Which camera for yakking?

[tptrench]

I'm in the market for a new digital camera that won't break the bank. Somewhere around $200, maybe a little more. I'd like it to be waterproof and shockproof. After seeing all the bitchen on the water shots you guys post, I thought who better to ask. Please give me your opinions on the best cameras for the buck. Thanks ahead!

[fishsouthcounty]

I had the Olympus Stylus Tough-3000....waterproof to 10 feet i think, shockproof from 5, and freezeproof. Took good quality shots and relatively easy to use. I just kept it on the auto shoot setting to detect the lighting and whatnot. 199.99. Unfortunately mine is at the bottom of the harbor. Probably buy another one though once i have some extra cash. Definitely overall good camera for the cost.

[fknricter]

i also have the olympus and love it! BUT it will sink like a rock! so buy the floaty handle or atlease a floating key ring from a boat store, takes good pics and very cool underwater vids and pics.

[PapaDave]

GoPro, the 960 res version, should be about $159-199 on eBay. I got a GoPro, the 1040 res version for $259 w/free shipping. The cameras come with a waterproof case good for 180ft. they can be configured to start filming with pushing the on button, and the battery last a good while. Just be sure to get a class 6 or above mem card. I wasted $50 on a 32G that couldn't write fast enough and lost some good footage. You probably don't need a 32G either, 16 would cover most outings.

[wade]

dont get the olympus. they suck!
ive gone through five 6000's in 6 months alone.

they are about as waterproof as a ziplock bag.
one tiny bit of flexion of the housing, even from water pressure around your hand will allow water to penetrate the inside...

joke business..........
(maybe fine for mama at the community pool taking shots of the kids jumping into h20, and not having to worry about 2 drops of water getting on the lens fine....
Underwater..no good. POS. c. r. a. p.

[DESTROYER]

Fuji Waterproof is this Shiznit!

[bus kid]

oregon scientific atc3k

kodak playsport

[jorluivil]

Originally Posted by DESTROYER

Fuji Waterproof is this Shiznit!

Fuji XP10

going on it's second fishing and hooping season, it's taken a beating and still going strong. Its usually clipped to my vest or I'll clip it somewhere on the kayak......shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof & dustproof.

[steveooo]

Go-Pro is good for video, but very iffy for photos. In the right light, under perfect circumstances you will end up with a decent photo. It even has a bit of a fish-eye effect, so it will make your catches look bigger.

The go-pro has no flash, no zoom, no image stabilization, does VERY poor in lower light conditions, and you need to be uncomfortably close to the subject to get them framed in the photo right. If you want a camera for taking photos, I'd look at someting else than the go-pro.

I've had an Olympus Tough for a few years. Haven't had the same bad luck as Wade though. I've beat the snot out of it for a few years with no issues. Image quality isn't that spectacular though, but it has worked for me.

I've read the Canon has the best Image quality of the group, but I could never carry around that big blue thing.

I think I may swing by costco to check out the Fujis, see what all the hype is about

[ryan111]

gopro 100% mine is worth every penny

[Saba Slayer]

Olympus for stills and Go-Pro for video!
I've had 2 Olympus waterproof cameras for the last 5 years, they are waterproof, take some great photos, some rough treatment, and I haven't had any problems with them at all.
The Go-Pro camera is great for video. It's just too much fun with all the various ways and places you can mount it. The downside of the Go-Pro is the lack of choices of lenses. It's only a wide lens that's available, and it's not the most flattering of lenses up close.
Jim / Saba Slayer

[CobraTandem]

I have used my Canon S300 since 2000 when it first came out. At that time it cost $499 without the Compact Flash Card. It has been abused, dropped and kicked in parking lots, left in a salty puddle a couple of times on deck and been handled by wet hands and splashed in salt water continuously. It is only 2.1 megapixels and has about a 1" long LCD. Finally in 2009, the lens cover started to get sticky and required a manual assist to open. It does still work, though.



So in 2009, at the recommendation of LakersFan, I got a cheap Olympus Stylus 550WP online through Amazon brand new for only $88.00 with free shipping and, shhhhh, no tax! This is the cheapest waterproof Olympus they make (if it's still made). I have been using this since then and it has been happily dunked in salt water in attempt of underwater shots. It hasn't had an issue yet. 95% of my kayak fishing is in the harbors so it has never been slapped by a yellow's tail but it definitely survives being submersed (so far). At this price and after two years, it won't be a giant loss if I lose it or if it dies a salty death.



Negatives of both cameras is probably consistent with most cameras in that it is difficult to see the LCD in bright sunlight through sunglasses. The Olympus has a close shooting range which is important when you can only take photos at arm's length. But I still have trouble fitting the whole fish in the frame. I wish you could take a close range shot and zoom out to get more area in the picture (I don't know what that is called in lens or camera terminology).