Waterproof Cameras

[Trout Commander]

I assume that the Pentax has the standard threaded port on the bottom for tripod mounting??

[Geoff]

yup. the pentax cameras really are they way to go for underwater pictures and video. plus it shoots 720p HD video which is good enough. They are about the same price as a goPro but you get a better picture camera.

[Stoneroller]

http://gopro.com/hd-hero-accessories/lcd-bacpac/

there is now an lcd screen and new rear door for the gopro.

[Gavin]

I have a couple of Pentax...a 6 year old WPi (6mp) and the new w90(12mp)...both are no brainer cameras that take good pictures...the WPi has been impossible to kill and it still has good battery life..absolutely no complaints with that camera as long as you stay out of the digital zoom.

I wouldnt have replaced it, but it disappeared for a couple of weeks and I thought our 20 month old tossed it in the trash can (she was into that just before Christmas). Picked up the W90 to replace it, and upon coming home...our 3.5year old asked why daddy got a new camera..Said I lost the old one and she said "Oh, I found it" then she ran down to her room and came back with the WPi..Astonished I just said Thanks.....

Thought about taking the w90 back, but it was time for an upgrade...its a big improvement over the WPi.

[flytyer57]

I just bought the Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 today.

14MP, 5x optical zoom, HD movie, waterproof to 33ft, shockproof to 6.6ft.

I'll let ya know how it shoots as soon as I can get around to it. (gotta charge the battery etc.)

[Guest samuelsun]

I am using Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD

[Al Agnew]

My first waterproof point and shoot was a Pentax WPi. Worked well for a couple years but then threw craps. Once a camera proves not to be durable and long lasting, it's tough for me to go back to that company. I had bad experiences earlier with Olympus point and shoots, so that's why I chose the Pentax. After it messed up, I reluctantly decided to try Olympus again, and got a Stylus 1030 SW.

For the last three years that thing has been just about everywhere with me. The outside is beat all to heck, the LCD screen is so scratched up it's a wonder I can see anything in it, but it still works like a charm. 10.1 megapixels, rated waterproof to something like 6 feet which is all I need for taking underwater reference shots on Ozark streams, bomb proof lens cover that closes when the camera turns itself off if you forget to turn it off. It goes in my shirt pocket on every fishing trip, or in the outside chest pocket of my waders in the winter, stays in the car much of the time when I'm just driving somewhere so that if I see something cool I can grab and snap. I've dropped it five feet onto rocks with no problem. I never use the video feature so I can't say anything about it, but it's got one.

I will mention one thing about megapixel count...5 or 6 megapixels will be enough for underwater shots, but if you are just wanting an all purpose camera I'd go with at least 10 megapixels. Reason is that the more megapixels you have, the more resolution you get. Say you have an eagle sitting in a tree and your camera zooms to the equivalent of 140 mm, which I think is what my Olympus is. That won't be enough to get good closeups of that eagle, but assuming your lens is good enough to give you sharp, clear pics, with more megapixels you can take the photo you already shot at maximum (not digital) zoom and enlarge and crop to get a more "zoomed" image without it getting too blurry.

[Stoneroller]

Resolution needed for various print sizes

Resolution Avg. quality Best quality

0.5 megapixels 3x5 in. N/A

2 megapixels 8x10 in. 3x5 in.

4 megapixels 11x14 in. 5x7 in.

6 megapixels 16x20 in. 8x10 in.

8 megapixels 20x30 in. 11x14 in.

10+ megapixels 25x40 in. 13x17 in.

unless you are making pictures 8x10 or larger, you really don't need anything more than 5megs, especially for fish porn. but i understand the 'more is better' concept and it works. but if you aren't planning on printing, i wouldn't be too concerned about megapixels. almost any decent camera these days has more than enough to do the job with excellent results.

here is an excellent article debunking the whole megepixels myth: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm

[Coldspring]

I am using Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD

I hope you've had better luck with yours than I did mine. Mine lasted two weeks before it malfunctioned. Apparently, this is common for these cameras. The IQ was very low too. I only bought it because it was the only waterproof camera I could find with a 30 second self-timer, which is important for water pictures when you're alone.

[Trout Commander]

I just bought the Olympus Stylus Tough 8010 today.

14MP, 5x optical zoom, HD movie, waterproof to 33ft, shockproof to 6.6ft.

I'll let ya know how it shoots as soon as I can get around to it. (gotta charge the battery etc.)

I had seen these also when I was poking around on Amazon. I look forward to hearing how you like it. It looks like you are pretty handy with a camera judging by the photos you've posted.

My first waterproof point and shoot was a Pentax WPi. Worked well for a couple years but then threw craps. Once a camera proves not to be durable and long lasting, it's tough for me to go back to that company. I had bad experiences earlier with Olympus point and shoots, so that's why I chose the Pentax. After it messed up, I reluctantly decided to try Olympus again, and got a Stylus 1030 SW.

For the last three years that thing has been just about everywhere with me. The outside is beat all to heck, the LCD screen is so scratched up it's a wonder I can see anything in it, but it still works like a charm. 10.1 megapixels, rated waterproof to something like 6 feet which is all I need for taking underwater reference shots on Ozark streams, bomb proof lens cover that closes when the camera turns itself off if you forget to turn it off. It goes in my shirt pocket on every fishing trip, or in the outside chest pocket of my waders in the winter, stays in the car much of the time when I'm just driving somewhere so that if I see something cool I can grab and snap. I've dropped it five feet onto rocks with no problem. I never use the video feature so I can't say anything about it, but it's got one.

I will mention one thing about megapixel count...5 or 6 megapixels will be enough for underwater shots, but if you are just wanting an all purpose camera I'd go with at least 10 megapixels. Reason is that the more megapixels you have, the more resolution you get. Say you have an eagle sitting in a tree and your camera zooms to the equivalent of 140 mm, which I think is what my Olympus is. That won't be enough to get good closeups of that eagle, but assuming your lens is good enough to give you sharp, clear pics, with more megapixels you can take the photo you already shot at maximum (not digital) zoom and enlarge and crop to get a more "zoomed" image without it getting too blurry.

hmmmmm I was almost completely sold on the Pentax until this post.

Resolution needed for various print sizes

Resolution Avg. quality Best quality

0.5 megapixels 3x5 in. N/A

2 megapixels 8x10 in. 3x5 in.

4 megapixels 11x14 in. 5x7 in.

6 megapixels 16x20 in. 8x10 in.

8 megapixels 20x30 in. 11x14 in.

10+ megapixels 25x40 in. 13x17 in.

unless you are making pictures 8x10 or larger, you really don't need anything more than 5megs, especially for fish porn. but i understand the 'more is better' concept and it works. but if you aren't planning on printing, i wouldn't be too concerned about megapixels. almost any decent camera these days has more than enough to do the job with excellent results.

here is an excellent article debunking the whole megepixels myth: http://www.kenrockwe...tech/mpmyth.htm

Al is right though, @ such a low resolution if you do much cropping your 4x6 print will be as boxy as your GoPro is .

Also, with the GoPro by the time you add an LCD screen and all of the other needed accessories you might as well buy a DSLR that shoots in 1080 and a waterproof case (with extended warranty of course ).