Recommendations for compact camera for land and underwater

[rmorgan]

I'm looking for a smart phone housing and was set on getting a Kraken. What do you think makes the Kraken more limiting than the Divevolk?

The Bluetooth housings limit your ability to use camera settings because it has its own app, which may have functional limitations and definitely has a learning curve. The DiveVolk lets the user access the touch screen, using the native camera app or letting you choose among a number of robust camera applications. Also, the Kraken housing has electronics and batteries which can complicate things. Maybe take a look at the DiveVolk. Encore you make a final decision; of course, many folks swear by the Kraken or similar housings.

 

[grantmac]

I'm looking for a smart phone housing and was set on getting a Kraken. What do you think makes the Kraken more limiting than the Divevolk?

There are only so many functions you can do with the handful of buttons on the case. It's generally enough for good pictures however.

 

[Roche1n]

I’ve had good luck using my Insta 360 both underwater in a decent housing and for everyday stuff. What really sold me was how well it handled in low light and how stable the footage was, even when snorkeling. If you're into making videos on land too, it’s also considered one of the best car camera for vlogging, which was a nice bonus for me.

 

[Draxiser]

I went with a compact setup that lets me switch between auto and manual easily, fits in carry-on luggage, and doesn’t need tons of extras to get decent colors underwater.

 

[Draxiser]

I went with a compact setup that lets me switch between auto and manual easily, fits in carry-on luggage, and doesn’t need tons of extras to get decent colors underwater.

I've been using Insta360 diving cameras for a few trips now and really like how small and light they are. The 360 feature is fun too—you can reframe shots after the dive without worrying about where the camera was pointing. Battery life’s decent, and it’s held up well underwater with the dive case. Low light isn't perfect, but for casual use it's solid and easy to toss in a bag.

 

[kdlv]

DJI Action 5 Pro is a pretty good camera for uw footage. It has some flaws, but there is a solid company behind it with frequent updates and support.
Insta360 Ace Pro 2 behaves also quite well if not better in certain scenarios, however it is bulkier and I have some doubts about the company behind it and how sustainable their business model is. Also it is more expensive and with limited availability of 3rd party accessories. The 360 model is nice social media camera but completely useless when trying to capture some real footage and it requires extensive post processing. Nice idea, relatively good execution and gigabytes of garbage footage to waste hours on.