Fly Fishing - Waterproof Digital Cameras

quicksilver220 · Location: Connecticut

Looking to get some insight on waterproof digital cameras...

I know of the Pentax as well as the Olympus - any others out there to consider?
Any benefits / drawbacks to either brand?

Jeremy - what type do you use for your underwater shots?

I have been doing some research and have found mixed reviews of both...saying that the picture quality is not so great.

Starting to think it would just be better to get a good camera and buy a dry bag to hold it.

Let me know what you think.

jeremy · Location: Portland, Maine

here is the deal .. it is very tough these days to find a one size fits all "simple solution" for a point and shoot camera that takes GOOD video and good pictures and underwater stuff ... i could go on and on forever, but let me list the problems that i try to overcome when buying a pont and shoot camera these days ...

1. megapixel stuff is mostly marketing that i avoid like the plague.. and i have not printed a picture in 10 years .. it is all for web etc.. so .. 7.2 megapixels is more than enough for me ... even for printing (which i am never going to do). period

2. cost - i have dunked, broken, lost at least 10 point and shoot cameras since 2004 .. so i want something for $250 or less

3. video - i do need to shoot video with my point and shoot sometimes .. therefore i don't want any proprietary enconding being done on the camera .. meaning if it records in .mov .wmv or any other propriety format, i am not interested .. i want a universal format such as .mpeg or .avi .. nobody owns it .. and it is a standard.

4. video resolution - this IS important and i need a MINIMUM of 640x480 at 30 frames per second .. remember video is like digital pictures in the sense that you can always make it smaller via editing software or encoding software ... but you can't make it bigger without seriously degrading quality ... so, when your watching csi and the zooom in on a license plate from the original video source .. that is TOTAL NONSENSE and that's holllywood .. not reality ... if your camera captures at let's say 320x240 resolution .. that is the BIGGEST size your gonna have .. if you enlarge it .. it will look terrible.

5. video recording capacity - forget about internal recording memory .. the camera should be able to requried to sd memory or sony memory sticks or whatever .. and the possible length of time is ONLY dependant on the size of your memory stick .. so, i have a camera that uses a 2 gig stick and i get "great" quality .mpeg video at 640x40 30fps and i can record for 25 minutes or so ... the price of sticks are coming down .. so you get 3 sticks and you can record for 75 minutes ..

6. underwater - go modular ... meaning you can buy underwwater housing for cheap these days ... why commit to underwater technology all the time ... when you go to a wedding or whatever .. use your camera as is .. when you go fishing or diving put it in the underwater housing .. just my opinion ..

SO - as of today's date .. i still use what i have been using since the very early days of digital video/photo point and shoot camera ..

For all of the reasons above .. I choose and have always choosed

SONY Cybershot Cameras.

the specific model that i recommend today is less than 200 bucks! and believe it or not the BEST camera tool to meet my requirements above ..

MODEL ---- SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-W55

note: sony is infamous for phasing out models as part of their marketing .. so, i have no doubt that the W55 will be called the z967 or whatever next year .. but, that's mostly marketing aimed at getting people to buy again ... the fundamental technology stays the same .. always has ...

note: don't get fooled and impressed by a bunch of features on any camera that you will never use ... focus on the fundamentals and ensure that the camera meets basic needs like (1-6) above ... before focusing on the other bells and whistles..

note: waterproof - do a google search for sony cybershot SPORTSPACK .. you will find that you can get a perfectly good and not bulky underwater housing for your model of cybershot .. be sure to get the right sportspack for your model ..

note: better quality - if you are a pro video/photographer and you need to record in High Definition and you need zoom capabilities and all that stuff .. than here is the only solution .. YOUR NOT going to get it any any point and shoot camera (not yet) ... so, you have to get a better camera for those needs

BOTTOM LINE - i roll with both the sony cybershot and a highher end video camera that records on a hard disk drive at high resolution ... sometimes i go fishing and only bring the point and shoot ... other times on "big trips" i bring BOTH.. and i use them interchangeably when certain situations demand one or the other ... remember there is big time value in the point and shoot in terms of it is small .. easy to access and if you just want some NICE footage for use on tv or web and take some great photos and have underwater capabilitiees ... and carry a camera that is SUPER EASY TO ACCESS and fits in your pocket and not a pain in the butt ..... than i recommend the SONY CYBERSHOT W55 with a 2 gig stick .. be sure to set the video mode to VGX .. get the sportspack .. and, HAVE FUN!

hope this helps .. again, it's only what i do .. others may disagree or have other models of cameras they prefer .. this is just my little opinion.. thanks.

joey · Location: Colorado

I have a sea life and even though it rarely gets used it does take good pics underwater. I got it for a gift from my father so I don't know where to get them. I did find however that when using it above water the pics come out blury, go figure.