Best waterproof point & shoot camera?

[PeterNBiddle]

I snorkel with my camera all the time. It is certainly not something I carry in a swimsuit pocket, but then I don't carry anything in a swimsuit pocket because that's just an invitation to lose it.

I started out with a no-case solution. The pics were mediocre and it flooded after a few times in the water. Maybe you will have better luck!

 

[supergaijin]

Would it make sense to use one of these water-resistant cameras in one of those plastic bags? While the camera may well be water resistant, salt will always be salt and that is a real destroyer of... pretty much everything.


I was looking at getting a couple of Olympus snorkeling cameras to use as rentals, but I wouldn't use them in salt water without protection. Freshwater... maybe but definitely not salt.

 

[Dragon_Rckr_PR]

I would recommend the Olympus TG-2iHS, following OP and their main use for snorkel and requirement for no case. It's rated at 15m (50') without the need of external case and has various underwater settings one of which is for shallow water. A friend has it and has taken GREAT pics while snorkeling. Shutter speed is really fast and has variable focal length at a touch of a button.

The price has dropped since it's release, initial MSRP was $399 and is now down to $350... it's upgradeable with 2 waterproof lenses, a telephoto lens that expands the zoom range by 1.5x and a fisheye lens for wide angle shots. Also features GPS and Compass funtionality.

GoPro wouldn't be a good choice since it has to be used with housing and pictures are hit/miss. I own it and have to use burst 5/1sec and pick the best out of 5, very time consuming and tedious. It's shutter speed is really slow, kinda of a surprise for an action cam... It's more for taking video and taking advantage of it's high resolution capabilities.

Other option would the FujiFilm FinePix XP200, also rated to 50' waterproof. It's cheaper since it lacks many of the "cool" features that the Olympus has. CNET did a stress test with both TG2 and XP200 and the XP200 won by being able to go way beyond it depth rating.

You can check out different rugged point and shoots in the DPreview 2013 RoundUp that has comparison table and in depth review of their top picks for rugged and all around cameras.

The Nikon AW-1 previously mentions looks awesome but it's introductory price is really high, MSRP $996 with both lenses. It was just released into the market and there isn't that many reviews regarding quality build, it would suck if such an expensive camera had flaws but then again its Nikon and they're not that known for faulty devices.

In my case, I'm going for either the TG2, since it has UW options and underwater case to expand its depth, or the E-PM1 that has exchangeable lenses. Was initially going for the Nikon AW-1 but it's way out of my budget and it's under water case is almost the same price as the camera..

 

[leo]

Thanks for the update(s).

After reading the DPreviews, and in their summary they note that none of the cameras have good quality underwater photo quality (of them all, the Olympus they liked best, but even that one they said yielded underwater photos of average at best - even if it was the clear winner vs. the others for underwater photo quality).

So, I decided to wait on the purchase, and this upcoming trip to Maui for snorkeling would be without the underwater photo taking hobby - save continuing that hobby for next year, or when someone finally has a better reviewed camera for underwater photo quality.

 

[flgafl]

Today, November 10, 2013. I'm not a technical person. I'd like an underwater camera and video that is easy to use under the $500 price tag. I'd like to take it 70-80 ft, so it must have a flash. Is it true the GoPro one can't aim and shoot? Do you have any recommendations?

 

[PeterNBiddle]

Today, November 10, 2013. I'm not a technical person. I'd like an underwater camera and video that is easy to use under the $500 price tag. I'd like to take it 70-80 ft, so it must have a flash. Is it true the GoPro one can't aim and shoot? Do you have any recommendations?

Go back a few posts in this thread and you can see my recommendations and results. Under $500.

 

[alcina]

I'll jump in here since the thread is revived. My vote is still the Panasonic TS3 (4 is the newer one and it is just fine, too). I've had this for a couple of years now and it goes with me on almost every dive plus it is the only camera I take while snorkeling.

Does it do as fab a job as a dslr with strobes? Nope. But it does a great job for what it is and I don't expect it to rival the quality of a dslr. along with the photos, I love being able to have a truly pocket-sized camera that can do videos when I see some cool action, too.
Snorkeling:

super tiny guy snorkeling

Diving 12-14m

I believe there is a case you can get if you wanted to take these camera deeper but I don't have it.

My friend just bought the newest Olympus (TG2 maybe, can't remember) and we've been out a few times. She loves it. I haven't been overwhelmed by it as yet, but admittedly I haven't given in a whole heap of time. I will in the near future. Olympus was plagued by slow and bad focussing through all their other models (imo) and I swore after my first one it would take a major overhaul to get me back to them. But I'm always looking for the next best option as it comes out!

HTH

 

[leo]

Those are some great photos, but are you talking about the Lumix TS3 (now there's a 4 and 5) or the camera you're holding in the shot (that seems to have a swappable lens and is in a case)?

 

[alcina]

All with the Panasonic Lumix TS3. I'm sure the 4 and 5 are at least as good.

The camera my buddy has in that shot is a Canon in a housing - hard to take a shot of yourself underwater with the camera you are using

 

[ZzzKing]

All with the Panasonic Lumix TS3. I'm sure the 4 and 5 are at least as good.

The camera my buddy has in that shot is a Canon in a housing - hard to take a shot of yourself underwater with the camera you are using

Not if you're REALLY quick!