waterproof camera cases

[Ctrain]

Hey guys,

Any helps would be apprecialted

I have a Canon IXUS100IS and am taking it to Hawaii in a few weeks... I'll probably only take it up to 5 to 10 meteres in depth...
The Canon case is a bit pricey... I've also seen the DiciPac and Ewa_Marine versions that are cheaper and would hopefull get the job done without leakage...

anyone have any suggestions?

Clint

 

[alpg88]

what you pay is what you get, i too thought plastic cases are expensive, and bought a $30 underwater bag for my Sony t1.
my advice don't buy them.
condensation and moisture still got in, and pic quality was worst than crap, distorted, blurry.
i didn't get a single decent pic with that bag, worst decision I've ever made.

next year i went to Jamaica, i decided to get real stuff, so instead of wasting $200 for a oem case, i just added $100 more and bought olympus tough6000. never regretted that, i took pic and video underwater, didn,t go deeper than 2-2.5m thou. took it everywhere, on canopy tour camera took a lot of hits from trees (so did my entire body), it fell down in the sand many times, dirt, payvment, all i had to do is put it under running water to clean, and that is it. but pic quality was great, and tap control, is just ingenious invention, no dealing with tiny buttons underwater, or anywhere. it's well worth $300

 

[will]

I'll second the underwater camera for occasional use. I picked up a reconditioned Olympus SW 1030 ( ebay ) It is good for 10 meters, takes great pictures, shock and freeze proof.

I snorkel along the shoreline and this works great. I made a long lanyard to attach to my bathing suit. I also bought a floating camera strap (bright orange) . I can swim along and not worry about dropping or losing the camera.

 

[McGizmo]

I am not familiar with your camera or how it compares to the suggestion of one of the Olympus point and shoots that can go swimming naked. There are a number of quality plastic housings now being made for many of the cameras and they serve well with one potential problem of the glass port fogging up. Some desiccant will usually take care of that issue.

I would guess that the Cannon housing you mention is the best bet for that camera and probably adds the least amount of bulk to the overall package.

Just remember that anything you take underwater can flood if given the opportunity and it's up to you to insure that this doesn't happen!! :green:

 

[alpg88]

yes agreed absolutely, but those qualty cases go for about 200 bucks, they are good, have glass lens ports, good seals (one must carefully inspect seals before closing, even a hair, or a grain of sand in between the seal and the cover can ruin waterproofing), but unless you got very good camera, paying $200 and still have the same camera (that costs less than a case) just doesn't make much sense to me.

 

[will]

I am not familiar with your camera or how it compares to the suggestion of one of the Olympus point and shoots that can go swimming naked.

The main disadvantage that I see with the non-SLR cameras has to do with seeing what you are taking a picture of. The LED screen can be difficult to see in bright light, Underwater, if you are on a slight viewing angle, all you see is a reflection. Having said that, for a little over $240, I got a really nice beach camera.

Also missing - no manual focus, no manual settings, no external flash port. But, if it gets sand, dirt, or whatever, a quick rinse under water and all is good again.

 

[Daravon]

There's always the submersible single-use 35mm cameras. Quality on the better ones is quite good.

 

[McGizmo]

yes agreed absolutely, but those qualty cases go for about 200 bucks, they are good, have glass lens ports, good seals (one must carefully inspect seals before closing, even a hair, or a grain of sand in between the seal and the cover can ruin waterproofing), but unless you got very good camera, paying $200 and still have the same camera (that costs less than a case) just doesn't make much sense to me.

I think a good housing will typically cost more than the camera and for good reason. I grant that you can get a quality plastic housing for say $350 and when it is designed for a $800 camera, that seems to set a value ratio. It is all relative though. I have a couple Subal housings and they are considerably more expensive than the Nikons they house. So expensive that I have opted to buy back up Nikon bodies in the event of a flood after the camera itself has been discontinued. :green:

It has been my experience that the biggest problem with most point and shoots is the shutter lag and missing the shot either because you are just too late of forgot to track the subject even after pressing the shutter. There has been some real improvement here though. Since you typically want the lens on the widest possible angle, you can often get the subject in the frame even if you can't use the view finder or LCD display; shooting from the hip as it were.

I have killed a couple of the Olympus Stylus cameras through excessive use and no doubt abuse. I finally opted to get the plastic housing for it even though the camera doesn't need it in shallow depths. The cost in extra bulk is somewhat compensated for in easier to access buttons and shutter. It's also cool to consider the fact that a catastrophic flood won't hurt the camera if it isn't at any significant depth. The Olympus housing has a shade for the LCD that really helps too.

 

[will]

I have killed a couple of the Olympus Stylus cameras through excessive use and no doubt abuse. I finally opted to get the plastic housing for it even though the camera doesn't need it in shallow depths. The cost in extra bulk is somewhat compensated for in easier to access buttons and shutter. It's also cool to consider the fact that a catastrophic flood won't hurt the camera if it isn't at any significant depth. The Olympus housing has a shade for the LCD that really helps too.

I took a quick look at the Olympus case. It allows the depth to go to 40 meters (the camera alone is good for 10 meters) Even on EBAY, the cost is as much as the camera. For the casual user ( like me ) it really is not necessary, I don't SCUBA dive ( yet ) Certainly worth looking at down the road.

 

[gsxrac]

Will I also have an Olympus but I got the new Stylus Tough 8000 and the deepest ive gone is 6~ feet but this one is rated at 33ft and the drop rating is 6.5 ft. I think. So far Me and a buddy both have the 8000 and my fiance's sister and cousin also bought an 8000 after playing with mine in the pool at a family get together. So far I love mine! Don you must be rough on em to have killed one (or multiple one's)!!!

 

[will]

I have a couple Subal housings and they are considerably more expensive than the Nikons they house. So expensive that I have opted to buy back up Nikon bodies in the event of a flood after the camera itself has been discontinued. :green:
.

Do these underwater housings allow the use of a zoom lens? Do you have to stick with fixed focal length lenses?

A friend of my daughter is looking to upgrade to to a DSLR and Housing