Best waterproof digital camera?

[scf1270]

We have the Panasonic DMC-ZS3. Does anyone have experience with the Panasonic DMW-MCTZ7 underwater housing for this camera?

 

Thanks,

Sara

[Bigboy99]

Hi all,

 

here some more pics,taken with the ixus 750 on the maldives

 

The first one is the sandbank on kuredu, maldives. It has won the first price at a photo competition here in Germany:

 

 

the second a parrotfish, in the background a moray:

 

 

The third is the moray

 

 

the forth, don't know the name of this fish

 

 

 

Regards

Bernie

 

PS: have more, if you want

[IMANITA]

Hi all,

 

here some more pics,taken with the ixus 750 on the maldives

 

The first one is the sandbank on kuredu, maldives. It has won the first price at a photo competition here in Germany:

 

the second a parrotfish, in the background a moray:

 

The third is the moray

 

the forth, don't know the name of this fish

 

Regards

Bernie

 

PS: have more, if you want

 

Those are AWESOME pictues Bernie!

[Bigboy99]

Thanks IMANITA,

 

here my first shark, a bit unsharp because he was really quick

 

 

The corals come back after the tsunami in 2004:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks

Bernie

[IMANITA]

Thanks IMANITA,

 

here my first shark, a bit unsharp because he was really quick

 

 

The corals come back after the tsunami in 2004:

 

Thanks

Bernie

 

WOW! Those are Beautiful! Thanks for Posting. I look forward to my dives in just over a week. Get to try out my new Canon D10. Where are you from in Germany? I have been there many times & can speak German, but don't write that well anymore.

[Bigboy99]

Hi IMANITA,

 

wow, you are diving.....thats really great. There I can recommend strongly the islands of the maldives,

I know, that's very far away from you, but I never have seen sooooo much fishes as there, although I'm only snorkeling.

 

I live here in the south of Germany, 15 miles northern of the lake of constance, the city is called Ravensburg.

 

We will start our next cruise in feb. the roll call is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1240973

 

 

Bernie

[IMANITA]

Hi IMANITA,

 

wow, you are diving.....thats really great. There I can recommend strongly the islands of the maldives,

I know, that's very far away from you, but I never have seen sooooo much fishes as there, although I'm only snorkeling.

 

I live here in the south of Germany, 15 miles northern of the lake of constance, the city is called Ravensburg.

 

We will start our next cruise in feb. the roll call is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1240973

 

 

Bernie

 

Hi Bernie

After looking at your pictures, I would love to visit the maldives. I never thought of it before.

 

We are not certified divers & are only doing discovery dives, which only goes down 30 or 40 feet, but that is enough for me. Our first time was in Tahiti & I loved it.

 

My favorite vacations are on cruises because we get to see & do so many new things without having to pack & unpack so many times. I wish we could afford to go more often, but we got spoiled & usually splurge for one of the better cabins, so we always have to save awhile for the next one.

 

I have been to Lake Constance, but not sure if I've been to Ravensburg. Southern Germany & Switzerland are among my favorite places to visit.

 

Have fun on your cruise in February. I'm glad that I don't have to wait that long anymore. We sail a week from tomorrow. YAY!

 

Anita

[ohxrapture]

any thoughts for a good model for less than $100? just looking for something to use on vacation. we have a nice cannon powershot for land use, but my husband is leery about buying a waterproof case for it.

[BroncosFan2010]

We purchased the Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 model for our Serenade B2B. We fell in love with this camera. It took amazing picture both above and under water. The HD video was also impressive. It says it goes down to 33ft under water (10 meters), but I researched it, and it has been tested to up to 160ft without fail. We are so glad we bought this camera. We have no worries about it breaking or being damaged. It can take anything you can throw at it.

Here are some pictures from our B2B.

 

Stingray in Antigua:

Turtle in Barbados:

Canyoning in Dominica:

My Favorite Picture from St. Thomas

[Fullboat]

We've booked southern Caribbean w/Princess in April '11. I ordered this mask for my birthday present from DW: Liquid Image HD322.

 

It should be shipping in the next week or so. There are several videos on youtube of it in action. I can't wait to give it a try. When SCUBA diving there are enough tubes and other items hanging off your gear that the handsfree (except for shutter button) action should be welcome. No video screen though so, it will be a big surprise after downloading the images/video.

 

Above water shots would be a little cumbersome walking around with this on my face though, so I'm sure I'll get another camera for dry pics.

