Underwater Camera?

[barberesr]

How should I choose an underwater camera? I have seen pictures come out dark and some that you can see very clearly.

 

Thanks

[billet]

I have an olympus tough 6000 and it produces excellent underwater pictures. Before someone stole it I had the 770SW and that also was a good underwater camera. Both of them are built for snorkelling depth.

[Carpe_Diem]

Hi,

 

My wife and I just cruised on the Crown Princess from 16 to 23 Jan, 2010 and used our new Fuji camera ~ model number "FinePix Z33WP" ~ for underwater pictures.

 

We used this camera during our swim/snorkel with the stingrays/coral gardens in the Grand Caymans and also in the shipboard pools.

 

As the camera cost less than $200.00, we felt that the 10 megapixel pictures turned out very well and we won't have to buy any more disposable underwater cameras again.

 

Just Google the model number for full specs.

[MrSchwump]

Tomas and Sherrie, that's good to hear. I recently bought the same camera and am looking forward to using it in a couple of weeks.

For the OP, you can go to cnet.com or dpreview.com for reviews of cameras. It's a good way to compare different models. They have links to online vendors also. Above the water, I really like the Fuji Z33WP, I'll post some uw pics in a few weeks!

[BigGuy25]

There are disposable underwater cameras that often take surprisingly good photos.

 

Before our South Pacific trip I purchased a relatively low priced Sony Cybershot that came with and underwater housing. It takes great underwater pics. The only downside is that the "screen" is often difficult, sometimes impossible, to see underwater. So, I compensate for that by shooting pictures wider than I might normally and take care of the cropping in the computer when I get home.

 

As you're probably discovering, there are a lot of cameras available today that are already underwater capable with no added housing. Most are good to +/- 10 feet of water ... perfect for snorkeling.

[tmitchell82]

You can go one of two ways, a disposable underwater camera that takes 35mm film pictures. Quality is okay, usually need to manual advance the camera, etc. Good part is that they are cheap if you are only going to take pictures underwater a few times. The other way to go is a waterproof digital camera. More more expensive than a disposable, but generally take better pictures and can be used as a regular camera on land. The waterproof ones are generally also freeze and drop proof to a degree (great if you have a 5 year old that likes to play with the camera...) These also take videos underwater as well and do a pretty good job at that. We have a Canon D10 and love it. Takes great underwater pictures (just make sure you set it accordingly) and video as well as good pictures on land. Also really handy for going on in the snow, rain, etc. Was it worth the investment. Absolutely if you want a very flexible point and shoot with underwater capability. Below is an example of one of the underwater pics I took with the Canon D10

 

 

Tim

[Colo Cruiser]

How should I choose an underwater camera? I have seen pictures come out dark and some that you can see very clearly.

 

Thanks

 

 

This is one of the best choices I have seen, Costco had it for $312.

In St Thomas it $299 and no tax.

Takes fantastic photos.

 

[sunluva7]

I think it depends what type of underwater needs you're looking for. We used them for more shallow snorkeling. If you're going relatively deep, you'll probably want something a bit better. We brought inexpensive Fuji disposable underwater cameras on our last cruise, and the pictures were very good for such a cheap camera.

 

http://picasaweb.google.com/jneves115/CaribbeanPrincessAugust2005?feat=directlink

[PG13]

How should I choose an underwater camera? I have seen pictures come out dark and some that you can see very clearly.

 

Thanks

 

I have an Olympus Stylus 770 SW and it produces great pictures I've used as posters, classroom presentation, & screen saves they were so good. I practiced using it 1st because you can't see the LED screen very well underwater, only shadows. I shoot tons of pictures and delete them once I get on land. I also take an extra battery and memory card. The secret is to come home and down load them with Picassa and use "I feel luckY" to clean them up, it's amazing the results. If that's not good enough them I upload them to Kodak. It was important on our last cruise too, in Alaska last summer there were forest fires and many of my pictures were smokey but it cleared many of them up. It clears out fogginess in underwater pictures great and seem to know just where to add color so it look like what you saw, but silt in the water clouded. I'm not a pro or even close but I love the results I get. Plus it's one really tough camera and I have a floating wristband that makes it easy to use and carefree. It was a couple hundred dollars, but made a great birthday present from hubby. We got it on clearance. The newer models might have a eye viewer plus an led that would be best. One more thing, its all automatic which it important to me. Good luck, Pat

[bishop35]

I just bought the Fuji Z33WP from Amazon.com and I can't wait to try it out in three weeks. It seems like a great little camera that will be good for everyday use also. I did a lot of research before I decided to buy this one. There are better underwater cameras if you are willing to pay for them, the Fuji was under $150.

[du4mch]

We have an Olympus stylus tough 8000. Very good under water and shock proof. Found that out the first day we had it. DW handed it to me and I dropped it on the cement. No problem's. FYI: It will sink so be careful to strap it securly to your wrist. I strap it around my watch works great.

[broberts]

I've found that since the disposable cameras do not have a zoom it's difficult to get really nice shots when snorkeling. Since they are film cameras and don't have a flash they are also unable to compensate for the light conditions so most underwater shots have a distinct blue tinge. None they less they are inexpensive and easy to use. They also take very good pictures above water - better than under. Another limitation is that most of them can take less than 20 shots. A digital is only limited by the size of the memory card you put in it.

