Mysticbos Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 I know this question has been posted a few times but technology changes.I'm looking for a decent digital camera with a waterproof case.Christmas is coming !Any experience and suggestions are welcome.ThanksDeb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_f Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 Hi Deb, One good way to approach this is to first decide how big a package you want to deal with. The waterproof cases add a lot of bulk to even fairly compact cameras. You might make a simple model to see what size you find convenient or go to the store to look at the cases. Sony, Olympus and Canon all make a fair selection of waterproof cases for their smaller cameras. I am a Canon fan because I think their processing produces on average cleaner pictures, but there is significant variation from model to model. B&H Photo in NYC stocks most of the cases and their web site is a good place to check out the availability of a waterproof case for an interesting camera. Some suggestions to start off with, really small: Canon SD300 or Sony DSC-P150 (avoid P100), somewhat larger: Canon S60, S70. I use the S70 and in its waterproof case, I find it on the upper end of the size that I want to handle in a kayak.Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 Rather than dealing with purchasing a camera AND a housing, you might consider a waterproof digicam. I use the Pentax Optio 43 WR and have been very happy with it. The optics aren't going to be as fine as the Canon that Dan uses, but for most purposes it is entirely acceptable. It's very small and fits in a pfd pocket - right there, it's going to get used more than a camera with a housing. It's waterproof, which means you can roll with it, drop it in the water, pull it out in spray or rain, whatever. It's a 4 Mpixel camera, point-n-shoot with some idiot-proof settings such as "beach" and "snow" and so forth; I leave mine on the beach setting to deal with the high contrast lighting on water. It has the all-important telephoto zoom, it takes movies if you wish, and it has a good long cord attached that I hook onto my pfd so that the camera can't accidentally disappear into the briny deeps. Here are some photos from the past few months to give an idea of the quality and possibilities. When I'm not in my boat I carry the camera in my purse wherever I go. Check B&H for good prices and great service - I had mine 24 hours after ordering, with no shipping charges. kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Sylvester Posted November 6, 2004 Share Posted November 6, 2004 I recently bought a Canon A75 with an extra 256 card for 300$ and the Canon waterproof case (wp-dc30) for about 170$. It is 3.2 megapixels with a 3x zoom. It has many settings and features that this Luddite has not used. Both were new. This is my first digital and I find it very easy to run. The zoom was something that I had to have for the action shots.Being able to stay in a flat area while your mates are catching the waves seemed to be the way to go. I considered the cameras that have the ?? JS-7 ?? water resistant rating but was concerned about the water pressure when in the maytag machine in big surf The case is very well made and easy to use but it is a little bulky. It will want to pop out from under the deck bungies in surf and rough water, so I am going to come up with a way to hold it on my chest. this may be a strap on pouch or bungies. Whichever you chose I suggest getting real comfortable with it by practicing on the water and then looking at the shots on the computer. The delay on the (shutter) button and the water on the lense are things you need to know and manage for optimum shots. Let me know if you would like dimensions on the case. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Linda and I both own Canon - S45 and S50 - and their housings (they're different between these two models). While they work well and offer a complete set of controls, the housings are quite bulky and heavy, being designed for scuba diving to 100 meters, IIRC. The housing designs partially block the optical viewfinder in both cameras, which I find to be a significant disadvantage, as the LCD is not always usable in strong sunlight (even with the optional shade on the S50's housing).One of the people we paddled with in Shetland had a Sony P Series camera and housing. The housing doesn't offer full control, but it seems to be enough for on-water use and it's considerably smaller than the Canon housing. She was able to tuck her camera into her PFD, where we had to keep ours in our laps or under the deck lines. There may be other pro's and con's to the Sony system, but it certainly warrants investigation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffcasey Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 I used to use the Minolta Vectis Weathermatic Zoom. It is a film camera, not digital. It is fully waterproof without a case - I've even taken shots with it snorkeling. It is the most ergonomically practical of the cameras I've used paddling, as it comes with an arm strap that keeps it handy but out of the way. Its only downside is waiting for the film to get developed -- you get spoiled once you start shooting digital.I tried this tiny Sony DSC-U60 Cybershot thing -- it is waterproof, digital, but has no optical zoom, lousy resolution, and uses insufficient batteries to stand up to any cold. Totally worthless paddling.For our Grand Canyon float trip, I got the Canon A80 and the Canon waterproof dive case that goes with it. The things I like about it: it uses 4 AA batteries for long life between battery changes and tolerance of cold; 3x optical zoom; fully manual features if you want them, although I found the "point and shoot" defaults to be surprisingly capable; compact & easy to handle. With about a half-dozen sets of charged hi-density batteries and a fistful of memory cards (CF type), I was easily able to take over 1000 pix plus some video clips on a 2 week trip without being in danger of running out of either memory or electrons.