Looking for a Good Underwater P&S?

[Frank Petronio]

Lately I've had the urge to shoot kayaking and can't afford a fancy underwater DSLR casing that costs more than the camera itself... plus it seems these little flat lens, small sensor digital P&S cameras like the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 seem pretty well sealed for boats and shallow dips, if not outright diving.

Any recommendations? I am thinking $300 for a new one makes sense because this wouldn't be a good camera to buy used due to abuse and dunks... but are there better options?

I admit to being interested in doing some half-under, half-above shots and wonder if anyone has done similar work with such a tiny lens (a bit of spray and pray in the waves I imagine....)?

And underwater, I know it depends, but does the higher ISO and flash work OK?

I saw the recent DP Review round-up and that Sony used a touch-screen for their underwater camera... smart, should give all you NEX-7 buyers a lot of confidence in their design decisions ;-p

 

[KenR]

Canon SureShot A-1 is waterproof to 10 feet. Have used it in the rain in various settings, always with great results. Can do closeups as well.

 

[whitecat]

I have had more than one of these.....



http://www.ebay.com/itm/NIKON-NIKON...ILM_CAMERAS&hash=item27be02e6a0#ht_500wt_1413

 

[JMQ]

The digital Olympus Stylus SW (shock & waterproof) series will fit the bill. They are well within your stated budget, and will go to 30+ feet on certain models. Lots of noise under poor lighting conditions, but are perfectly fine in daylight.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

If you want a digital then there are many options however, if you are not sure if you will be using the camera much try the Minolta Weathermatic Dual 35. It is a film camera that can be used up to 10 feet or a pool and is obtainable for about $30. Photos obtained are pretty good but not up to the Nikonos.

 

[tj01]

I have a fujifilm F31fd and an ikelite casing for it , sell you both for 300? Good for diving

 

[Dunn]

My girlfriend has one of the Olympus Tough cameras. Waterproof to 16ft, shockproof to 5ft, freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. It's pretty nice. Sometimes on overexposes a tad. But it's a pretty sweet little camera.

Also, it is the quietest camera I have ever used. I tried to hear the shutter and could barely hear it with it next to my ear. No one will ever hear you take a photo of them, ever.

It's the TG-610.

I haven't used any other waterproofs though.

 

[f16sunshine]

Frank

I have the Lumix TS1 since 2009. The first one leaked one week into a trip to Panama. Panny replaced it no questions. My current one just performed great in the Salty Med. . I'll post some pics in a soon. The camera is easy to use, clean, and hold. I like the flat sides as you can stand it in edge or the bottom for slow shutter or selftimer shots. The half in half put is not to functional with the tiny lens as you guessed. The video works well and can be interesting underwater. AutoWhiteBalance is shockingly good. The TS3 must be some sort of upgrade I would guess. I would buy one if this camera ever is lost or stolen. The Iq is as good as p&s small sensor gets.
Cheers

 

[ornate_wrasse]

I admit to being interested in doing some half-under, half-above shots and wonder if anyone has done similar work with such a tiny lens

Frank,

I have shot over-unders when I was in Cozumel a few years ago with my DSLR housing and huge dome port. I will tell you that over-unders are not easy for a number of reasons. They are much easier using a large dome port, so I doubt that it would work well if you are shooting with a P&S. If the port covering the lens is glass, using Rain-X helps to get rid of water droplets. Ignore my advice, however, if the port is plastic, not glass.

Ellen

 

[Phantomas]

I've used Canon's Powershot A620 in native underwater housing with very good results. The case is quite advanced (allows access to all functions and comes with some accessories) and durable. Goes 60ft deep. I actually loved shooting half-above-half-under shots and it worked well, due to buoyancy of the case and water deflecting properties of the front glass of the case.
So you might want to check that option - a small P&S of your liking with an underwater case to match. Some of them can be found cheap. I'm actually selling my A620 with the case, but I don't want to break any rules bringing it up here 🙂

 

[keepright]

I saw the recent DP Review round-up and that Sony used a touch-screen for their underwater camera... smart, should give all you NEX-7 buyers a lot of confidence in their design decisions ;-p

I love my Panasonic TS3, which is the camera that tied with the Sony in that comparison – with the caveat that the Sony is actually useless underwater, which is its intended environment. I also own an Olympus 770SW, which I bought for kayaking before I discovered that I don't like being wet or uncomfortable.

I'm using my orange TS3 for a daily photo project (here) and I've developed a love for public fountains.

