Those precious and memorable moments that happen in our lives can be captured forever thanks to the invention of the camera. We can relive them years later as we page through the photographs we have taken and remember those times and the people with which we shared them. Thanks to new advancements in technology cameras are now able to go just about anywhere we do, and the waterproof camera is the perfect device that can follow us in our adventures.

Thanks to the development of the digital underwater camera it is now possible to document your underwater activities such as your child’s first swimming lesson, pool parties, or your snorkeling adventures while on vacation. A host of possibilities opens up and becomes available when you use a waterproof camera. Gone are the days when filming underwater was only available to a select few because nowadays we have pocket-sized underwater cameras that are not only affordable but are simple to use and produce excellent quality results.

If you are considering purchasing an underwater camera you will need to consider the following:

• Your camera should carry a rating of 10 feet at least. This is ideal for your swimming pool and beach activities. If you want to use your camera when you snorkel or dive you will need it to have a rating of 30 feet or more.
• Depending upon the amount you are willing to spend on your waterproof camera you will need to bear in mind that sometimes there is a mechanical noise that results when the zoom feature is used which is not pleasant when you are watching the footage you have taken. The more expensive the camera the less likelihood there will be of mechanical noise.
• The more megapixels you have the better the image quality so at least 10 megapixels is advisable.
• Make sure that your underwater camera that you choose offers image stabilization for the different shooting modes.
• Make certain that the camera you choose has good, strong housing that will also float. Accidents will happen and you need to be reasonably sure that your camera will be able to withstand the odd knock or bump.

 Click Here To Discover The Best Waterproof Cameras. Whatever Is Your Budget You’ll Find The Right One

It is important to remember that if you want quality you will need to be prepared to pay for it. A good quality waterproof camera cost around $300 although you also have the option of purchasing a secondhand one. The drawback to this option is that it will probably no longer be under warranty. However, if you don’t want the absolute best there are good models under $200.

Look in this video what you can do with a medium quality underwater camera. As you’ll see, you don’t need expensive equipment to take beautiful pictures.

If you are not inclined to use your underwater camera for some reason you can choose to purchase a disposable one that is great for a number of outdoor water-based activities and many offer an underwater rating of between 15 to 50 feet. They usually come pre-loaded with 400-speed film and 27 exposures. They are shock resistant and boast heavy-duty housing. They retail at between $6 and $20 but if you purchase them wholesale in quantity you can get them at an even cheaper price.

No matter if you intend to use your waterproof camera on vacation, when you are enjoying your summer in the family swimming pool, for those excursions to the beach, or for your snorkeling and diving adventures you will be glad that you decided to purchase an underwater camera so that you can record those precious moments that life offers for years to come.

Waterproof cameras are available in a lot of formats and prices. The choice is so wide that it can confuse, so I’ve chosen what I think is the best model for every budget. To be honest, I don’t have tested personally all these models. I would be very happy if I could, but I don’t, so I will rely on the users reviews on Amazon to tell you the good and the bad of each model. While searching on Amazon for the best models, I have been surprised I had to discard some well known brands due to very bad user reviews. If the most part of the buyers complains, something is wrong with that model. As you can verify, the models I propose you have all four to five stars, which means that all or almost all of the users are very happy. And, to be honest again, each of the cameras I propose you would be my choice if I had that budget. I’ll begin from the most expensive.

Over $400

Sealife is an historical and well established brand for waterproof cameras. This model is way ahead of any competitor.
Click to see the complete review.

Sealife DC1200 12 Megapixel 5X Optical Zoom

Under $400

This Panasonic Lumix has enthusiastic reviews from the users and impressive specs.
Click to see the complete review.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3

Under $300

Canon never disappoints its fans. The build quality of this camera is at the top.
Click to see the complete review.

Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP

Under $200

Two models for this price range. I couldn’t decide which is the best, so I’ll let you choose.
Click to see the complete review.

Olympus Stylus Tough 6020 14MP Digital Camera

Fujifilm FinePix XP10 12 MP

Under $100

The cheapest camera is also a best seller and has received four star from the users.
Click to see the complete review.

Kodak EasyShare Sport C123 12 MP

The Sealife DC1200 is an incredible waterproof camera. The price and the performance place this camera at the top level of the point and shoot waterproof cameras. If you want more, you’ll have to buy a DSLR camera plus housing, which means not less than $2000.
SeaLife has been creating underwater digital cameras since 2000. They offer a full line of unique underwater cameras and accessories. The best part is that each of the lenses and strobes are interchangeable with any other model of SeaLife cameras. The camera models are all basic digital cameras that are optimized for use underwater. This allows cameras such as the SeaLife DC1200 to be a great camera without complicated features.
First of all, this is not simply an underwater camera, like the other models on this website. This is a housing with a digital camera inside. If you are new to the world of the underwater cameras, you are maybe wondering why Sealife has made this choice when the other competitors offer much cheaper waterproof cameras. The reason become apparent if you look at the performance: competitor’s cameras can resist under water up to about 30ft/10m maximum, while the Sealife DC1200 is tested up to 200ft/60m. So, while every point and shoot underwater camera is good only for snorkeling, this is the only camera of this category suitable for scuba diving.
Sealife offers also a complete solution for scuba diving; camera plus external flash at an affordable price.