[Putterdude]

I am looking seriously at purchasing a Canon D10 in the next week or so. I am just wondering if D10 owners still love them as much as they did when they bought them? I ask because I have read of a few leakage issues with them.

Any other suggestions under $300.

[IMANITA]

I am looking seriously at purchasing a Canon D10 in the next week or so. I am just wondering if D10 owners still love them as much as they did when they bought them? I ask because I have read of a few leakage issues with them.

 

Any other suggestions under $300.

 

I used my D10 for the 1st time on our cruise last month & I loved it! The pictures were great underwater & out of water. I can see how it could leak if you didn't close the battery/sd card latch all the way. You really have to give it a good push to make sure it is shut. We went diving to about 40 feet & no problem, other than the fact that I was trying to get used to diving & working the controls on the new camera, so it was kinda funny that I was either sinking to the bottom or floating to the top because I was pushing the wrong button on my bouyancy device.

Just be careful who you buy it from. I feel like I got scamed thru a internet company when they told me that I needed an upgraded battery & the warranty. I wish I had read their reviews b4 I bought, but I got my camera on time & it works great, so I guess I can't complain.

[cmtom89]

I am looking seriously at purchasing a Canon D10 in the next week or so. I am just wondering if D10 owners still love them as much as they did when they bought them? I ask because I have read of a few leakage issues with them.

 

Any other suggestions under $300.

 

I have and enjoy using the Sony DSC-TX5 for waterproof. I have used it for several activities from river tubing, whitewater rafting and snorkeling. Before our recent trip to the Western Caribbean, DH purchased the Canon D10 based on many positive reviews and photos posted here and other places...and the fact that I don't share my camera very well. :o

 

Both cameras have similar features and functions, were similarly priced with purchasing them about a year apart, but the Sony takes better pictures in a side by side comparison of the same composition (which we purposefully did several times on our trip a month ago).

 

Both take nice photos out of the water, but my biggest complaint to using them as my 'only' camera on a trip is that each has a limited zoom (compared to the Panasonic Lumix ZS3 I normally use when not in the water).

 

Each takes a bit of getting used to.

The Sony is very slim compared to the chubby D10.

The D10 floats while I have a floating strap for the Sony.

The Sony has a touchscreen selection for everything on the LCD screen that takes up most of the back side of the camera. If I leave the camera on and swim, I sometimes grip/grasp the screen and inadvertantly change a setting....but you can turn the camera on and off by sliding the front cover which is what I do. It comes back on very quickly. Also note that the color of the camera on the front cover is some sort of overlay and mine has completely peeled off. Sold as red (looks totally hot pink) but is now shiny silver....I cover it up if barracuda are nearby! :eek: No peeling of the rest of the camera, but the color on the front cover has completely flaked off.

Both take very nice pictures, but the color and clarity of the underwater photos is a bit better with the Sony, in my opinion. However, in taking pictures on land, make sure you take the Sony off of underwater mode or it will 'overlight' them (not sure that is a word, but maybe it conveys my point!) and you will get a glare from the sun on most objects in my experience.

 

I have never taken the time to figure out how to post pictures here and all attempts have met with failure to this point or I would share a few samples.

[jtdlmc]

Wow awesome pictures! I purchased the D10 for my DD for Christmas. We sail to the Western Caribbean in February and can't wait to do some snorkeling after seeing these pictures. We snorkled in Cuba a few years ago but saw nothing like what I'm seeing in these pictures!

 

cmtom89, I didn't know the D10 floats?

[markstudy]

I've had my D10 for over a year. Love the camera and keep getting great photos. I've given it all kind of challenges in all types of water conditions. No leaks.

 

 

 

 

[JJPacer]

We've had our Cannon D10 for about a year. We're very happy with the pictures, in and out of the water. No regrets.

[cmtom89]

Wow awesome pictures! I purchased the D10 for my DD for Christmas. We sail to the Western Caribbean in February and can't wait to do some snorkeling after seeing these pictures. We snorkled in Cuba a few years ago but saw nothing like what I'm seeing in these pictures!

 

cmtom89, I didn't know the D10 floats?

 

Yes, the D10 floats. In fact, when doing the freshwater soak after spending time in the salt water, we have to make sure that we flip it and weight it down....floats right to the top every time!

[Putterdude]

I want to thank everyone for their experience with the Canon D10 I think that I will ask Santa for one.

[jayarrG7]

Just ordered my Canon D10 from Adorama, a well respected camera supplier for many years.

