Underwater Cameras

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Sat Dec 28, 2013 2:50 pm

hey folks....haven't been on the forum in a while, missed our STJ trip this past year for the first time in 12 years....ugh.....but we had nice trips elsewhere....but they aren't STJ.

anyhow....we gave our last Olympus Stylus Tough to one of our kids for a honeymoon trip, .....and now we have some warm vacations coming up over the next two months, need to buy a new compact digital "tough" camera for underwater shots.

was looking at the following:
Olympus TG-830.....we had Olympus ones before, they started this segment..
Nikon AW110....looks like smallest and lightest, can go the deepest
Canon D20.....remember lots on the forum liked this one a few years back...

What's latest on these, who likes what and why?....

thanks ahead....

surf

Lovermont · Post by **Lovermont** » Sat Dec 28, 2013 4:46 pm

I use the Canon D10. I bought it at a steep discount just as the D20 was being rolled out. I've always been happy with it, although I'm certainly not a power user. In the last year I've really only used it for underwater pictures, because my iPhone takes pretty decent pictures above water.

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Sun Dec 29, 2013 8:20 pm

Thanks....actually ended up buying the Olympus. The research was kind of funny.....the reviews on Nikons own website were very poor. For the Canon, it seems people either loved it, or it failed due to leakage on the first day.....no in between. So decided to stick with old reliable, the Olympus has worked fine for us in the past. Of course, I did buy the best buy extra warranty with this puppy, these toys always fail eventually, best to be prepared.

By the way, was researching old posts here....seems some people are interested in the go pros. We have two of them but have only used them on our surf boards. They are magnificent though, and seemingly indestructible. We'll try them underwater this year and compare to the Olympus. One advantage of a regular camera though is you can use it also on the beach....the go pro really isn't designed as a still picture camera....best for video.

Looking forward to some warm vacations!

Chris @ Work · Post by **Chris @ Work** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 8:27 pm

Surfnh

Were you able to run the comparison of GoPro to Olympus? We are trying to determine which way to go for our trip in June

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Sun Mar 02, 2014 10:38 pm

Yes.....for underwater shots the Olympus is way easier to deal with. The main advantage is you can see what you're shooting....the GoPro has no viewing screen, so its very easy to miss the shot. With the Olympus you can also zoom in and out, just many more options. We were really shocked by the shots out of this Olympus, the movies were much better underwater than past models. Also the menu options were easier to work with compared to the previous generation. We got the TG-830, very happy with it in PR and we're just flying back from a week in Nicaragua where we just used it as the daily point and shoot....it can handle sand and water....very windy where we went, lots of blowing sand, didn't want to break out my wife's fancy Nikon.....the Olympus worked great. Heavily recommend it, but get the extra warranty, these things always fail eventually.

psufan · Post by **psufan** » Mon Mar 03, 2014 10:13 am

I actually own both an Olympus Tough (older model but still functional) and a GoPro. The key to the GoPro is to take purchase the add-on screen. It takes incredible underwater video. The still shots are great too. They do have a fish-eye look to them but in combination with simple photo editing I am able to get crisp, undistorted still photos if the subject is mostly centered in the shot. The Olympus still takes great underwater photos. I think they have simplified the menus in the more recent models so that would be a plus. However, I find the GoPro menus to be pretty simple. It is my go-to camera for underwater use now.

surfnh · Post by **surfnh** » Mon Mar 03, 2014 9:48 pm

Ahh in that case, agreed, the go pro would be really fun. We have 2 of them for surfing videos, they really are awesome and simple to use.....just haven't invested in the add on screen....

Chris @ Work · Post by **Chris @ Work** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 7:07 am

psufan (what year?) and surfnh
Thank you both for input. We are leaning toward Go Pro with screen for underwater as my wife has the Canon for land shots and we use iPhones for everything else. One comment on Go Pro blogs was the editing is not as easy or intuitive as it might seem so taking is easy but finishing takes a more work than one might hope.
Do either of you find that to be true?

RickG · Post by **RickG** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 10:04 am

I've done video editing using the GoPro software and it was pretty straightforward. Probably a bit easier than iMovie. For photos, I import into iPhoto/Aperture.

I haven't done underwater video or stills with the GoPro. We leave this Saturday for a VI trip. I picked up a GoPole Bobber to giver underwater a try: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006XE ... UTF8&psc=1

I have not picked up a view screen for the GoPro. I use an iPhone as a remote when the GoPro is fixed in a bracket.

Cheers, RickG

psufan · Post by **psufan** » Tue Mar 04, 2014 10:37 am

I am not a photo editing expert but I have had pretty good results for my Go Pro or Stylus still photos (by my standards) using Google's Picasa. I am sure there are more sophisticated photo editing techiques/software but I am not that patient. Picasa is free and works great for me. I have not tried doing anything with my video beyond downloading it.

colinm85 · Post by **colinm85** » Wed Mar 05, 2014 11:15 am

I have taken underwater photos for many years using a canon G9 in an underwater housing. Last fall, I bought a GoPro and used that underwater also. A few thoughts:

- The GoPro takes great videos. But they are hard to get the white balance and colors right. The problem seems to be that you can only white balance for one place in the video, so if you take a video that moves from shallow to deep water, the white balance changes. There may be a way to combat that, but I couldnt find it. If anyone is interested, I posted some videos on YouTube, so let me know and I'll tell you how to access them. Even with the limitations, I'd do it again. Hopefully I can improve my technique also - it's harder than it looks
- The GoPro cannot compete with the G9 in terms of still image quality, ability to focus, distance control, Raw image, post-processing ability. And it shouldnt compete - that's not what it's for

Bottom line - I'll continue to use both, but will be much more likely to use the G9 (or any other underwater still camera) for still images

Good luck

shoemak38 · Post by **shoemak38** » Tue Apr 01, 2014 12:49 pm

Ordering this camera for my trip new Olympus TG-850
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2014/01/29 ... ter-camera

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