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Thread: Waterproof Cameras
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12-03-2007, 10:39 PM #1
Waterproof Cameras
Hey all,
Wanted to get people's thoughts on cameras. Figured people might have used some of the ones on the market. For waterproof ones, there are really only four current ones (that I know of.)
Olympus 770
Pros: compact, waterproof 33ft, freezeproof, crushproof
Cons: Not great macro, not great night shooting, expensive card,
expensive battery, xD picture card, 15fps movie max
Olympus 790
Pros: compact, 640x480/30fps movie, waterproof 10ft, freezeproof
Cons: Not great macro, not great night shooting, expensive card,
expensive battery, xD picture card
Pentax W30
Pros: compact, inexpensive memory (SD), inexpensive battery, good
macro, decent zoom, 640x480/30fps
Cons: Not great night shooting, quicktime movies; maybe doesn't
do 640x480/30fps (specs are hard to read)
Sanyo Xacti VPC-E1 waterproof camcorder
Pros: 640x480/30fps with sound, inexpensive memory (SD), takes
6mp still shots as well
Con: Water damage not covered under warranty, a little larger than
cameras, reviews say buttons are hard to use
Don't know if pro or con: mpeg-4 format, don't know quality of
still shots.
So, I'm looking at upgrading my camera, and would love to get something that does both still shots as well as quality video. Am looking at doing an upcoming video project, and feel the video is very important. Has anyone used any of these cameras/camcorders? If so, thoughts? Picture quality? Low light performance? Video quality? Sound quality with video? Issues/good stories with warranties? Can you zoom in/out while shooting video?
Thanks for any info!
A.J.
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12-03-2007 10:39 PM # ADS
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12-04-2007, 04:28 AM #2
The only one I know anything about is the old version of the Pentax - I had the Pentax Optio W10 (til I left it on the airplane when I disembarked in LAS - *$&#^@!!! And by the way, people suck. Why would someone keep someone else's stuff?!?)
I was very happy with the photos, but less so with the video.
You could zoom in and out while shooting, but it made a lot of noise on the audio track (which, by the way, sounded pretty poor, unsurprisingly).
The video didn't adapt smoothly to changing lighting conditions. In other words, when panning from sun to shade, the exposure jumped in distinct steps - that may be common to P&S cameras taking video, I don't know.
I liked being able to take lots of video on big cheap SD cards, but the Quicktime format was a drag - unless you're an arty Mac dude, I guess. I'm a pole-up-the-hoop uptight PC guy, though. Except I don't wear a tie.
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12-04-2007, 06:15 AM #3
I have the Pentax W30 and am not very impressed with the photos.
Afraid of death? I am more afraid of going through life without ever really living...
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12-04-2007, 06:23 AM #4
I have W10, been using it for ever. It does the job for me. Quicktime sucks, but I live with it. When I was buying it, Olympus only had 15fps for the video and that wasn't acceptable for me. If 790 has 30fps, I'd definitely look at that camera.
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12-04-2007, 06:42 AM #5
Re: Waterproof Cameras
Originally Posted by AJ
Originally Posted by AJ
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12-04-2007, 07:02 AM #6
I've got the pentax w10 and really like it. I'm not that informed on what makes a good camera, so I'm easy to please. But I'm very happy with having a decent waterproof camera.
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12-04-2007, 07:10 AM #7
Just get a regular camcorder with waterproof housing. Housings are generally much cheaper for video cameras than still. Dan was just showing me the Sony housing for $150. A cheap Sony camcorder and housing would be less than $500. Work your mojo on eBay and you could get them both for cheaper. Optics on still and video cameras are quite different. Video camera lenses take crappy still shots and still camera lenses take crappy video. I don't know of a still camera on the market that takes video anywhere near that of a decent camcorder.
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12-04-2007, 07:34 AM #8Originally Posted by shaggy125
And Eric? Get outta my mom's pants! They don't fit you! Sheesh, some people...
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12-04-2007, 08:30 AM #9
I don't have any experience with the usual camera suspects, but I have been using the EcoShot Camera since August and have been totally pleased with the picture quality. 6mp camera that is waterproof up to 75ft. and also shock proof up to 6ft, which was nice since I dropped it out of an open pack on one trip, and occasionally bump the canyon walls.
I can't comment on the video quality of the camera because for video I use a Canon Digital Camcorder. As has been mentioned the quality is far better than you will get with any point and shoot camera. If you would like to check out the picture quality of the EcoShot camera check out some of the links for courses on this page:
http://www.northwashoutfitters.com/miscellaneous.htm
Look at the Technical Courses for 2007 September and October, Advanced Courses for 2007 September, and the Ladies Courses for 2007 August all were taken with the EcoShot Camera.
