H2O Proof Camera Cases!!

[Michael_Howes]

Hello!

I have a Nikon Coolpix 7900 and am itching to take it out on the water BUT I don't have an H2O proff case. Nikon makes one but it is quite bulky and spendy:

http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=7&productNr=25703

Has anyone used one of these?

Then I found a company called "DICAPac" through eBay the other day. They make "soft" H2O proof cases for a variety of digital gear. I found pricing for my camera around $35.00 US...

http://www.dicapac.com/eng/info-01.htm

Thoughts? Comments? Funny jokes?

-Michael

 

[Dave_Barrie]

I have the bulky style of housing for my Canon S1, and while it is a little bulky it does have a few advantages. While in the housing I'm still able to operate every single feature on the camera, including flash. It was well designed and it can even be operated with gloves on. It's also bomb proof and because it's a proper underwater housing I can take it down to 130 feet as a dive camera as well.

I don't have one of the waterproof bag versions, but I have handled one. I found it very tricky to operate the buttons on the camera and it just didn't feel as solid to me.

So it's sort of a toss up, is your main concern size or function...but cost can also be a factor.

I believe that Steve has another type of soft bag and I'm sure he'll ring in and be able to give you some feedback on it.

Overall I'm very happy with my housing

 

[Mike_Jackson]

I'd echo the comment about a camera specific housing. I have used the S1 IS housing when kayaking and when snorkelling and it works great in both situations. I used a soft plastic housing once and was not happy with it.

 

[VI-2006]

Hi Michael,
why not trying a really water proof camera without casing. I have a Pentax optio WP (water proof).
Look here http://www.seekajakforum.de/wissen8.html
In German only but with some pictures which shows some details. I love this compact camera.

Cheers Joerg

 

[Robert_Meier]

Wow, that's a cool camera setup!

 

[Mike_Jackson]

Hi Joerg, that is a nice set up - fortunately I understand some German. I also have an older Pentax WR (Optio33WR) which his a handy paddling camera. If I was buying one now, I would be tempted by the one you have. I do like the housing and S1 because I feel it is pretty bomb proof and also has a 10 x zoom and image stabilization. The downside is that it does not fit in my PFD pocket!

Where did your neat little tripod clamp unit come from? Is it salt water corrosion resistant?

Cheers
Mike

 

[Dave_Barrie]

That is a neat setup......you can get a suction cup and tripod mount from Ram Mounts

 

[VI-2006]

Where did your neat little tripod clamp unit come from? Is it salt water corrosion resistant?

I bought the tripod at "Mediamarkt" a german electronic discounter for 10 Euro (abt 14 can$). Not sure if really corrosion resistant. But seems ok for what I want to use it. I will try it in your more salty water next August/September.
The latest waterproof Pentax models is the Optio WPI and W10. No really important difference to wp but 6 MPix instaed of 5.

Cheers Joerg

 

[Michael_Howes]

Thanks for the info! I hadn't considered another camera but it might be a possibility... The hard waterproof case for my Nikon sells for nearly $250USD...

Thanks for sharing the pics of your camera mount too! Nice idea...

 

[andreas]

oh mediamarkt lucky me, i'm going to germany next week

 

[dvfrggr]

i purchased a pentax optio wp last fall and have mixed feelings about the camera.
so far i am disappointed in the picture quality, they seem to be be dull not bright and lively and i have had trouble geting good shots on the water using the zoom, too much movement.
what i love about the camera is i don't have to worry! it's in my pfd pocket at all times and i'm taking pictures at a moments notice in some challenging spots. underwater pic's at roll practice have been fun.
so i'm keeping my eye on the Cannon S 2 and watching the price drop also knowing it's a camera i will have to worry about on the water.

 

[VI-2006]

I see that most of the paddlers have analog ideas . I also have a combination of Canon S2 and Pentax WP. Now the new black Canon S3 is available.
http://www.digitalkamera.de/kameras/Can ... _S3_IS.asp
With 6MPix. In this case the price of S2 could go down faster. But not sure how long still available.

Good shots

 

[SilverDave]

Mountain Equipment Coop sells the "Aqua" bag type "waterproof" (LOL) case for about $30 to $32 .. This is a lot cheaper than a new digital. and you could buy 15 of these for the cost of one "hard " waterproof case .. and most of the "taking pics" buttons can be operated on my Canon s200 thru the bag....

