Underwater Camera Questions?

Nicole

I am going on a week-long trip to a tropical area and am planning on doing hikes, scuba diving, exploring, etc. I want to get a camera to bring along on the trip, especially one that has underwater capabilities for the scuba diving. I've heard good things about gopro and contour, but really know nothing about cameras. My budget is about $200 (willing to go a bit higher if necessary). Help!! I don't know what to look for, what are the benefits of different types, etc. Thanks for helping

Answer
The primary difference in underwater cameras, especially the low-cost compact cameras you are probably looking at is their depth rating.

If you are going scuba-deep, you need an underwater housing. Waterproof cameras are just not good enough to keep from leaking at scuba depths... especially considering their ratings are done in static water - and not in ocean currents.

When you are in dynamic water; ocean currents, raging surf, river, etc. this applies additional pressure on the camera, just as if you went deeper. A camera rated for 20 Meters might only survive in 10 Meters of water under those conditions.

There are no consumer-grade underwater cameras within your budget that has sufficient depth rating for scuba. Typically these cameras are rated for 10Meters or less in static water. Some are only rated for 3Meters. However there are a few that are rated for a bit more (the Nikon AW120 for instance is rated for 18Meters).

For your budget, the only possible solution is a POV camera such as a Sony Action Cam or one of the cheaper GoPro cameras. They include underwater housings as part of the base package. The housings are rated for significantly deeper conditions (the Sony Action Cam for instance is rated for 60Meters). POV cameras work well enough for video but are not too good for photos.

Otherwise, a 3rd party underwater housing for a regular camera would exceed your budget, and that doesn't include the cost of the camera.

Of course, if you are only going to scuba down to 10ft or so, you can get the Nikon AW100 refurbished for under $170. It is rated for 10Meters, and after reducing the depth to compensate for moving water, 10ft would be probably the max. depth you should go.

Here is a link to the refurbished Nikon AW100:

http://www.cameta.com/Nikon-Coolpix-AW100-Shock-Waterproof-GPS-Digital-Camera-Orange-Factory-Refurbished-65588.cfm

You are probably not going to get a 10Meter rated camera for less as most cameras in this price range are rated for 3Meters.

What camera should I get?

Anonymous

I'm looking for a point and shoot camera that I can use above and under water. I'm not completely sure to what depth under water but I would love to use it while scuba diving which I'm guessing would require a housing? High res is important.

Links would help immensely with any option(s) listed. Thanks!

Answer
Lots of info on waterproof cameras out there.
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/new-waterproof-cameras_roundup.html
http://www.waterproof-camera.org/

Popular Photography â April 2013
Sony Cyber-shot TF1 - $198 (need reviews)
Fujifilm FinePix XP60 - $198
Pentax WG-3 GPS - $297
Nikon Coolpix AW110 - $347
Olympus Stylus TG-2 - $379
Panasonic Lumix TS5 - $399
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=sony_dsctf1&products=fujifilm_xp60&products=pentax_optiowg2gps&products=nikon_cpaw110&products=oly_tg2&products=panasonic_dmcts5
http://snapsort.com/compare/Fujifilm-FinePix-XP60-vs-Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-TF1

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