Waterproof snorkeling camera suggestions?

[ddgg]

I don't dive, but I like to snorkel and have taken some nice underwater shots. Up to now, I've been using my ancient 3.2 megapixel Canon Powershot A510 with an underwater case.

 

I would like to replace that with a camera that will take as good or better shots as the A510. I only want to use it in or near water--both stills and video--not as an all-the-time camera.

 

I was thinking of the Canon D20, but would like to hear from those of you that know much more than I! What would you recommend?

[markeb]

My current recommendation is the Olympus TG-2 iHS. Reasonably compact, shockproof, very good water resistance, and an f/2.0 lens on the wide end.

 

Some shots I took snorkeling in July:

 

 

 

 

 

Not the cheapest on the market (currently $329 from B&H), but very good.

[chipmaster]

A good review of the major waterproof cameras:

 

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/2013-waterproof-roundup?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

 

I was reasonably impressed with my Nikon

[awboater]

I think the Olympus TG-2 is the current top dog in waterproof cameras.

 

And there is no two ways to say it - the Canon D20 is one ugly camera.

[Nole0202]

I think the Olympus TG-2 is the current top dog in waterproof cameras.

 

And there is no two ways to say it - the Canon D20 is one ugly camera.

 

Yes, and it's shape is not user friendly.

[TLCOhio]

A good review of the major waterproof cameras:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/2013-waterproof-roundup?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=mainmenu&utm_medium=text&ref=mainmenu

I was reasonably impressed with my Nikon

 

markeb: My current recommendation is the Olympus TG-2 iHS. Reasonably compact' date=' shockproof, very good water resistance, and an f/2.0 lens on the wide end. [/quote']

 

awboater: I think the Olympus TG-2 is the current top dog in waterproof cameras.

 

Appreciate these ideas and wonderful suggestions. We are looking forward to our first “down under” visit' date=' Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Celebrity Solstice from Australia to Auckland/NZ doing 14 days on this ship. We are doing some pre-cruise options for Cairns/Port Douglas, the Rainforest and Great Barrier Reef, then Kangaroo Island near Adelaide before departing from Sidney’s scenic harbor. And, doing the mid-cruise ship over-night trip to and in Queenstown and then stopping in Hawaii on the way home to break up that long, long flight back.

 

[b']Definitely want to get a good water-proof camera.[/b] Very interested in the Nikon version. Maybe also considering the Olympus model. Booth seem very good. Will keep research and buy within a couple of months. Have some time till we depart on Jan. 9, 2014.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 140,997 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[mykidsrock76]

My current recommendation is the Olympus TG-2 iHS. Reasonably compact, shockproof, very good water resistance, and an f/2.0 lens on the wide end.

 

Some shots I took snorkeling in July:

 

 

 

 

 

Not the cheapest on the market (currently $329 from B&H), but very good.

 

I just got the Olympus TG-2 for our upcoming cruise. Now, I am in no way a photographer. What do I need to know to take these great pictures?

[TLCOhio]

I just got the Olympus TG-2 for our upcoming cruise. Now, I am in no way a photographer. What do I need to know to take these great pictures?

 

For underwater pictures or in general? Below are my key photo tips. In some ways, it's not that hard if you follow most of these tips. Try to keep it "SIMPLE!!".

 

YES, getting good cruise pictures helps keep those great memories alive and well for the future, etc.

 

But, just like with an artist or cook, it is not always the quality of the paint brush or pots and pans. It's the skill, focus and interest of the user.

 

In most cases, I shoot in the program or auto setting, letting the camera do the work on settings and focus so that I can be more concerned on framing and subject options. These cameras can be “complicated”, but I try to avoid those challenges and distractions. Here are a few basic, key photography secrets:

 

1. Shooting lots of pictures. That's easier with digital to do, learning as you are taking pictures. Show people only the "good ones!" and do not boring them with the average and/or poor ones. The more you shoot, that improves your "odds" to get better pictures, varied framings, etc.

2. Move closer! Zoom in, fill up the frame, try different, more interesting angles.

3. Involve people. Make it interesting. Get that human element/connection when possible.

4. Hold things steady. Gently squeeze. Use door frames, walls to lessen the blurs in lower-light situations.

5. Editing: Fine-tune your pictures on your lap-top, brighten when needed, level it out, improve the croppings, etc. Narrow down to only your "best of the best" pictures before sharing. I do that on my MacBook Pro computer using their iPhoto software tools. Fairly quick and easy!!

