Underwater camera/video camera

[DrDonnyBrago]

I'm off on honeymoon soon and I want to take some underwater pics/vids of among other things, my scrotum floating around in the ocean (anyone know of any water resistant anti wrinkle cream?).

It is likely to get lots of use for 2 weeks and then little if any use from then on... so I don't want to spend loads.

Image quality isn't that important so long as it isn't potato. Being properly waterproof is essential as it will be used whilst snorkelling, not too deep, few metres max.



Any suggestions?

Cheers .

[Bubbs]

[map]

Last year when we went on honeymoon to Mexico I got one of those plastic wallet things from eBay to hold the Nikon digital compact. The sort where you seal it with velcro and then fold it over to make waterproof (something like this one - click here). Shaped to take zoom lens. Was OK but found it hard to see what I was taking (screen on back of camera). Shutter lag also didn't help as it gave time for the fishes to swim away. Plus I was worried about it leaking.

If I had to do it again I'd probably go for a rigid housing like the Polaroid one - click me.

Best results were from the waterproof disposable cameras. Again hard to actually see what you were pointing it at (little target thing rather than viewfinder). Think I got Kodak ones from amazon.co.uk in a batch of 3 (like these - click me). Might have been Fuji, I forget.

In the end didn't spend too much time on the underwater stuff.
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[DrDonnyBrago]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[map]

[Suntan Sid]

Kodak "Play Sport" video camera is waterproof down to 3 meters!
HD recording etc! Only problem is the file format is .mov, (apple).
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"Everybody needs money, that's why they call it money!"

[tatters]

I've got a cheap Olympus SW 1050 which is waterproof down to 35 meters is also drop and shock proof. Its a old point and shoot but still good for underwater shots.

Might be worth you getting something similar of ebay cheap waterproof point and shoot.
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[EazyDuz]

Kodak Playsport.

/thread
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[DrDonnyBrago]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[EazyDuz]

[map]

[EazyDuz]

I think its about 2 hours or so, but it doesnt take very long to charge either.
Youtube it and you will see what to expect from the underwater footage
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[angryjonny]

My experience with underwater cameras (having owned three or four of them) is that it doesn't really matter whether the camera is any good or not as there are so many other factors that will ruin your photos.

You can spend a fortune on underwater cameras but the camera itself is usually fairly basic - what you're paying for is a housing that'll stand 50m depth and a powerful flash unit that'll illuminate what you're photographing (light disappears quickly from the red end of the spectrum as you go deeper). If you're snorkelling and only bimbling around in the first 3 metres or so you don't need any of this.

The hardest thing for you will be to hold the camera still enough to get a decent photo when you're forcing your positively bouyant body downwards and dragging a positively bouyant camera with you like a small bag full of ping pong balls.

On scuba I can hang in the water, line up the camera and hold it steady while I get a reasonable photo. I rarely get good pictures when snorkelling because I'm so short on time and there's so much else going on - I'm trying to stop myself popping up like a cork rather than concentrating on the photo.

A camera with a full housing will be more "waterproof" but if you're really only going to be using it in a few metres of water it might be worth risking a "waterproof" unit with no housing because you'll be dragging a much smaller cell of air around with you. A proper camera in a housing will always be fighting with you to get back to the surface.

[DrDonnyBrago]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[DrDonnyBrago]

[angryjonny]

[angryjonny]

[map]

[angryjonny]

[_Will_]

Pentax optio WG series
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[Villers]

[DrDonnyBrago]

That looks spot on villers , exactly the sort of videoing I want to do.


Seeing as you and Map are regulars to the area, any tips on things to do?

Outdoorsy stuff involving trees, architecture/ruins and animals normally does the trick.