Adorama's price for the D10 is $249, plus shipping, $9.95 to Michigan.

However, until 12/25/10 there is a promotional code that will knock off $20 for any Canon Powershot model priced at $179 or more.

So, for $239 delivered, I feel the D10 is a tremendous buy.

Hope others of you sitting on the fence can use this info.

 

Promotional code at checkout: S3336666

[Putterdude]

The Amazon Santa brought me a Canon D10 which I used a lot on our two cruises earlier this month....I am extremely pleased with it. I purchased a floating wrist strap for it because while the camera floats it doesn't float to the surface.

[2BCruising]

I've had my Olympus 790SW for about 4 years and have taken it with me on three cruises without any problems. It's a great camera that takes pretty good underwater pictures. I've just got back from our Southern Caribbean cruise and had a mishap with the camera. I was snorkeling in Aruba and taking pictures when I got the dreaded orange error message that the latch to the battery/media compartment was open. Looking at the camera, the latch was closed and secured. I turned off the camera and turned it back on and it worked fine for a minute or two and the orange error message came back. I immediately stopped snorkeling and put the camera away.

 

Once back on the ship, I let the camera sit on our desk to dry. Several hours later, I turned on the camera and the LCD display looked like a scrambled TV screen. I turned it off and opened up the battery/media compartment. I pulled out the battery and the media card and sure enough, there was a drop or two of water on the battery and a drop of water on the media card.

 

I left the opened camera, battery, and media card to dry out on the desk for two days.

 

I popped the media card and battery back in and the camera is working fine. We'll see for how long.

 

Somewhere between Bonaire and Aruba, I had downloaded the pictures from my card. I may forgotten to double check the rubber seal for sand or dust. I'm pretty sure I closed the latch and heard the familiar "click" that lets me know the latch is completely closed. At this point, I'm not sure if the rubber gasket has worn down a bit. I've been using this camera for 4 years through snorkeling adventures and snowstorms.

 

I've been keeping my eye out on the Canon D10 for the last few months, but now I'm a bit hesitant to purchase another waterproof P&S camera. Once you've experienced what I went through, one can't help to be a bit cautious.

 

My hubby has used a Nikon P&S with an underwater housing for 6 years and have not had any problems. Earlier this year, I purchased a Canon S90 P&S with an underwater housing as a replacement for the Nikon. This camera combination is awesome!

 

For avid photographers, I would highly recommend a Canon P&S along with an underwater housing. Just like the waterproof P&S cameras, you have to check the rubber gasket around the underwater housing for sand, lint, and hair. One other thing you have to do for the underwater housing is to apply a tiny drop of lubricant on your finger and apply it all around the rubber gasket.

 

For those of you who have a waterproof P&S camera, be sure to check around the rubber seal for sand, dust, or hair. Do this before you take your camera out to go snorkeling. Also, make sure you hear a "click" when you shut the battery/media compartment.

 

If you experience a leakage, let the camera dry before opening. Then open the camera and pull out the media card and battery and let everything dry out in the open for several days.

 

Just some pointers from an experienced user.

 

If you would like to see the results of our Canon P&S and underwater housing, check out my blog: 2BCruising.blogspot.com or click on the link in my signature block.

[Craky]

Does anybody treat the gaskets with any type of lubricant or other product to improve the seals? I was reading another thread where somebody was treating the seals with some type of product that he claimed improved the seals. Any opinions on this?

[Putterdude]

I would have to re-read the instruction manual for my Canon D10 but I believe that they advise against it. Canon will replace the seals but charge for it.

[hcvancouver]

The pictures that have been posted on this thread are amazing. Hope this doesn't sound like a stupid question, but I'm wondering about lighting with these underwater photos. Are these all taken without any special lighting and/or flash? If I buy one of these cameras like the D10 do I really just point and shoot and get possiblity of shots like this? Amazing. I've used disposables in the past but always got blurry, dreary images that didn't seem worth. I appreciate any tips on how to get these kind of pictures for an inexperienced underwater photographer. Thanks!

[Putterdude]

On another thread I posted a link to the pix I took with my Canon D10 last month. You do need to set it to the underwater mode and for the most part I had mine at about 1.5X. I did not use the flash but wonder if I should and will try some in the future. Yes, it is very much a point and shoot...I found that if I shot about 150 pix when I edited them I might have 50 (at most) that I would keep. I also did a lot of trimming to get what I wanted and this can be done on the camera.