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Underwater camera suggestion

bb24

By bb24,
in Royal Caribbean International

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bb24

bb24

Posted
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After seeing so many reviews/videos lately, I've decided I want to look into getting an underwater camera for our upcoming Liberty cruise. We have a fairly new Nikon D3300 that we will use for the majority of our pictures. The underwater camera doesn't have to be super fancy or expensive, but I do want to be able to take decent pictures and possibly some video. Any suggestions??

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reallyitsmema

reallyitsmema

Posted
Posted (edited)

Cannon and Olympus both make good underwater cameras for less than $200. I have had mine for 10 years with no issues. Just make sure you look to see how deep the rating is for as some are only for shallow snorkeling and others are for deeper pictures. Mine also has a drop feature that it won't implode if I drop it from 5 ft or less. I have tested that multiple times over the 10 years and it is very durable.:p

 

Edit: I just went and found mine, it is an Olympus Stylus 790-sw which has been discontinued many years ago but there are other comparable models that they sell.

Edited by reallyitsmema
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awestover89

awestover89

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Before our first cruise I bought two. I bought a Nikon Coolpix AW110 and a Fujifilm FinePix XP20. The Fujifilm was about $60 and was OK, the Nikon was just under $200 and was (and still is) amazing. This was in 2014, so I'm not sure what has changed, but I'd still recommend the Nikon AW110, or whatever has replaced it over the past couple years.

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tmilak

tmilak

Posted
Posted
After seeing so many reviews/videos lately, I've decided I want to look into getting an underwater camera for our upcoming Liberty cruise. We have a fairly new Nikon D3300 that we will use for the majority of our pictures. The underwater camera doesn't have to be super fancy or expensive, but I do want to be able to take decent pictures and possibly some video. Any suggestions??

 

We have the Olympus TG-4 and really like it and I am big Canon proponent as my BIL works there and I get great prices.

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dpostman

dpostman

Posted
Posted (edited)
Go pro's are relatively expensive unless you are an activity junkie. I've seen look alikes on Amazon in the $45-$95 range. Anyone had any experience with one of the off brands? Are they acceptable for an amateur ? What's the quality like?

 

 

Nutz to you from Florida!

 

I got a Knock off Go pro on Amazon this spring. It is an SJCAM SJ-4000. It is one of the more popular knock offs. I use it for scuba diving. Don't really want to risk a $500 go-pro, but a $90 knock off suits me just fine. It has a built in screen, wifi direct to phone or tablet, comes with waterproof housing, and a whole bunch of mounting adapters that also fit with Go-pro accessories. Used it a few times already under water and compared the footage with another diver that was using a Go-pro 3. Quality was close enough that he could not believe I only paid $90.

 

Took it down to 50ft for over half an hour with no problems.

 

EXAMPLE on Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/SJCAM-Original-Version-Waterproof-Batteries/dp/B00VFVUAMQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1471540428&sr=1-1&keywords=SJ4000

 

I also have a Nikon AW100 from a few years ago. It has done OK and is good for under water in a pool or very shallow ocean swimming, but I would not chance it with deeper snorkeling or any scuba diving.

 

Just make sure that if you order one, it is an actual SJCAM SJ4000, because there are even knock-offs of the knock offs:rolleyes:

 

dp

Edited by dpostman
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famski740

famski740

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Posted (edited)

I bought a Fuji-Film FinePix XP80 a couple of years ago and love it. It has settings for both in and out of the water. It is rated at 50ft. Water Proof and 5.8ft. Shock Proof. It also has a 5X Wide Optical Zoom Lens

 

I have a lot of fun with it and my grandkids in the pool and have never had a problem with it.

Edited by famski740
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iluvcruzin

iluvcruzin

Posted
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Get an underwater "dry bag" for your cell phone. Costs about $8.00 on Amazon. I have one for my iphone 6 and works great. Same great pictures and video as on land. Just make sure you add a couple of "floating keychains" to it so that if you drop it, it doesn't sink to the bottom.

 

I was going to post something similar. After years of bringing an extra underwater camera, I took my old smart phone and put it in a dry bag.

 

Actually, I found a particular cheap one they sell on ebay that has multiple closures then rolls up and snaps. I only paid $1.36 for it. It's like this one:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pink-Waterproof-Dry-Bag-Case-Cover-Pouch-Swimming-For-iPhone-Cell-Phone-Camera-/311553223205?hash=item488a04ea25

 

The key is, test it first with a paper towel to make sure the dry bag doesn't leak.

 

This is a cheap option but it works well.

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dpostman

dpostman

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I have one of those dry bags for my phone as well, and I think they are great for keeping sand and the occasional spray of water or rain from ruining my phone, but there is not a chance that I would trust it with my phone for going on purpose underwater. After only a few feet, the pressure would be so great that all the face buttons would be pressed simultaneously.

 

dp

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The Scurvy Pirate

The Scurvy Pirate

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I was going to post something similar. After years of bringing an extra underwater camera, I took my old smart phone and put it in a dry bag.

 

Actually, I found a particular cheap one they sell on ebay that has multiple closures then rolls up and snaps. I only paid $1.36 for it. It's like this one:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Pink-Waterproof-Dry-Bag-Case-Cover-Pouch-Swimming-For-iPhone-Cell-Phone-Camera-/311553223205?hash=item488a04ea25

 

The key is, test it first with a paper towel to make sure the dry bag doesn't leak.

 

This is a cheap option but it works well.

 

I have the same one, but in white. I paid around $8.00 on amazon. Definitely test it first to make sure you know how to seal it. I had to take off my otter protective case as only the phone will fit in the bag.

 

We used it when we did a SNUBA expedition, down to around 25 feet or so, and worked like a charm. No issues with pressure, buttons or water leakage. Shot some really cool videos...

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poncho1973

poncho1973

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We have the Olympus TG-4 and really like it

 

My outdoor teams use these to take photos for me.

 

Dropped, kicked, sat on, rain, puddles, baked on the dashboard, etc.

 

The 4 cameras have taken more than 25,000 photos over the last couple of years. All 4 still work, although 1 is getting to the end of its lifespan. That's mostly because the crew using it is especially harsh on it and has jammed the SD card in it backwards at least 3x and sat on the battery/card door a few too many times.

 

The quality is solid. My crews don't go underwater, so I can't speak for that, but they hold up and THAT I can speak for.

Edited by poncho1973
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dpostman

dpostman

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I have the same one, but in white. I paid around $8.00 on amazon. Definitely test it first to make sure you know how to seal it. I had to take off my otter protective case as only the phone will fit in the bag.

 

We used it when we did a SNUBA expedition, down to around 25 feet or so, and worked like a charm. No issues with pressure, buttons or water leakage. Shot some really cool videos...

 

Wow. well I stand corrected then. I would not have thought it would go that deep.

 

dp

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