Recommend your Underwater Camera

[aostrows]

Hi there -

 

My husband and I are looking at purchasing an underwater camera and lately have been looking at getting the Canon Elph SD780 IS (with a housing unit). We are looking for something that we can get good pictures with but do not want to spend really more than $400. Prefer to be able to simply point and shoot using standard camera features ( no external flash or additional lens filters). Can we do this with a normal camera + housing unit? Thanks for thoughts and pictures are most certainly welcome!

 

Best Regards,

Amanda:D

[jijaybajay]

Hi Amanda,

 

Maybe these 2 articles could help you make your decision:

http://www.kaskus.us/showthread.php?t=2399733

http://www.kaskus.us/showthread.php?t=1400448

 

:D

 

 

 

 

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[crystalight33]

Amanda,

 

I currently use the Olympus 770sw with the underwater housing when I'm diving. I like the fact that the sw series of cameras are already waterproof, so if my housing floods, the camera has a good chance of surviving. Also, the olympus has 3 underwater modes that automatically bring out more red in your pictures (because the water distorts colors). Here are a few pictures I took on a recent caribbean cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Scubachick84]

For my first underwater setup I bought the SeaLife DC500 with a strobe. It was about $800 and that was a few years ago now. Without the strobe I think it was around $500. It did a good job, but the strobe is pretty much required for anything wider than macro shots at depth where sunlight is limited. On land it takes great outdoor shots but has trouble indoors and in low light conditions. Maybe they've improved that in later models. They have a setting called Shark Mode for underwater shooting that all but eliminates shutter lag to capture quick moving creatures.

 

I've heard mostly good things about the Olympus waterproof cameras, they did bring that technology to the market first, but they have a lot of competitors in that area now as you can tell from those links. I like the idea of throwing one of those in a housing, since a flood probably wouldn't damage it at all. As a side note, crystalight33, what is that in your third picture?

 

I'm currently looking to sell my SeaLife camera and invest in an upgrade to a housing for my Canon G10, but I'm keeping the strobe until I can upgrade that too. I can't recommend the G10 enough, but on its own it's more than $400 and let's not even mention the cost of the housing :eek:

[divinmule]

we love our Sealife reefmaster. Not very expensive and good quality pictures.

 

lari

[CRUISERTN]

I love my Pentax Optio W60. You can get the floating wrist strap for it (made by Olympus but it fits on the Pentax)....easy to use and good also on land and in water, waterproof to 10 feet for an hour and a half, so would not work if diving but great for snorkeling...small, compact, but with 10MP and a 5X optical zoom, it takes wonderful pictures!! Check it out.

[dandaman]

We have a Canon SD790 IS with Canon housing that takes great underwater pictures. No strobe needed.

 

You can see pictures from our last Cozumel trip here:

 

http://s653.photobucket.com/albums/uu258/dneisch/cozumel/?albumview=slideshow

[CRUISERTN]

Great photos!! Where in Cozumel were they taken, and at what depth?

[budaman]

We're using a Canon SD870IS & Canon housing. We do have a fiber optic slave strobe, but rarely use it because it is too inconsistant in firing. I did however, find a red filter that works with the Canon housing as no one makes one specifically for them.It's the Ikelite 6441.32 filter & it just pushs on over the lens barrel. Got it just before our trip to Cozumel in February, so all the pics in that gallery, are just using the filter & no strobe. The photos in the Star Flyer gallery are without the filter & with & without the strobe.

 

http://gallery.mac.com/csealove

 

Mike

[crystalight33]

 

I've heard mostly good things about the Olympus waterproof cameras, they did bring that technology to the market first, but they have a lot of competitors in that area now as you can tell from those links. I like the idea of throwing one of those in a housing, since a flood probably wouldn't damage it at all. As a side note, crystalight33, what is that in your third picture?

 

 

It is two small shrimp (cleaner shrimp maybe?) at the bottom of a purple sponge filled with brittlestars. I took the pic from the opening of the sponge. It was my first time playing with macro mode =).

