Underwater case verses underwater camera

nancyr84 · Post by **nancyr84** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 5:14 pm

I am on my second Canon D10 .The first one flooded on vacation and was replaced by Canon. I have used it twice snorkeling and so far so good. I would like to get another camera but cannot decide which way to go. I have used underwater housings and found them rather difficult to use, however I wonder if you would get better quality pictures with a high quality point and shoot and the underwater case. On second hand a dedicated underwater camera such as the D20 would be easier to use and would have a warranty . If a underwater case malfunctions and destroys your new camera do you have any recourse? Going back and forth on this one anyone have any suggestions?
Nancy

Coconuts · Post by **Coconuts** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 9:41 pm

Nancy: This a real trade-off. Submersible point and shoots are certainly very compact and convenient. Their downsides, from my perspective, are tinier sensors (irrespective of their nominal pixel count), and an inability (at least for current models) to allow you to save images in RAW format. I recently had a submersible point and shoot (Panasonic TS4) break, and decided after some research to replace it with a Canon Powershot S110, along with a Canon WP-DC-47 underwater case. The Canon cases are more compact than traditional third-party cases, such as Ikelite. I look forward to being able to try out the new combo on St. John in January. The Canon S110 has a fairly large sensor, and saves in both JPEG and RAW format at the same time, so you can easily share photos, while still preserving the substantial flexibility that RAW allows. The combo costs about twice what a submersible point and shoot would, though. I made a few points regarding why you might choose to save images in RAW versus JPEG in the following recent post:
http://www.virgin-islands-on-line.com/v ... 15#p269121

Hope this helps.

Kevin

nancyr84 · Post by **nancyr84** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 10:04 pm

I was looking at the Canon you mentioned. My concern is if the underwater case fails and ruins your new camera will you have any recourse?
Nancy

Coconuts · Post by **Coconuts** » Fri Dec 07, 2012 10:08 pm

Nancy: I can't speak for Canon, but I would expect that if both the camera and its dedicated housing was theirs, you would have a strong position if water ever did get in.

Another plus of a combo is that you can take it on dives.

Kevin

stjchica · Post by **stjchica** » Sun Dec 09, 2012 11:54 pm

Hey Nancy & Coconuts.... I use that very combo. Have used it on multiple island trips & trips to Florida etc with no problem.. Love it!!
Ps..use silica packets in the housing or if you notice a foggy spot due to humidity just open the housing and wipe way the foggy spot. No biggie

jimg20 · Post by **jimg20** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 9:38 am

On the topic of fog in the cases, we found that the silica packs are essential but don't prevent all the fog. We realized that the air in the villa or the dive shop is just full of moiture. Our solution was to put the camera in the case with the least amout of humidity. The way we do that is to take the camera, recharged battery, and case into the air conditioned bedroom - preferably overnight. By closing up the case with the cool, dehumidified air you can limit the fogging by lowering the moisture content of the air in the case. Although not fool-proof, it works much better for us.

JIM

dreamshark · Post by **dreamshark** » Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:58 pm

I have done both, and both have strengths and weaknesses. In 2009, bought an inexpensive underwater point-and-shoot. It took nice (but not outstanding pictures), but started leaking slightly into the battery case before the week-long trip was finished. It would work for about 10 minutes, then the display would go blank. After it dried out it would work until it went back into the water. A little silicon grease might have solved the problem, but I didn't have any with me.

This year I bought a waterproof case for my iPhone. This is partly because I like to have my iPhone with me when I go out, and I didn't want to leave it on the beach. The case was absolutely water-tight. It took pretty good pictures too, although I think they were not quite as bright as with the underwater camera. The camera controls worked fairly well through the flexible front membrane, but it was hard to see the LCD screen so I was shooting blind much of the time. Also, the case was a lot bulkier than the little point-and-shoot, and I found it a nuisance for swimming.

Here's a link to the pictures I took this year with the iPhone. http://s1116.beta.photobucket.com/user/ ... er%20shots

And here's a few underwater shots I took in 2009 with the point-and-shoot.
http://dreamshark.livejournal.com/225453.html

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