 

See more details and ideas were previously posted at: Baltics/Picture Secrets! Key Tips, Ideas, etc.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=977864

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 117,472 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

[mykidsrock76]

For underwater pictures or in general? Below are my key photo tips. In some ways, it's not that hard if you follow most of these tips. Try to keep it "SIMPLE!!".

 

YES, getting good cruise pictures helps keep those great memories alive and well for the future, etc.

 

But, just like with an artist or cook, it is not always the quality of the paint brush or pots and pans. It's the skill, focus and interest of the user.

 

In most cases, I shoot in the program or auto setting, letting the camera do the work on settings and focus so that I can be more concerned on framing and subject options. These cameras can be “complicated”, but I try to avoid those challenges and distractions. Here are a few basic, key photography secrets:

 

1. Shooting lots of pictures. That's easier with digital to do, learning as you are taking pictures. Show people only the "good ones!" and do not boring them with the average and/or poor ones. The more you shoot, that improves your "odds" to get better pictures, varied framings, etc.

2. Move closer! Zoom in, fill up the frame, try different, more interesting angles.

3. Involve people. Make it interesting. Get that human element/connection when possible.

4. Hold things steady. Gently squeeze. Use door frames, walls to lessen the blurs in lower-light situations.

5. Editing: Fine-tune your pictures on your lap-top, brighten when needed, level it out, improve the croppings, etc. Narrow down to only your "best of the best" pictures before sharing. I do that on my MacBook Pro computer using their iPhoto software tools. Fairly quick and easy!!

 

See more details and ideas were previously posted at: Baltics/Picture Secrets! Key Tips, Ideas, etc.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=977864

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

For details and visuals, etc., from our July 1-16, 2010, Norway Coast/Fjords/Arctic Circle cruise experience from Copenhagen on the Silver Cloud, check out this posting. This posting is now at 117,472 views.

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1227923

 

For regular shots, I figured I'd just use the auto setting. Or macro if I'm doing a close up? The whole underwater picture is new to me. I don't want to miss a great shot because I'm fumbling with choosing the "right" setting.

 

Guess I should break out the old manual and doing some reading and practice!

[markeb]

The TG-2 has an "Intelligent Auto", or iAuto setting on its main dial. I fought all my photography urges and left it on that setting while snorkeling. The camera automatically selects the best mode, which seems to work very well in the water.

 

I generally did NOT zoom; one of the features of this camera is a very wide aperture which makes it great for reduced light photography (such as underwater), but that advantage drops off dramatically as you zoom. Swim towards things you want to photograph, don't zoom in on them. Also, if you're snorkeling, you're largely going to be "whole body" aiming, and staying wide gives you a better margin of error.

 

As I say, I've been pleased. I even got some very good out of the water shots...

 

[mykidsrock76]

The TG-2 has an "Intelligent Auto", or iAuto setting on its main dial. I fought all my photography urges and left it on that setting while snorkeling. The camera automatically selects the best mode, which seems to work very well in the water.

 

I generally did NOT zoom; one of the features of this camera is a very wide aperture which makes it great for reduced light photography (such as underwater), but that advantage drops off dramatically as you zoom. Swim towards things you want to photograph, don't zoom in on them. Also, if you're snorkeling, you're largely going to be "whole body" aiming, and staying wide gives you a better margin of error.

 

As I say, I've been pleased. I even got some very good out of the water shots..

 

I've been playing with the camera this morning and it has some neat features. Still haven't gotten it wet. I'm kind of afraid to, but will eventually.

 

The internal memory is not very good, so I'm glad I got an extra SD card. I only got a 16gb, debating if I should've gotten a 32.

 

What are your thoughts on the SD cards? How many photos can they hold?

[TLCOhio]

The TG-2 has an "Intelligent Auto", or iAuto setting on its main dial. I fought all my photography urges and left it on that setting while snorkeling. The camera automatically selects the best mode, which seems to work very well in the water. I generally did NOT zoom; one of the features of this camera is a very wide aperture which makes it great for reduced light photography (such as underwater), but that advantage drops off dramatically as you zoom. Swim towards things you want to photograph, don't zoom in on them. Also, if you're snorkeling, you're largely going to be "whole body" aiming, and staying wide gives you a better margin of error. As I say, I've been pleased. I even got some very good out of the water shots...

