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DPChallenge Forums >> Hardware and Software >> Waterproof P&S camera
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07/19/2009 09:22:45 PM · #1
Is anyone using one? I broke my P&S and need a replacement. I'm considering waterproof model so I can take it to the beach or kayaking without much worry.

I'm considering Canon D10 but it is a bit bulky and is not very wide (36mm i think) or
Panasonic TS1 - smaller with 28mm view angle and HD movie recording. It seems thought noise is a bit of problem on the camera.

Does anyone have any recommendations or personal experiences?
07/19/2009 09:25:42 PM · #2
I was trying to talk my husband into getting the olympus P&S that's waterproof -- it looked pretty cool. Sorry, don't remember the model, but it was olympus and it liked it!
07/19/2009 09:29:29 PM · #3
I have the Olympus Stylus 720 SW
great little camera,I am sure the newer models would be just as good or better
07/19/2009 10:07:06 PM · #4
I have the olympus 850sw. A great camera for wet or rugged conditions.
07/19/2009 10:15:40 PM · #5
my girlfriend uses a Olympus 1030 sw and it takes surprisingly good photos and is EVERYTHING-proof haha
07/19/2009 11:14:05 PM · #6
We recently bought a Canon Z33WP my wife really likes it, image quality is decent and it does very well in the water as well. We bought the cover for it because it did get slippery when its wet. Best part is its usually available for less then $170.

Matt
07/20/2009 12:39:00 AM · #7
They did a comparison test of several waterproof cameras at DPReview. It's worth a look
07/20/2009 01:05:05 AM · #8
My daughter has an Olympus that goes down to 35' it has taken some great pictures....
07/21/2009 09:47:56 AM · #9
After reading online and playing around with camera in the store for almost an hour I decided to go with Panasonic TS1. I still like Canon menus better but getting used to Panasonic once.

Will post my opinion once I get to use it more.
07/21/2009 10:45:19 AM · #10
Originally posted by Nikolai1024:

After reading online and playing around with camera in the store for almost an hour I decided to go with Panasonic TS1. I still like Canon menus better but getting used to Panasonic once.

Will post my opinion once I get to use it more.


I'll be watching for your report. I had the new Olympus Tough 6000 and took it back after five weeks of mountain outings. I was just not happy with the picture quality. I've been eyeing the Canon as I've always been happy with their P&S picture qaulity but like you do not like the 35mm minimum.
07/26/2009 12:49:45 PM · #11
Here is my review of Panasonic TS1. Keep in mind I'm concentrating on bad things as you can read good things anywhere else. You will never find a list problems with the camera in Outdoor Photographer so hope this helps.

Good
-28mm wide angle that I can't live without
-1280x720 movie mode and you can use optical zoom during movies. Overall movies look great.
-Colors are great during daytime
-Support for AVCHD video
-Lens does not extend during zoom.
-Scratch proof lens (I think)

Bad
- WB settings are weird. Not enough presets and the once that are there named weird. Don't like indoors WB. Have to preset it then use adjust function to fine tune. Custom WB doesn't work too well. Canon SD800IS had much wider range of WB adjustments and presets.
- Movies in the dark places are... well... dark. Don't see a way to change that. Canon had hidden feature to brighten movies a bit. Maybe TS1 has it too.
- Movies are MOV. Kind of a pain since I'm used to AVI.
- A bit nosy at base ISO. According to reviews it is better than most P&S but I would take clean image at 8MP than noisy at 12MP. Hate megapixel race!
- Flash seems odd. Can't describe it but pictures do not look that good. Need to play with it more. Canon seems better so far.
- ON button requires you to hold it for a second to turn camera on.
- Movie mode is not on the mode dial but on the dedicated button. So it is bit harder to see what settings you are using for movie and also to start and stop them. I have get the camera in front of me to operate instead of using easily identifiable shutter button on top. Yes I point camera in weird directions.
- Zoom maybe a bit touchy for movies
- Timer resets to OFF after every shoot (gotta be override somewhere)
- I think you have to do something special to get exposure over 1 second. Basically there is no M mode with direct control over shutter or aperture. Seems odd and inconvenient so I'm still looking into that.

I still got ways to go before I can test out everything well so I will update this thread at some point again. More underwater tests are needed too but I did put the camera in the river and it survived. So waterproof claim is confirmed.

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edit: BAD!!! No USB connector on the camera so I either have to bring card reader or proprietary cable when I travel or going to friends house to copy pics over. Every camera should have USB connector.

Message edited by author 2009-07-26 12:51:45.
07/26/2009 01:20:09 PM · #12
Thanks for the report Nikolai. Sounds accepatble so far. Be interested in your opinion on overall picture quality after a bit more time with it.
07/26/2009 01:45:16 PM · #13
Try this

Waterproof P&S Group test
07/26/2009 01:53:26 PM · #14
I've been using a Lumix TS1 for the last few weeks, it's a great little camera for both under and above water. Image quality is excellent in good light as is the movie mode, flash is a little strong sometimes, but all its bad point are also found on other similar sized P&S cameras. The best features are the 28mm wide angle lens and AVCHD movie mode. I've snorkelled extensively with it and have even taken it below its stated 3m without a problem, I just figured the guaranteed depth would be way less than its limit. Here are some full size samples straight from the camera...





Hope that helps,
Bill.
07/26/2009 02:00:49 PM · #15
Originally posted by Jedusi:

Try this

Waterproof P&S Group test


I'm actually trying to ADD to that and provide my personal opinion on the camera. Those reviews are very good and very valid.
07/26/2009 02:55:24 PM · #16
I use my cell phone. The video linked is me in a wave pool at Whale's Tale in Lincoln, NH (yesterday). I was standing still, not jumping as it looks.
07/26/2009 03:46:40 PM · #17
Originally posted by NathanW:

I use my cell phone. The video linked is me in a wave pool at Whale's Tale in Lincoln, NH (yesterday). I was standing still, not jumping as it looks.


Cool. What phone is that?
07/26/2009 09:03:08 PM · #18
I have Verizon's G'zOne Boulder. It's actually a Casio, but it's for Verizon's network (I don't know if it'll work on other networks or not).

It's fun to watch people freak out when I bring the phone into the pool. *grin* Especially when I take it out of my pocket after being in the water.

Message edited by author 2009-07-26 21:03:45.
07/28/2009 02:33:34 AM · #19
I have the Pentax Optio W10 for a few years, only 6MP and a little noisy but they're cheap now! (I know they make a newer model now) I've taken it on plenty of trips to Baja and to the beach, and dropped it in beers and from various heights... still works great, although I'm not really sure where it is at this point.... :\
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