recommendations for underwater camera

[nurseblissful]

i have an elderly 35mm sealife reefmaster that needs replacing. i got my son a canon s3 after checking recommendation here. what would you people recommend? i don't want to spend $$$$$, maybe around 300-350? but the old reefmaster let me down in barbados, and i don't want a repeat. also, i do not use the camera in virginia as the water quality is pretty gross here. so it will not see a lot of use. thanks for all help in advance. lauri

[ekerr19]

One of the posters here directed me to this wonderful site for camera information & reviews...

 

http://www.dpreview.com/

 

You may find it helpful as well... :)

[iamwiz82]

I use my trusty Canon point and shoot digital with a Canon underwater case.

 

Here is Canon's selection of underwater cases, good to around 130 feet, on average: http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=StandardDisplayAct&fcategoryid=113&keycode=underwater_photo

 

[ekerr19]

One of the posters here directed me to this wonderful site for camera information & reviews...

 

http://www.dpreview.com/

 

You may find it helpful as well... :)

[infohunter]

Now if you want a pocket size camera....

 

The hubby just got me a little Olympus 770sw.... they claim that "you can drop it (from 5ft), dunk it (to 33ft), freeze it (-10�C/14�F) or even try to crush it (up to 220lbf)". Haven't taken it in the water yet so can't comment on picture quality directly. Main reason he got it for me was that it is built like a tank (I broke my little canon sd600 last year). This seemed the best combination for us as I love to snorkel. So far picture quality has been great. Won't know how it will far in the water till our cruise in December.

[nurseblissful]

my cruise is even further away....post some pics from snorkeling, and i can check out cameras and live vicariously....thanks for the responses. lauri

[iflyrc5]

I got an Olympus 720SW in Ebay from the Olympus Auction folks. It is refurbished but looks like new and came with a 90 day warrantee. I got it or $178. It is water proof to 10 feet - nice display and also take movies. I got it for our Jan southern Crib cruise.

[j3Baker]

I love my Pentax Optio Waterproof camera. It is very small (there is no casing), and it is in the price range you are thinking about. Check out the Pentax website.

[noblepa]

Be sure that any camera you buy is truly useable underwater. Many cameras are "dunkable", meaning that, if you drop it in the water, but recover it immediately, it probably won't suffer any damage. That's not the same as a camera desinged to be used underwater.

 

An example of the latter is the Pentax W30. It is a 7.1 megapixel digital camera that Pentax claims can be used in up to 10 feet of water for up to 2 hours. While that probably isn't good enough for scuba diving, it is probably okay for snorkeling or visiting Stingray City. The list price is about $300. Its available for $235, with a $30 mail-in rebate, from B & H Photo in NY, a very reputable dealer.

 

Complete info and specs are available from Pentax at:

 

http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_details/digital_camera--Optio_W30/reqID--9587364/subsection--optio

[Harry1954]

we still find the throw-away cameras take nearly as good a picture and you aren't stuck with a camera you won't use very much again...

harry