Waterproof digital cameras

[WalshJuice]

Looking for a waterproof digital camera for rafting, kayaking, skiing, etc. Wondering if anyone has had good/bad experiences with theirs withstanding water, sand, cold weather, battery life, dropping, and basically anything that ends the life of digital cameras. Thanks

[JBL]

pentax makes a nice 6 or 7 meg waterproof camera. it's not a dive camera - only good for 30 min in 5 ft of water, but it's perfect for boaters/skiers. b&h photo has a good price and selection. you can get it on amazon as well or perhaps your local camera shop.

[bkp]

Hey WJ,

I would suggest that before you throw down a pile of money for a camera figure out what you are going to use it for first. If you are looking for something to record your adventures on the water and email them to friends and maybe print 4x6 images, then you don't need the cameras with the higher resolution which also come with a much higher price. But if you want to hang your creations on a wall or have them published you will want the cameras with the bigger file sizes such as a 7 or 8 megapixel ccd. As far as finding out what is available and what works, I would look for as many reviews as possible. I noticed that the latest issue of Canoe & Kayak compares several models from popular brands. You might start there. Good luck.

-Bryan
www.bryankelsen.com

[JBL]

don't know what your price range is but the pentax models i'm talking about are $350 or less.

http://www.time.com/time/gadget/20050420/

[rwhyman]

We have the WPI and have taken it on many river trips. For the most part, it has preformed very well. I carry it in my vest pocket so it is easy to get. As a rafter, it gets wet but not soaked. Things that I have find is that you need to make sure that there is not water on the lens or the pictures are fuzzy. The other thing that we have found is that on a recent Main Salmon trip, with my wife shooting most of the shots, is if she really zoomed in a lot, the clearity was pretty bad. We were on the river for 7 days, she took about 200 shots and the battery lasted all week. Not many flash shots and we didn't spend a lot of time viewing pictures. PM me if you would like to have me send you some sample images.

[Livingston]

I've got the WPI (now the W10 or 20 I think) and haven't had a problem yet. I carabiner it to my pfd and stick in in the mesh pocket for quick access. I kayaked all season with it on dozens of rivers with no leaks. Don't buy any extra batteries with your camera though, purchase them through E-bay. Craw found bateries for under 5 bucks each. Also, try to check for water on the lens and hold as still as possible while shooting for best pics.

I got mine for just over $200 online at broadway photo.

http://www.bwayphoto.com/results.asp...atid=21&sort=4

The Olympus looks sweet too but a little bit more $.

-d

[JCKeck1]

I have the olympus. Used it all season. It's awesome.