 

[Dave_Barrie]

At present Canon doesn't make a waterproof housing for the S2, however the S3 has the exact same body and layout so that may be enough for them to desing one in the future....at least Mark is hoping so

 

[Steve_Fairbairn]

i purchased a pentax optio wp last fall and have mixed feelings about the camera.
so far i am disappointed in the picture quality, they seem to be be dull not bright and lively and i have had trouble geting good shots on the water using the zoom, too much movement.
what i love about the camera is i don't have to worry! it's in my pfd pocket at all times and i'm taking pictures at a moments notice in some challenging spots. underwater pic's at roll practice have been fun.
so i'm keeping my eye on the Cannon S 2 and watching the price drop also knowing it's a camera i will have to worry about on the water.

I just bought the latest Pentax WP10 (6 MP) to replace my Optio 43WR that was stolen a couple weeks ago while on vacation. I was fairly happy with the image quality of the 43WR although I wasn't crazy about the design and layout of the camera body which I found to be a bit awkward. The WP10 is a huge improvement in design. I haven't used the camera enough yet to get a feeling for the image quality. I was a bit disappointed to find that the WP10 uses a propietary lithium-ion battery instead of AA's but I managed to find aftermarket batteries for $22 instead of Pentax's $42 batteries. The LCD on the WP10 is considerably larger than both the WR series and the WPi which it replaces and, to my eye, is a bit brighter than the WR. I find the 3x zoom to be a bit limiting but, in the absence of image stabilization, is probably the practical limit for shooting from a moving kayak. Once I find the time to process my photos from last weekend's excursion I'll have a better idea as to the comparative image quality relative to my old WR and my FZ20.

 

[Mike_Jackson]

Another waterproof camera to look at is the new Olumpus one - can't remember the model. It is supposed to be even more water resistant than the pentax one,and also shock resistant. It is $100 more , takes xd cards , has a lens cover - probably worth waiting for some reviews.
I am very happy with the Canon S1IS in a housing (I would not consider taking a camera without a housing of some kind) and also with the old pentax optio33WR - both are great for different reasons.

 

[andreas]

hi joerg,
last week i went to media markt to look for the tripod you showed. i found one with a suction cup, mine looks almost the same as yours.
i also looked through loooootsss of german outdoor magazines--and what did i see in the kayak magazine? a picture of you and an article about the tripod! 8O
i only found 1 "kanu" magazine ,are there more paddling related papers on the market in germany?

thanks for the tip again!

andreas

 

[rider]

WP10 is the handiest coolest toy ever. I got my gf one for her birthday and we used it for going out paddling and just general use. Pretty good battery life and picture quality and definetely waterproof. ack not a cheap toy, but definetely a cool one and the huge display is nice to have. Costco has the WPi for at least 50$ less than the WP10's are at the mall/stores( i checked at least 4 different stores at the mall and they all price within 25c of each other). There isn't a hell of a lot of difference between WP10(newer) and WPi(older) except in video performance and size of lcd screen. had i known costco still had wpi i wouldve probably bought that and saved the money, but we got the WP10 now and couldn't be happier with it.
I've seen that new Olympus when shopping for this one and i think it was waterproof to 2 ft deeper than wpi(6 vs 4 i think? or 7 vs 5) and had even more megapixels. but it also cost considerably more than the wp10 and also its a bit bulkier.

 

[dvfrggr]

Once I find the time to process my photos from last weekend's excursion I'll have a better idea as to the comparative image quality relative to my old WR and my FZ20.

steve, what did you determine on the picture quality comparison of the WP10?

 

[Steve_Fairbairn]

Picture quality on the WP10 is good. Other than image size, the images are as good as my old WR43 and my FZ-20. The camera is small, light and easy to operate with one hand. I looked at both the WPi and the WP10 and opted to pay the extra $50 for the larger and seemingly brighter LCD although I miss the optical rangefinder on my older cameras. I also wish that it had some sort of lens cover, but the WPi and the WR43 didn't have one, either. The proprietary batteries are a bit of a PIA but, admittedly, do keep the size and weight of the camera down. I found 3rd party batteries for it at Batteries Included for about half of what Pentax charges.