SVP Acqua 1231 Underwater 12 Mega Digital Camera?

[arlenez]

Has anyone heard anything about this camera? They are selling like crazy on Ebay for under $100.

 

Thanks for any information.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[sabu24]

I saw your post and just happened to have purchased one this morning. I am leaving on a cruise 2/24 and if it ships to me in time, I will be able to give you a good review of it.

Fran

[arlenez]

I saw your post and just happened to have purchased one this morning. I am leaving on a cruise 2/24 and if it ships to me in time, I will be able to give you a good review of it.

Fran

 

I bought one and used it recently on a cruise. The underwater photos came out great. I fiddled with the camera a little before the cruise and found that if you set it on the lowest resolution, the photos came out better than on a higher resolution. The one thing I didn't like about the camera is the batteries don't last very long. So make sure you bring lots of batteries with you.

 

Attached are two photos I took with the camera. One under water and the other of a waterfall.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[sabu24]

Thanks...Excellent!!! Hope it comes in time.

Fran

[bruce-r]

The one thing I didn't like about the camera is the batteries don't last very long. So make sure you bring lots of batteries with you.

ALL digital cameras drain batteries quickly. Your best bet is to get some rechargeable nickel-metal hydride batteries. They last much longer than regular batteries and you can use them again after recharging.

[pierces]

ALL digital cameras drain batteries quickly. Your best bet is to get some rechargeable nickel-metal hydride batteries. They last much longer than regular batteries and you can use them again after recharging.

 

Bruce: Have you tried the new hybrid NiMH batteries like the Sanyo Eneloops? They offer the life of a NiMH but will hold a charge without self-draining for about a year. The typical MAH rating is a bit lower than NiMH, but they retain their voltage longer into the drain cycle which keeps them from appearing empty to the camera until they are nearly depleted (NiMHs can have a a fair amount of charge left when they drop under the threshold voltage).

 

I'v been using them in my flashes and love the fact that I can just grab the bag and go without checking the charge on the batteries.

 

Dave

[bruce-r]

Bruce: Have you tried the new hybrid NiMH batteries like the Sanyo Eneloops? They offer the life of a NiMH but will hold a charge without self-draining for about a year. The typical MAH rating is a bit lower than NiMH, but they retain their voltage longer into the drain cycle which keeps them from appearing empty to the camera until they are nearly depleted (NiMHs can have a a fair amount of charge left when they drop under the threshold voltage).

 

I'v been using them in my flashes and love the fact that I can just grab the bag and go without checking the charge on the batteries.

 

Dave

 

Yes I have. The underwater strobe I use specified using them, so I bought the big set Costco sells. I like that they don't discharge when not being used like the NiMh do.

[bakechef]

I like the hybrids very much, I am using the Rayovac hybrids. I have had nothing but outstanding luck with Rayovac rechargeable batteries. I have a set of them that I have been using for over 5 years that still perform wonderfully, I have had other brands go bad after a much shorter amount of time. So when I started buying hybrids I went for rayovac, I hope that they end up being as good as the old ones.

[swom]

Anyone else or anyone that first posted about this camera use it? If so, what did you think of it's performance?

Thanks!

[waterbugohio]

wow,

may have to check this on out. any other reviews on it yet???

[waterbugohio]

ok, is the numbers on the original post correct??? SVP acqua 1231 ????

 

I am not coming up with anything on ebay

[swom]

Well don't get too excited. It seem the store (camzclub) selling them, has everyone of the cheap ones already bid out by someone who's ID is "unknown". Sounds like a scam to get us to buy his "buy now" ones for 75 to 80 bucks.

I really wish Ebay would do something about people like this. It's not right.

[swom]

No just put in underwater cameras and then in "sort by" click time ending soonest and you'll see them. Like I said, good luck. I've been trying all evening and have always been outbid by this unknown ebayer.

[pierces]

Good news and bad news...

 

Good: No negative reviews!

 

Bad: No reviews!

 

I have become curious about this since it bears a resemblance to some other questionable brand promotions on ebay. I have searched virtually all of the photo-sharing sites and have found ZERO images taken with this camera. I appears on Amazon, but only available through an external source for $82 with free shipping and ZERO reviews. Cnet reviews anything with a battery and it doesn't appear on the list.

 

Caveat emptor!

 

Dave

[swom]

Good news and bad news...

 

Good: No negative reviews!

 

Bad: No reviews!

 

I have become curious about this since it bears a resemblance to some other questionable brand promotions on ebay. I have searched virtually all of the photo-sharing sites and have found ZERO images taken with this camera. I appears on Amazon, but only available through an external source for $82 with free shipping and ZERO reviews. Cnet reviews anything with a battery and it doesn't appear on the list.

