Waterproof Camera Recommendations for Snorkeling

cdness · Jan 24, 2013

So I attempted to find a waterproof camera via my local club and local craigslist to either borrow or buy used but I am not finding anything. I have considered a few different ideas but wanted to post here and see if anyone can push me in the right direction...

1. Waterproof camera pouch - I have a Fuji F550EXR camera. There is a DigiPac pouch made for it for $45 on Amazon. I hesitate though as I do not want to damage this camera...

2. Waterproof digital camera - No matter where I go to look, there are reviews of pretty much every waterproof camera leaking and causing issues. I don't want to spend $200 on a waterproof camera that I will not use much especially if they have such horrible reliability.

3. Disposable Waterproof camera - This is a very expensive choice as not only is this an up-front cost, but then there are developing costs as well. Also I am not a big fan of the disposable part of it as I try to avoid just throwing stuff away when done with it and making it land in a dump somewhere... Also I tend to not be a fan of pictures from these types of cameras as they are usually crap cameras. Plus I am unable to take as many images as I want and hope for a couple good ones (maybe I am just too used to using a digital camera)

Help me decide on a route to take please... I am thinking about taking a trip through the pawn shops to see if I can find something, but I have a feeling I'll come up short. I don't know if there are places that rent waterproof cameras either...

WnYreefer · Jan 24, 2013

I have the "Vivitar ViviCam 8400 8.1 MP 2.4-Inch TFT LCD Screen Underwater Digital Camera" I got from Amazon. I checked the price and it looked like they went up in price. They have a black and yellow version. Despite the negative reviews on the site I never had any issues with mine I took good photos/video when I went scuba diving and snorkeling in Key Largo last year. For the price when i got it, it was much better than getting a disposable. If you have any questions let me know. I also have some pics on a thread I created for reference.

Isoprene · Jan 24, 2013

I have one I got for christmas, Nikon COOLPIX S30 10.1MP Waterproof Digital Came... : Target,

it works well but I have only had it for about a month. It takes pretty decent pictures, nothing like the expensive 800$ ones but it works well for my fishtank. IDK if this is what your interested in but so far its fun to take pictures underwater.

Alex27 · Jan 24, 2013

This nikon seems to be a pretty good deal for your uses. It's waterproof to 10m

Nikon AW100 COOLPIX Compact Digital Camera | Underwater Camera

stylaster · Feb 7, 2013

This is what i use. A canon g11 with the canon dc34 underwater housing. I use this for snorkeling pictures and dives down to 60-70 feet. Total cost for both under 300.00 if you shop around a bit

Mike&Terry · Feb 7, 2013

We have been using our Panasonic Lumix DMC TS3 for over 2 years and have had no issues with the seals. It is a rugged little camera, takes great underwater video and pics and is waterproof up to 40'. We've used it snorkeling in Jamaica several times and here at home in our tanks. There are a lot of bad reviews on the camera due to past Panasonic service and warranty policies which Panasonic has addressed. They no longer question seal failures and replace the camera with a brand new model (no refurbs). They also lowered the price for replacing seals significantly - they recommend seal replacement yearly.

We're planning to replace the TS3 this year, but are going to wait for the TS5 and see what the reviews are like and how it compares to the Nikon aw110.