I am considering buying a digital camera for topside photos along with uw snapshots. The two cameras that I am looking at most closely are the Canon S30 or the Sony DSC P-5 with WP-DC300 and MPK-P5 housings, respectively. Underwater, I would only be using the camera for snorkeling in the tropics. I am concerned about a couple of problems:
1. I have read that in shallow, sunny conditions (i.e. snorkeling in the tropics) it may be very difficult to see the LCD screen. Is this so bad that it is an insurmountable problem? Can the cameras optical viewer be used at all when the camera is inside its housing and when you are viewing it through a dive mask? Would one of these two cameras have advantages over the other regarding these problems? I cant imagine just blinding shooting away without having some idea of what is in your photo or being able to frame the picture in some way. I presently have a Sea & Sea MX-10 camera, and I certainly use the viewfinder all the time!
2. I have also read that leaving on the LCD display will cause the battery to run down quickly and may cause the housing to fog-up because of heat generated. When these cameras are in their housings, can you turn the LCD display off and on? (I think I remember reading a comment somewhere that you could turn the LCD off and on with the Canon S30, but I could not find anything about the Sony DSC P-5.)
Bottom line is, would you recommend either of these cameras for snorkeling, and is one to be preferred over the other? I am leaning toward the Canon, mostly because it can use compact flash cards or microdrives.
1. I have read that in shallow, sunny conditions (i.e. snorkeling in the tropics) it may be very difficult to see the LCD screen. Is this so bad that it is an insurmountable problem? Can the cameras optical viewer be used at all when the camera is inside its housing and when you are viewing it through a dive mask? Would one of these two cameras have advantages over the other regarding these problems? I cant imagine just blinding shooting away without having some idea of what is in your photo or being able to frame the picture in some way. I presently have a Sea & Sea MX-10 camera, and I certainly use the viewfinder all the time!
2. I have also read that leaving on the LCD display will cause the battery to run down quickly and may cause the housing to fog-up because of heat generated. When these cameras are in their housings, can you turn the LCD display off and on? (I think I remember reading a comment somewhere that you could turn the LCD off and on with the Canon S30, but I could not find anything about the Sony DSC P-5.)
Bottom line is, would you recommend either of these cameras for snorkeling, and is one to be preferred over the other? I am leaning toward the Canon, mostly because it can use compact flash cards or microdrives.