When considering a waterproof camera there are many questions to think about such as; Which camera has the best water-resistant rating? Which camera has the finest picture? Which camera has the finest video?
The good news is that there are a number of excellent waterproof cameras from which to choose based upon the features you desire and the amount you are willing to spend.
When evaluating a waterproof digital camera I recommend looking at a number of key features including lens speed or the "f-stop" rating. The faster the lens., e.g., the lower the f-stop number the better and the more light that the lens permits into the digital camera making for higher quality, less noise images. f2.0 is very fast and f3.9 is ok, although it will have more difficulty in situations where the lighting is low and will generally be a little more difficult to focus in reduced light conditions. Another capability is the ability of the zoom lens and how much of the "zoom" is created by the lens compared to a digital zoom, where a software program is creating the zooming result. Another characteristic for shooting close up would be the capability to take macro photographs and how near to the subject matter you may come with the camera and still focus. One other feature to think about would be the ability to take video and the video processors speed, e.g., is the video processor high speed meaning it will capture over 200 frames per second (fps), or else does it have a low speed video processor. A faster vidwo processor will create higher quality videos.
The assessments of the cameras listed below gives an interesting overview of several of the top point and shoot waterproof cameras along with a suggestion on the best camera.
Waterproof cameras reviewed:
- Panasonic Lumix TS4 12.1 TOUGH Waterproof Digital Camera with 4.6x Optical Zoom
- Nikon COOLPIX AW100 16 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera with GPS and Full HD 1080p Video
- Canon PowerShot D20 12.1 MP CMOS Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Lens a 3.0-Inch LCD and GPS Tracking
- Fujifilm XP170 Compact Digital Camera with 5xOptical Zoom Lens
- Olympus Stylus TG-830 iHS Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD
- Pentax Optio WG-1 Adventure Series 14 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Wide-Angle Optical Zoom
- Olympus TG-1iHS 12 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
For anyone who is prepared to spend approximately $1,000 to get the top waterproof point and shoot camera system then one of the top underwater cameras in the extreme digital camera market is definitely the Olympus TG-1 iHS. This digital camera when purchased with the optional Olympus underwater case and strobe enables the diver to take photos at a depth of up to 130 feet and also makes a very good entry level underwater camera for any diver. ntire expenditure includes the camera, a rugged housing which allows the diver to use the camera down to 135 feet and an independent strobe that delivers the ability to shoot in a varity of different situations.
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