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Waterproof Dicital camera...

3K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  FlyMan 
#1 ·
Been over a year since I recall hearing anything about a cheap water proof Digi Cam I see an add for one this morning . Its a Sea Life Reef Master DC250 sells for under $400 and is good to 200 feet below the surface. That is water proof!
 
#4 ·
Very cool Moonlight! 200 feet is more than even I can drop my camera... maybe not ;)

I am hoping for Canon to apply their A1 film housing to their A70 digital workings... you know it's gonna happen, but they are dragging their feet and selling the expensive diving shells. I am happy with the diving shell's performance but it's just too damn clunky to carry around. I am thinking it will let me use my existing 256 mb card and reader, software, etc.

I hope the flood of waterproof digitals to the marketplace is about to begin... but I won't hold my breath!
 
#6 ·
I just checked out the sealife website. Their cameras are nice but, it looks to me like, they are basically a camera in a waterproof box. A little large for my tastes.

I have looked at an Olympus Stylus 300 digital. The literature says it "withstands severe weather." Not (under) water proof, but good enough to take out in a rain storm. Price, last time I checked, was around $400.

I was told to expect new models to be on the market in time for Xmas. Which means price reductions on "old" models. Sounds good to me.:D

><///('>
JD
 
#7 ·
Interesting rig; obviously a 'real' underwater camera

for diving work. I too, would like to see a reasonably water proof dig. camera that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Best answer yet I've found for ' our' type of work is the inexpensive 35 MM 'throw-away's.'

Actually, take fairly good pictures considering the fixed lens and all. But only 'water proof' to about 10 feet. But, things being what they are, if I'm free floating in 10 foot of water the camera is the least of my worries.
:whoa:
 
#8 ·
Re: Interesting rig; obviously a 'real' underwater camera

fredaevans said:
for diving work. I too, would like to see a reasonably water proof dig. camera that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Best answer yet I've found for ' our' type of work is the inexpensive 35 MM 'throw-away's.'

Actually, take fairly good pictures considering the fixed lens and all. But only 'water proof' to about 10 feet. But, things being what they are, if I'm free floating in 10 foot of water the camera is the least of my worries.
:whoa:
The waterproof Kodak disposables in the plastic box do work pretty well if the water is clear and there is plenty of light. Some of the photos came out too dark, though, and I was wishing that they made one with a flash.

I checked out the review of the sealife camera. It looks like an affordable way to get a digital camera for underwater or foul weather use, but it definitely has its drawbacks. And, as JD pointed out, it's not really a waterproof camera, but a camera in a waterproof box (with limited controls). The review has a link to a site that makes waterproof boxes for many types of cameras, so you could do the same thing with a good camera. Unfortunately, the waterproof boxes are very expensive and may even cost more than the camera itself!

Q
 
#10 ·
I just bought a Canon S400 and the waterproof case. The case was $175. :eek: Supose to be good to 160 feet. I bought it because from one reason or another I have lost 3 cameras priced up to a Nikon in the saltwater. When I bought the S400 3 months ago I was all excited to finally have a camera that I can use under the saltwater. Now I am afraid the case will leak. Canon , in their fine print state that if water ruins the camera it's warrenty is void.:( One thing I am noticing is that I can't see the image on the digital screen because of the glare, so I guess it is just point, and shoot.:D
 
#11 ·
Art, If you've gone through 3 digital cameras you must have quite a bit of experience using them around saltwater. How much "abuse" can they take? Were any of them ruined just from exposure to the fog or salt air, or did they actually get splashed or submerged? I'm just wondering how careful I need to be when I take my camera to the beach.

Q
 
#12 · (Edited)
Q, I didn't say digital cameras. One was a Minolta APS, one Nikon 35mm, and one Canon AE1. The Nikon, and the APS, which was waterproof to 16 feet went underwater by accident. The Canon AE1 was splashed and rained on. Now I have the case I am afraid to use it. You have to put silicon grease on the seal, too much doesn't work, and not enough doesn't work.:rolleyes: Next week I have got to go swimming with it, and see what happens.
 
#15 ·
I use ziplocs for my digital and even for my water-resistant 35mm, but you have to take the camera out of the bag to use it! Most of the times when I need the camera I'm standing in or near the surf and have wet hands (and hopefully have a big fish on the end of my line :devil: ). That doesn't create a problem for the water-resistant camera, but I don't think I'd try to use the digital in those situations.

I understand why a truly waterproof camera would be expensive, but it irks me that you have to pay so much for a digital camera that's even water-resistant. The rubber seals for the controls, battery cover and film cover on my 35mm are not very complex and can't possibly add that much to the production cost. My 35mm also has a zoom lens, so sealing the zoom lens on the digital camera should not present much of a problem either.

Q
 
#16 ·
Sea Life Reef Master DC250

For what it's worth, I think I saw this camera at G.I. Joe's yesterday for considerably less than $400. In fact if it really was what I think it was, I'm going back to check it out.

><///('>
JD
 
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