(edited in later: I forgot to mention one of the best geek features of this camera -- it allows you two "custom" settings. You can wander through the menus and setup all sorts of manual settings that would normally take a long time to reset -- then you can assign them to one of the two "custom" setpoints on the mode dial. You can then dial your favorite collection of settings later easily. I used this on the Grand Canyon to select rapid-fire high resolution shots with fixed focal length and a few other oddball things - and dialed it up whenever we headed into a gnarly rapid. I think this was a new feature on the A80.)Paddling is another story. With the dive case, the camera is decidedly NOT compact. I've paddled with it under the bungees, but it can slip out. I sewed a chest strap to hold it tight to the front of my PFD while it dangles from the neck strap, but it still gets in the way and I wouldn't dare try a re-entry with it. I hate to bury it under the spray skirt anywhere, since that ruins the idea of having a camera handy. I might screw in a deck mount for it, but it would get really trashed if (when) Brian paddles over my deck again, or getting thrashed in surf.No resolution yet, but I'm still trying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Lovely pictures. (And not a single foreground kayak bow in sight!) Ditto for the rest of the pictures on Kate's site.Granting Kate's credentials -- she's obviously a pro or a very accomplished amateur -- I ordered an Optio 43 WR. It seems, from her recommendation and the reviews, to be a great choice. I definitely don't want a bulky waterproof case on a kayak if I can help it. Letcha know how it works out.--David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan_f Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 I agree David, excellent photography Kate! For those who would like to see some reviews of the various cameras, my favorite site is http://www.imaging-resource.com/ Also: see links at http://www.dpreview.com/misc/links.asp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate Posted November 7, 2004 Share Posted November 7, 2004 Just an amateur, but glad you enjoyed the photos. Show us the ones you take with your new camera!kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mccumial Posted November 8, 2004 Share Posted November 8, 2004 I second kate's recomendation. I've got the older 33wr and find it to be a great camera for kayaking. The 33wr is a 3mp, so blown up the photos are not as nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mysticbos Posted November 9, 2004 Author Share Posted November 9, 2004 Thank you so much everyone for your thotful replies! Please continue to add info if anyone has it and I'm slowly going thru it all. I truly appreciate it. Can't wait !Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 If you're interested in the Optio 33WR, there's a $50 rebate on it until the end of the year. You can get the form at: http://www.pentaximaging.com/purchase/reba...ffers/index.jsp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccarlson Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 I got one of these on the cheap (relatively speaking) as it's been replaced by the 43WR. So far so good. In the water environment, water drops and salt on the lens is probably going to have more of an effect on photo quality than either megapixels or lens quality IMHO. Given that it is water resistant and not waterPROOF, I usually keep it in a small drybag/case I have or just in a pfd pocket where it will be protected from wave pressure impacts.Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 I keep mine tucked down the front of my pfd, reaching through the armhole to retrieve it. It fits nicely just below my ribs and I don't even notice it as I'm paddling or rolling. I've used it in surf and in whitewater that way. A friend who has one accidentally left it dragging along the side of the kayak as he paddled, not noticing that it had come loose from the deck lines - it was fine. For all purposes short of scuba diving it seems to be waterproof.You are right, the water droplets are the main issue. I made a cover for it out of one of those high-absorbant camp towels sold at outdoors stores. That sops up some of the water from the lens. Sometimes just blowing on it is good enough. I am wondering if Rain-X could be used on the lens covering, but am waiting for someone else to try it (on the cheapo 33WR??) before I do it on my camera....Oh, and I recommend rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. The upfront cost is not trivial but they last and last on a single charge. I can check where I got mine from if anyone needs a source. The alkalines, even the rechargeable alkalines, don't last very long in this camera.kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ccarlson Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 Good to hear how water resistant these things are! My old Pentax 90WR film camera has been through a lot as well and never failed so the Pentax WR pedigree is certainly good. Not sure I want to try the RainX, even on my cheapie ;-) And, yes, alkalines for any digital camera are a waste of money. I've been using the rechargeable NiMH batteries for years in digitals and they've worked out very well. LiIon would probably be even better so, when my NiMHs reach end of life, I may switch to those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 I don't believe there are any rechargeable Lithium-ion (Li-ion) AA batteries, only specialized form factors for particular products. I don't know why -- maybe something about Li-ion charging technology requires extra bulk in the battery itself that would interfere with the universal AA form factor. There are one-use Li-ions in AA.I suspect you are referring to rechargeable Ni-MH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) AAs (and AAAs). There are available lots of places. A number of camera reviewers particularly like the Maha batteries and chargers that you can get from Thomas Distributing (http://www.thomas-distributing.com/). I use the Maha 2300 mA's and they are fine, though I've not done any systematic measurement or comparison.