 

 

Appreciate so much your added tips and success stories. Love the outdoor shot you shared. Looks great!! Yes, these digital cameras keep getting better and better!!

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Did a June 7-19, 2011, Celebrity Solstice cruise from Barcelona that had stops in Villefranche, ports near Pisa and Rome, Naples, Kotor, Venice and Dubrovnik. Enjoyed great weather and a wonderful trip. Dozens of wonderful visuals with key highlights, tips, comments, etc., on these postings. We are now at 141,074 views for this live/blog re-cap on our first sailing with Celebrity and much on wonderful Barcelona. Check these postings and added info at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1426474

[markeb]

I've been playing with the camera this morning and it has some neat features. Still haven't gotten it wet. I'm kind of afraid to, but will eventually.

 

The internal memory is not very good, so I'm glad I got an extra SD card. I only got a 16gb, debating if I should've gotten a 32.

 

What are your thoughts on the SD cards? How many photos can they hold?

 

I have a 32GB, but that's because I tend to shoot RAW + JPEG on my two cameras that will. I think it says I can shoot ANOTHER 9999 pics in "normal" quality, and 6892 in "fine".

 

Unless you plan on shooting a LOT of video, 16 should be fine. If you do plan on shooting a lot of video, get a second one (which you should use anyway), and make sure you go with Class 10 (faster) SDHC or SDXC memory.

 

I have not tried using the camera for video. You probably want to test that before the cruise. There are some reports that the microphone will pick up the autofocus motor sounds.

[mykidsrock76]

I have a 32GB, but that's because I tend to shoot RAW + JPEG on my two cameras that will. I think it says I can shoot ANOTHER 9999 pics in "normal" quality, and 6892 in "fine".

 

Unless you plan on shooting a LOT of video, 16 should be fine. If you do plan on shooting a lot of video, get a second one (which you should use anyway), and make sure you go with Class 10 (faster) SDHC or SDXC memory.

 

I have not tried using the camera for video. You probably want to test that before the cruise. There are some reports that the microphone will pick up the autofocus motor sounds.

 

Awesome! You have been great and all your tips are wonderful! Love your pics... I only hope I can get some good ones too!

[fam2cruise]

I'm not a photographer by any means...I just bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS25 Digital Camera from B&H for $140 and I'm very pleased with it. I was replacing a old Kodak before our next cruise and was looking for descent and cheap. I use a Lumix DMC-LX5 for my everyday and I like it, so figured I'd stick with the brand.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[newlaxfan]

I remember seeing waterproof bags or casings mentioned a few years ago -- you put your camera in it and take it diving with you. Have any of you had success with that setup? I wouldn't do it with my SLR but am wondering about my P & S backup camera.

[awboater]

Nikon just announced the Nikon 1 AW, which is so far the best digital underwater camera made. And it has interchangeable waterproof lenses as well.

[CWRob]

Very pricey!!

 

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab

[PLG3]

Along the lines of "markeb's" samples (above) from the Olympus TG-2, here's a link to some other TG-2 pictures taken while snorkeling -

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/52203905

 

One nice thing about the DPReview site and this post in particular, if you pause your cursor over each of the pictures, the EXIF data will pop-up.

 

Happy snorkeling!

 

Paul in NoVA

[awboater]

Very pricey!!

 

 

Very true. But with Nikon 1, wait 12 months and they will have a fire sale.

 

Nikon must have the world's worst marketing department.

 

They overprice the Nikon 1, then sell them at a fire-sale (I bought the $899 Nikon V1 for $299 last Dec). Why don't they just lower the price to begin with, and make their profit with unit volume sales.

 

And for example... with the Nikon P330, after I bought one, I found it has a true Video PAUSE button (multiple video snippets in one file). This is a huge feature as you don't have to assemble video snippets in post processing - and many people that use digital cameras for video would love to have such a feature.

 

But they don't tell anyone about it!!!!

 

I only found out about the feature after I bought the camera - and happened to be reading the manual.

 

If I owned Nikon, I'd fire the entire marketing staff and start over.