I know absolutely nothing about cameras, but I really want a waterproof one for my next dive trip to Cairns next month. Does anyone know if this would be an ok one, and suitable for diving? Or if not, could you recommend another reasonably cheap one please? Thanks in advance!
https://www.livingsocial.com/products/australia/tag/gifts-ga…
Thanks, that would have been a bargain for me, but I'll be going down up to about 10 metres deep.
I personally would buy a waterproof case for my existing camera. you might regret the quality of the cheap waterproof cameras.
I'll look into that, thank you!
I agree with this. What camera do you have now? If it's just a small compact, then you can just purchase a generic waterproof case for it for about $30 shipping from ebay (well that was the price a few years ago). The buttons are harder to press, but seriously it is better than investing in underwater housing (which is 100s of dollars for a specific camera as well) or an underwater camera (unless you're going to be doing this a lot). Just take care when buying these - you want one to survive the amount of metres you're going to be diving.
Alternatively you can hire a camera for about 30-50 bucks on these trips. and they usually throw in the memory card for free. If not, there are places in town that hire these for that price.
I do just have a small, basic compact camera. Olympus or something I think. I dive often though, so I thought it was about time I invested in one, but I can't afford an expensive one before the next trip. I'll look into the cases. If you know of a good cheap one, please let me know :) I'm definitely no photographer, so have no idea what I'm doing on this topic.
I'm talking about something like this:
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/New-waterproof-underwater-case-ba…
There are heaps of them on ebay and in adventure stores etc.
Just check how deep you're going to be potentially diving first before you get one, and that the case you get is right for that depth.
They're cheaper than what I paid! But you'd need to make sure that the lens is able to fit in the bag when protruded. So usually these things will hve in the specs how big the case is and you need to make sure that your lens will fit within those limits when you turn the camera on (and maybe use the zoom).
Bear in mind it can get hard to press the buttons whilst underwater, depending on what your camera is like, which is why underwater housing or underwater cameras are much better for this scenario. Also note that when you do take pictures underwater, you usually like to get up close to whatever subject, becasue otherwise it appears a bit washed out. and if you move too much, it will look blurry and when you flick through the pictures, it might make you dizzy :|
The friend I went with to Cairns laughed at me when I first got one but it's worked since then. Of course test it out in a bathtub first before putting your camera in!
Awesome info, thank you so much!
I normally stick to the fairly shallow reefs, so about 12m down at the most, I'd say. The buttons on my camera can be a little hard to press as it is…might be a struggle through the case :/ Oh well, definitely worth a try!
Actually, since you've dived in Cairns, I might pick your brain on something else while I'm at it! Any favourite dive sites/operators? I was thinking about trying one of the operators departing Port Douglas this time since I've dived most reefs off Cairns. Next Feb or March, the goal is to go on a liveaboard boat out to the Ribbon Reefs/Coral Sea, but not enough time for that on my December trip.
It's easier turn the camera on whilst it's in the case, when you're not underwater. and then just dive with it and take pictures as you go. Bear in mind it's a little tricky! So I tended to take pictures and review later. I got a few good ones :) Out of a lot of duds!
But if you get more serious into underwater photography, you should get a dedicated unit later. You can get housing just for specific cameras, but those are pretty expensive!! LIke almost as much as each camera! This is mostly for higher end compacts + SLRs though.
I haven't dived in Cairns. I've only gone snorkelling. I went a few years ago. The advice I got when I went was to go to the Outer barrier reef. It's much nicer than most of the trips which are closer to Cairns. I think I went on the Quicksilver. It departed from Port Douglas (as in the boat did, but by the picked up from Cairns as well via bus). Also the smaller boats are better in general because you won't be taken on a tourist haven and the sites are generally less disturbed.
Yeah, you definitely have to go to the outer reef for good diving if you're departing from Cairns or PD. Further out you go, the better it gets. I've done most of the popular reefs in the outer reef. I'd just like to see something a little different, hence why I want to go all the way out to the Ribbon Reefs (they're a lot further, an overnight boat ride).
What was the Quiksilver like? I hear it's a nice boat! Was the reef good at their pontoon?
There was no pontoon. It was jump straight off the boat and go snorkelling or diving. They took us to 4 sites and it was a whole day trip, but you spend a lot of time getting there and back (like almost half the entire trip!).
Hmmm, that might have been the Silver Sonic? Quiksilver own a pontoon at Agincourt Reef.
When you say pontoon, do you mean a barge out in the middle of nowhere? Because that's what I thought you meant!
The Agincourt Reef sounds a bit familiar actually. I'll check later and see if I can figure out what I did from my photos!
Pontoon is like a permanent activity platform at one site, with things like an underwater viewing chamber, buffet lunch area, normally a sun deck up the top etc. They're large enough for hundreds of people to be out there at a time. If you went to a few different sites, you wouldn't have gone to a pontoon.