--David. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kate Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 They just came out recently. I use them in both my Olympus and the Pentax. Before that, I'd been using the MAHA rechargeables from Thomas. These lithiums are far superior. They recharge quickly too, and do not have to be drained down to recharge again. OK, I just checked. Thomas carries them, the RCR-V3 li-ion under the name of "Moby Power." Here Happy shopping! kate Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djlewis Posted November 9, 2004 Share Posted November 9, 2004 Right... I did see that at Thomas. My bad. Well, it's not strictly speaking a AA form factor -- it's a double-size. Perhaps it will fit many double-AA compartments, but not others. For example, my present digicam (Casio QV-R40) has almost separate slots for the two AAs, so will not take a CR-V3. I'll have to check my other toys, like the new GPS. So, you are correct. There are now rechargeable Li-ions in a (somewhat) universal form factor. Given that, I'd expect more products to appear that accept them. But I'm still curious -- why still nothing in Li-ion rechargeable in classic AA?. Hee's a picture of the new rechargeable Li-ion in CR-V3 http://www.thomas-distributing.com/images-...ries/mb-kit.jpg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter K Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Rayovac IC3 system gives 15 minute charges. There is a chip inside each battery that controls charging speed. Pretty impressive. Best price is at radio shack.The IC3 Charger will work with regular batteries as well but gives ordinary charging performance.Pricy, but if you do not already have a system and just want to do aa and aaa batteries worth considering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn and Mikael Posted November 10, 2004 Share Posted November 10, 2004 Deb, We also have the Pentax Optio 43WR and we have nothing but good things to say about it! Here is a link to a new trip report we just put together. All pictures were shot with our Optio 43WR. http://mysite.verizon.net/amaruk/Album3.htm Have fun! Lynn and Mikael Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted November 11, 2004 Share Posted November 11, 2004 Can the Rayovac lithium batteries be recharged with a "smart" NiMH charger? I have a MAHA charger that I use with NiMH batteries for most of my gear (at least those items that don't sit idle for long periods). I would be willing to invest in lithium batteries, but would prefer not to have to buy another charger.*Follow Up*The Rayovac I-C3 is simply a rapid charge NiMH system. I can do that with the MAHA C401FS charger, which is selectable between slow charge (longer time, but easier on the batteries) or fast charge (short time, but fewer recharge cycles). BTW, this charger also works with AA/AAA NiCd batteries and can be used in the car, as well as at home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scamlin Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 Well, I picked up a used 90WR on ebay for the Shetland trip (very cheap: the shipping was almost as much as the camera). Looked in good condition and was a trooper in Shetland for about 15 rolls which turned out fine.However, half way through a roll of film on Casco Bay, it died. New batteries, worked for 10 shots or so and then there were no signs of life. It's still got a half a roll of film with shots of NSPNers with the Queen Mary II in the background.Anybody have experience reviving this venerable model? No obvious damage or shocks...Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Nystrom Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 Have you checked the battery contacts for corrosion? If need be, they can be cleaned up using a pencil eraser.I assume that you really want to save the images you have in the camera. I looked at mine and there doesn't appear to be any way to rewind the film without opening the back. If you have a changing bag, you could put it in there, open the back and see if you can manually extract the film and rewind it. If you don't have a changing bag, you could try this in a closet or other room where you can completely block out all light.If you can't extract the film, perhaps contacting Pentax for instructions and/or assistance is advisable, even if you're not considering having the camera repaired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob budd Posted November 12, 2004 Share Posted November 12, 2004 Cleaning contacts with an eraser is effective but doing so alone is a short term solution. The eraser is abrasive, which is why it can clean the contacts, but it does score the contacts. There are chemicals (sulfates?) in erasers that can result in a return of the oxidized coating. When this is done in computer, etc. backplanes the circuit card is cleaned and reinserted. Its continued position in the backplane acts to inhibit the restoration of the oxidized coating. Batteries may be more prone to this problem if they are frequently removed replaced. Such is the case, for instance, with our cell phones where we replace a discharged battery with a recharged one every few days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter K Posted November 16, 2004 Share Posted November 16, 2004 the best would be available at a high end stereo store. Second best at radio shack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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