Underwater Camera?

poop_head

poop_head

Member
Hey, my family and I are going down to Belize to do some scuba diving. I had a quick question about cameras. Would it be best to go for a case for my parents Canon Powershot S1 IS or get a cheap underwater film camera(under $150)? I can find the case for about $150 the problem is that I dont know how well the flash will work and how many pics will be able to take before draining the batteries down there. Anyone with some pointers or info on how to get good pics would also be welcomed. Thanks.
 
roll tide

roll tide

Member
Not an expert by any means but, I used on of those disposable cameras this past summer. I cant remember if it had a flash but it took an awesome picture. I was only snorkeling though. Plus, if it gets screwed up its not a big deal. Around 15 to 20 bucks. Hope that helps a little.
 
poop_head

poop_head

Member
Ya we used some of them in hawaii, but will will be diving deeper so there will be a lot less light I imagine. Anyone else out there with any help?????
 
nudilove

nudilove

Member
Canon power shots are nice cameras but it really is more efficient to buy a really nice camera and get the housing for it, unfortunately that can be nearly as expensive as the camera. Somtimes on Dive sites you can find a deal thats a nice camera with the housing for X amount of dollars.
Depending on the depth you dive to you will need a 'remote light source' namely a big underwater metal halide that is handheld. Or an extremely efficient flash built specifically for underwater. Because only certain wavelengths of light penetrate to those depths the flash must compensate for missing light.
Hope that helps.
 
B

barkdog

Guest
I used a disposable in Hawaii as well. It did okay. The problem I found was that you had to get really close to anything to get a decent picture.
There was no flash on these cameras.
One other thing to remember is that these cameras have really fast film... ASA 800 I think. Its important that you dont put these through the X-ray at airport security.
Before I left I saw there was a sony camera that had a plastic housing. The problem was the camera was $150 and I think the housing was another $150. I didnt go for it because $300 seemed like a lot to pay for a low end digital camera.
Here are some pics from the one use fuji cameras I bought:

I was actually really close to these guys, but they still appear far away and lack detail. I had better luck in the open water:
http://images.kodakgallery.com/servl...ited=true&a=47
 
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