Taking photos at CC

[FigmentSpark]

I never did that, but, yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

 

[jec6613]

Yes, it's a good idea to wash it off. Not a lot of work, hold it under running water for a few seconds, dry off thoroughly. Also, open the battery/memory card compartment and wipe off the seals with damp cloth and dry before closing.

You don't have to do it every time it goes in the water, just at the end of when you're using it.

To add to this, do not open any doors on the camera until it's bone dry, or you risk allowing some moisture in that can fog the lens and shorten the life of the electronics.

It's also best to read the manual and follow the service recommendation for the seals - you can get a special grease for them, though that's overkill if it's a cheap P&S.

For what I do at any beach, I typically will take my DSLR along with one or two lenses that are weather sealed, and only change lenses if I can protect the body against sand and dust. I also use a blackrapid strap, so not really a risk of dropping it - but I shoot primarily a D500, so it's fully weather sealed, and I also have coverage against an oops immersion.

For going in the water, I have a dive housing with tether for a good compact camera, which is excellent because I can shoot raw and actually get correct colors when I process them, and the battery life is enormous by P&S standards. A refurbished Nikon AW1 if you can still find them, or the Olympus Tough cameras also shoot raw. Beyond those, most of the waterproof P&S are pretty much identical in performance, and all do OK.

Another thing you could do is pick up a waterproof disposable. Yes, they still make them, and for something you may only use a couple of times they're really a better, cheaper option than digital. They use high speed color negative film for tons of exposure and white balance latitude for underwater work, and you can get them for $10, with processing and scanning to digital at a pro lab costing another $12-$15; and I do recommend a good lab, it makes all the difference in the quality. You'd have to use them quite a bit to make up the cost differential to something digital, and you're not worried about breaking an expensive gadget. And on average the underwater photos comes out better than basic digital, IME.

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

We don't carry phones on vacation but I almost always have a decent DSLR with me. On CC and on the pool deck, it goes in a KYSS bag when I'm not using it.

 

[TrishaK]

We picked up two MPOW waterproof pouches for our phones last year. They also have neck straps / lanyards. The strap comes in handy for taking photos and video over the edge of the veranda and other railings. I don't have to worry about dropping my phone. I got a great video of the lights at or near the waterline on the Fantasy last year.

We had these for our cruise a couple years ago, and they were fine. Last year, we used them at a waterpark/hotel - the one my husband was using split open right down the side!! His phone was totally wet as the pouch was in the water. Somehow, his phone ended up being okay. But now I'm on the lookout for something else.

 

[Trera]

I used to bring my DSLR with me to the beach but going from the air conditioning to the hot beach..........it seemed to always fog everything up. Switched to an inexpensive underwater camera for the few shots we do now.

 

[jec6613]

I used to bring my DSLR with me to the beach but going from the air conditioning to the hot beach..........it seemed to always fog everything up. Switched to an inexpensive underwater camera for the few shots we do now.

Not saying to switch up your beach routine, but the issue goes beyond lens fogging - there's also condensation on the electronics which are very sensitive and on metal camera bodies, about 1 mm from exposed conductive magnesium on the inside of the chassis. If you ever visit hot and humid locations where they blast A/C, like for instance Central Florida, it happens as well.

There's a super easy fix for this though: Ziploc bag your camera and let it come to ambient temperature before opening it. This lets the temperature adjust before you let the high humidity in. I think the longest it ever took for me was in Singapore, about 10-15 minutes to get close enough to work properly.

 

[Spiffy MacSpiff]

Yes, this. ^^ We live in a cold climate where condensation is a problem when moving between cold dry outdoors and more humid heated interiors. I put my camera in a Ziploc coming and going, along with one of those little silica sachets that come with just about every electronic thing you've ever bought.

 

[Trera]

Yes, this. ^^ We live in a cold climate where condensation is a problem when moving between cold dry outdoors and more humid heated interiors. I put my camera in a Ziploc coming and going, along with one of those little silica sachets that come with just about every electronic thing you've ever bought.

I started using the zip lock bag when I got my newest camera. I also bag my lenses and speed light.

 

[kylaura]

Olympus Tough waterproof camera. We usually have the iPhones too in cheap waterproof cases, just stick in very bottom of beach bag, no one really bothers it.