[jijaybajay]

Maybe these options could give you a help:

 

CANON PS D10 Rp 3.675.000

12.1 Megapixels , 3.0x optical zoom with optical Image Stabilizer, DIGIC 4, Waterproof (to 10m), shockproof (1.22m), freeze-proof (-10°C), dust-proof digital camera, 2.5” LCD, Face Detection, 30fps VGA movies, ISO 3200, Li-ion Battery Rp 3,645,000

 

OLYMPUS MJU 550

Waterproof 3m, 10 Megapixels (effective), 1/2.33" CCD , 3x Optical Zoom, 5x Digital Zoom, iESP Auto, Face Detection AF , ISO 1600, Face Detection, Digital Image Stabilization , 14.8 MB internal memory XD/Micro SD Slot, Li-ion Rechargeable Battery Rp 2,995,000 (free 4g)

 

OLYMPUS MJU 850 SW

8 Mpixels, 3x Optical Zoom, 5x Digital Zoom, 14MB xD Card Slot, 2.5" LCD, Iso 1600, Water Proof 3mtr, shockproof 1,5 mtr, freezeproof, Movie Face Detection, ,Image Stabilization, Lithium-ion Battery Rp 2.345.000 (free 2g)

 

OLYMPUS MJU 1030 SW

10 Mpixels, 3x Optical Zoom, 14MB Micro SD Card Slot, 2.7" LCD, Shadow Adjustment, Waterproof 10 meter, Shockproof 2 meter, Macro 2cm, Iso 1600, Movie Face Detection, ,Image Stabilization, Lithium-ion Battery Rp 2.895.000 (free 4g)

 

OLYMPUS MJU 1050 SW

10 Mpixels, 3x Optical Zoom, 14MB Micro SD Card Slot, 2.7" LCD, Shadow Adjustment, Macro 7cm, Iso 1600, Movie Face Detection, ,Image Stabilization, Shockproof to 1.5m, waterproof to 3m and freeze proof to -10°C , Lithium-ion Battery Rp 2.595,000 (free 4g)

 

OLYMPUS MJU Tough 8000

Shockproof 2m, waterproof 10m, Freezeproof -10 derajat celcius, Crushproof 100 kg, 12 Megapixels (effective), 1/2.33" CCD , 3.6x Optical Zoom , 5x Digital Zoom, 2,7 inch LCD, iESP Auto, Spot AF, Face Detection AF , ISO 1600, Dual Image Stabilization , Panorama, TruePic™ III Image Processor , 45 MB internal memory XD/Micro SD Slot, Li-ion Rechargeable Battery Rp 4,295,000 (free 4g)

 

to be continued...

 

 

 

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[jijaybajay]

PANASONIC Memory SDR-SW20 (Underwater)

Sensor Size 1/6m ,10x Optical Zoom, 700x Digital Zoom, 2.7" LCD, Minimum Shutter Speed 1/30, Maximum Shutter Speed 1/8000, Image Stabilization Electronic EIS, SD/SDHC/MMC Rp 4,045,000

 

PANASONIC Memory SDR-SW21

1/6" CCD, 0.34 megapixels , 10x Optical Zoom, Digital Zoom ; 10x-25x, Super Degital Zoom ; 10x-700x, 32GB SD Card, With Triple proof Shockproof hingga 1,2 M, Waterproof up to 2 M, Dustproof, 2.7” Wide Touch Screen, Lens Brand Panasonic, E.I.S. (Electric Image Stabilizer), Stereo mic. / Zoom mic, Lithium-Ion Rp 5.395.000

 

PENTAX W30

7 Mpixels, 3x Optical Zoom, 4x Digital Zoom, 3 meters Waterprof, Macro 1cm, 23MB SD Card Slot, 2.5" LCD, Movie , Anti Shake, Rechargeable Lithium-ion Battery Rp 2,375,000

 

SPECTRA AQ 836

8.0 Megapixels, 1/2.5'' CCD, 3x Optical Zoom, 4x Digital, Waterproof 10M, Shockproof 1M, PC Camera, LCD Display 2.4'' LPTS-TFT Full Color LCD, Built In Flash, Manual Control, ISO1600, Movie Format(Avi Video Format) with Sound, Movie Resolution VGA : 640 x 480 (24 fps), PictBridge Support, SD/SDHC Expandable Slot up to 8GB, Lithium Ion Rp 1.845,000 (free 2g)

 

XACTI VPC-CA65

6 Mpixels, 5x Opticalal Zoom, SD/MMC Card Slot compatible 4 giga, Image Stabilizer, Stereo Recording, Waterprof 1,5 metres, Video Camera, MPEG4, Digital Camera, Iso 1600, Lithium Battery Rp 2.345,000 (free 1g)

 

XACTI CA 8

8 Mpixels CMOS, 5x Opticalal Zoom, SD/MMC Card Slot compatible 4 giga, Image Stabilizer, Stereo Recording, Waterprof 1,5 metres, Video Camera 60fps, MPEG4, Digital Camera, Iso 1600, Lithium Battery Rp 2.545.000 (free 4g)

 

to be continued...