Also on this page you can view videos that have been done with my Canon Digital Camcorder. The quality has been reduced for upload, but the original versions are crystal clear.
Camera specs click here.Jared Hillhouse
North Wash Outfitters LLP.
Twitter: @North_Wash
N.W.O. on Facebook
"Great Adventure Buddies Make It Happen"
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12-04-2007, 09:36 AM #10Originally Posted by Alex
[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=4MRcWpJYFyU[/youtube]
Pictures here:
http://www.uutah.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=8345
But anyways, I was pretty happy with it, even though it was Quicktime format. There are free converters out there to help you join the rest of society.
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12-04-2007, 12:29 PM #11
I believe it was W10, I have seen a couple of W30 and I believe W10 produced better pictures/videos.
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12-04-2007, 07:19 PM #12
Thanks for all the suggestions guys! Please keep them coming.
Thanks for the new camera lead Canyonbug. Looked at the specs and that one is great for ruggedness, but it doesn't have a great shutter range, no zoom at all, lens is equiv to 42mm (no wide angle), etc. I'm thinking it would be a good basic and very rugged camera though. (Not trying to dis your camera though - sorry - and I do appreciate you bringing it to my attention.)
As I'm sure many would, I'd love to have the best of both worlds of quality still and digital video in the same camera. It may end up being a combination of two; as several people have suggested. (That's kind of what I was leaning towards. Using Sanyo Xacti for vid; and my old camera or possibly upgrading to a newer model for pics.)
I was hoping someone might have used the Xacti and could comment...
Shaggy, do you use a camcorder and housing? My concern with that is the sound quality. (I've used several cameras and dive housings for both canyons as well as scuba; and the sound is pretty much gone. That's why I was looking at the Sanyo Xacti-E1. Waterproof, and still does sound... (I'll need sound for my video, so that's why I'm asking... Maybe they have made advances, and now have a way to better allow the sound through the casings...)
Thanks again everyone!
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12-04-2007, 07:35 PM #13
I haven't tried the Xacti yet, because they are hard to locate in stores around these parts... Here is a discussion forum of it on DVinfo though. People seem to like it for what it is, it looks like.
http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/forumdisplay.php?f=115
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12-04-2007, 07:40 PM #14Originally Posted by AJ
I hope you find what you're looking for and hope you share some of your pictures when you get them.Jared Hillhouse
North Wash Outfitters LLP.
Twitter: @North_Wash
N.W.O. on Facebook
"Great Adventure Buddies Make It Happen"
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12-04-2007, 08:05 PM #15
Now I'm actually thinking about the Olympus 790. It's FREEZEPROOF!!! That'll make for some good snowboarding/snowmobiling video.
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12-04-2007, 08:14 PM #16Originally Posted by Sombeech
Why can't someone just make a weather proof wideangle camera? Ugh...
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12-04-2007, 10:34 PM #17Originally Posted by CarpeyBiggs
However, those are the HD Xacti's. You will want to search for the Xacti E1's, which are the waterproof ones. I did do the research, and most of the users liked them; some had issues with the controls. Saw some test vids, and they looked decent to me. However, a canyoneer is a bit different than a normal user. Usually much less light, etc. Was hoping someone had tried it out. Doesn't sound like it though; so I might be the Guinea pig...
Originally Posted by CarpeyBiggs
Add at low cost with good battery life if we want to get greedy...
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12-05-2007, 07:03 AM #18Originally Posted by AJ
This video was shot with the Sony housing, no issues with sound. If you watch long enough you will hear sound clips from the camera (even when we are not in the canyon, ALL filming was done with the camera in the case). I have the raw footage on my computer, if you want I can upload some of that so you can get an idea how it sounds without background music. There is a plug on the side of the camera that hooks to an external mic on the front of the case, so sound quality is not diminished. (keep in mind that Google downgrades the bitrate on their online videos so the actual footage on my computer sounds better). Sand kills camcorders almost as fast as water so the case is pretty much essential even when not in wet canyons.
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12-05-2007, 07:35 AM #19
I used to have a camera and case just like Shaggy's and it works awesome. The only hang up I had with it is the size. The housing is roughly the size of a small football, and when you are packing it through a canyon, it can get cumbersome.
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12-05-2007, 08:50 PM #20Originally Posted by CarpeyBiggs
They do have some type of image stabilization feature, but it's probably something that shrinks the angle even more to compensate.
Now, a question about XD cards, do they fit in the SD slot? Will everybody just quit coming out with new format shit and let us catch up on our possessions for a bit? hell.
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