 

Caveat emptor!

 

Dave

Well tell me Dave, I am looking for an inexpensive underwater camera that takes half way decent pics for under 100.00. Prefer digital.

Any suggestions? LOL

[bakechef]

Here are some inexpensive underwater digital cameras. I have ordered from this company once and had no issues with them.

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=DC-WPC-ST331TBLK-VP&cat=CAM

 

http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=DC-WPCST531TBLK-VP-R&cat=CAM

 

I know nothing about these cameras. One is new and the other is a refurb. Looks like they are the same cameras under a different brand name. I think that 3-5 mega pixels would be more than enough for these cameras.

[sabu24]

I bought one last week at buy.com. I have played with it a little. I can let you know more in 2 weeks. We leave on Tuesday for our cruise. I can post pics when I get back.

Fran

[swom]

Thanks so much Dave!!!

[swom]

I bought one last week at buy.com. I have played with it a little. I can let you know more in 2 weeks. We leave on Tuesday for our cruise. I can post pics when I get back.

Fran

Thanks Fran, I'll look forward to your review on this camera also. I have a couple of months till my cruise, so I'm now looking at the ones Dave recommended and will wait for your review to decide.

Susan

[pierces]

Well tell me Dave, I am looking for an inexpensive underwater camera that takes half way decent pics for under 100.00. Prefer digital.

Any suggestions? LOL

 

This one got decent reviews on Amazon:

 

http://www.amazon.com/INTOVA-INWD-IC500-Megapixel-Digital-Waterproof/dp/B000Z8EMS8/ref=pd_bbs_sr_5?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1235362230&sr=8-5

 

Since Amazon sells it direct, I would trust it head and shoulders above any Ebay supplier. At the very least, they have a good return policy!:D

 

Dave

[Danjpi]

We have this and took this on our last cruise. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give it:

 

Ease of operation...8

It's a point-and-shoot. Latch on waterproof case is hard to open (but that's a bad thing). It was also nealry impossible to see what you were shooting underwater...so I ended up just clicking blithely away...hoping that the law of averages would give me a few decent shots - and that's about what I got. Nothing amazing, but...

 

Quality of picture...7

The zoom is useless - as it gets tighter, it gets grainier. Anything more than 8 feet away will be blurry.

 

Quality of video...8

The video results are a BIT better; sound is pretty good, too. Only problem is that this has no light for video, so...working with ambient light is a crap shoot.

 

Value for price...7

I like the size and like the design of the camera and the case. Ergomically, it's quite smart. But...the point of futzing with a camera is to bring home great images, and this little camera only produced about 20 good shots. The rest were blurry, all blue, or out of focus. I paid around $40 for it, and that's about what I think it's worth.

 

BUT TO BE FAIR, I Think that my mediocre results came from not understanding how to use the various settings. I'm sure that with a little research into what settings are best for UW shots, I'll have more success. The white balance seems to be a key issue, but...I do'nt know WHICH setting is the best one for UW use. I've seen shots (supposedly) taken by this camera which were crystal clear and gorgeous...I just couldn't reproduce that on the first cruise.

 

It's going with us on our next cruise, and now that I know it's for close up use only, that's what I'll try to limit it to. I'm also going to futz around with it in my fish tanks ;) and see if a little experimentation will help.

 

PLEASE! If you HAVE this camera and KNOW what settings I need for UW photos, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SHARE THEM! You'll help every member here with this camera!

 

If you do get, use the camera OUT of the case as much as you can - it takes pretty good pictures out of the water. The "manual" is a single sheet with not much useful info, alas. If you get to know your buttons by touch, you'll have much better luck underwater - as, rememeber, you won't be able to actually READ all those helpful icons on the screen once you're in the water.

 

Would I recommend it? Yes, but with the above considerations.

[Geek Squard]

Any other reviews for this camera? I want to get a waterproof camera but don't want to break the bank as I have a decent digital camera already.

 

Thanks

[sabu24]

My camera took OK pictures. I made one big mistake and had it set on macro. The button is on the side of the camera and I must have moved it by mistake. Lost a bunch of shots. I use it on a regular basis when I want OK pictures (6 out of 10)

 

Anyone one know why it takes pictures with a red hue indoors. I can't find the setting to correct it.

Fran

[swom]

I bought one and never used it. It's still sitting on my dresser in the box. I'll gladly sell it to you cheap.

Can't tell you if it takes good pics or not though, like I said, I never used it.

[RodandMary]

Any current updates on this underwater camera. I purchased from EBAY, but haven't received yet. Any suggestions on use or settings? We are cruising in April and hope to use this camera at that time. Can't wait!!! :)