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Waterproof Cameras


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i'm using a fuji xp10. it has a 5x optical zoom, 720p hd video recording with sound, 12meg camera image capabilities. though it's rated 3m underwater, i've used it 30 minutes at 4m deep. easy to use, i particularly like its 'natural flash' mode which takes 2 shots in succession for each press: one with flash and the other without.

 

i've also used a ge g3wp from a niece, ok rin but i like the former

Edited by remoteworld
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i've been eyeing the sony cybershot TX5.. looks really great! 3" touch screen, 720p and practically EVERYTHING proof! ^_^

 

one thing(or 1 of the many) i don't like bout the canon powershot d10 is that it looks like a toy :lol:

really matters when that's the only camera you have and think of bringing it to a party, wedding or some other more formal events. not good huh?! my opinion only.

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i've been eyeing the sony cybershot TX5.. looks really great! 3" touch screen, 720p and practically EVERYTHING proof! ^_^

 

one thing(or 1 of the many) i don't like bout the canon powershot d10 is that it looks like a toy :lol:

really matters when that's the only camera you have and think of bringing it to a party, wedding or some other more formal events. not good huh?! my opinion only.

you're quite right about the toy look. compared to ge, panasonic, lumix, etc, canon's d10 looks playful but expensive. however, a waterproof camera is usually your third camera after the dslr and another digicam. it's obvious that if you can afford to buy the d10, you've already owned an arsenal of cameras. yet somehow i always see it shows up in formal events. hehehe. its spec sheet says it can save in RAW format, now that feature makes it INEXPENSIVE somewhat for those who prefer to shoot in RAW without buying a dslr.

 

those who seldom go to beaches or lakes (or pools) will find it cheaper to consider buying the watertight camera housing.

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i've been eyeing the sony cybershot TX5.. looks really great! 3" touch screen, 720p and practically EVERYTHING proof! ^_^

 

one thing(or 1 of the many) i don't like bout the canon powershot d10 is that it looks like a toy :lol:

really matters when that's the only camera you have and think of bringing it to a party, wedding or some other more formal events. not good huh?! my opinion only.

just saw an ad in greenhills, sony tx9 is already available. it can do 3d-sweep panaramic shots, whatever that means

 

canon d10 has several interchangeable colors, using the silver skin for the camera body will make it look less like a toy, although the 'unusual' curvy shape is still retained.

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I'm A SCUBA diver and and avide snorkler if not SUCBA diving...

 

A. For Snorkeling and general beach, water, pool, river rafting use I got the Lumix DMC-TS2. Rated upto 30ft, shockproof upto 2 meters drop, and freezeproof ( i guess for skiing purposes or wintersports). It is a very good multipurpose rough and tough camera and takes exceptional photos with bright light but has weaknesses when it comes to low lighting especialy under water. Very good MACRO though (Both above and underwater).

 

B. When going deeper than 30feet as in SCUBA diving. I use a Nikon P5100 with a sea&sea housing rated to 200ft and also use an external strobe. Got no complaints with image quality so far with this set-up.

 

*** ALL camera onboard FLASH is useless underwater as you get a backscatter effect due to the particles suspended in the water and the power of the flash is not sufficient to penetrate the water column.

 

I'll post some pics taken from both camera shortly...

Edited by fire_breather
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I'm A SCUBA diver and and avide snorkler if not SUCBA diving...

 

A. For Snorkeling and general beach, water, pool, river rafting use I got the Lumix DMC-TS2. Rated upto 30ft, shockproof upto 2 meters drop, and freezeproof ( i guess for skiing purposes or wintersports). It is a very good multipurpose rough and tough camera and takes exceptional photos with bright light but has weaknesses when it comes to low lighting especialy under water. Very good MACRO though (Both above and underwater).

 

B. When going deeper than 30feet as in SCUBA diving. I use a Nikon P5100 with a sea&sea housing rated to 200ft and also use an external strobe. Got no complaints with image quality so far with this set-up.

