Underwater pictures:disposable waterproof cameras or waterproof digital camera

[Rampage]

Hey everyone

Well heres the deal. My G/F and I are going to Hawaii next week. While we are there we are going to go snorkling. We both would like to take pictures while we are snorkling so we have something to remember our trip by and to show friends and family when we get back.

My G/f wants to get some disposable waterproof cameras like this

http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQueri...requestid=8048

to take pictures while we are in the water.


On the other hand I would like to go with something like this

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_se...p?product=1363

So I guess my question is what would be better? Better for the price and better for the picture quality? Or maybe someone has a better idea?

any info or insight would be helpfull

thanks

[byjamesderuvoDHQ]

Well I think the choice is clear. Go with the Olympus. The disposable Kodak will have plastic lenses, no auto focus or any other auto function, and limited power. You'll end up buying more than one, so in the end, you're better off just getting a camera that you can use over and over again and can use for your entire vacation. And let's not forget those developing costs. You'll end up paying for out of focus pictures, under exposed pictures, and pictures you just plain hate. You may end up with one or two. With the 1030SW you can check the shot onscene and reshoot if need be.

You can also tell you GF that the SW1030 will deal better if it's dropped, in extreme heat and humidity, and the pictures will just plain be better. A MUCH better value.

Enjoy your vacation!

[Photo-John]

I'm just wrapping up a pro review of the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW. For the review, I actually sent it to Hawaii with my assistant, while she was on vacation. She shot a bunch of underwater photos and even some video with it. You can see her underwater photos here:

Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Underwater Sample Photos

And I've been shooting with the camera since about March. I only took it in the pool recently. But I've had it in the snow, in the rain, and I've been pretty pleased with the images I've taken with it. Here's a link to the photos I've taken with the 1030 SW:

Photo-John's Olympus Stylus 1030 SW Sample Photos

My review isn't done yet. But I did review the first Olympus SW camera, the Olympus Stylus 720 SW. A lot of what I'll have to say about the 1030 was true for the 720, but the 1030 is definitely better. So reading my old review might be useful to you:

Olympus Stylus 720 SW Pro Review

Finally, you do have choices. Pentax also makes underwater digital cameras, two of which we've reviewed here. Neither of them has the burly build that the Olympus does, but I hear of less problems with the Pentax cameras. Here's the review for the most recent Pentax underwater digital camera:

Pentax Optio W30 Pro Review

ou could also buy an underwater housing for the digital camera of your choice. That's the safest bet if you want the most reliability and you want to choose a camera based on absolute best quality. But the underwater housings will cost you. On the other hand, the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW isn't exactly cheap. But it does fit in your pocket and you can probably use it to open beer bottles, too

[Loupey]

Something to think about: the waters around Hawaii aren't as crystal clear as they are in other parts of the world.

When the wife and I went, I took a lot of gear (35mm and medium format) but only one waterproof camera. And it was a Kodak disposable. Good enough for what we encountered under there (Kauai).

It up to you and how much you want to invest.

[Kathryn002]

Hi,
I had the same problem a few months ago before I went to Egypt. I bought a cheap digital camera (about £30) and it was truly rubbish. Thankfully, be bought an underwater housing for our current camera as well, and it was brilliant. It means you don't have to buy another camera, but it still is quite expensive (you can maybe get it for £70ish on Ebay.) If you're willing to pay that much however, it is, in my opinion, well worth it.

And also, have a great time in Hawaii! Lucky you!

[bluelens]

Hi. Everyone
What is good quality digital disposable waterproof (3metar or more) camera?

[tayl0124]

Get the Digital underwater camera! A friend of mine bought the pentax referred to above for his trip to Mexico for about the same reason. Now they are no photog hobbyists, but they use this as their only camera. It takes good enough pictures for what they want. That being said, my next P&S Digital will be exactly that. Waterproof.

I spent about $350 about 7-8 years ago on a APS film canon Elph Sport for a trip to Mexico, with the hopes of doing some snorkeling. But guess what, it was too windy the day we booked our outing for. So instead we had to go horseback riding instead. Very disappointing!! Because of the artificially inflated cost to have aps developed, and the lack of film being available, this has probably not even seen a roll of film since that trip.:mad2:

[Phil Tompson]

Does anyone know what kind of zoom can you get on waterproof digital cameras? And does the zoom work the same way underwater? It seems that you would need pretty clear water to get a good photo.