Digital waterproof cameras?

[ronaultmtd]

My digital isn't waterproof and I love that camera, so it isn't going anywhere close to my kayak. That said I do want a camera to take pictures to share- recommendations? Your experience with waterproof cameras?

[Capt C-Hawk]

I don't have any experience with waterproof cameras, but I have plenty with non-waterproof. When they take a dive they're thru. The first time I got lucky and after a week in a ziplock full of rice it worked fine. Second time it swam in saltwater and the rice didn't help. I'm expecting one of the Fuji xp33 14 mp, waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and freezeproof cams for my birthday. Hopefully more to come......

[ictalurus]

I have a Pentax Optio WP20, which I wouldn't recommend. The autofocus sucks. If there's water in the scene, or the sky is gray, the pictures often come out unfocused. What good is a waterproof camera that can't focus on things on the water? The newer versions might be better. On the upside, when it actually does focus, it does a good job. The macro function is pretty sweet, and that will focus even if the object is about an inch away or less. Go figure.

When the Optio dies, I'm going to take a good look at the Olympus. It sounds like they have a Bill-proof model: waterproof to 30ft, shockproof for drops onto concrete from 6ft (or something like that), crushproof to 200lbs+, and freeze-proof (I think).

[kayakkevin]

all of my pics from the last 5 years have been from Olympus cameras. my first one lasted for 4 of those. 3200 hours of saltwater exposure before i had to get a new one.

[fjarhead]

I agree

Olympus has a nice waterproof(or is it really resistant), . Very compact. nice autofocus. Little pricey though. sometimes you can find it on sale at best buy. I believe around 200 but goes on sale for 150.

[mdmakaira410]

I had the olympus stylus 1050sw. 10.1 megapixel, Fully watetproof to 10ft (took many underwater shots of fish with it without any problem), shock resistant from 5 foot falls, and works down to 14 degrees. The stills were not very good at all and while it shot video it was so grainy it was unwatcheable. I dropped it off a counter top onto a tile floor and it broke so i wouldnt go that route. My sanyo vpc cg 102 is one of the best smallcamcorders out there for the money. 14mp stills, 1080i video, 12x zoom and the internal stabalizer is pretty good. The pistol grip orientation of the camera is cool too. Mine isnt waterproof but they make the same camera in a waterproof version. It sucks shooting in low light conditions but pretty much all camcorders like that do. U need an slr for that.

[Japanesezero]

Fuji xp33 14 mp, waterproof, dustproof, shockproof and freezeproof cams ....

I have one of these. It takes decent pictures. It is definatly idiot proof... I have given it to my daughter (8 months old at the time) to keep her quiet... She tried to eat it, throw it on the ground and it was fine.

The downside to this camera is it doesnt do so hot in low light conditions... Indoor pictures are a little on the poor side. But I rarely fish indoors (hotel coi pond on my honeymoon wasnt safe) so for my activities this thing is perfect.

[DOGFISH]

I have a Sony DSC-TX5, which is nice. Its waterproof to 10 ft, shock, dust and cold resistant or whatever. I takes very good photos, 10.2 megapixel. I have not used it for video. It has steady shot, to account for motion. It is very easy to use. Touch screen menu is great for out in the kayak. The only thing is the battery does not last that long. I have two batteries. I always have one on the charger. If I let the camera sit for a week or so, the battery will be dead. Only with that lettle quirk, this is a great little camera that takes very good photos.

[Memory Maker]

all of my pics from the last 5 years have been from Olympus cameras. my first one lasted for 4 of those. 3200 hours of saltwater exposure before i had to get a new one.

Kevin

Is that the video cameras ....... if not, what did you use to shoot the video stuff

[tj06sti]

I have been borrowing a buddy's 1080p GoPro video camera, though it also does stills. I also borrowed a buddies non-hd Gopro camera. The waterproof case is airtight, I know this because when we descended from 10,000 feet at the ski resort to 5,000 in Denver, the thing was suctioned shut a bit!

Example HD Video only recorded at 720P instead of full 1080p and shameless plugs of Colorado trip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUNz4j4YRJo

Example of non-hd Gopro and another shameless plug from kartin last weekend: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwQz1OzITrc

Both models do still pictures in a few ways, one a time, or several a time, or the straight up video of course. I think I am going to get the 720P model which is $179, whereas the up to 60FPS and 1080p model is $299. The non-hd is $99.

[MetroMan]

NICE vids!

I would've PISSED my pants on that black diamond part of the slope. I am so used to the short runs here at the local slopes.

Where was that karting vid taken? I've karted at All Sports GP a couple of times.

[tj06sti]

Thanks! Don't mean to threadjack, but the karting was out at http://www.summitpointkart.com, that place is awesome! The outdoor surface has a lot more grip then the one at All Sports, the karts are also 13hp and 22hp instead of 6 and 9hp.

Ooh, another neat feature about the GoPro's is how they handle the bright sun. In the karting video, you can see a black floating UFO ball in the sky as we are coming down the pit straight. That is the sun on a cloudless day..so the video doesn't get completely washed out!

NICE vids!

I would've PISSED my pants on that black diamond part of the slope. I am so used to the short runs here at the local slopes.

Where was that karting vid taken? I've karted at All Sports GP a couple of times.

[kayakkevin]

Kevin

Is that the video cameras ....... if not, what did you use to shoot the video stuff

my very first youtube videos were from the Olympus. nearly all of the weekly video reports were from the SD Gopro. the dvds and trailers are done with four Sony HDR-XR100 and two Sony DCR-SR47. all in housings, with wide angle lens's and big batteries.

[MetroMan]

My buddy uses the GoProHD for when he's doing his aerobatics. He uses that for In flight POV. For the exterior, he uses his Contour.

Here's a vid showing the quiality the GoPro HD can get you...
http://vimeo.com/20108616


When I was interested in buying a video camera for kayking, I narrowed it down to the GoPro or the Contour, both of which can be used with waterproof cases

[DOGFISH]

I have a small Sony camera that I use in a divers case. That works good. Sony also makes a case for the waterproof camera, so that it can be used for diving. The small splash proof camers fits in my shirt pocket, much better. When I am fishing, I don't have much time for photography. That is like mixing two interests at once. Then I don't do either 100%. Its like fishing and beer drinking; Whoa now, thats 200%. One enhances the other. Of course my pictures of the fish come out a little blurry.