Good WaterPROOF Digital Camera??

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Big Booper, Thanks for sharing your pictures. Camera is awesome!!!......

 

Still pondering.....hoping someone might comment on the Vivicam.

[TheBeachBears]

As my wife said I have the Pentax WP, an older one and it has performed wonderfully for several years. This was underwater in Belize one of its four cruises and three trips to Disney World.

 

Thanks for this post I have never posted a picture up before now I know how to do it.

 

 

[Sugar*Magnolia]

Okay Im down to the wire and need to make a decision. We're sailing in less than 7 weeks!

Big Booper I think Im leaning towards your Olympus, those pictures are great!

Plus, it is small enough to tuck in a bathing suit :) :D :p

[texswamper]

We bought the 770SW for our Tahiti cruise in August. Feel free to check out our photos of Tahiti, particularly underwater. It was actually taken down to 50-60 ft. by one of the polynesian natives for a picture of the Lemon sharks on the bottom in Bora Bora. We loved the camera and especially the size. Good luck on your decision and enjoy your trip!

[Sugar*Magnolia]

We bought the 770SW for our Tahiti cruise in August. Feel free to check out our photos of Tahiti, particularly underwater. It was actually taken down to 50-60 ft. by one of the polynesian natives for a picture of the Lemon sharks on the bottom in Bora Bora. We loved the camera and especially the size. Good luck on your decision and enjoy your trip!

 

Thank you so much!!

Your pictures are amazing!!

[Aandark]

The Olympus 770 SW is waterproof up to 1 atmosphere (about 35 feet) and shock resistant. It appears to take great pictures, is a bit pricey...but from what we hear it's a great camera...we're going to pick one up before we cruise.

[happycat Bainbridge Is]

Reefmaster. After exhaustive research, we just got the mini. No separate housing, can take pictures above or below the water, rated to diving depths too. Small enough to tuck in a bag or suit.

 

I have the Canon with the separate housing, but I wanted something I could take in snorkeling, then take some pictures dry, then go in again, and the housing doesn't really work for that (plus it's a bit bulky) -- although it stays dry and the pics are good.

 

Have a great trip!

[happycat Bainbridge Is]

With some of the little digitals, you'll want to buy and install a much bigger memory card than the one that comes with them.

[Sugar*Magnolia]

With some of the little digitals, you'll want to buy and install a much bigger memory card than the one that comes with them.

This is about my 5th digital camera purchase! Seems i need a new one every 1.5 yrs. I think they make a 'housing' for my SONY but I definitely do not feel the love from a housing either. Going to purchase one like you described..but never heard of the 'reefmaster'??

[Host Star]

thanks everyone for sharing your photos,, they are great!.. I 'm anxiously waiting to try my new Olympus 770 over thanksgiving in belize and roatan!!!

[Pilot70D]

thanks everyone for sharing your photos,, they are great!.. I 'm anxiously waiting to try my new Olympus 770 over thanksgiving in belize and roatan!!!

 

First, let me say that I too like Olympus digital cameras. There is something that everyone needs to consider though. ALL CAMERAS NEED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ANNUAL MAINTENANCE TO MAINTAIN WATERPROOFNESS.

 

Olympus recommends annual servicing at a price of $165 to keep the seals in good shape. This type of service definitely needs to be performed and probably performed yearly for cameras that will be used at depths greater than ten to fifteen feet.

 

I have a pair of Stylus 500's that I use underwater as well as on land occasionally. I use the factory underwater housing with these cameras. Yes, the underwater housing is less convenient and bulkier. Still I think that an underwater housing is a better solution for depths greater than fifteen feet.

 

Given the disadvantages of housings why do I believe they are a better solution? The answer is cost, long term survivability of the camera and servicing. When that 770 is new all of the seals are intact and probably functioning quite well. At least we hope they are. Before each dive trip I check the watertightness of the housing without the camera installed. If there is a leak I can take care of it with no risk to the camera. After every trip I clean and lubricate the main 'O' ring seal. Every year I replace this main seal. B & H Photo sells seals for almost everything underwater and mine run about $15, cheap compared to $165. Cost isn't my main consideration though. I want to check all of dive gear before every trip and the housing is one way of accomplishing that.

 

One more thing to consider is depth & pressure. You're 40' underwater and you see something interesting at 65'. No problem for the housing but possibly a problem for the 770. One post earlier had a little incorrect information. At sea level we are under 1 atmosphere of pressure. For every 33' (10 meters) the pressure doubles. So at 33' everything is at 2 atmospheres pressure, at 66' 3 atmospheres, at 99' four atmospheres. Doubly check the rating for whatever camera is being considered.

 

No matter what camera you use enjoy that next dive and that next cruise that got you there. Everyone have a great day.

[mcmarya]

Last year REI had two sizes of Aquapac in their stores.

[Boytjie]

thanks everyone for sharing your photos,, they are great!.. I 'm anxiously waiting to try my new Olympus 770 over thanksgiving in belize and roatan!!!

 

Would love to read a report after your cruise; I will be there in February!

[Ryffian]

ALL CAMERAS NEED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF ANNUAL MAINTENANCE TO MAINTAIN WATERPROOFNESS.

 

These may be stupid questions but ...

