Waterproof Cameras

Lately I have been tracking questions people ask about waterproof digital cameras and underwater camera cases. (this can be done with Google alerts – a great tool!). One of the common questions that come up is asking for advice on what a good waterproof digital camera is. Great question! I have written a lot about the benefits of having a waterproof digital camera housing, and how they provide a cost-effective alternative to a dedicated waterproof digital camera. Maybe it’s time to flip the coin and look at when a camera is a better option. Depth If you are diving with a scuba tank, or planning to snorkel more than 10 feet deep, you will definitely be more interested in purchasing a camera for the purpose. Those generic plastic cases and even the manufacturers’ housings are just not designed to withstand pressures more than 10 feet below the surface. Some don’t even reach that depth! Read the fine print before purchasing. But a waterproof camera isn’t necessary a cure-all. Some waterproof cameras are really just splash- or rain-proof, and some are no better than a waterproof camera case. Again, check the fine print! Light Water doesn’t transmit light as well as air, and photography is all about capturing light. You might not be able to use your digital camera’s flash with an underwater camera case, and even if you can it might not be bright enough to illuminate the area. If you are heading to an area not well illuminated (ie everywhere except the Tropics in the midday sun!) you might need to look at a rig more suited to underwater photography with a more powerful flash. Frequency of use Finally if you are going to be heading underwater more than a couple of times a year, then you could really benefit from your own waterproof digital camera. It might not have the range of features you are used to with your above-water camera, but if you buy a good one where R&D money has been poured in to the design, it is likely to perform better. Little things such as easy to use buttons, easy exposure control, powerful flash, good macro mode, and other features will make life easier underwater. So while a waterproof camera case is great for the low-depth expedition or casual use, it isn’t always the best option. If you are a keen diver and/or underwater photographer than a separate camera might be a good choice for you.

So far I have written a few articles about what waterproof digital camera housing options you have. Let’s consider an attractive alternative: buying the cheapest digital camera you can buy that is waterproof. After all, if you are taking it down to the beach or in the boat and throwing it around a bit, it might make more sense to purchase a camera that you can afford to lose or damage. Amazon, along with many other online retailers, has a number of options on offer. Here is an offer that Amazon are selling for under $60: the Vivitar ViviCam 5188 5 Megapixel camera with a waterproof digital camera housing. The camera comes with a 16MB SD RAM Flash memory card – which is so typical of digital camera manufacturers. You could fill that up in less than a minute! Hopefully you already have a digital camera and a couple of larger memory cards hanging around that you can recycle in to this camera. The Vivitar ViviCam takes AAA batteries which is handy: you should be able to pick them up in any hotel gift shop or drug store should you ever run out while on vacation. The camera and housing together weigh less than 9oz (140g) which is quite light. At the time of writing 7 customer have reviewed the product with an average of 3.5 star rating. The consensus is that it is a pretty good camera for the beach, and a pretty good camera for the kids, but it probably isn’t your first choice for the day-to-day family camera. At under $60 it is cheaper than some underwater digital camera housing units, plus you get a camera with a few megapixels, so maybe it’s a good choice if you are looking for a backup camera that the kids could use.

A generic waterproof digital camera housing is a water-tight skin designed to fit a variety of digital camera makes and models. Most popular digital camera manufacturers produce a dedicated underwater digital camera housing to fit an individual camera model, if not a series. Generic ones, however, will fit a variety of cameras.

Advantages

Being able to fit a number of digital cameras has some key benefits:

• The price is lower, because the manufacturer does not need to design a new product for each new shape of camera that is released.
• If you own more than one digital camera you might be able to use both of them with the one case.
• If you upgrade your camera you might be able to retain the same case.

Disadvantages

But like everything there are pros and cons. The main disadvantages are:

• They are not designed as snuggly as a dedicated camera housing. They are simply a waterproof bag, and do not extend the cameras controls through the housing to external buttons and levers.
• They are typically made of a flexible plastic, compared to the hard and durable polycarbonate resins that dedicated housings are often made of.
• It is a little more difficult to evaluate which is the right case for your camera.

It is important that when looking for a housing that your camera actually fits inside. If you stick with a popular brand then the retailer you purchase the housing from should provide a list of camera models that will fit, or at least the maximum dimensions of the camera that can fit inside.

Brands

The major brands of waterproof camera cases include:

• DiCaPac
• Aquapac
• Aqua Case
• Dry Pak

Where to Purchase

You can purchase these cases from a number of online retailers, including Amazon.