waterproof digital cameras

Naoaki,

I got my Olympus Stylus 770 SW for father's day and honestly, not impressed so far.    It does a million things but so far I haven't figured out the proper settings and thus my pictures haven't been of great quality.  From what I understand, the optio is very user friendly.  If I could do it over again, I would probably get the Optio 30.

That said, there are many people that have the 770SW and are VERY PLEASED so don't just take my word for it.

Part of my problem is that I'm not that camera savvy.  It is just a matter of busting out the manuel and trying yet more settings.

Michael

Optio w20 repair problems:

I hope noone has problems with the Pentax repair service if they need it.  I got a Optio w20 as a gift last Xmas.  I was very pleased with it's pictures especially how well it could take close up pics.  But it the springtime, I took it out at home to take some shots and found that the lens was clouded over with condensation.  I have no idea how moisture got in because on the last outing that I took it, it stayed in the pocket behind my Surf to Summit seat, well above any water.

Anyway, I sent it in and they sent it back "repaired". Only problem was that whenever I took pictures they came out overly dark, blue and grainy.  So I sent it back with comparison pictures that clearly showed the problem with my other camera and pictures from other people taken of the same scenes at Monestary beach.  It came back "repaired again" but the same problems persisted so I sent it back, this time with head to head comparison pics that I took with Joel's and Mike's Optio w20 that I took at Elk.  Sent it in again and it was returned "repaired to factory specs", but still had the same problems.  So this time I talked with a service manager and pointed out that I always get this "boiler plate" response on the service tag that everything is to factory specs, but each time the same problem clearly persists.  He says, shouldn't be happending, he arranged for UPS to ship it back and said they'd get it right.  It comes back a fourth time--same service tag remarks and same problems still.  So I finally talked to a manager and said this is now getting me ticked off because they just keep ignoring the pictures I keep sending in and say it's find.

Finally, got a manager who said they would just retire it and send a w30.  I never asked for a replacement, only that it be repaired, but with the kind of repairs I was getting, I'm sure glad to finally get a new camera.

Hope none of you have any similar problems in the future.

Doug

glad things finally worked themselves out Doug     that must have been nerve-racking.  I wondered what happened to you and your pics?   hopefully the upgrade will work better.   
......even when i know the thing didn't get wet, i still pull it from it's case and let it air-out / after salt exposure, i rinse it as soon as i take my next drink of water, on land.   

Doug, I'm going through the trials of dealing with the Repair people. I get an audible clicking noise when I shoot video and the audio recording is lower than it was previously. Don't know if there is a setting for the audio level, but the clicking definitely shouldn't be there. We'll see how many back-and-forths it will take before I get a resolution.

Howard

Doug (Marmite) did you have a protective skin on your camera and if so do you think that could have held in the moisture. I have been thinking about buying one for my W20 because I have dropped it a couple of time so far so good no problems.

Pat R 

Pat,

I did buy a silicon skin to protect it with, but kind of got tired of having to flip it halfway off everytime I needed to access the compartment.  So I had stopped using it by the time I encountered the moisture problem.

Thanks Doug hope you have better luck with the W30 looks like they made some good changes .

Pat R

t is just a matter of busting out the manuel and trying yet more settings.

Michael

Don't worry Michael, only women have the patience to read manuals You my friend, are a REAL MAN  Welcome to the Man-Club   

I still have my Pentax Optio WP (5 mp) = dropped it on the ground several times and had it sitting in water (to prove to non believers) that it was water proof = MANY TIMES. Still ticking like always. I LOVE THIS little camera. And - user friendly it is - nice and simple to operate 

Kayak Jack,
thanks, I just googled up that camera you mentioned and it looks like just what I was looking for. Think I'm going to get one.

Just got my hands on a Sealife Ecoshot waterproof camera today on the way home. Stopped by Claves in Petaluma and they had one on display. This thing looks bomb proof!!! Just what I've been looking for. The guy had a bunch of pics on his computer he'd taken with one, and they looked great. He said the interior pics were not as good as the outdoor pics tho. It's a fixed lense, so it's not as versatile as some of the other cameras out there, but one things for sure. It's WAY more durable than any thing I've seen out there. It reminds me of my old Nycon II waterproof 35 mil that has worked great for two decades. I'm getting one for sure. Appearently the price just came down on em too.  It also has a cool feature that has a repeating time lapse that will keep taking pics, so you can set it and let it take a sequence of self portraits. Fishunter you listening?? Could bring a whole new light to your self report pictorials..

Jonesz, I believe the Optio also has the feature to take multiple shots at once.

Jonesz, I believe the Optio also has the feature to take multiple shots at once.

so you can set it and let it take a sequence of self portraits. Fishunter you listening?? Could bring a whole new light to your self report pictorials..

Thanks for thinking of me Jonesz!    when i do those(auto-mode), i just click-it, turn the camera QUICKLY to see if it "captured MY moment"

         HoJo~ i've fiddled w/the rapid-fire mode durring an underwater-recon-shoot. the pics are of a lower pixel(a bit of a blur to them)....maybe too much caffeine, i'll give it another try.

I forget what they call that feature, but I've never heard of it before. You can set it to take a photo every few minutes, so you can set it up on a tripod or base and then it'll just keep taking pics every few minutes until you stop it. Could be pretty entertaining catching yourself candidly.

Time lapse exposures

         HoJo~ i've fiddled w/the rapid-fire mode durring an underwater-recon-shoot. the pics are of a lower pixel(a bit of a blur to them)....maybe too much caffeine, i'll give it another try.

Adam, I remember seeing the feature, but I'm not surprised that the pictures are a bit of a blur because of the shutter lag. But I don't understand why the pixel rate would be lower. These small cameras are packed with an amazing array of features that are not all without their shortcomings. Of course, the features perform better in the higher-end cameras, like my Canon 10D, but even the higher-end cameras have their own specific shortcomings.

One of the main reasons for getting a higher-end camera was to overcome the shutter lag problem; unfortunately, the 10D is not suited for kayaking...too large, too heavy, and definitely not waterproof.

Howard