What's Yer Boatcamera ?

[DougP]

Have heard good things about this one, plan on getting one in the future.

Olympus Stylus 850 SW Digital camera - compact - 8.0 Megapixel - 3 x optical zoom - Silver

 

[Megabyte]

The only waterproof camera I know about is the Nikonos, but I don't believe Nikon ever built one with digital internals.

My camera of choice is a 2.11 mp Nikon CoolPix 800 which was discontinued long ago. It is perfect for my use as it has great optics, enough resolution to take decent web images, and it uses AA batteries which are easilly replaced.

I'm not sure what I'll do when this camera eventually dies.

 

[Parkerman]

a buddy of mine dives and has a slick clear hard plastic case that his camera slips into that is completly waterproof up to a certain depth. His standard out of the box digital camera fits inside and there are waterproof buttons that line up with the camera's function buttons. I assume there are certain cameras that fit in certain model covers. Maybe someone who dives can chime in.

 

[pelagic2530]

a buddy of mine dives and has a slick clear hard plastic case that his camera slips into that is completly waterproof up to a certain depth. His standard out of the box digital camera fits inside and there are waterproof buttons that line up with the camera's function buttons. I assume there are certain cameras that fit in certain model covers. Maybe someone who dives can chime in.

resident diver, at your service :wink: if you dont mind spending a little more coin than you would at Best Buy, stop by your local dive shop and see what models they have to offer. like Parkerman said, there are many companies that either offer cases for standard cameras (Ikelite), or build cases for their own. in my experience, the downside to buying an aftermarket case is that theyre usually rather bulky, and somtimes they cost more than it would to jsut buy a new camera/case combo. if you do decide to go this route, make sure they understand that its only the waterproof feature youre looking for, so they dont have you looking at cameras that are waterproof down to 300' :shock: . several companies make small, compact cases for little cameras with suprisingly good optics that would suit this purpose fine. most even float

that said, i generally use my good ol' Coolpix on the boat, mostly because my U/W camera is set up with strobes, arms, etc. but its worth checking out the dive models.

 

[Micheal J]

I've got an old Sony DSP-P8 W/ the underwater houseing I paid about 500.00 about 6 yrs ago.It takes great pics ,and also does Mpeg video.
Check out Sony.com
There are better ones for sure,but this one has worked for me for years.
MJ.

 

[sparky]

I've been through at least 4 Aquatica Housings, all for different Canon cameras. The current one is the Aquatica made for the Rebel XT, with the full dome port, as well as a flat port.

The Olympus SW's are great cameras, although the quality isn't great (small lens). The 1030SW is the one to get. 10MP, 30ft water proof, and crushproof to 200lbs.

 

[TunaJoe]

I just bought a waterproof housing good to 130 feet direct from Canon for $75 bucks, regularly $240.
Go to www.slickdeals.net
http://slickdeals.net/permadeal/21041
You can get the housings for all Canon cameras.
Mine was delivered in less than a week.

 

[J.A. Veil]

There are very few true waterproof cameras. Someone mentioned the Nikonos, which is a long-standing model of waterproof camera used for diving. I used one in 1977 while on vacation diving in the Keys.

What is more practical and affordable for boating use is a water-resistant camera. These can withstand getting splashed or even immersed in water, but cannot handle the water pressure if used for diving. I bought one more than 5 years ago that was an early Pentax model. I found it small (easily fits in a fishing shirt pocket), takes good photos, and does not need to be babied on a boat, kayak, or even on a rainy day. It is a 3 megapixel model -- small by today's standards but still more than adequate for posting photos on the web.

I believe that Pentax and Olympus both make current models that are water-resistant. There may be others -- I have not looked for a while.

 

[B-Faithful]

Usually my guests bring the camera but I now have a blackberry phone with a camera. While it is not waterproof, I now always have it with me. It doesnt do too bad.... Name the sleepy head? :lol:

 

[MayoChad]

I either crushed or got wet three digital Canons before making the move to the Olympus 850. My opinion is that Canons are a little more intuitive to use and are capable of taking slightly better pictures than the Olympus. BUT, the Olympus is tougher than the Canons I've had in the past. That said, I've not checked out this waterproof Canon somebody mentioned.

FWIW, the Olympus takes fine pictures - especially for guys like me that are really just point and shoot photographers.

One thing that's worthwhile . . . as far as I know, none of these cameras float!