 

You might find the following article useful. The site, dpreview, is an excellent resource if you are considering a digital camera.

[cjcruises]

This is one of the best choices I have seen, Costco had it for $312.

In St Thomas it $299 and no tax.

Takes fantastic photos.

 

 

We have the camera shown above, It is great for picture quality & also takes great quality underwater video. Plus, you can buy accessories for it -- a float strap & case, with extra straps & attachments, so that if you loose your grip on it as you snorkel, the camera won't sink to the bottom (thereby nullifying your warranty).

[Midnight Rain]

I love the Canon D10 underwater camera. Pictures in water come out very clear. The biggest thing I think in an underwater camera is a flash. I have used the disposables, with no flash, and the pictures are grainy.

[Times Prince]

We purchased the Olympus Stylus 850 SW onboard the Grand Princess, and have gotten some great underwater shots. It is great for snorkeling, but not rated for more than 5 feet deep. There was another model good for that.

 

We've used 35mm cameras in the past and the pictures come out fairly grainy. Princess sells one that comes in a underwater case.

 

The nice thing about digital is you can take a lot of pictures and then just keep the ones that are good.

[cruzin girl]

We also have an Olympus only the Stylus 1030 SW and have found it indestructible. Our first was a cannon with an underwater case, we took it on our cruise to Tahiti and the case leaked first time and ruined our camera. This one has no case and is so wonderful to use, love it!

[DannyBoy78]

Hi All,

 

Great topic. For my upcoming cruise, I purchased an AquaPac.

 

http://www.aquapac.net

 

I figured that a waterproof case was better than buying an expense camera or an expense accessory. There are several youtube videos and other reviews out there.

 

Danny

[travelqueen555]

I have an olympus tough 6000 and it produces excellent underwater pictures. Before someone stole it I had the 770SW and that also was a good underwater camera. Both of them are built for snorkelling depth.

 

 

Hi, I just returned from the Carnival Victory, where after accidently dropping one camera in the sea, we purchased the Olympus touch 6000 in St Thomas so we could pictures of the rest of our cruise (see my review) Victory 1/17 - 1/24/2010.

 

Anyway after using it for several days, and snapping many pictures, I got an error message card was wet. Long story short, camera would not power up again, and all my pictures were lost. I also just read a review from Sunseeker09 that the exact same thing happened to with the exact same camera, just wanted to warn you!! I see after returning from my cruise, they do sell a skin for this camera, I will probably purchase that after my defective camera is replaced by Olympus.

[fishnfun]

I have an olympus tough 6000 and it produces excellent underwater pictures. Before someone stole it I had the 770SW and that also was a good underwater camera. Both of them are built for snorkelling depth.

 

How the the pictures from land. We are looking very hard at buying this camera but want good land photos also. Thanks for your input.

[CruisingGoddess]

If you like your current digital camera, you can save money by just making it waterproof! I bought a Dicapac waterproof pouch for my digital camera (Canon Powershot) so I can use it underwater.

 

 

They make them for all sorts of cameras. It cost about $25-30. All the underwater photos here was taken with it:

 

 

You can buy it on Amazon or eBay. Hope that helps!

[broberts]

If you like your current digital camera, you can save money by just making it waterproof! I bought a Dicapac waterproof pouch for my digital camera (Canon Powershot) so I can use it underwater.

 

There are a number of other companies that make similar products: aquapac and OverBoard are two I know of.

[flatman]

Has anyone tried the Vivitar, vivicam8400 digital camera? They say it's good to 30 ft. 8 mp and 8x zoom. 2.4in LCD monitor so you can erase any you choose. I just bought one at Walmart and I'm just hoping it's going to work for our trip in April.

[TamLaiSang]

Has anyone tried the Vivitar, vivicam8400 digital camera? They say it's good to 30 ft. 8 mp and 8x zoom. 2.4in LCD monitor so you can erase any you choose. I just bought one at Walmart and I'm just hoping it's going to work for our trip in April.

 

The reviews at Amazon weren't friendly. Out of 25 user reviews it ranked an average of 3/5 stars. Most users (9) gave it 1 star.

 

The biggest complaints were regard to flooding, with some blaming a poor battery cover design. The second biggest complaint was with the slow delay between snapping a picture, and actually taking the picture.

 

Even many of the people that gave it positive reviews complained about the poor camera performance, and said the pictures weren't much better than a disposable film camera.

 

You might want to head over there and read some of the reviews...

[flatman]

The reviews at Amazon weren't friendly. Out of 25 user reviews it ranked an average of 3/5 stars. Most users (9) gave it 1 star.

 

The biggest complaints were regard to flooding, with some blaming a poor battery cover design. The second biggest complaint was with the slow delay between snapping a picture, and actually taking the picture.

 

Even many of the people that gave it positive reviews complained about the poor camera performance, and said the pictures weren't much better than a disposable film camera.

 

You might want to head over there and read some of the reviews...

 

thank you. I bought one and tried to take a few pictures in my aquarium and they were junk. It doesn't even have instructions telling what the buttons are for. I have no way of knowing how to adjust any of the settings. It's going back today.

[Rosieo]

I am looking at both the Canon D10 or the Panasonic Lumix DCM-TS1 and can't decide. Has any used the Panasonic?