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Gear recommendations for digital cameras

Re: Aquapac Bags

dgimcmillan said:
and ordered a DSLR bag directly from Aquapac. Cost me 68 British pounds, which is about $120 CAD, I think.

Hope the case works for you. Sorry you had to go to the UK for it. As I indicated in my post, NRS www.nrsweb.com in the US carries them, price (2006 catalog) Model 410 small camera - $30. Model 441 Large Camera $45.
I've found to my cost that bringing anything into Canada from the UK COSTS. :evil: A pet hate of mine... Add Postage, import duty, GST, PST, (both these taxes being levied on the import duty too!) Then add Customs charge for collecting all these taxes of $5. It often adds 50% to the basic cost of the item! Rant over... off the soapbox for now.
Look forward to seeing some pics.
 
so i got carried away and bought the olympus online from henry's in t.o. (from what i remember from my 8 yrs in muddy york, a v reputable camera store) for about $475...cheaper than my last impulse purchase - my kahuna coming next wk in time for seattle/san juan 4-day trip...el g
 
elgordo said:
so i got carried away and bought the olympus

Let us know what you think of it, as it is one I am considering to be my next digital camera...I want a nice slim (and waterproof) P&S as my 500-uZ is a little bulky (and has no image stabilization :evil: ).

BTW, welcome aboard the board!
 
Hi all,

Just registered after seeing this digicam thread. Last week I came back from a surf trip on the Shubenacadie River and Eastern shore of Nova Scotia.

I had with me my Canon S1 IS in its housing and my new Oly 770SW. Like others, I ended up using the Olympus more often. In low light, I got a fair bit of noise. But I expected that from reading reviews on steves-digicams.com

After each use on the ocean, I made sure to rinse it. I have to admit, I didn't try taking any pictures in the surf as I didn't want to deal with the suspended sand and silt as the Olympus has a sliding lens cover. There is a bit of clearance, so my initial fears of trapping and subsequently scratching the lens cover were set aside temporarily. The camera only came out when I was on land or in the eddies.

The camera feels solidly constructed. I have not tested the shockproofness nor the 33' depth waterproofness. The only underwater photos are as far as I could reach from my cockpit and under a tap while rinsing the camera.

Another friend bought his before I did and his is under repair. Unlike the Pentax Optio W-series, the Olympus cameras have two doors. One for the battery and XD card. The other for the DC-in, video-out and USB-like cable port. Somehow, he got some water in the data port and hence it's being repaired.

It should be noted that:
a) Only the USB-like data port door is spring loaded to pop open if you pull on the slider.

b) Maybe I didn't rinse thoroughly enough, but the metal plate on which the data port rubber seal is attached is slightly discoloured. It does not seem to affect waterproofness or operation.

c) Olympus only made the rubber seal large enough to cover the USB-like data port. The remaining empty space around it is open and free to hold water. So, it is normal to see some air bubbles coming out from this door if it's submerged. But after rinsing your camera, wait until it's fully drained and dry before downloading your pics!

My photos from the trip are at the link below. Photos 11-18 and 31-63 were taken with the Canon S1, the rest with the Olympus 770SW. Numbering starts from first row of photos, left to right. (I would've referred to the file names, but it seems that picasaweb anonymizes your photos).

http://picasaweb.google.com/qajaq8/Kayak_Surf_Trip_2007

Overall, I'm very happy with the convenience of having a go-everywhere camera. The LCD is exceptional. Very bright and works well for taking pictures and especially playback.

On a another note, two friends on this trip picked up the 3MP Hero cams. I haven't seen the pictures myself, but one of them viewed his pictures on a TV and most of the pictures were hit and miss as you weren't sure if you captured what you wanted when you were in the boat. For now, I'll chalk it up to user inexperience and wait until I see all the pictures for myself. They were however able to get photos I was too afraid to expose the Olympus to. Maybe if I had the housing ... oh wait, I still have my Canon S1.

One additional thing about the Hero cam, the hinge pin on one of the cameras started to rust. We weren't sure if it was just a matter of forgetting to rinse the camera or not.

Alf.
 
Great photos Alf. Looks like a fun trip.

My own camera solution is very simple. A cheap canon A430 inside a chinook tech waterproof camera case I got at Army and Navy for $14. I have to take the camera out to use it, so I can only get shots when I put the paddle down. Still, I enjoy it.

I was thinking of upgrading to the Pentax W30 but after reading some very negative reviews I'm thinking I'll hold off.
 
stevenf said:
I was thinking of upgrading to the Pentax W30 but after reading some very negative reviews I'm thinking I'll hold off.

what 'negative reviews'? i have the W30, and so far, i'm happy with it.

DarenN......
 
Hi Darren

Paddling.net has some user reviews of the Pentax W line, one very negative one for the W30

http://www.paddling.net/Reviews/showAcc.html?cat=63

I think the main reasons I'm going to pass on this are the lack of a viewfinder (this is a must for me...can't stand using the lcd screen in the sun) and the proprietary battery. I often use my camera for 1 & 2 week camping trips and don't have access to a charger at the campsite. I like being able to just throw in a fresh set of AA's. One of the reasons I got a digital was for the freedom to take hundreds of shots, but if your battery dies three days into a two week trip...that kinda defeats the purpose :)

My setup works for me right now...I don't need something new (I just want a new one, lol) so I think I'll hold off a bit longer and see what other waterproof cameras hit the market.
 
Heh, well you know internet reviews are. Usually they're one of two cases, they just bought the gear and are still in the honeymoon phase (and who wants to admit they just spent a ton of dough on a piece of junk?) or the gear has p***ed someone off badly enought to motivate them to post and warn others off. :)

If you're happy with it and it works for you, that's all that matters. And at the end of the day it's the photographer, not the camera, that makes the difference. The best camera is the one you use, and being able to take photos on the water worry free can more than make up for not having something "better".

cheers :)
 
just joined and found this thread

where is a good spot to by a camera : online or lower mainland
 
Re:

Dan_Millsip said:
Here's my setup:

7_cameracase02_1.jpg

Dan: where did you get that lash tab from? would love to add some of those to my pelican.....
thanks
 
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