I've also done a couple of write-ups of the camera, one from when the camera was new and a second one three months later.

 

[Frank Petronio]

Yes thank you! The public fountain idea is along the lines of what I am thinking.

Hmm "Over Unders" is a genre, I am so common....

One thing I'm looking for is a good Winter storm camera that is also compact enough not to get in the way of skiing, hiking, biking.... I love m4/3 but the truth is that I don't really care about image quality nearly as much as getting an image in the first place.

I think I am going to order the Pany for $299 since I don't see any real bargains and I hate to buy a used underwater camera.

What color? haha

Do those float straps work for snorkeling and boating? They look bulky but might be nice for the occasion.

Finally, wouldn't it be brilliant if these cameras had a WiFi connection and wireless charging option? That would make them impenetrable!

 

[wjlapier]

A little late. TS-3 for me too. Used in at the Oregon Coast and worked perfectly. If you use it in salt water you'll need to soak it for a short while. That was an odd feeling putting my camera in a pot of water to clean salt off of it.

 

[Frank Petronio]

That Fuji is a lot less expensive, seems to get the job done... hmm

Wouldn't a well stocked camera store be novel? Or buy both and send one back?

 

[keepright]

I have the floating strap and silicone skin (yes, I've also reviewed it) and they do specify that the strap isn't for depths below about 10 feet, probably because the water pressure will cause the strap to lose buoyancy. But for boating it should be great, and snorkelling should be fine as well. It is just for occasional use, though, as the bulk does get annoying when it's not needed.

The buttons on the TS3 are probably a little too small and close together for easy use with heavy gloves, although thin ones are fine. The best underwater camera for gloves was the otherwise awkward Canon D10, which was discontinued about a year ago and hasn't seen a replacement. (The worst for gloves, naturally, is a Sony.)

I use an Eye-Fi card for mine, which means that I don't need to open the access door as often, but that means that I need to swap the batteries more often. Life's a barter.

The silver colour looks nice, if you're somewhere that it's available; Orange is the most popular one that I've seen, with blue a distant second. I have met one person who prefers the red, but he's a little odd.

 

[StenSture]

Nikonos

Nikonos

Why not try a Nikonos? It is a bit old, that is true. But it sure is quite waterproof.
Cheers
/Hans

 

[Frank Petronio]

I use enough film! I actually don't own a digital at the moment other than my phone and laptop....

Does the Fuji or Pany have a decent Histogram display, do they show speed/aperture/ISO?

The last round at Best Buy gave me the impression that you had to get the higher end P&S to get real camera information out of them.

I agree, the Sony user interfaces have been amazingly bad.... my Droid camera has the best camera interface yet, I wish the camera manufacturers would give it up and allow us to use Apps instead of their crapware.

 

[keepright]

Does the Fuji or Pany have a decent Histogram display, do they show speed/aperture/ISO?

The last round at Best Buy gave me the impression that you had to get the higher end P&S to get real camera information out of them.

The Panasonic does have a histogram that can be enabled through the menu – third page of the 'setup' category – and appears in a fixed position whenever the display is set to "cluttered" or "maximum clutter". The overlay colour changes from white to yellow when exposure compensation is engaged.

It also shows the shutter speed, aperture, and iso that the camera chooses, but why worry about something you can't control? All of the underwater cameras are simple P&S designs, and it takes a pretty heavy stick to bludgeon them into doing anything that they don't want to do. (Not that the difference between f/2.8 and f/8 actually matters with these tiny little sensors, but that's another rant.)

I wanted to buy the Fuji X30 for a while, but it didn't quite arrive in time. It's a cute camera, and the GPS function looks interesting, although I can't say that I'm surprised when its price point corresponds so closely to its position in DPReview's ranking. (And for what it's worth, a GPS in a camera isn't all that useful.)

 

[Frank Petronio]

The last thing I want is GPS in my camera!

I like having the info and at least easy exposure compensation up and down... I often use them as a back up to a meter for film, although a real meter seems to be better it's nice to get a look sometimes....

That DP Review slammed the Fuji yet I trust Memphis's assessment - it's probably fine for what it is.

 

[ornate_wrasse]

Frank,

Check out Reef Photo & Video. Their specialty is underwater photography.
I've spent beaucoup bucks at Reef for my underwater photo gear. Here's a link to compact housings:

http://www.reefphotovideo.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=3

Also be sure to check out Pre-Owned Gear, where you can pick up housings for a song, well, compared to new.

Ask for Ryan Canon. He's very knowledgeable. Tell him I sent you.

Ellen