I'm debating going out to Agincourt…I'd love to hear your thoughts on it if you did go there.
Ok I had a flick through my pictures from a few years back, and I did go on the Silver Sonic to the Agincourt Ribbon Reefs. We went to 4 sites, no pontoons. They came highly recommended (I went about 4 years ago) by the hotel booking service person, but they were also a diver and had done a lot of the tours around. The pluses were that it was a relatively smaller boat compared to some of the others out there. I have never been to other spots in the Great Barrier Reef, but the trip was something special. Really stunning snorkelling, and I didn't dare dive down with the snorkel, but one of the guides did with my camera and got me a picture of a clown fish! Some of the sites you go to are shallower than others.
The downside is that you literally spent half the day getting there and back on the boat, but it is definitely worth it. I have heard what the pontoons are like, and they are generally a lot more disturbed because they've been there for ages, and larger boats travel to pontoons.
Thanks for the info, good to know :)
heard of glad wrap? ;)
GoPro. I have one and use it for diving all the time. They are great video and still cameras.
Thanks, I'll check it out :)
DiCAPac waterproof cases suit most cameras already. They're probably your best bet if you already have a camera: http://www.hypop.com.au/accessories/waterproof-cases.html
Problem with those is they're not pressured, so you can't go too deep under water.
Ah ok fair enough. I use one of those sealed Canon cases for my compact Canon. Bought it for $150 or so and have used it on all my holidays in tropical places so far!
How about Sony Action Cam HDR-AS15 with Wi-Fi
comes with waterproof case
can dive up to 60 meters?
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/115610
and sell the cell phone
Oh wow, that's VERY tempting! I'd just need to be able to offload the phone quickly…hmmm…
I bought this one by Canon OzBargain and used it for a Great Barrier Reef trip a couple of months back. The camera worked a treat and I would definitely recommend it. The only issue we had was getting the auto-focus right, because it would sometimes focus on sediments in the water rather than distant objects. But I'm sure you'd get that with most cameras on the auto-focus setting.
Cheapest I can find this one now is around the $200 mark. What a shame I didn't get it when it was this price!
Similiar to above post, I got this Olympus a few days before going to Cairns. I was super impressed with the way it performed, both on above and below the water. Think its been superceded with a later model, so something now might be around the $200 mark. Still might be worth spending the extra if you intend to have a bit of use out of it in he future.
http://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/113049
same model is $59 now online @ OW, wow. But I'd imagine there'd be no stock. Just checked and none near me.
Just went and looked for it, found it for $59, got VERY excited…and then realised it's only waterproof to 3 metres. Bummer!
Oh yeah, I only went snorkling. Would recommend for snorking or for beach pools etc..
You say diving so you'd need one waterproof to whatever depth you are going, which might mean a good case, i.e. expensive. If you just mean snorkelling, < 5 m, I can recommend the Nikon S31 for $99 from Officeworks, who had the best price compared to around $120 elsewhere. It's the bottom of the pick of current waterproof cameras but the image quality was good. It's also something you'd have no qualms taking to the beach, trekking through rain, mud, etc. Very simple to use.
Thanks :) I DO mean actual scuba diving…I generally go down to about 10-12 metres.
you cant really beat the gopro for value with this. its great for scuba and driving and skiing and even family videos and anything else. its good for video and photos. get the silver with the battery backpack (middle of the range model) not the black (top model)
the reason not to get the black is the poor battery life. its only worth getting if you want to do slow motion stuff at high frame rates. otherwise the silver is pretty much the same quality in every other aspect
This might help
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/2013-waterproof-roundup
4 of the six in the review go beyond 10m. I've had three generations of the Panasonic. The Pany takes pretty good photos out of the water as well and is very pocketable. I use it as my regular camera.
I chose it for its manual control capability and HD movie mode. The review says it has a weak flash but I've never really noticed. I've mounted it on my helmet as well.
Canon D20. I believe they have 2 year warranty now and may even have chasback, although you will need to double check that.
Also comes with 10 gig of online storage.
It has underwater macro filters, which from what i have seen on youtube makes the underwater shots look bright.
Have a look at the nikon aw1 might be out of your price range though.
If you are looking into spending somewhere near the GoPro's price range, then I would recommend looking into Drift HD Ghost. It's waterproof up to 3m right out of the box and can be taken 60m if you get the additional waterproof casing. Better than GoPro in my opinion but you are looking at spending around $400.
I can sell you a demo model of this for $199 delivered. It is as new but the box is plain white & seen better days. Has been used to collect demo footage. Comes with the waterproof case & plenty of other mounts included. TCL is a good brand.
http://shop.neltronics.com.au/item.jsp?item=SVC-200&backPage…
Most cases are tested to 10m but they say 3 to cover themselves from what I have been told. 12m may be pushing it.
Thanks for the advice, everyone. Lots of food for thought…
post office has one for $49 in their catalog now (good for 3 meter)