Inexpensive Camera suggestion???

[artbymusia]

Hello Underwater Dwellers!!
Any good advice for a very inexpensive underwater camera that takes really great shots? Will not be going more than 30 feet for some pictures......would it be better to get a video or still? or one that does both.........nothing fancy just something that will do the job......any suggestions would be greatly appreciated........
Thanks
Wishing all clear waters and bright skies.
AJ

_____________________________________
'He whose gaze is on a distant star shall not falter.' DaVinci

 

[sixgears]

I don't know if you're into eBay but you can grab some good deals from some vendors even if you're looking for something particular. I too was in your shoes just a couple of weeks ago and decided to look around. I was looking for, more or less, a point-and-shoot starter camera. I first ran into an auction by Olympus who was selling some brand new housings. I then searched for cameras that would fit those housings and found a barely used camera. I ended up spending $29.00 for the PT-019 housing (free shipping too) and $82.00 for a barely used C-5000.

This setup will certainly do the job and then some.

 

[Ted S]

Most of the canon powershot cameras have underwater housings for around $150 which makes them fairly inexpensive buys. The advantage of this versus some of the pre-bundled underwater cameras is that you can take them out of the case and still have a fully functional top-side camera. You can chose video or still only based on your preference and as your diving increases the canon housings, while by no means amazing or top of the line, can often support a little upgrading and go to 30M so you can keep using them as you dive more.

Here's a few options:

PowerShot A400 (very basic) - $75
Housing for A400 Series - $102

Powershot SD750 (nice all around point & shoot) - $167
Housing for SD750 - $175

All Canon Housings

 

[artbymusia]

Thanks SIX GEARS...
I have been known to do my eBay thing.....it is unAmerican if you do not....LOL....
Thanks so much for the valued advice......
Will definitely check it out...
AJ

 

[artbymusia]

Thanks Ted S.....will check out the Cannons.....above the water, I am a Minolta person...digital...but since they are no longer.....anyway that is a different story....
Will check out the two Powershots ...A400 and SD759...I like the expandablity of use for the Canon housings........
Thanks for taking the time to help..
AJ

 

[prskate2]

Sealife cameras are great. The Reefmaster Mini is an above and below water with NO housing. It is shockproof to 6 ft. So you can drop it and not worry about it and it won't matter if it gets pushed around by other dive gear. I own this camera and it takes great shots. It also has a sea mode which helps out with the color. It is also expandable, so you can buy a wide angle lens and a Strobe to add some more color to the shots. All around its a pretty good camera. Here is the link to it. SeaLife Cameras - Underwater Digital Camera - Reefmaster Mini

Here is a link to some shots taken by me from this camera. If you want to see some more just tell me. Good luck.http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/3634558-post37.html

 

[shoturtle]

Thanks SIX GEARS...
I have been known to do my eBay thing.....it is unAmerican if you do not....LOL....
Thanks so much for the valued advice......
Will definitely check it out...
AJ

How much are you looking to spend. If you are looking for a very basic camera you can get an Intova IC600 on ebay for about 150 bucks, it comes with a housing rated to 180ft. It will take stills and video.

 

[RAWalker]

Intova has an IC700 model and IC800 model available now.

curt1110's is the first negative review of the housing that I've heard of.
The housing has double O-rings and is generally thought to be very good.
It is rated to 180 ft when many are only rated to 130 or 140.

 

[curt1110]

Sorry if my opinion stinks!!! I just stated what we found with the Intova on it's first and only trip. Not bashing them. I own one!! Just don't find them all that great! You get what you pay for when it comes to the camera inside the case.
Testing at home in my pressure chamber found the problem. At very low external pressure, less than 2 PSI, the main o-ring, midway down the top seal had a very small imperfection in the plastic. This caused the o-ring to let in a very small amount of water that caused the fogging. As soon as I brought the pressure up, the plastic case was compressed enough to seal the area. Using very fine sandpaper the imperfection was removed and the problem is fixed. This is OK now but my wife lost the chance to bring home her memories from that trip.

 

[RAWalker]

Sorry if my opinion stinks!!! I just stated what we found with the Intova on it's first and only trip. Not bashing them. I own one!! Just don't find them all that great! You get what you pay for when it comes to the camera inside the case.
Testing at home in my pressure chamber found the problem. At very low external pressure, less than 2 PSI, the main o-ring, midway down the top seal had a very small imperfection in the plastic. This caused the o-ring to let in a very small amount of water that caused the fogging. As soon as I brought the pressure up, the plastic case was compressed enough to seal the area. Using very fine sandpaper the imperfection was removed and the problem is fixed. This is OK now but my wife lost the chance to bring home her memories from that trip.

My signature line wasn't aimed at you or anyone else for that matter.
As for the added info on the oring that could have happened to any camera or any case. It is indeed the resonsibility of the user to check for bad orings and or debris on the oring or in the grooves. Although I'm sorry you and your wife's memories were lost this doesn't equate to a bad camera. The majority of reports of heard about the models IC600 and above have been people that are happy with the results and consider the camera an excellent value.
Based on the question the OP asked the Intova cameras fit the bill better than any other entry level digital camera because of it's low cost. This doesn't mean that better values aren't out there in used gear within a similar budget.