 

*** ALL camera onboard FLASH is useless underwater as you get a backscatter effect due to the particles suspended in the water and the power of the flash is not sufficient to penetrate the water column.

 

I'll post some pics taken from both camera shortly...

i saw some underwater cameras in infomax for about 30k each

Edited by remoteworld
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I used my TX1 last summer. Bought a plastic underwater pouch and submerged under the pool. Blurry. The camera will not know how to focus unless the water is very very clear. TX1 is autofocus with no manual focus. If you've tried shooting your camera in a night club full of smoke that's how it will look like. It will focus on the smoke.

 

The plastic pouch was good in keeping the camera dry. WARNING: The plastic pouch has a very light and unnoticeable oily coat INSIDE the pouch. This will cling to your cameras LCD. And, you will not be able to remove it even with alcohol, soap and water, vinegar, glass cleaner, acetone, or paint thinner. My used to be crystal clear TX1 LCD is now ruined!

 

Backtracking... maybe the industrial oil in the pouch reacted with the LCD coating and stripped the LCD coating resulting in the "mapped" appearance of the LCD.

there were complaints of leaks and difficulty of using a camera housing. canon used to sell underwater housings until they badmouthed these when they introduced d10. d10 is already kinda outmoded, it can't record sound underwater

 

there was heavy overcast (4:48pm) when we went helmet diving in boracay (january 6, day is shorter than night), yet the following pictures taken 3m underwater are satisfactory enough for me

post-149034-12949775059849.jpg

 

from the bamboo balsa, i submerged the camera and took some shots while i was descending. the seafloor was 4 meters deep

post-149034-12949775682825.jpg

 

i took this photo 10 feet away from a couple. the 'mists' on the helmets might be caused by breathing. this i'm not sure. divers are down there to assist everyone (maximum of eight persons)

post-149034-12949776720528.jpg

 

here's a shot of my kid 5 feet away

post-149034-12949777219556.jpg

 

once you touched down on the waterbed, your subjects will keep on moving. image stabilization is a must but it's something we forgot to choose from the menus of our cameras.

Edited by remoteworld
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how deep was the camera when it took the shot of the first picture (fishes)? what time and how was the weather when it was taken?

 

It was around 10AM relatively clear sky and was in 10 to 15 feet of water... Camera level is around 6 to 10 feet as I dive down to get closer.

 

Here's other shots diving to around 15feet for the (A. Stare down with a group fishes); at 8 to 10 feet of water (B. Chasing 2 Butterfly Fishes); and around 5 feet (C. Macro of a sea urchin) .

post-58970-12952958022416.jpg

post-58970-12952958309388.jpg

post-58970-1295295987452.jpg

Edited by fire_breather
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It was around 10AM relatively clear sky and was in 10 to 15 feet of water... Camera level is around 6 to 10 feet as I dive down to get closer.

 

Here's other shots diving to around 15feet for the (A. Stare down with a group fishes); at 8 to 10 feet of water (B. Chasing 2 Butterfly Fishes); and around 5 feet (C. Macro of a sea urchin) .

i took my shots (see above) while there's a dark overcast and around 5pm. i'm sure my shots would be sharper had they been taken in the morning and in better weather. short of time with a full schedule of activities, we went diving even it was getting dark (pls check my first photo of the darkened sky, taken from the dive balsa)

 

hope the weather improves, i can't wait till summer to use my waterproof camera. yeah, i'll brave the cold waters. brrr!

Edited by remoteworld
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  • 1 month later...

I'm A SCUBA diver and and avide snorkler if not SUCBA diving...

 

A. For Snorkeling and general beach, water, pool, river rafting use I got the Lumix DMC-TS2. Rated upto 30ft, shockproof upto 2 meters drop, and freezeproof ( i guess for skiing purposes or wintersports). It is a very good multipurpose rough and tough camera and takes exceptional photos with bright light but has weaknesses when it comes to low lighting especialy under water. Very good MACRO though (Both above and underwater).

