Waterproof/resistant camera

My Olympus finally died on me and I'm in the market for a new camera. I haven't purchased a digital camera in about 7 years. I'm looking at something water resistant since it will be on the yak. Any ideas or preferences on brands?  I have owned an Olympus and a Canon,  both worked well.

Must be a compact camera and relatively inexpensive. 

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I've used an Olympus Stylus 720u that I bought in 2007 and still works today, but I preemptively replaced it with a Olympus TG-820 last year and I really like it.  Olympus cameras are the way to go IMO.

I like the Nikon AW 100 and 110 cameras. They deliver great colors in low light (which is the case here in the PNW most of the time) and take awesome underwater imagery. Plus it does high-def 1080 video so it can combined with GoPro footage seamlessly or used stand alone.

You can get factory refurbished ones affordable on Cameta Camera with a warranty.   

Hey James. I've got the Fuji XP10 and I hate the thing. The photos aren't great but it also never seems to focus on what you're taking a picture of. Especially in bright sunlight. I've since replaced it with the Panasonic ts25. For around 100 bucks, I'd say it's pretty good. The cannon and Nikon cameras probably take a better photo but for for 2-3 times the price. The Panasonic won't blow you away but it will get the job done.

I’ve been kayaking with a camera for decades.  Back in the olden days when I used slide film (and if you don’t know what film and slides are, ask your grandparents), I carried a Nikonos V underwater 35mm camera on my life vest (which is what we used before they invented PFDs), and I carried a 35mm SLR camera with a zoom lens in a modified 30 cal. Ammo can behind my seat.  These cameras were big and heavy.

After Bill Gates (or whoever) invented the digital camera, the size and weight of my camera equipment shrank dramatically, because I started carrying just a compact waterproof camera.  I don’t miss film cameras at all, for a variety of reasons.

Here’s what I look for in a camera for outdoor activities in general, and for kayaking in particular, in order of importance:

1.   Waterproof to at least 10 feet.  Don’t mess around with “water resistant” and “splash proof” cameras.  Get a camera you will feel confident using while snorkeling at least, so it will be fine if you get splashed by a wave or take a swim.

2.   Lens cap. Most waterproof cameras don’t include anything which protects the glass which protects the lens.  This is really stupid.  You are going to get thumbprints on the glass, you are going to scratch the glass, and when kayaking you will get water on the glass.  Some waterproof cameras have a metal or plastic shutter which protects the glass from thumbprints and scratches, but which is not waterproof, so water can get behind the shutter and onto the glass.  When water gets on the glass in cool humid conditions, it can be difficult and time-consuming to remove.  If you take pictures with water on the glass, you’re going to throw away most of the pictures you take.  In order to get good pictures while kayaking, you need a lens cap to reduce the amount of water you get on the glass, and to keep the glass dry once you get it dry.

I have added lens caps to several cameras, using Butler scope covers.  Here’s how the lens cap looks on my current camera, which is an Olympus Tough TG-1.





For me, a major advantage of the TG-1 is that you can buy a threaded ring which provides a base for waterproof wide angle lenses, and for a non-waterproof standard lens cap.  I epoxied a Butler scope cover to this threaded ring, after drilling holes  in both the threaded ring and the scope cover to create projections of epoxy which very positively attach the scope cover to the threaded ring. 

In order to add a lens cap to most other waterproof cameras, the camera needs to have a flat smooth surface to which you can glue something to which you can glue a Butler scope cover.  Let me know if you want pictures of how I have done this on other cameras.  Unfortunately, there is practically no way to attach a lens cap or scope cover to most waterproof cameras.

3.   The glass lens cover must be cleanable. When kayaking, you are going to get water on the glass which protects the lens.  It’s inevitable.  In order to take good pictures, you need a way to clean off the glass, even in very adverse conditions.  I do this by gluing a little piece of windshield wiper to a piece of plastic, and use the wiper to squeegee water off the glass.  Some windshield wipers do a good job of removing water, and leave the glass essentially dry.  Other windshield wipers will leave a trail of water droplets every time.  If you get one of the latter, try sanding the edge of the windshield wiper smooth.  If that doesn’t work, rip off the little piece of windshield wiper, go buy a different brand of windshield wiper blade, and try it.  Eventually you’ll find a windshield wiper blade which reliably swipes off all the water.  Treasure and save the rest of that windshield wiper blade.



Unfortunately, many waterproof cameras have a very small glass cover over their lens, or the glass cover is buried in a depression in the front of the camera and is hard to get at.  Don’t buy one of those cameras.  Look for a camera which has a large and readily accessible piece of glass over the lens, so you can clean water off the glass.

Here's how I typically handle taking pictures from my kayak in a rapid:  When I'm above the rapid, I wait for an easy section of river and check to see if there is any water on the glass lens cover.  If there is, I swipe it off with my windshield wiper, and then leave the lens cap open to let the glass dry completely.  In warm dry conditions, this can happen quickly.  In cool humid conditions, it can be difficult to get all the water off the glass.  Then I close the lens cap, so I don't get water on the glass as I approach the rapid.  As I'm going into the rapid, I pop open the lens cap, blast off a couple of shots, slam the lens cap shut, and paddle like a monkey.  Then I whip into an eddy, pop open the lens cap, and take pictures of the kayakers following me into the rapid.

4.   Equivalent of a 24mm wide angle lens for landscape photography.  On point-and-shoot waterproof cameras, the wide angle end of the lens is typically the equivalent of a 28mm lens on a 35mm SLR.  I like a lens which is more wide angle for landscape photography.  I look for the equivalent of a 24mm lens.

I’ve been real happy with my Olympus Tough TG-1, but I haven’t been shopping for a waterproof camera for a couple of years, and don’t know what is currently available.

In order to take good photos while kayaking, your cameral needs to be readily available.  I may do another posting about how I keep my camera readily available.

I like the Nikon AW 100 and 110 cameras. They deliver great colors in low light (which is the case here in the PNW most of the time) and take awesome underwater imagery. Plus it does high-def 1080 video so it can combined with GoPro footage seamlessly or used stand alone.

+1  I've dunked my Nikon a few times, use it elk hunting in some of the nastiest weather the PNW has to offer, and still clicking away

After searching Ebay and Amazon, I found what looks like a decent deal on a Nikon AW100. I'm not very demanding on cameras, they are mainly used for just a couple on the water shots and some post fishing pics.

You can’t get these kinds of pictures unless your camera is readily available on your life vest, you have a way to get water off your lens, and you have a lens cap which keeps your lens dry once you get it dry.  Here’s a picture of the “Rock of Gilbralter" on White Sands Creek in Idaho from the eddy above the rock:



And here’s a picture of the same drop at higher water from the eddy below the rock.

Since you said "Cheap"... check out the Kodak Playsport ZX5. For what you said you want it for, this is all you need. If you want other features of a real professional camera, this is not it, but does everything for me that I want/need in a camera for sure. Think of it more as a compact "anything-proof" Go-Pro and digital camera in one. Although it does not have a flash it works well in low light. Good battery life too!

I picked up the Pentax WG-2 on The Clymb a couple of years ago and have been happy with it. No waterproof camera will give you amazing image quality, but for what it does, I'm very happy I bought it.

Getting a GoPro wouldn't be a bad idea either.  They take really good stills, and are pretty brainless to use.