pijeta

I'm searching high and low to find the right (and reasonably priced) underwater camera for our upcoming trip to Grand Cayman.

My requirements:
- it doesn't have to go very deep, we'll just be snorkeling
- good quality photos
- it'd be great if it had a decent optical zoom

So, far I've found:
- Vivitar 6200W, 6.0MP All Weather/Underwater Digital Camera
- Olympus Stylus 850-SW, 8.0 Megapixel, 3x Optical/5x Digital Zoom, Digital Camera (or any of the SW Olympus Series cameras)
- Sealife SL321 ECOshot 6.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Digital Zoom

Does anyone have any advice on any of these or suggestions of other options I should check out. I don't want to spend over $300 (the less the better), but I also don't want to waste money on a bad camera.

Or should I give up and just buy a few of the film throwaways?

Thanks in advance I always appreciate the advice I get here!

txgirlinbda

I have the Olympus 770SW and I LOVE it! Great pictures, easy to use, tons of features. And it just needs a quick dip in fresh water after you're done snorkelling - great conversation piece when you're at the hotel bar with your drink and one for your camera!
The only thing I wasn't prepared for is that Olympus recommends yearly replacement of the seals - my year isn't up yet, so I'm not sure how detailed of a project that's going to be. Otherwise, I am very happy with it. I bought an extra battery and use it as my everyday, in-my-backpack camera - it's shockproof, so I don't worry about giving it to my 6yo niece to play with. Oh, it didn't come with an adjustable strap, so I had to rig up the wrist strap with a hair elastic so I didn't lose it in the water.

mymoosie

One thing to keep in mind on the Oly SW cameras is that it has a limit of being in the water for only 1 hour, without the separate uw housing. Don't know about you, but we tend to stay out in the water a lot longer than 1 hour. So be sure to look at the particular camera's manual to know the limits if you are interested in that. You can view the manuals in the Support section of Olympus.

KVR

I bought a Pentax Optio WP in 2006 and love it. It's a 5.0mp with a 3x optical zoom. It can go down 3 feet for 30 continous minutes. With snorkeling, we don't need to go down further than 3 feet and I don't keep it underwater for 30 minutes at one time.

There are other waterproof cameras now that have higher MP's and other features, but I found I really didn't need it. It takes really great above water pictures also.

Do a goggle search. I've seen them for around $200.

ejcrowe

I have the 770 SW and I used to have the 720 SW before I lost it on a trip to Grenada! The old one had time limit and depth restrictions in terms of using it in the water, but I don't believe the 770 has the time limit restirction. Or if it does, I haven't paid attention to them! The 770 can also go to a depth of 30 feet, which is more than adequate for my snorkeling needs.

I am very pleased with the underwater and above water quality of my photos. However, since the flash is a regular flash (instead of an amber one), some of the underwater shots look really blue.

mymoosie

I guess technically you can keep it in the water for more than an hour, but it says it's only warranted for up to 1 hr. It's those fine print buggers that they bury. I guess it depends on how much of a risk taker you are.

Having said that, don't think you can go wrong with Olympus. Down the line if you feel like you need a uw housing more than likely Oly offers one. I've used 3 diff. Olympus cameras for my uw snorkeling photos and love them all.

As for zoom, you might as well ignore the digital zoom. It's the optical zoom you will want. But the best photos uw will be taken if you are close to your subject, not using the zoom.

txgirlinbda

I've pushed the limits on my Olympus several times with no trouble, but I'm willing to risk it! I read several user reviews from people who even took it diving to 60-70 feet without leaks.