Waterproof Digital

[ktmrider]

Anyone here have experience with waterproof digital point and shoot cameras. I am thinking Olympus TG860 for $229 as a backup for M9 for RTW trip, especially for beach and mountains.

Know it will not be Leica sharp but for $229.

 

[GaryLH]

I have used the Panasonic ts2 and Sony tx20 while snorkeling. I bought the Panasonic first followed two years later by the Sony. The Panasonic turned out to flare to easily. The Sony w/ it's sliding front cover and thinner design I thought would be better overall. Turned out that the front cover was a magnet for sand grain usually while I was on the beach or standing n the surf.

These waterproof cameras are not guaranteed.. All it takes is a dry or cracked seal or some small particle on the gasket seal to the cd card or battery door to start a leak or flood. I have also tried housing when I owned a canon s50 (ancient). While it worked well, it heated up very rapidly once out of the water when I forgot to turn off the camera immediately.

A good practice is to rinse the salt water out as soon as u can. Do a thorough cleaning once u get back to where u are staying. Before u use the camera check the gasket seals, make sure they aren't dry or cracked. Your camera maker usually provides a bit of light grease like substance that is suppose help maintain the gasket..

Currently there is only one p&s camera that is rated for diving, the Nikon One AW1. It happens to have two interchangeable lenses (standard kit zoom and a fixed 28 fov).

People also put their more expensive dslr or mirrorless cameras in underwater hosing and waterproof heavy duty plactic bags designed for camera use these days.

Me, I'd rather be cheap in the sense that a p&s gets flooded so be it, not going to cry about it. I am only using it to record memories not take a prize photo. For others I know it is a different story.

Get a big memory card for your waterproof camera. I don't want to chance contamination of the seal while I am out on the beach or off a boat while snorting.

Good luck and have fun
Gary

 

[schaki]

Olympus TG-4 should be the best option as long as image quality is considered. It have RAW unlike all other waterproof cameras with small sensor. The jpegs it produces out of camera is not good however due to too much noise reduction which not can be turned off.
It also have a fast f2 aperture at the wide end of the zoom which equals 24 or 25mm.
But that about too much jpeg NR is unfortunately also true for most other waterproof cameras.
Good to know also is that it is only the newest TG-4 which have the Raw-option. Not the older ones like TG-1, 2 or 3 in the series.

The Canon Powershot D20 and D30 is not using too much NR but have a rather slow widest aperture of f 3.9! at the wide end which is 28mm.
Better try find the older Powershot D10 then which only have 35mm but faster aperture and also good image quality with little NR.

 

[sevo]

I currently have a TG-850 for snorkeling, which replaced a TG-610. Image quality in general is so-so by photography standards (noisy in anything less than bright daylight), but superior to "action cameras". There are compact waterproof cameras with higher IQ (TG-3, TG-4, the top of the line waterproof Panasonics) and there is the waterproof Nikon-1 AW1 which is in yet another class, but given that all of them will eventually leak or suffer condensation damage (frequent changes between humid tropical air and cold water can be just as damaging as a leak) and usually aren't worth fixing once sea water got into them, I stick to reasonably affordable ones.

 

[ktmrider]

Purchased a TG860 about two weeks ago. It will go with me round the world as I plan on time in the tropics and at the beach. Also, will go in my tank bag on my motorcycle trip to Alaska next month (along with M2).

 

[Bob Michaels]

..... The Canon Powershot D20 and D30 is not using too much NR but have a rather slow widest aperture of f 3.9! at the wide end which is 28mm. .....

I replaced my old Nikonos with a Canon Powershot D30 based on the recommendation of my local friendly camera repair tech who said that is the most rugged of the bunch. I don't find f3.9 to be a limiting factor as I only shoot it in the daylight. I am just not enough of a geek to evaluate how much NR is too much but it makes 8x10 prints that are as good as my Fuji XP or XT does.

 

[skibeerr]

A friend of mine has the Nikon AW1 and it seems to do a great job.
Interchangeable lenses and a bigger sensor.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Purchased a TG860 about two weeks ago. It will go with me round the world as I plan on time in the tropics and at the beach. Also, will go in my tank bag on my motorcycle trip to Alaska next month (along with M2).

Whoops! I just realized this was an old thread and you just said you have already bought something. So let me change my thought to whatever you bought was the right thing and will do you well on your travels.

Actually my friendly local camera repair tech says there is really not much difference in any of them in the class and anyone can be happy with any one of them.