 

B. When going deeper than 30feet as in SCUBA diving. I use a Nikon P5100 with a sea&sea housing rated to 200ft and also use an external strobe. Got no complaints with image quality so far with this set-up.

 

*** ALL camera onboard FLASH is useless underwater as you get a backscatter effect due to the particles suspended in the water and the power of the flash is not sufficient to penetrate the water column.

 

I'll post some pics taken from both camera shortly...

 

How much did you spend for the Nikon P5100 and the sea&sea housing?

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  • 7 months later...

after my nephew lost my fujipix xp10 in donsol and my ge (rated 3m) was water-damaged when we went diving 5m or so in boracay, i finally forced myself to buy a new underwater camera. this time it's a lumix ts3 from hidaldgo street.

 

 

this time it looks tough, not just for the stainless screws protruding out, but the specs really say it all. the review says it will take blurred pictures, but none of that happens. really like its shots above and under the waters

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  • 1 month later...

after my nephew lost my fujipix xp10 in donsol and my ge (rated 3m) was water-damaged when we went diving 5m or so in boracay, i finally forced myself to buy a new underwater camera. this time it's a lumix ts3 from hidaldgo street.

 

 

this time it looks tough, not just for the stainless screws protruding out, but the specs really say it all. the review says it will take blurred pictures, but none of that happens. really like its shots above and under the waters

Can you post some pictures? Thanks.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Underwater recreation is not cheap, more if you decide to take snap of its beauty but it's worth it. Try to use your normal digital camera with underwater camera housing. You can try lower end housing like ikelite if budget is the deciding factor. Don't buy cheap uw casing from camera manufacturers, they do not specialized in that area - it's a waste. Once you flood your camera it is not logical to send it for repair. It is even more not logical to buy another camera to be flooded by the same uw casing, that being said, you waste both your camera and uw camera housing. Some of the important factors are proper equipment selection, operation, maintenance and storage. Do not exceed the rated depth, it's not worth the try.

 

Underwater camera housing can be fitted with accessories like arms and strobes for better picture quality if you decide to take underwater photography seriously.

 

Proper maintenance after each dive is a must or you risk your camera being flooded.

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  • 2 months later...

Underwater recreation is not cheap, more if you decide to take snap of its beauty but it's worth it. Try to use your normal digital camera with underwater camera housing. You can try lower end housing like ikelite if budget is the deciding factor. Don't buy cheap uw casing from camera manufacturers, they do not specialized in that area - it's a waste. Once you flood your camera it is not logical to send it for repair. It is even more not logical to buy another camera to be flooded by the same uw casing, that being said, you waste both your camera and uw camera housing. Some of the important factors are proper equipment selection, operation, maintenance and storage. Do not exceed the rated depth, it's not worth the try.

 

Underwater camera housing can be fitted with accessories like arms and strobes for better picture quality if you decide to take underwater photography seriously.

 

Proper maintenance after each dive is a must or you risk your camera being flooded.

after throwing away (literally) 3 underwater cameras (ge, fujipix, lumix) i finally decided to buy a SEASHELL housing (from infomax, with a big discount). it's configurable so after following the instructions, i finally snug-fitted my samsung t550 inside it in a few minutes. tried it in matabungkay last sunday, no problem under 3-meter depths. haven't tried it deeper (it's rated for 40m) but i'm confident it will still be airtight.

Edited by remoteworld
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some of the underwater casings for camera are soo bulky. quite difficult to lug around. i'm eyeing a D10 (since forever!) but i don't know i'm still not super convinced if i should get it.

canon d10 is bulky too and its color won't fit any other occasion aside from a beach activity. but according to some users its shots (underwater and above) are better than underwater cameras like lumix, ge, etc.

 

the only drawback is its video which can record only vga quality and it can't record sound

 

i wonder why canon never made another underwater camera

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  • 2 months later...

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