What waterproof camera do you take on your cruise?

My boyfriend and I are travelling to Vanuatu and New Caledonia on the Carnival Legend in December this year. We will be swimming, snorkelling and carting the camera onto beaches etc and are looking for a camera that is able to withstand being underwater and possibly shockproof.

We are not 'camera savvy' so just looking for a camera that takes great photos and isn't too complicated. After madly researching, we still haven't narrowed down any options. We are hoping to pay $300 or less and the camera must be available in Australia.

Any suggestions, photos or links would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance! :o

I bought an Olympus TG-4 yesterday to take on our cruise. It is waterproof and shockproof and is the top camera of this type in the reviews for overall performance although there are others close or better in certain functions.

It may be a little more than you want to pay. I paid $424 at JB but will claim GST back when I leave Aus in a couple of weeks, which will bring the price to about $380.

In the past I have taken my GoPro which I use on the mountain bike but wanted something with a screen this time.

My boyfriend and I are travelling on the Carnival Legend in December this year. We will be swimming, snorkelling and carting the camera onto beaches etc and are looking for a camera that is able to withstand being underwater and possibly shockproof. We are not 'camera savvy' so just looking for a camera that takes great photos and isn't too complicated. After madly researching, we still haven't narrowed down any options. We are hoping to pay $300 or less and the camera must be available in Australia. Any suggestions, photos or links would be really appreciated. Thanks in advance!

For our early 2014 Australia-NZ-Hawaii adventure, I got the Nikon AW 110 and it has worked well. Below are a few examples. Also used the camera earlier this year during our 26-day Amazon River-Caribbean trip. It takes decent-quality video, too! There are newer models out on this camera, but its basic have served us well and yielded solid sharpness, good quality, etc.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

Enjoyed a 14-day, Jan. 20-Feb. 3, 2014, Sydney to Auckland adventure, getting a big sampling for the wonders of "down under” before and after this cruise. Go to:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1974139

for more info and many pictures of these amazing sights in this great part of the world. Now at 111,760 views for this posting.

From our snorkeling in Australia's famed Great Barrier Reef, I first got to try out my new Nikon AW110 underwater camera. I shot about 260 underwater pictures. Here is one quick sample below. More visuals and details on the full live/blog.:

Here is on the Big Island at the pools of the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort. I used my Nikon AW110 waterproof camera to capture these fun images. Tested all three pools, did the waterslide downward, etc. It's hard work to test and check out such water locations. It was a perfect weather day that contrasted to cold Ohio in Feb. 2014!!:

After being on the very dry and river-less islands in the Dutch ABC's, we got to enjoy river fun in Dominica. It was nice to see some the wonderful trees, mountains, etc. No, I did not take my good Nikon D7100 camera on this trip. My Nikon water and shock-proof model worked very well . . . and survived. I was the first to tumble out of my yellow tube and get stranded in this wild and rocky river. For the sixteen of us, there were four very agile staff members to help us, keep us from serious injury, etc. Yes, we needed these protective helmets and vests, plus a camera designed for these challenging circumstances.:

Hi,

I own and have used for a while now, the Sony TX20. it is a very small and compact camera. Great sensor for image quality, nice features to the camera and it comes in a few different basic and bright colors [Pink, orange, Black].

Although the camera has been replaced by a newer model, the TX30...which I recently purchased for my wife in pink! Both are well under your $300 price range, if you can find a new TX20? I think i paid under $200 for the newer TX30??

Look em up on Amazon, you wont be disappointed, IMO!

Good luck and Kungaloosh!

B-

Thanks all for your posts!

ab21au- Thank you for the suggestion. I've heard great things about that camera, but we're just not willing to pay that much for a camera.

TLCOhio- Thanks for the recommendation. The photos are amazing! :)

BDeGroat1-That camera sounds perfect. Thank you!!

I have had (2) different Olympus waterproof, shockproof, and freeze proof cameras. They are pretty great. We ski, snorkel, boat, and hike with it. We have dropped it countless times and never a problem.

Good Luck!

TLCOhio- Thanks for the recommendation. The photos are amazing! :)

Appreciate your kind comments. Here are a couple of other suggestions and tips with an underwater and/or using such a "higher intensity" camera.

1. Do some practice ahead of your first use with this type of camera. It's a little different and you need to get down the tricks and practices for how best to use it, its controls, etc.

2. Shooting underwater is different. When you first use this type of camera under the water, it is very different than just using it in your family room at home. Prepare in advance for those conditions!! With a mask on and under the water, you cannot easily check your results on the back of the screen, etc.

3. As with most digital cameras, a key advantage is that you can shoot lots and lots of pictures. Take lots of pictures!!! It improves your odds of success!! You can sort out later the better ones from the average and poor ones you manage to capture. Whether under the water or doing an intense activity such as going down a rapid/rocky river, you cannot be checking your results on the back screen that easily. Just shoot, shoot, shoot!! And then, later, only share the best visuals you capture!

Good luck and have fun with your camera!! Below are a few examples from doing an America's Cup racing sail boat in the Caribbean where the water was splashing around fast and only this type of camera could have been used safely.

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

From our Jan. 25-Feb. 20, 2015, Amazon River-Caribbean combo sailing over 26 days that started in Barbados, here is the link below to that live/blog. Lots of great visuals from this amazing Brazil river and these various Caribbean Islands (Dutch ABC's, St. Barts, Dominica, Grenada, etc.) that we experienced. Check it out at:

http://www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2157696

Now at 25,860 views for these postings.

Here are three views of our crew from making things happen during our exciting and close-finishing America's Cup race while visiting at St. Maartens in February 2015. With all of the splashing around out at sea, I could not use my regular, better Nikon camera. My waterproof camera worked well under these conditions to capture the fun and excitement from this day's activities! My wife is the one with the pink hat doing lots of hard work, cranking, along with me and two others, the sails up and down on the front of the ship.: