What kind of waterproof camera?

[BMICKEY]

Hi all.....thinking about purchasing a new camera. We have a great camera already, but it's rather bulky and not waterproof. We've used a throw-away waterproof camera before but the quality is so iffy....Would be nice to have a compact camera that we can take anywhere. I also don't want to spend a fortune.

Any suggestions?

 

[sayhello]

I bought a Nikon Coolpix S30 for my recent trip to Maui, and it worked wonderfully. I used it for snorkeling as well as for "regular" pictures, and the pictures turned out great. I occasionally had some problems seeing the LCD screen underwater, but I'm not sure that wouldn't be true of any camera. It was very bright & clear above the water.

You can pick one up for around $100.

Sayhello

ETA: Here's an above water pic I took with the Coolpix:

And here's an underwater picture:

 

[gilsan]

Double post. Oops!

 

[gilsan]

We just bought the Canon D20, for our cruise in October. I like it a lot it has many different settings. Including a setting for fireworks and underwater pictures. It also has GPS to tag your pictures.

I will post some pictures later. I did post some in our cruise thread probably 2-3 weeks ago. I saw it amazon and b&h photo for $299.

 

[grumpy's fan]

I just bought the Nikon cool pix aw100 for our recent trip and it worked great for underwater...both stills and video...it even picked up the sounds underwater for the video. It also has many photo settings including fireworks underwater dusk/dawn sunset etc. I bought it at Costco.com

 

[kuhawk88]

I use the Kodak Playsport ZX5 and it takes very good video and pictures as long as there is sufficient lighting (read: it performs better outside than inside). Price is around $100.

 

[woody73]

I have used an Olympus Stylus underwater camera, and am very pleased with the results.

Woody

 

[cypressmom]

I have the Panasonic Lumix TS4. I love it!

 

[BMICKEY]

Thanks all....I've been looking at the Fujifilm - FinePix XP100 14.0-Megapixel Digital Camera....anyone have experience with it?

 

[havaneselover]

I don't have much experience with Fuji. I have a Canon D10 (must be the predecssor to the D20) which I bought in 2009. It is bulky but the D20 looks much sleeker. Love this camera. Got fantastic pictures on the cruise. I let my kids take it in the pool all the time. And I love that I don't have to worry too much about it getting wet or dropped (just had to replace my DD's Canon power shot which she dropped). I have used it as my primary camera for the last three years and have gotten great photos. Anyway, I highly recommend the D10 and I'm sure the D20 is a nice improvement.

 

[mdinowitz]

Not sure if its the same fuji underwater camera, but we have the fujifilm camera sold at Costco and it works fine for a second camera. We dont mind letting the kids take it to the beach, or on the aquaduck for that matter.I dont think that I would want it as my primary camera, but we have gotten tons of great underwater pictures and videos and it was certainly worth the price (just over $100 I think). Costco has a coupon for it that is active right now.

 

[Tiger926]

We have:

1. Nikon Aw100 - Seems good so far. Have tested it at Great Wolf Lodge and outside, but the real test will come in August during our cruise.

2. Kodak Playsport - Takes great videos.

3. Fuji XP20 - horrible! Wouldn't recommend at all. Used it 1x and gifted it to my little girl.

Also looked at Panasonic too, but settled on Nikon as liked the features and settings, and the locking mechanism is great.

Make sure whatever camera you choose, that you follow the underwater cleaning and maintenance specificaitions very closely, especially in saltwater.

Happy shopping, Tiger

 

[ssanders79]

I killed a fuji xp10 snorkeling at st John afeww weeks ago. I must have swam down too far and busted the seals. I'm now looking for a replacement and will be looking at models with max depths around 30ft.