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|| SportsShooter.com: Member Message Board
waterproof p&s
Jonathon Bird, Photographer
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Port Clinton | OH | United States | Posted: 10:59 PM on 08.04.09 |
->> I'm looking to get a point and shoot waterproof camera to be used primarily for kayaking. I've been reading through the old posts on sports shooter as well as researching various cameras on the net. I just thought I'd see what others out there are currently using and wanted to get any opinions anybody may have.
Thanks in advance,
JB |
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Jeff Mills, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Columbus | OH | USA | Posted: 11:06 PM on 08.04.09 |
->> There is a really nice comparison of all the current models on DPreview right now that should really help you out.
Also keep in mind that theres a waterproof housing for most any P&S made it seems so that could be another option if you already have a camera you like |
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Max Gersh, Photographer
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St. Louis | MO | USA | Posted: 11:34 PM on 08.04.09 |
| ->> Olympus Stylus Tough 8000. Not just waterproof - super rugged too. |
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Ian Martens, Photographer
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Lethbridge | AB | Canada | Posted: 12:56 AM on 08.05.09 |
->> This summer my dad and I spent a week kayaking the Colorado River near Moab, Utah. It was really fun and such a beautiful place!
I got a Pentax W60 for the trip and I was really impressed with it. The image quality was nice and I used the video quite a bit as well which was fine as long as you keep in mind it's only supposed to be point & shoot level quality. We mounted little ball heads on the kayak deck so we could have video running as we went through the rapids. It turned out pretty cool! The only thing that sucked is that the mic on the video gave up part way through the trip so I have a bunch of video with no audio. But that means now I get to upgrade to the newer W80.
The new one is waterproof down to 5 metres (16 feet), shock proof, 28mm wide-angle, 12 megapixel and 720p video. I only used the VGA quality on the W60 because the 720p on it was only 15 frames/second but I'm hoping the 720p on the W80 is usable because they've raised it to 30 frames.
I was looking at the Olympus series too but one of the things that sold me on the Pentax was the memory card system. The Olympus uses the xD cards while the Pentax uses the more common SD cards. I think the Olympus has limits on the length of video clips it records as well. The Olympus does have the advantage of being crush proof and I think some models are waterproof for deeper but if you're just using it for kayaking then 16 feet should be good enough. |
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Chuck Steenburgh, Photographer
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Lexington | VA | USA | Posted: 7:30 AM on 08.05.09 |
| ->> Ian - Judging from your member icon photo, I'd say the noise reduction was a bit too aggressive on the Pentax. |
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Jack Howard, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Central Jersey | NJ | USA | Posted: 10:49 AM on 08.05.09 |
->> I've always found the ergonomics and chunky buttons of the Pentax W line and centered lens placemenet to give a better in the water and on-the-hill experience than many of the top-cornered lens models.
I've been able to easily switch from stills to video with the Pentax Optio W60 and all previous models, while facedown in the water snorkeling. The centered lens makes one-handed video very easy--just grip the camera superman-style and point it at your fish/fellow snorkeler/ski buddy and go. And with two-handed operation, the centered lens never gets thumbed over, which I've experienced with the Olympus SW/Tough top right lens style cameras in the water and on the slopes.
Mountain and snorkel based shooting wasn't as easy with the earlier Oly Tough/SW models i've used that are still the overall design basis for that line. I haven't had a Panasonic TS1 in the water yet, but I have played with it on dry land. I see a lot of design similarities b/w the Oly and the Panny, again, with little hard buttons that may be fine on dry land, but mightn't be the easiest to manipulate in "extreme" conditions to change modes, settings, etc. Also with the Panasonic, note that the much-touted AVCHD video is Win-only. Mac users must use Motion JPEG.
I haven't had a chance to get my mitts on the Canon D10 or the Fuji WP for any meaningful period of time, but of the three "top-right lens" models (Panasonic, Olympus, Fuji), I like the big button style on the back of the WP the best. Canon D10 shows promise. But video is only VGA. Would love to get my hands on a sample unit.
Huge tip for Pentax Optio users: Set the MEMORY functions to save your default settings BEFORE hitting the slopes, snorkel site, whitewater or whatever. |
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Lee Weissman, Photographer
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XXXXX | NY | USA | Posted: 11:48 AM on 08.05.09 |
| ->> Olympus 1050SW...good to 10ft |
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Juliann Tallino, Photographer, Photo Editor
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Port Townsend/Seattle | WA | USA | Posted: 11:51 AM on 08.05.09 |
->> My husband and I use Pentax Optios (W10 - W20) for Kayaking snapshots and have been really happy with them. I just found a great neoprene cover for them at REI. http://www.pedcopods.com/wrap.shtml
We put them on long leashes and clip them to our PFD's. Half the time I look down and the camera is dragging in the water, it's a tough little thing. We've had the W10 for almost 5 yrs and we paddle year round. |
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Tom Sperduto, Photographer
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Edison | NJ | USA | Posted: 5:44 PM on 08.05.09 |
| ->> I got the new Panasonic TS1. I love it. I use it in the water with my daughter and fly fishing. I carry it also trail running. For me, the most important thing is the lens and this Leica one is sharp. |
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