Best Point and Shoot Underwater

<p>I am a huge fan of underwater photography and really want to try my knack at it. I would love to be able to spend over $1000 on underwater housing for my dslr, but unfortunately that money needs to be saving up to get me out of Canon's rebel series.<br>

A fast lense seems to be really important to me as I have been searching for an underwater point and shoot. I normally shoot at about f2.8.<br>

What would you guys suggest as the best quality underwater point and shoot?<br>

I know with a point and shoot obviously I can't expect what I expect from my dslr. I need a new point and shoot anyways because last summer I tried venturing into the water with my point and shoot in a ziplock bag, may it R.I.P. So if I can get one that doubles as an underwater camera thats fantastic.<br>

I normally perfer Canon, but I am willing to venture on this. I have looked extensively at the Powershot D10 and Power D20. And I am stumped about which one is better.<br>

Opinions please, oh and if you have samples, that would AMAZING!</p>

<p>-Faith</p>

<p>Hi Faith<br>

I'm surprised you haven't had lots of suggestions. A few months ago I was looking for something similar and did some research on eBay and elsewhere. Although I didn't end up buying a waterproof camera in the end the one which seems much better than the rest is the Fujifilm XP10. This is waterproof to 3m, shockproof and freezeproof to -10. It also has a 5x zoom and at 12mp should produce reasonable shots.<br>

Hope you get some good pictures.<br>

Roy</p>

<p> </p>

<p>You may want to consider one of the true waterproof/underwater cameras from Pentax Optio line. The Optio WG-2 would be a start, 16meg backlit sensor, shoots HD video and stills, waterproof to 30 feet.</p>

Hi Faith.

 

I likewise have considered cameras in this area. As a stop gap I am using an older Pentax Optio, which is fine. But to

be honest what you really need is something with a flash and that the flash is positioned well away from the lens to

avoid light scattering. I was at Helix in Chicago last year and there seemed to be several options that were probably

better than the point and shoot Pentax mostly because they offered better flash options. Check out and compare what

B&H or Helix has to offer. Alternatively one of the photo sections here at photo.net is underwater photos, you might

get some leads by looking at other people's images. Just a thought.

<p>Faith,</p>

<p>I'm starting to mess around with waterproof camera stuff, mainly to get in the water and shoot surfers for fun. I've got a couple of things going....<br>

First for a very small investment I picked up a Nikonos and a new set of o-rings for it. I ran a roll of film thru it and it functions fine, and fresh water tests at home in the sink so it is sealed, so my next trip to the beach will be the real test. <br>

For my second part of this I purchased a GoPro Hero. I got it originally for a vacation including zip-lining. I'm very pleased by the image quality, and will play with that one in the water too. Now I just got to make the time to get in there when the conditions are right.<br>

Rich</p>

<p>I have a Canon G11 with its dedicated underwater housing. I think it's great. Photographed Manatees in Florida with it. Last fall I took it down the Rogue River in Oregon and it both protected the camera from splashes, and gave me some interesting underwater shots. A friend borrowed it for a Galapagos trip and was really happy. Check this out. On a budget, I suspect you could get a used G11 for a reasonable price and maybe a housing as well. While looking for this arrangement, I also saw some "bag" things for cameras, that didn't look too secure. </p>

<p>My son has been thinking about a camera for his mountaineering and has, I think, decided on the GoPro Hero or Hero 2. I think it is the HD video he is after as well as stills. I have no experience of it myself but it looks a bit heavy and bulky. But underwater the weight would not be so much of an issue.</p>

<p>For myself I have looked at the Canon G12 + housing but again no actual experience of it.</p>