 

 

 

 

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[jijaybajay]

XACTI WH1

1,1 Megapixels, 1/6 inch CMOS sensor SD/SDHC (up to 32GB), waterproof 3 meter, Internal memory 43 mb, JPEG, MPEG-4, HD-SHQ 1280 x 720 (30 fps/ 9Mbps), 30x optical zoom, Galvanometer method structure, Auto focus 7 groups, Built-in neutral density filter, Super macro 1cm, Digital zoom 50x, ISO1600, Digital Image Stabilizer, Audio Microphone Built-in stereo, LCD 2.5 inch, AV output Video: HDMI/Composite video, NTSC/PAL, Lithium-ion battery Rp 4.825,000

 

 

 

 

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[BlueC5Kitten]

It is two small shrimp (cleaner shrimp maybe?) at the bottom of a purple sponge filled with brittlestars. I took the pic from the opening of the sponge. It was my first time playing with macro mode =).

 

They look like peppermint shrimp...not your standard Petersen's Cleaner Shrimp which are usually clear with blue markings, instead of the red in your photo.

 

Nice shot with your macro! I wish my macro function worked so well...though I did get this little guy...a Secretary Blenny in an old worm hole on some coral, situated on old wreckage.

 

 

BTW, my camera is the Casio Exilim EX-Z1050 with the UW housing.

 

Also took these with the same camera...

Dive buddy over the Cartanza in St. Thomas.

 

Foureye Butterflyfish in St. Thomas.

 

Hawksbill Turtle in St. Thomas.

 

Whaleshark in Utila, Honduras.

 

Gray Triggerfish off the Texas Clipper in the Gulf of Mexico.

 

YMMV! Happy cruising, diving and snorkeling!

[underseahunter]

SEALIFE cameras are made by divers, for divers. Rated to 200 feet. Rugged. I have had one for a few months now and love it. Works great above water. This is not a wimpy camera, or an afterthought.

C

[crystalight33]

They look like peppermint shrimp...not your standard Petersen's Cleaner Shrimp which are usually clear with blue markings, instead of the red in your photo.

 

 

Thanks! I was wondering what they were. I really need to invest in some identification books.

[RogerCalgary]

In your price range, I would recommend the Olympus Stylus (or Mju outside of North America) Tough 8000. I have an earlier model, the 1030SW, and I've been very happy with it.

 

 

Cheers,

Roger

[aostrows]

Thank you all so much for the recommendations! This is very helpful:)

 

Amanda

[bling19572010]

We have a Canon SD790 IS with Canon housing that takes great underwater pictures. No strobe needed.

 

You can see pictures from our last Cozumel trip here:

 

http://s653.photobucket.com/albums/uu258/dneisch/cozumel/?albumview=slideshow

 

Did you just snap and shoot to get the beautiful pictures? Did you have to use a certain setting or do anything else special?

[Guzmania]

We're particularly fond of our Olympus 1030. DW uses it as her regular camera. 10 MP, very, very fast and easy to use.

[swimmer722]

The Cozumel pictures were taken on various reefs during a week long stay, including Paradise (night dive), Palancar Gardens (a favorite), and Cedral. Depths were between 30-60 feet.

 

Other than the underwater setting on the Canon SD790 and use of the built-in flash, no other special settings were used.

 

The only difficult thing is getting the fish to hold still long enough. I have loads of pictures just of tail fins :-)

[AlbertaCruisers]

We just got back from our first cruise with the Canon D10 and we are very impressed with the quality of the pictures. We had 10 ports in 2 weeks and snorkeled at 8 of them and the pictures are great.

 

My husband used our Olympus 1050SW at the same snorkel spots at the same time and the Canon pictures are much better. Even on the underwater setting the Olympus had a green tinge that I had to photoshop out. On the underwater setting the Canon D10 has very true colors. If the water was too deep, the pictures still turned out better then I hoped, and better than the Olympus but a bit green.

 

We had the Olympus 720SW, but I broke it when I fell on it in St. Thomas a few years ago. We have had the 1050SW for a couple of years now and it has done a lot of snorkeling and it is still in good shape, but I love my Canon now.

 

Just remember to always soak them in tap water when you get back to the ship!

[Ellusionz]

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 (in orange!). I love this camera, so many neat lil features.

[Katdb]

I bought an old Canon A570 and the underwater housing a couple of years back, for just under $250CA. I then used the CHDK hack (you can google this) for canon cameras so that I can shoot pics in raw format and edit them later. As a warning, it takes a much bigger memory card for raw pics, but it is worth it in the end. You don't necessarily need the top of the line camera to get great pics!!!