Maintenance of your Sealife DC1200 camera

A special mention must be made regarding the maintenance of the camera. I’ve decided to add this paragraph to my review because I’ve noticed on the Amazon website that one purchaser complains about this camera. It is my opinion that this person didn’t know that he wasn’t buying an ordinary waterproof camera. First of all, every housing has an O-ring, that is the element that keeps the water out. The O-ring requires a special care, especially if you use the camera in salt water. Every time you finish using your DC1200 (for example at the end of the day) the housing must be opened and the O-ring washed with soft water in order to accurately remove all the salt. The salt crystallizes when it dries and acts like sand on the seal, destroying it. You must have this same care for any housing you buy for any camera, even the cheapest one, if you want to prevent water leakage.

Performance

Watch the video below to see the incredible capabilities of the Sealife DC1200.

Opinions from the Buyers

Pros

• The cheapest “with case” underwater camera you can find
• It floats
• If you plan to go a lot in salty water this is the best choice
• Big keys easy to operate even with gloves

Cons

• Someone complained about the white balance
• Need some expertise to be used in its full potential
• There are some complains about photos over exposed. However, as a customer stated, you should read carefully the instructions to be able to manage the exposure. Remember that this camera is made for underwater photography and it is optimized in particular for this use.

Conclusion

To be honest, if you have $2000 to $3000 to spend you’d better buy a DSLR with housing. But if you are a passionate photographer and don’t want to become a professional, the Sealife DC1200 camera will give you performances comparable to a DSLR at less than a third of the price.

The cheapest camera of my selection is also the number one best seller at Amazon and has received four star from the users. Don’t expect amazing performances from this camera, but it does its job: taking photos in every condition. It is a low budget camera with underwater capabilities, so it’s the perfect choice if you are planning a vacation at the sea and want to take some nice photos while snorkeling but want to use it also back home.
This camera has two very weak points:

1. The colors of the display/viewfinder are flat, and it sometimes lags while rendering the scene in front of it.
2. The battery life is exceptionally poor. The camera doesn’t have a rechargeable battery inside, to keep the price low I suppose, and works with two AA batteries. I suggest you to buy rechargeable batteries.

Overall, users are very happy about this camera and they have what they expect for this price: a tough camera with decent performance.
Kodak claims it’s “Waterproof, dustproof, and worry proof”. It can take also VGA quality videos. A lot, for less than $80.

Few cameras can compare to the budget-friendly pricing and superior array of features that Olympus waterproof cameras offers. Specifically, the Stylus Tough 6000 has been rated as one of the best waterproof cameras on the market today. This camera has several key features which make it worth the cost to be able to enjoy a virtually indestructible camera that also delivers professional grade pictures.

First of all, the Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 underwater camera is not only waterproof but it is also crushproof, shakeproof, shockproof and freezeproof. Like the name says – this camera is TOUGH. It can withstand the harshest weather conditions both on land and under the water. The camera is designed with Dual Image Stabilization so that every picture is crystal clear despite the weather elements around you. The camera is designed to be your basic point and click type camera, but the additional features make it ideal for underwater adventure seekers. The high resolution image capture allows users to take pristine pictures that are so clear they can be blown up to poster size.

The durable housing of this camera is designed to withstand up to 220 pounds of pressure and a drop of up to six feet. For all the great features that this camera offers, it can only be submerged in up to 10 feet of water. However, you can purchase additional housing units to use this Olympus waterproof camera at deeper ranges. The camera has a built-in manometer and four underwater scene modes that help users take perfect pictures while doing everything from swimming in the pool to scuba diving. The lens of this camera is water repellant which prevents droplets from ruining the captured images.

This Olympus waterproof camera can be used at temperatures up to -10 degrees Celsius. It is designed to be a lightweight, compact camera that will fit easily in your pocket. With a 3.6x wide angle zoom, the camera can also take panoramic images with ease. As far as memory goes, the Stylus Tough 6000 accepts any microSD style memory cards. When it comes to viewing the images, there is a 2.7-inch LCD screen that offers brilliant imaging and easy replay. Finally, regardless of lighting, this camera can adapt. It offers perfect picture taking when the sun is going down, rising up and even at night.

