Waterproof P&S?

[FemFugler]

Anyone have a waterproof point and shoot camera? I'm wondering how good they and just how waterproof they are.

I'm looking at getting a cheap P&S to take to social events and places where i don't want to risk my DSLR getting stolen or wrecked.

I'm also going on vacation hopefully at the end of year and i was looking at the waterproof P&S's and thought they would be perfect if they do the job that they say they do. It's not an urgent need or anything i was just bored tonight so thought i'd do some looking around at different P&Ss.

Anyway back to the question, so does anyone have any experience with these. Image wise, i'm not expecting anything top notch, i have a DSLR for my more artistic stuff. I'll just be using this for snapshots most likely. If you catch my drift..

Thanks.

 

[MrBarney]

It depends what you mean by waterproof.

There are a few cameras such as the Olympus MJU 3000 12MP Tough, which is waterproof to 3 metres. I would class this as "splash proof" and wouldn't feel comfortable submerging it for any more than a few seconds.

Then you can take any P&S and place it in something to make it waterproof. This opens up many more choices of camera.

Something like an "Aquapac" (or similar), which is really a thick plastic bag will take you to 5 metres. I would be ok with this in a pool, but wouldn't snorkel or dive with it. They typically float which might be a good or bad thing depending on your intended use. Expect to pay about £20 to £30.

Or you can get polycarbonate cases for many p&S cameras. Canon, Olympus, Nikon, Sony all make waterproof cases for their cameras. They typically protect to 40 metres and so are adequate for scuba. They are also neutrally buoyant (do not float or sink) so they aren't always trying to get away from you under water. You do have to take care to maintain the rubber seal and not get dirt or hair trapped. I personally have had two of these and they have both been excellent. They are also the most expensive option at about £100 to £150.

 

[LCARSx32]

When I worked at Circuit City, our Olympus rep would take their various cameras and waterproof enclosures with her when her family went on vacation so we'd have something to show customers. I was always impressed with how they look. And as far as P&S's go, I always like Olympus cameras. Especially the bigger "bridge" cameras with their long (6-10x optical) zoom lenses. All Olympus P&S's seem to do really good macro shots, too. If you're into that sort of thing.

None of the other brands' reps seemed to care enough to show us how well their waterproof enclosures worked...:meh:

 

[FemFugler]

i was looking at the cameras that arent cased that are already waterproof. I don't really want to spend and the casing things are like 100 -200$ on top of the camera...

i was looking at these one:

Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP Waterproof Digital Camera Review - Cameras - Travel Gear Blog

or

Olympus Stylus Tough-6020 Waterproof Digital Camera - Adventure Gear - Travel Gear Blog

 

[beadgirl87]

Hey,
The Z33 is a good one, I work in a camera shop and people like this as it is a good cheapish option for water holidays.
There is also the Fuji XP 10 slightly newer version, similar price.
Both a good size, have rubber buttons so easy to press, good and simple I would say.

Or the Sony cybershot TX5, very nice camera, quite new, meant to look good out and about aswell.
The olympus tough range are very good, but you pay quite a bit for it like the Sony. However the olympus feels more durable in your hands.

 

[FemFugler]

Thanks. Price wise i'd prefer to go with the fujifilm, though brand wise i'd rather go with the olympus. I don't know i'll think about it. I think i'll probably just end up going with something like the fujifilm, plus i've heard/read some good reviews on it. We'll see though. I probably won't get it for a month or two.

Thanks