Waterproof camera

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Waterproof camera

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Has anyone on here got or used a waterproof camera or bag or case?

If so what have you got / used and how good is it? WMBO wanted to buy some of the sealable bags off ebay but I don't wanna trust my digital camera in there.

I want to be able to use a camera when out in the sea kayak (when I get my butt in gear) also want to be able to take pics of the baby swimming and generally when out in the outdoors.
 
I believe the general consensus is that when it comes to underwater photography Olympus are the best. just take a look at second hand prices on Ebay and you'll seen not only how well they last but how in demand they are.

their tough range of camera's are absolutely fantastic and its one area where others have copied but never really matched.

they also have some of the best underwater enclosures for their DSLRs with up to 40 meter depths, but these do cost mega bucks.

look at the tough range which is probably due an update very soon i think they start at about £130 but even at this level are pretty resilient

 
I've had four Olympus MJUs: a MJU-mini, MJU 700, MJU710 and latterly a MJU 4000.

The mini and 7xx all needed a waterproof case (really cheap for what you get), were very fast booting, extremely sturdy and traveled all over the world with me. I even strapped them to ski boot for some downhill video shooting and have bolted them to handlebars on both the KTM and my mountain bikes with no ill-effects. On one surfing session I had my 700 floating about in the water all day strapped somewhere along the leash. Again with no ill-effects.

The 4000, despite being the newest of the 4, is a piece of cheap Chinese optical junk of the worst order. It has a senile processor that believes itself to be a toaster, an electric toothbrush, a swatch emulator and finally a camera for the 4 seconds the blasted thing takes to boot up. I was so glad day the heap of infernal battery gobbling electronic trash got nicked from a hotel room in London. The only redeeming feature was that it was completely waterproof.

If I was to replace it with another, I'd probably go for a Lumix FT2: it's tough, fast and the zeiss optics are stunning. The "better" FT3 is good, but I really don't need GPS tagging and the corresponding crippling of battery life. if you want cheaper, then the tough little Casio Elixim EXG1 is really nice. All three of these are properly waterproof down to several meters without external enclosures.

If you want video, and action water shots, have you considered a GoPro 2?
 
The 4000, despite being the newest of the 4, is a piece of cheap Chinese optical junk of the worst order.

though I understand your frustration I hasten to point out two things.

1. every other olympus camera you mention you found no fault with and by your own admission served you well

2. the Olympus mju 4000 seemingly never existed !? the only thing close was the Fe 4000 which wasn't a waterproof camera and was a piece of cheap budget junk sold for about £50 but I assume this wasn't what you had.
 
My bad - it was a mju-tough 3000.

Don't get me wrong all the others have been excellent. My 700, despite it being bashed, dropped & generally abused, still works pretty well more than 5 years, after I got it. If I could clone it with more up-to-date sensors then I would.
 
I have two Olympus Trip cameras (OK, I KNOW they're not waterproof) which are over 30 years old & the image quality is IMO excellent - even when using cheapo film (some years ago a geek told me the lens used is major league quality - or something like that?). So it's a brand worth considering as it has a good pedigree.
in terms of waterproofing. After dropping my hp photosmart (£250+ at the time) into my pond whilst filming my koi, I looked around for something to put the new cam into & found 'Aquapac', a sealable bag with crystal clear windows in the sides. You can buy camera-specific bags if you have stupid money, I just bought a general bag. bit of a 6ugger to operate but editing software helps:D

I also bought a keychain cam (808 #16) which I hoped to use as a dashcam but found out it didn't auto record :bang: Still useful though. Anyhoo, I discovered that the fob fits nicely inside a small cheapo waterproof torch from the £ shop :slayer:
Got some great footage, now bored with the idea so the torch is now back together & hiding in a drawer somewhere in readiness for that moment when the leccy trips.
However, for the general videoing mentioned in the op, this might be a good option.
In fact, buy a rechargeable battery pack & put the cam into a large torch & it will record for hours.
 
I don't believe you when you say its to take photos of your child swimming...its so you can perv on the mums in the pool without being seen isn't it? :p
 
I don't believe you when you say its to take photos of your child swimming...its so you can perv on the mums in the pool without being seen isn't it? :p

Kier young padawan you have so much to learn. Simply carrying a 4 month old baby into the swimming pool when he's in his little tigger 3/4 suit has all the hot mums, lasses... in fact all hot females at the leisure centre approach and want to talk, if I was to take photos of them all I'd never actually get the little one in the water!! :cool: :slayer::devil:
 
Hi, I have a Kodak Play Sport still/video camera. I take it to Greece every year (perhaps not this year) and video my under water snorkeling adventures. Its water proof to 3 metres (and a bit) I can recommend it. Heres a link. Have fun.
[ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kodak-PlaySport-Waterproof-Dustproof-Shockproof/dp/B004MMF7RI/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1337372882&sr=8-5"]Kodak PlaySport Zx5 Full HD 1080P, Waterproof: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41jB45eOvKL.@@AMEPARAM@@41jB45eOvKL[/ame]
 
Hi, I have a Kodak Play Sport still/video camera. I take it to Greece every year (perhaps not this year) and video my under water snorkeling adventures. Its water proof to 3 metres (and a bit) I can recommend it. Heres a link. Have fun.
Kodak PlaySport Zx5 Full HD 1080P, Waterproof: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics


"
Record up to 10 hours of HD video with the expandable SD/SDHC card slot"

Why do I immediately think 'great, I can shove a small floppy disk in there - or maybe it will expand to CD/DVD size' ?
 
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