U/W camera case

Posted by: CJK

U/W camera case - 09/23/07 04:42 PM

I have a Kodak Easyshare Camera and a Fuji Fine Pix (unknown model)....We just went (first time) to the WDW Waterpark Typhoon Lagoon. I would have liked a case to take photos with.....Does anyone have a recomendation (personal experience prefered) for an underwater camera case that may fit either of those? Or of a good/ reliable company that I should be doing business with regarding the case? Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
CJ
Posted by: CJK

Re: U/W camera case - 09/23/07 08:19 PM

Thanks, I have been looking on the web and have found a bunch of stuff....now I'd like 'personal' experiences....if there are any.
Posted by: plsander

Re: U/W camera case - 09/24/07 03:18 PM

I have two 'waterproof' enclosures for my digital camera.

One is a full blown 'waterproof' enclosure - rated to 100 feet, o-rings, hard plastic... and it cost at least as much as the camera . Oddly enough, the camera is a Canon powershot A40 and the enclosure is the Canon branded enclosure.

The other I picked up at REI before a canoe trek. It is a heavy plastic bag with a 'waterproof' cam latch at the top. It's probably good to 5 foot (i.e. capsize the canoe).


Enclosures for deep use (10-100 foot) with inexpensive point and shoot cameras are usually model specific - the camera makers keep moving the buttons. Using these enclosures in the surface area is usually not recommended because the controls use o-rings that can be damaged if operated dry -- its not the dry operation, but salt crystals, sand, etc, in the mechanism that cuts the o-ring and lets water in.

The baggie style enclosure that I took canoeing performed to my expectations - some of the pictures are fuzzy or blurred because of water, dust, or glare from the sun on the plastic. But most came out ok, and the camera did survive about 20 minutes in the water when we capsized. My partner's camera in the kitchen variety zip lock bag did not fare so well.

Any enclosure will require discipline to keep the water out - a bad seal, loose hair, dirt, etc. will cause a leak.