Waterproof camera -any advice

[penelope]

I lost my old camera overboard and am looking for a replacement. Any advice anyone. Priorities are decent image, tough, waterproof, good fixing point so I can tie it in..I don't care about GPS, being able to change lenses etc.

[Phizz4]

Olympus TG4?

[tjclare]

Nikon AW130, or the olympus. Both excellent little cameras.


If you really want to splash out, Nikon AW1.

[acostamorte]

Go Pro Session. Video and stills.

http://shop.gopro.com/EMEA/cameras/hero ... aster.html

[Irish Sea]

I've been quite happy with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FT30 for kayaking and general outdoor use. http://www.panasonic.com/uk/consumer/ca ... -ft30.html
Mine has seen three years of at least weekly salt water use with plenty of immersions and is still waterproof and never missed a beat. Image quality is not bad for a compact in that price range.

Negatives for me: Only 4x optical zoom, image quality in low light situations isn't great, recessed lense means I regularly end up taking photos of my fingertips (but that may be me;) the aluminum body starts to show some salt related corrosion now.

All in all I still find it's a decent camera for the money with pretty good water resistance.

[penelope]

Thank you for all your advice. I still can't quite decide between the Olympus TG4 and the Panasonic Lumix FT30. I like the Lumix and have enough money set aside for one but have read quite a few negative comments on water getting in. I'm quite rough with stuff. I've also heard from people using one every week for years...Nice choice to make tho.

[Irish Sea]

Can't complain about the waterproofness of my Lumix. It lives in my pfd pocket and so gets submersed in salt water during rolling and rescue practice pretty much every week since ~ 3 years. Never had a drop of water in there. Only maintenance it sees is a rinse in fresh water after every paddle.

[Pitchpole]

Had an olympus tough that has worked for years but the most important piece of advice is to rinse it in fresh water after you use it then let it dry before opening it. The previous one only lasted one season because I didn't do that.

[penelope]

Very good advice thanks. My partner was asked to look at a club VHF radio with a problem -it turned out that everywhere that could be encrusted and corroded was. Likewise a towrope -salt water had corroded the metal fitting connecting the tow line to the waist bag -it fell apart like cookie dough. Dangerous!

[Kris_D]

I've looked into this myself and the Olympus TG-4 seems most tempting - dpreview recommends it and their reviews are usually very decent. One reason is that it can shoot in RAW format unlike most other waterproof cameras. If you can't be bothered processing RAW files that's not an argument of course.

[Mark Gawler]

Now that the Olympus TG-4 has been superseded, what is the current advice for a waterproof camera? I will probably go for the Olympus Tough TG-5.
Does anyone have any experience of this model?

[tufftie]

Olympus TG4. Great camera.

[andynormancx]

As the previous poster suggested, the TG-4 isn’t being made anymore. There are still some for sale but they are listed at £100 more that the TG-5 that replaced it.

Unless someone knows something bad about the TG-5 it would seem that buying a TG-4 isn’t a great choice anymore.

Looks like the TG-5 still fits the accessories that the TG-4 did.

The TG-5 gets good reviews, just and upgraded version of the TG-4 as far as I can see. I’d certainly buy one if I broke/lost my TG-4.

[The Shiner]

Fujifilm xp120

Previously had a fuji that lasted around 4/5 years of abuse whilst sea kayaking and kayak fishing.
Finally saved enough to replace it, picked up an xp120 for under £130.

Looked at the tg but couldn't justify the expense.

[Mark Gawler]

Fujifilm xp120 / xp130 look tempting on paper, but it is difficult to compare cameras on specs alone. I did once have a bad experience with Fujifilm customer service which puts me off a bit.

[Mrstratos61]

I got the tg5 and love it. One thing to consider is a floating strap.