Underwater point 'n shoot for the Mrs.

[Scuba Rich]

Hey folks,

My wife wants a simple underwater Point 'n Shoot (PNS) for Christmas. I repeat A SIMPLE PNS.

A friend has the Sealife DC500 and he likes it, but says there's a newer one out. I was looking at the Sealife DC800 and Leisure Pro has it for $399.

So, is this a good camera? Is there a better one for the same or less $$.

Any constructive and quick feedback would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Rich

 

[Puffer Fish]

For years the simple underwater cameras have been a bit behind the P&S land ones... but the DC800 seems pretty up to date.

There are UW housings for most of the nicer Point and shoot camera's...which would cost just a little more or less.

The fuji F60 with underwater case is a bit less, and has slightly better imaging... and the Canon better P&S's are a bit more...but I would think the DC800 would be easier to maintain...

 

[JDMerk]

Im very happy with my SeaLife Reefmaster. I like how small it is and the fact that it has an integrated housing. I just posted some pics I took with it in this forum if you want to see some samples. The title is "first crack at underwater photography" or something along those lines.

 

[Grover48]

I have the DC800 Pro from Sealife which includes the strobe.

The flash fills in the colors that are lost as you go deeper.

Without the flash, the photos turn bluer and bluer as you descend.

You can also take the camera out of the waterproof housing and carry it in a shirt pocket or purse too.

 

[alcina]

Rich - I'd head for the Canon SD/Ixus range for simple and small enough to toss in her purse all the time while she's on land. Make sure to get a model with a waterproof housing, not just the splash proof ones.

Not only are these little guys easy to use, but the images are actually very good, too. Not something that can be said for all the options out there.

 

[Heavy D]

I have used a friend's DC800 and it is a great camera especially when mated with a strobe. I would pick something like that because then as her picture taking improves, she can always expand the system if she wants.

 

[mselenaous]

Although I love my Canon & it's waterproof housing (and have had several Canon powershots over the years) and have recommended them over and over, next time I'll get an Olympus sw1030. I've talk to a few owners of the Oly sw1030 and they are very happy with it. Highly rated by Scubalabs at ScubaDiving Magazine out ranking the Sealife DC800. It is Shockproof (can drop 5 ft) and waterproof to 33 ft all by itself and you can get the housing to take it to 130 ft. So even if you accidentaly flood the housing, the camera will still be safe. It is tiny enough to fit in a pocket (smaller than my cellphone), comes in colors (wife will love that), & reasonably priced. Just presenting another option for you to check out. Shockproof Waterproof Digital Cameras Olympus

 

[TSandM]

I am not a photographer, but I sometimes like to carry a camera in places where I might see something really fabulous or unknown. I have an Olympus 720, which I like for these reasons: Even in the housing, it's very small. Not quite small enough to put in my pocket (like my Dimage was) but still small enough not to be annoying to carry. I also like the fact that it's "waterproof" to 10 fsw, which means that operating in a marine/wet environment isn't likely to fry the camera, and if I get a couple of spoonfuls of water in the housing, most likely the camera will survive it. The camera's easy to use (and the housing is, too) and has a pretty useful video mode, too.

Out of the housing, the camera's tiny and easy to throw in a pocket in case you might want to take a picture of something.

It's a great camera for somebody who has no interest in cameras beyond the occasional snapshot, and doesn't want to have to do ANY work to learn how to use one.

 

[alcina]

More good suggestions Do a little searching here on the forums - use the Advanced Feature to look for the models selected. There have been some very good threads about most of these options, including the Olympus SW series.

I have the 720, too. The more I use it the more I hate it, but I keep using it because its saving grace is that it is tough enough to withstand the hurricane that is our youngest dog! From what I've seen of the actual use of the SW series and the real world results, I'm pretty much <meh> over them...they're OK, but they do not produce what I consider to be as good images as the majority of the Canon SD or Canon A range that come through the shop each week. It's good to hear that they can be had a reasonable price as that was a big negative in my book - for nearly the same cash one used to be able to buy a superior image producing camera that was just as easy to use (honestly, all cameras are "as easy" to use because they all have green box or auto mode ). I am looking forward to the next incarnation of this series - perhaps they will address the focus issue at least!

There are so many choices and so many opinions floating around that in the end, you just have to bite the bullet and buy what feels right to you. Nothing is forever so if it all goes horribly wrong, stick it up for sale and try again. I'm sure she will be thrilled with whatever you decide on and change and gear additions are just part of underwater photography