There are other features included with this Olympus waterproof camera such as shadow adjustment and pre-set red eye correction. All in all, there are few underwater cameras that offer this many features. The design of the camera allows for it to be easily used underwater without the need for bulky housing cases. This camera is the best option for all types of adventures but can be most useful when riding the waves, snorkeling or scuba diving in shallow waters. The Olympus waterproof camera is designed to be sleek and compact so that it fits snuggly wherever you choose to store it.

Probably the most interesting feature for beginners is the Intelligent Auto Mode and the Magic Filters. Magic Filter apply effects to the photos directly on camera, without having to use Photoshop in post production. This is a very good feature for beginners.

Olympus waterproof pros and cons

Pros:

• Decent image quality
• Waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof
• SD/SDHC card support
• 720P HD video, no memory card limitations
• Intelligent Auto mode, Magic Filters and built-in shooting guide make things easier for beginners

Cons:

• Lack of manual exposure controls (this is actually in line with the beginners functions)
• Mediocre continuous shooting mode
• Buttons are small. Difficult to use with gloves
• Low-light performance not very good

The Fujifilm FinePix XP10 offers one of the best value for the price.
Despite its all-plastic contruction the build quality is very good and it also looks more expensive than it really is. According to the users I’ve found around on the Internet this is a really tough camera and can resist in any condition.

This camera is clearly aimed at the family; thanks to its strong construction it can be used even by a child and it has many automatic functions that make it easy to use even for the less expert.
For less than $150 you can have a 12Mega Pixels, waterproof up to 10 ft/3 m, dustproof, shockproof and freezeproof camera. This little masterpiece can even capture videos at 720p with sound.

Opinions from buyers

Pros

• Outdoor pictures are clear, with excellent color saturation and contrast.
• Toddler proof!
• Perfect for snorkeling.
• Very good video quality at 720p
• The battery charges quickly.
• Good battery life

Cons

• The memory card is formatted using the old FAT32 file system and that limits the file size to 4GB. This is not a problem for photos, but it is for videos. While the compatibility with SDHC cards is good (SDHC allow cards up to 32GB), the 15 years old FAT32 technology on it is an unacceptable limitation.
• The optical zoom, when used, generate noise and that affect the sound during a video recording.
• Not very good with indoor or mixed shadows pictures.
• Sometimes the video has troubles with autofocus.

As for any camera, opinions are mixed. Some people had the camera fail at the first immersion and are therefore disappointed. I don’t say it’s normal, it would be interesting to know the real failure rate of each model, as no device is perfect. It is instead interesting to know how the customer service react to a defective camera. One customer says that the the customer service returned an invoice stating “Water damage in camera not covered under warranty.”

Just remember that this is not a high end camera, and therefore is far from perfect and has some limitations.

If you have a passion for photography I’m sure you’ll love this camera. And you’ll love it even more after the secret I’m going to tell you at the end of this article.

Let’s start with the features. This is a well-made digital camera with a solid metal body and excellent overall finish.
Canon claims this camera is waterproof up to 33ft/10m. It is a great improvement compared to the other point and shoot cameras, however I’m not so sure it’s a so great advantage. It’s quite rare going so deep while snorkeling, and on the other hand when scuba diving you easily go deeper than 10m. However, this is clearly an indication af a solid camera.
The wrist strap is already included in the box, so you don’t have to buy one separately.

This camera has also a 30 fps VGA (640X480) movie mode. It’s not much if compared to the competitors, but I think that we can forgive this, given the quality of all the other features.

The camera has many functions that make it suitable for any kind of user. The automatic functions make it easy to use for anyone, while advanced settings like for example the auto-focus lock will please the more expert photographers.

And now the secret I promised you; if you are a passionate photographer you probably know that one of the strongest points of DSLR cameras is the ability to shoot photographies in raw format. Furthermore, DSLR cameras have many advanced functions, like for example histograms, that point and shoot cameras don’t have. Until now. You’ll be pleased to know that if you are the lucky owner or are going to become the owner of a Canon camera you can have all these advanced functions for free, thanks to the CHDK project.
CHDK stands for Canon Hack Development Kit, and it’s a firmware that you can install on your memory card and will turn your camera in a Super Camera. You can discover more about this project by clicking on the link I give you, what I can tell you here is that no permanent changes are made to the camera, if something doesn’t work or you don’t like the firmware you simply erase it from the memory card and you will use again the standard firmware.
Here the link to the webpage of the project:
CHDK – Unleash the POWER in your Canon PowerShot!

Introduced in March 2011, this latest models of Panasonic Lumix rugged camera has many features that many older competitor’s models still lack. It has built-in GPS, altimeter, barometer and a compass, and it offers a new 3D mode. It is in fact designed not only for underwater photography, but for any type of outdoor activity.

The GPS Function is really interesting. It can show the name of the Country/Region, State/Prov./County, County/Township, City/Town/Village and Landmark by using the internal data to give users details on where the photos or videos were taken. The area information covers 203 countries or regions for global users.

