ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 A friend is wanting to purchase her partner an underwater camera for his birthday but not spend heaps of $$$. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Canon A series with manual controls and a Canon underwater housing I have two A720s and an A570. I've had several others before these and loved them all. RAW hack is available for some models, too. Easy, reliable, capable of great results, will grow as skills/needs grow, manual allows him to fine tune tricky situations (read all of them underwater) that would otherwise trick the camera. I do this underwater thing day in and day out & have played with most everything out there, so please feel free to ask any and all questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got Spots Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Olympus - in the slobbery dog advertisement mju 6100 is waterproof to 2m however, the mju 8000 is waterproof to 10m I have one of the original ones with 10m waterproofness. I paid about $400 back then I took it underwater when snorkelling in the whitsunday island and off cairns - got some pretty good pics Takes reasonable pic's in day to day Really love this little camera - light, small, shockproof to 2m Very easy to use Good viewer at the back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 FWIW I think the Olympus water/shock proof cameras are completely overpriced for the image quality. Even the newer models STILL have issues with nailing focus even in good conditions. And noisy? Woo boy, noisy images fa sure. Every time I use ours I hate it more and more. On the upside, it is waterproof (always check the seals!!), it looks cool and it's pretty small. But heavy compared to other cameras of the same size. And it's only one piece if we're talking snorkelling only. The Canon cameras, both SD and A range (and G if they have the cash), simply work and produce very nice results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetty Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 They have a fujifilm one avertised in the big w or target catalogue this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripley Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I have the Fuji one. Wasn't expensive and waterproof enough for snorkelling. I took 2 pics with it and then realised I'd forgot to buy a memory card. Hopefully will get some use out of it next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Got Spots Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I haven't had a problem with noise in our olympus For the inexperienced the photos have come out quite nicely I even manage to make a short movie of the dogs mucking around and sent it home after editing - wasn't perfect but very funny I found it good value for money and nice and small Perfect for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdayz Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Just bumping this back up to see if anyone has anything else to add before i go buy one as a xmas present for someone, am tossing up the fuji or the olympus 6010, though jb hifi have a different olympus on special i think at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:ange: Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I'm going to go against the Olympus cameras here.. I have owned two one when they first came out and the second was the 'big daddy' one that's capabale of going 10m. The reason why I'm going against them is that they break REALLY REALLY EASY!!! Both of my cameras died within 4-6 months of using them. Even after treating them very carefully and how they manufacturer tells you to. Some places refuse to stock the Olympus cameras anymore because of the amount of people bringing them back. If you do buy from JB hi-fi get the extended warranty plan - I can't reccommend that enough. My big-daddy camera is currently being repaired as the on-off button has stopped working, and I think the seals have broken down - finding water in some compartments. I agree with kja and they do produce some noisy pictures, but if your just using it for average shots underwater they seem ok.. Here's one photo take with no zoom used. You start using them zoom and you will get noise.. If your friend wants good quality photos take a look at Kja's blog and you will see some amazing underwater photography!! THere is another camera available that has just been released which I am keen to try.. I think it's Panasonic Lumix or something. Not sure of the price though.. Good luck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Panasonic makes great compact cameras, but they can be a bit higher priced. Canon's D10 does a pretty nice job, too. I still vote no for the Oly range fwiw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Yes, there are new Panasonic Lumix's out that have the waterproof casing. We have a Lumix and it's a great little camera. We have had the Olympus too and yes, I agree that the photos are noisy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashanali Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Some places refuse to stock the Olympus cameras anymore because of the amount of people bringing them back. I haven't seen anywhere that has refused to stock them... probably because one of the great things about Olympus is that it's one of only two brands that has a worldwide warranty (the other brand is Pentax). Speaking of which, Pentax has an underwater camera also. Not sure what it's like but like all things pentax, they copy what other companies are doing and often make it cheaper and better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
:ange: Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I haven't seen anywhere that has refused to stock them... probably because one of the great things about Olympus is that it's one of only two brands that has a worldwide warranty (the other brand is Pentax). When we were buying our other camera in March we went to a smaller store to look at them and the owner of the store told us he would no longer stock them due to the amount of returns. We bought it anyway from JB Hi-fi and here it is in December and it no longer works (Just waiting to move before I can send it for repairs). 2 Olympus camera and both busted not even 12 months use out of them has put us off the underwater Olympus range for life.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The pentax Optios are quite nice. They tend not to quite keep up with the other manufacturer's but they are nice cameras. I would own one & be happy, no worries at all (in fact I tried to find one the last time I bought but couldn't find one in stock LOL). My Oly compacts have been to hell and back multiple times and I have no complaints on them lasting. Their photos are simply subpar while their prices are too high. And ignoring the image quality issues, the dang things miss focus more often than not - simply unacceptable imho. Not a option I can recommendm which is too bad coz they are a great idea, just poor execution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdayz Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Anyone tried the fuji's? Looked up the pentax but the drop height isnt so good. This camera will be subjected to 'rough handling', laying in bottom of boats, snorkelling etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 The Pentax will happily survive the normal wear & tear of what you've mentioned - they are cameras you can use. I haven't flung the Fuji's around, but a couple of friends say they feel they are pretty rugged. Fuji make great compact cameras I would expect their new rugged range to be near the top of the pile, honestly. no matter what the propaganda says, I wouldn't be throwing these down on the pavement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashanali Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 I haven't seen anywhere that has refused to stock them... probably because one of the great things about Olympus is that it's one of only two brands that has a worldwide warranty (the other brand is Pentax). When we were buying our other camera in March we went to a smaller store to look at them and the owner of the store told us he would no longer stock them due to the amount of returns. We bought it anyway from JB Hi-fi and here it is in December and it no longer works (Just waiting to move before I can send it for repairs). 2 Olympus camera and both busted not even 12 months use out of them has put us off the underwater Olympus range for life.. That's what I can't understand. The policy on camera returns under manufacturers warranty is that the manufacturer is liable for replacement & costs. The store doesn't pay any costs or lose money. For them to not stock the cameras means they lose potential sales. Perhaps the store owner hadn't quite thought their stance through. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripley Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 (edited) I haven't flung the Fuji's around, but a couple of friends say they feel they are pretty rugged. Fuji make great compact cameras I would expect their new rugged range to be near the top of the pile, honestly. Mine is a Fuji. After waterproofing it and testing it in the tub, it's fine to take out snorkelling. One thing to make sure of - make sure you buy a memory card first. I forgot and thought it came with one, took it away with me and could only take 2 photos so only took it out once. A real shame as I was staying on Heron Island so right on the Barrier Reef! Could have kicked myself when I was joined in a snorkel by a friendly black tipped reef shark. Edited December 22, 2009 by Ripley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdayz Posted December 22, 2009 Share Posted December 22, 2009 Thanks guys. Went with the fuji in some late night shopping, and yep remembered the card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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