anyone use their digital camera (in a protective casing) while snorkeling?

[mouseclick1]

We just bought a new digital camera (Canon A80), and also purchased a water-proof casing to use for snorkeling. I am kind of nervous about it not being sealed correctly and letting water in. In the directions, it states that even a hair or grain of sand in the seal can cause leakage. Has anyone used one of these? Did you have good luck with it? How did the pictures turn out? We plan to do the Shipwreck Snorkel and Reef excursion in Grand Cayman. DH bought the underwater casing as a surprise for me, so I definitely want to give it a try!

 

[monkeygirl]

I was just thinking the same thing. Anybody out there ever try this???

 

[slabeaume]

I've not used a digital camera housing, but do have a Sea & Sea underwater camera. I would think you would have an advantage with digital---you can make sure the gasket is clean and lubed while still in your stateroom and not have to worry about it getting sand in it at the beach when changing film. So far, I've not had a problem with my Sea & Sea camera----but I did have a Canon underwater 35mm camera that sprung a leak even though I thought I was careful.

You'll also have the advantage of easy photo editing with the digital pictures.

When storing your housing, open the case so the gasket doesn't become squashed out of shape.

Good luck,
Sue L

 

[musicgirl]

We have a protective case for our camera. We haven't used it snorkeling, but we have used it in the pool. It worked great! We did use our less expensive camera in it however, just in case!! Ours does have a bit of a delay, that is the only thing I don't like, but dh takes the majority of the pictures!

Last year we used a reusable water camera. Unfortunately, dh didn't close it tight enough on the second roll. We knew that it would be impossible to save it as we saw the ink pouring from the camera. It is funny now, but we were so disappointed because dh had just taken a picture of the baracuda swimming right underneath me.

We are going in June, so I'll let you know how it works snorkeling.

 

[krhardy]

If you are nervous about the housing leaking, try it at home first, withouth the camera in it to make sure that you are sealing it correctly. Just stick the sealed housing in a sink full or water, to make sure it doesn't leak. Also, when we snorkled last time, I hooked the string of my camera to my lifevest so I wouldn't lose it.

 

[Scott H]

Definitely do a sink test or better yet take the housing to a pool to get it exposed to a little depth. We have a Sea and Sea MX10, Reefmaster D310, and a Light and Motion housing for our Olympus C-5050. Never a flood on the MX-10. The Reefmaster we have used to take photos of our SCUBA students while in they are in the pool and open water. It did flood on me the other day. Dried it out and all is fine. Might of had a hair on the o-ring, Malamute puppies at home. So a word of warning keep the o-ring clean and don't over lube it. Let your type A personality come to the front for o-ring care. Never a problem with the Light and Motion housing. We are switching to all digital for underwater and land. So if anyone is interested in our MX-10 underwater film camera PM me.

 

[mouseclick1]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will definitely try it in water before we go!

 

[GenieDana]

Do your test with the case empty (no camera in the case). A sink test might not be enough (not enough external pressure to test the seals).

Here are other options:

http://www.waterproofcases.net/waterproof-camera-cases.html

 

[mouseclick1]

I don't really have access to a pool right now, but we will be at Vero Beach the day before the cruise. I could always take the case in that pool to make sure I have sealed everything correctly, definitely without the camera inside!

GenieDana-I looked at the cases on your link. They are very different from the case we purchased, but definetly cool looking!

Musicgirl-We are leaving in 2 weeks, so I will have to let you know how it works! Hopefully I will have great things to say about it when we get back!

At this point, I don't know what I am more nervous about, snorkeling or ruining my camera!