4 Active Outdoor Scene Modes, LEICA DC Lens with Folded Optics Technology, Newly Developed 12.1-megapixel Hi-speed CCD, Sonic Speed AF, 3D Photo Mode. Waterproof to approximately 40 feet (12m); shockproof to approximately 6.6 feet (2m); freezeproof to 14ºF (-10 degrees C); and dustproof. Probably the engineers at Panasonic were still not happy with these first class features, so they added 1920 x 1080 full-High definition video with a Dolby® Digital Creator so audio quality is also high.

Look at this video made by a customer to see the capabilities of this camera.

Things to know about the camera

• If used in the sea, remember to soak it in tap water when you are done per the instructions. Then let it dry before opening. Don’t rush it. This advice applies to any underwater camera, not only the Panasonic.
• Buy a CHUMS floatation strap. If you use the camera for snorkeling you won’t risk losing it.

Users of this camera are enthusiast. If you want a superior photo camera to use in any condition this is the best choice.

Opinions from the buyers

Pros

• One push button to start and stop the recording. Very easy to operate
• Camera has many advanced functions
• The iA mode make the camera easy to use by anyone
• Full 1080p videos underwater are excellent
• very good battery life if you don’t use GPS
• The anti-blur and motion stabilization work great
• Fast start up. You turn it on and in two seconds it can already take a photo.

Cons

• It is very easy to put your finger in front of the lens or the microphone by mistake.
• Indoor quality could be better
• GPS uses a lot of battery
• GPS isn’t very accurate

You are ready for your desired holiday at the Maldives and want to capture every breathtaking moment. The first thing you should get is a waterproof camera. However, which model is the best option? Well, as in nearly every situation, the best solution boils down to your budget. You will find the ideal camera for a budget of $600 and an acceptable one for $200. So, first and foremost, decide how much you are prepared to spend for an underwater camera. In case you have little money left over after having paid for your vacation you might be pleased to realize that there are still incredibly cheap single use underwater cameras available. Nevertheless, keep in mind that these particular cameras still employ classic film, and when you shoot your photos don’t expect to look in a LCD display, you’ll have to use the classic viewfinder, which is not particularly comfortable when you put on a mask.
Instead, If you have more than a few bucks to invest, I highly recommend that you buy a digital underwater camera. These are generally strong devices, and many models can also take videos. If you visit our section of digital photocameras you can find many models for any budget.

Once you know how to choose your camera, perhaps you would like to know how to shoot some great photographs to show to friends and family back home. Well, I cannot really explain to you all the principles concerning photo composition, like the rule of the thirds, because this is not the scope of this article. And, to be honest, you can get plenty of articles very well written about this topic, and I would add nothing new. Nevertheless, there’s something you should know about when taking photos underwater that you are less likely to find easily. As you probably know, colors below the water tend to turn blue and green. The reason for this is water absorbs long wavelength colors such as red and orange.
There are basically two factors influencing the colors of your subject; depth and distance. With regard to depth, the deeper you are and the more the subject turns blue and green. If you wish to avoid this problem, you need to stay where you see all the colors, because your waterproof camera will see them as well. Regarding the distance of the subject, the problem is the same as with depth. A rule of thumb used by professional people in this case is usually to be not more than 3 ft/1 m distant from the subject. My last tip; avoid utilizing the zoom as much as you can. If you follow the rule of the maximum distance you will not need it, and in any case a wide angle objective can catch more light and your photos will be stunning and vibrant.

The last, very important factor you must consider when you want to take photos underwater is the external light. If you are a traditional photographer you probably know that the best light for taking photos is early in the morning or late afternoon. For underwater photography the rule is different, the best moment to take photos is around midday, when the Sun is high and strong and better penetrate the water. Of course you can use the flash to improve the light, every digital underwater camera has one, so why the Sun is so important? First of all, the flash can scare the fishes and make them run away or hide. Moreover, the Sun doesn’t illuminate only the subject, but the entire scene, water included, turning your pictures into something fabulous.

So, you thought that your underwater camera was only good for taking photos under the water? Read this and let me know what you think.
I hope this never happen to you. Unfortunately it happened to my wife. Her fantastic $300 Sony camera had fallen and it could not focus anything anymore. It cost $100 fixing it.
When I discovered underwater cameras I thought it was a specialized niche product. It shouldn’t be. People usually don’t understand how fragile are today’s cameras, and when they realize it it’s usually because one is crashed or ruined by a beer.
Given the price of today’s underwater cameras like for example thisFujifilm FinePix XP10 12 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Green)it’s hard to say that they still are a niche product. Those cameras are waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof, and you can have some very good one for less than $200. If they are a niche product it’s only because producers don’t have any interest in havily promoting them, as they last for much longer than normal cameras. Those products should be the standard, and now that you know, consider to buy an underwater camera as your next camera.