLR spoiled. BUT, it does work pretty darn well in the pool. Even taking video under water. I just forced it to never go above ISO 100 and things in the noise area have been much better. It is nice to know it's "crush proof" and I frequently carry it everywhere. Still the image quality has something to be desired for a 7.1MP camera, but the imaging sensor and lens are both itty, bitty so that's to be expected. For a used waterproof under two bills you are probably looking at a sea&sea or something like that in the 2-3MP range. The 720SW was like $300.

[Crane]

Sanyo is coming out with a waterproof digital recorder. http://www.dcviews.com/press/Sanyo-Xacti-E1.htm