 

So say I get this Olympus 770 SW and I want to use it underwater right away. How do I know it hasn't been sitting in a store/warehouse longer than a year already. Or if I buy it now but don't use it until March, should I get the seals replaced prior to that "just in case."?

 

And, say I use it once, but then don't have the need for a waterproof camera for 2 years. Do I NEED to get the waterproofing maintenance performed annually in that case? Or can I simply send it in for waterproofing prior to needing a waterproof camera if it's only every 3 years or something like that. Is there a long-term drawback for not having the annual maintenance performed in that case?

 

Just thinking out loud. :rolleyes:

[Pilot70D]

These may be stupid questions but ...

 

 

Actually your questions are very good questions. Unfortunately there is no concrete answer. You have no way of knowing how long that new camera has been sitting there in inventory before it was purchased. Olympus will know by the camera's serial number but only they will know for certain.

 

I gave this matter some thought and I talked to a couple of people I know in the camera business. In one sense the inventory time isn't a big factor. Assuming that the camera was purchased new and from an authorized dealer then it would be covered by a one year warranty. That one year period is measured from the time you purchased the camera not from the time it was made. So for the first year you own the camera it's covered by the factory warranty.

 

This doesn't address the missed pictures if the camera floods or the inconvenience that processing a warranty claim entails. If a digital camera floods, particularly in salt water, it's pretty much toast. However let's now look at this from a common sense perspective. Olympus put in a certain safety factor when they designed the 700 series (or any such camera for that matter). The camera will survive depths much deeper than it's stated rating. This is particularly true for a BRIEF excursion down to a much deeper depth than that for which it's rated. What I wouldn't count on is taking the camera down to much deeper depths frequently and/or for more prolonged time periods. Let's say down to depths between 60 to 90 feet for whatever the no decompression time limit is for a particular dive.

 

After that first year of ownership I would have the camera serviced by Olympus if I intended to use the camera underwater again. Over time 'O'-rings and seals that are under constant mechanical pressure will compress and will eventually leak. With the 770 there is no way to keep this gradual deterioration from happening. You never leave an underwater housing closed and fully locked down for prolonged periods for this very same reason. With my underwater housing I remove, clean and lubricate the 'O'-ring after each dive trip. I store the 'O'-ring in a baggie until it's time to go diving again.

 

You can't do this with the 770 but it's probably not that big a problem. Here's why. I would use that new 770 for a year and then do one of two things. You could then have it serviced which should give you another year of reliable watertight service. After the second year I would probably replace the 770 with whatever new model has come out in its stead. The second option would be to sell and then replace the 770 at or near its one year service life. The $156 you would have spent on servicing the old camera would make a substantial down payment on a new one. Either way I think (IMHO) you're probably good to go without getting the camera serviced until you've owned it a year.

 

Hope this info is helpful. Enjoy that next dive.

[TriviaGeek]

I realize I might be a week too late, but I thought I'd add my two cents regarding underwater digital cameras. We bought the Pentax W20 less than a year ago. While it survived some limited snorkeling in Mexico, it did not survive Tahiti. Turns out the lock latch that someone mentioned earlier is not as sturdy as it should be. Snorkeling with a camera is not the easiest thing to do and while taking some of the most beautiful footage I've ever seen in my life, my finger must've hit the lock latch and the battery compartment opened up and my ~$300 camera is now worthless. Fortunately I recovered the pics off the SD Card, but Pentax refuses to fix it even though I'm within the 1 year warranty. Their response when I sent it in to be fixed was, "we tested the water seals and they passed all of the tests." While I agree the seals are water tight, I don't believe the lock latch is as sturdy as it should be.

 

Anyhow, we learned our lesson and found that a local sporting equipment store had a 5MP digital camera that comes with an underwater housing that goes up to 50ft deep, for $75. I definitely don't recommend spending a fortune on an underwater camera, because you may find the investment becomes a liability.

 

My two cents...

[Scuba Laura]

Very good information in this thread!

 

May I add:

 

I have the Olympus and yes it says it says it's waterproof. I also have a waterproof housing for it. When I take my camera underwater I always put it in the housing. On one dive, the plastic moisture absorber was not placed properly and failed to allow the housing to seal. Thankfully, I noticed the housing had water in it, and I immediately went back to the surface (I was only at 5-10 feet) and handed it back to the boat. My camera was fine. Any other camera that wasn't waterproof, would have been toast.

 

I consider the term "waterproof up to * feet" as a comfort zone. I've lost one (and only one) too many cameras. And they're not cheap!

[Host Star]

my W20 leaked but they did replace the camera and i haven't used it since i got the replacement.. I also bought the olympus 770 which i used last week in roatan.. FANTASTIC pictures.. I can't believe you can take a camera like that into the water.. all the money i used to spend on throw away water cameras and the pictures were terrible.. these a re magazine quality... and roatan is one of the best places i have snorkeled.. right from the beautiful beach on west bay

[Ryffian]

I also bought the olympus 770 which i used last week in roatan.. FANTASTIC pictures.

 

Would love to see some of your pictures if you're willing and able to share!

[Host Star]

Would love to see some of your pictures if you're willing and able to share!

 

 

i'd love to share if I only knew how to do it.. LOL...I'll give it a try.. LOL