i am going to florida to do some light snorkling. i was wondering if anyone knew of any really good cameras that i could buy and use in the water and on land. i would like one that does not have a housing need. i also have been looking at the Olympus Stylus 770 SW. i want to find something like this if anyone has any ideas i would love to hear them
thanks
2007-02-07 02:28:04 · 7 answers · asked by Mike 2 in Consumer Electronics ➔ Cameras
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2007-02-07 10:51:56 · answer #1 · answered by Don D 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You've got plenty of options. Yes, the Oly Stylus 770SW has some awesome specs. Personally I would wait for that to come out and check it out. There's also its predecessor, the Olympus Stylus 720 SW. You also have the Pentax Optio W20 and its predecessor the Optio W10, waterproof, but not shockproof. My friend has had only marginal success with these weatherized cameras, and managed to break his on his 4th or 5th outing...in a pool. I handled it a few times myself. The seals definitely need to be clean to work, and in the end, you're still playing with a fairly delicate machine. So the fact that the Stylus 770SW is shockproof appeals to me. The other option that you have without add-ons is the Ricoh 500g which is waterproof, dustproof and shockproof. It is a *very* rugged camera, designed to be used in rough environments like construction sites. That one, though, does have some compromises in image quality. There's some minor purple banding that shows up in some lighting conditions. But they've just announced the Ricoh 500SE which may very well have resolved the image quality issues. And it's GPS ready...I'm not sure how that benefits anyone other than civil engineers, but hey...bonus. Anyway, of all of these options, the Ricoh is the one I'd expect to suvive the worst of conditions. But the other ones are more compact.
The last option you have opens tons of doors, and that is considering one where you can get a separate waterproof housing for your camera. Lots of camera manufacturers offer them. And they go down deeper than snorkel depth. But I understand your hesitation for considering them...they're bulky, and aren't cheap.
Have fun in paradise!
2007-02-07 04:09:25 · answer #2 · answered by Driveshaft 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I tried the Olympus 720SW in Florida last year and here are my comments about it:
- It is really shockproof and waterproof
- LCD is difficult to see in bright sunlight
- Unless the sea is clean and transparent, you'll probably not be able to see much and take any underwater pictures (besides green algea); you might get better results in an outdoors swimming pool
- The flash is too weak underwater to be able to light anything (you just get the reflection glare back)
- The hand strap has no buckle -- i.e. nothing to safely strap the camera tightly so it does not just slip away!
- It can only go so far down for so long
- I suggest you do look at an underwater case with attached flash
2007-02-07 05:53:38 · answer #3 · answered by fip 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
One of my friends this past summer working at sleepaway camp had a great underwater camera from Olympus. It didn't need a housing unit. I can't remember what model it was, but shes British so it was probably different there and it's older. She was scared to test it but finally did and it delivered great pictures underwater as well as above water. So I'd recommend an Olympus digital camera. Some good review sites to look at are www.steves-digicams.com and www.dpreview.com. Goodluck!
2007-02-07 02:46:23 · answer #4 · answered by Ravensman04 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I just bought the 720SW for my girlfriend, and we've been very happy with the results so far when used with some light snorkeling. Keep a cloth handy to wipe the lens if needed, as it can pick up water spots pretty easily.
We've indexed several dozen reviews of the 720SW over on our site ... I will see if we can add in the 770 as well (didn't know that a new model came out) but check out those reviews for more in-depth information.
http://www.reviewhub.com/olympus.html
Good luck!
2007-02-07 17:22:20 · answer #5 · answered by toomer007 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I have the waterproof pentax optio w20 and i love it. it is around $250 @ circuitcity. just make shure that you get the replacement plane for it. once it leaked and the lens got foggy. but all over as long as you do not need lots of zoom i think it is a great camera for the money
2007-02-07 15:31:51 · answer #6 · answered by JAG 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
go to Olympus site
they have more than one waterproof camera
2007-02-07 08:50:09 · answer #7 · answered by Elvis 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