Any one take underwater pics with an iphone?

[janinca]

We are leaving for Florida on Saturday and will be at Discovery Cove on the 30th. I am looking to get an underwater camera and am reading reviews and looking at prices etc. Dh suggested that he get an underwater case for his iphone. I am not sure how well this would work out. Anybody use one? Otherwise any suggestions on what kind of underwater camera to get? I am looking at spending under $300

 

[greenclan67]

We are leaving for Florida on Saturday and will be at Discovery Cove on the 30th. I am looking to get an underwater camera and am reading reviews and looking at prices etc. Dh suggested that he get an underwater case for his iphone. I am not sure how well this would work out. Anybody use one? Otherwise any suggestions on what kind of underwater camera to get? I am looking at spending under $300

HI there, we bought a kodak playsport waterproof camera, it takes stills and videos, up to 10 ft immersion. We bought it at the Super Target in Kissimmee, the day before we went to Discovery Cove. We loved it! We will be using it again this year. We only paid $139 and it takes great pictures and we got some great videos while swimming with the rays and tropical fish! I am not sure if they still sell them but we loved ours and the low price as well!

 

[janinca]

HI there, we bought a kodak playsport waterproof camera, it takes stills and videos, up to 10 ft immersion. We bought it at the Super Target in Kissimmee, the day before we went to Discovery Cove. We loved it! We will be using it again this year. We only paid $139 and it takes great pictures and we got some great videos while swimming with the rays and tropical fish! I am not sure if they still sell them but we loved ours and the low price as well!

Thanks, I will take a look at those!

 

[mjplantz]

We have used a Kodak in the past as well and were pleased with the results. To me for the ~$100 I have much more piece of mind that trusting an underwater case to protect an iPhone.

 

[Jenny3]

I got the Panasonic Lumix T4; haven't tried it yet but the reviews were great for both in and out of water

 

[janinca]

I got the Panasonic Lumix T4; haven't tried it yet but the reviews were great for both in and out of water

This is the one I am leaning most heavily towards. Actually have it sitting in my shopping cart at Amazon. It is so unnatural for me to take a camera in water but I am excited to do that at DC!!!

 

[Jenny3]

I am excited to use it too! I got mine on Newegg; they had a deal with a free case, memory card and extended warranty for less than Amazon plus free shipping. Hopefully you can still find that deal!

 

[FaerieFire]

I was actually weighing the choice of waterproof camera vs. waterproof housing vs. waterproof iPhone case, too. I ended up going with the Canon Powershot D20 waterproof camera (~$290). I was nervous about some of the leaks/failures I saw reported in some of the sub-$180 cameras on their first or second use. I also wasn't comfortable with putting my iPhone at risk three days into a 14-day vacation, and the waterproof housing for my camera is $200. So, I bit the bullet and got the Canon.

I tested it shortly after it arrived, using it while we cleaned out the pool before the weather got too cool (and playing a little joke on DS7). The video and still image quality are great, and the audio was very good. It even has a 5X zoom, and is easy enough to operate and ruggedized enough that DS can use it.

Here's the video of my test (the audio drops out when the camera drops in, but only because we were above the water and it was 4 feet down...): https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4623871925968 (you may need to be on Facebook to see it...)

°o° Lace Planning our second WDW adventure, 11/1-12 AoA-LM (Sent from my iPad using DISBoards)

 

[LSUfan4444]

http://www.lifeproof.com/

Here is a waterproof case for an iPhone. It will allow you to take video under water, but not photos. The reason being you can start the video with the phone above water, then bring the camera under water. Once the camera is in water, the touch screen does not work to actually take the picture, but I do screen shots during videos and they come out fine.

 

[janinca]

I was actually weighing the choice of waterproof camera vs. waterproof housing vs. waterproof iPhone case, too. I ended up going with the Canon Powershot D20 waterproof camera (~$290). I was nervous about some of the leaks/failures I saw reported in some of the sub-$180 cameras on their first or second use. I also wasn't comfortable with putting my iPhone at risk three days into a 14-day vacation, and the waterproof housing for my camera is $200. So, I bit the bullet and got the Canon.

I tested it shortly after it arrived, using it while we cleaned out the pool before the weather got too cool (and playing a little joke on DS7). The video and still image quality are great, and the audio was very good. It even has a 5X zoom, and is easy enough to operate and ruggedized enough that DS can use it.

Here's the video of my test (the audio drops out when the camera drops in, but only because we were above the water and it was 4 feet down...): https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=4623871925968 (you may need to be on Facebook to see it...)

°o° Lace Planning our second WDW adventure, 11/1-12 AoA-LM (Sent from my iPad using DISBoards)

Thanks for posting that video. That looks like really good quality. It is so hard to make a decision on a camera.

 

[janinca]

http://www.lifeproof.com/

Here is a waterproof case for an iPhone. It will allow you to take video under water, but not photos. The reason being you can start the video with the phone above water, then bring the camera under water. Once the camera is in water, the touch screen does not work to actually take the picture, but I do screen shots during videos and they come out fine.

Thanks, that looks great. Now I have been swayed to get a waterproof camera instead. I also considered getting waterproof housing for my good camera but am terrifed of ruining it so have decided to go with an extra camera.

 

[nilseks]

Be very careful with the Lifeproof case. I had two and they both leaked. The store didn't believe me on the 2nd one until they tested it themselves. The problem is that the plastic is so thin, it tends to warp, and the seal breaks. There are many reviews on Amazon from people whose Lifeproof cases leaked.

 

[FaerieFire]

Be very careful with the Lifeproof case. I had two and they both leaked. The store didn't believe me on the 2nd one until they tested it themselves. The problem is that the plastic is so thin, it tends to warp, and the seal breaks. There are many reviews on Amazon from people whose Lifeproof cases leaked.

This is what talked me out of risking it. Both this and the Catalyst case have had isolated reports of failure. I'm sure most of them work fine most of the time, but I can't risk an iPhone on less than 100% surety. And I'm not much more sure of a housing. You always have a chance a gasket will fail or get a hair or piece of dirt in it and leak. At least with a waterproof camera you just have to make sure it's closed properly...

°o° Lace  Planning our second WDW adventure, 11/1-12 AoA-LM (Sent from my iPad using DISBoards)

 

[bas71873]

I used my Nikon Coolpix S30 underwater camera this summer at DC and it was great. Paid under $100 on Amazon. DD and her friends loved using it at the pool and to make videos all summer too. Well worth the $$. I'm be to stressed to use my Iphone for fear the case would leak as others have mentioned.