Cheap waterproof camera or GoPro Hero 3 White Edition?

I´m going through a nightmare trying to find out what waterproof camera to buy. Almost all the best waterproof cameras on Amazon have some sort of bad ratings and lots of complains with leaking problems, even for experienced users.


Even with all the technology this cameras seem pretty fragile for underwater use, even following the instructions to the letter.


I have a Canon 5D III but I can´t spend 2000$ on a professional underwater case just for a couple of days on vacations, nor risk it with a 70$ Dicapac case.


All the research and review reading I´ve been doing comes to the same conclusions, these waterproof compact cameras are not safe even for very light use. I´ts a sort of lottery if they will work or not.


The models I´ve been researching:


Panasonic Lumix TS20
Panasonic Lumix TS4
Nikon COOLPIX AW100
Canon PowerShot D10/D20
Fujifilm FinePix XP100
Pentax Optio WG-1
Olympus TG-1iHS
Olympus TG-820

Also, most of the models are very bad performers regarding lens aperture (the olympus TG-1iHS is the only one at f2.0)

And there´s the price, the best one, price / ratio option seems to be the Panasonic TS20 at 129$ but it has a very high failure rate even with very very light use (including pools) when you check the ratings.


Thats why I´ve been looking at the new GoPro Hero White Edition for 200$ comes with a waterproof case, is not such a great "camera" per se but it has a good photo and video quality underwater, very wide lens and f2.8 aperture.


I´m really lost here, I´ll be glad hearing your recommendations with this issue! Thanks!

i have the hero 2 which is basically the same as the white but bigger with no wifi. i would hardly refer to the underwater picture quality as "good" but it is waterproof. i cant link to my flicker from work but when i get to my ipad i'll show you some samples from my gopro that are mediocre at best in crystal clear water.

Here's a link to some shots from my hero2.

http://www.flickr.com …1/sets/72157630​300798178/

Like I said they are nothing to write home about but the camera and case function as advertised. They sell a filter and flat lend for the case that make shots a little better but not by much.

jptsr1 wrote in post #15248399
Here's a link to some shots from my hero2.

http://www.flickr.com …1/sets/72157630​300798178/

Like I said they are nothing to write home about but the camera and case function as advertised. They sell a filter and flat lend for the case that make shots a little better but not by much.

thanks for the tip, it seems the GoPro Hero 3 White solves all the issues with the soft focus unwerwater.

The photos seems to lack contrast and que better quality of other cameras :S

Yeah, I'd check that with someone who owns one. The pictures that gopro puts on their site and all over the web are awesome but the samples I've seen amongst my motorcycle buddies and on flicker are not so great. Very marginal improvement if you ask me. Gopros are great for what they do but I wouldn't expect any wall hangers.

It's easy to tie your brain in a knot over these little cameras. I have a Panasonic TS3 that I use for a boat camera on fishing trips. It doesn't leak and the case is metal not some kind of plastic. They are all just point and shoot cameras in a waterproof case. Noise is bad at 400 and terrible above that. However, after you run the images through processing they're all going to be very close.If you show the photos to a non photographer, they think they are great.

Look for functionality. Can you change modes easily and do they actually work as advertised, does the camera have a forced flash setting, does it fit easily in your pocket, can you see the screen in sunlight?

I'm happy with mine because it does what I want it to do, and I don't have to worry about an expensive camera and salt water.

i see a fair number these Go Pro cameras mounted on surf boards in Hawaii, they appear to be very good little cameras. I've asked about them while standing (i paddle board) on my board and the people who have them rave about them.

Gopro Hero 2 with dive housing vs s95 with underwater housing
Gopro:

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/noobography/7​872596180/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/noobography/7​863594388/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/noobography/8​015299094/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/noobography/8​085807063/

I have found that between an SD870 with Canon case vs a GoPro Hero2 with Dive housing that taking stills was a crap shoot at best (with either setup).

Video on the other hand came out well with the Hero due to the ultra-wide field view; which becomes normal-wide underwater. The SD870 was too narrow underwater for my tastes.

Sirrith wrote in post #15248783
Gopro Hero 2 with dive housing vs s95 with underwater housing
Gopro:

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/noobography/7​872596180/
GOPR0209 by noobographer, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/noobography/7​863594388/
GOPR0067 by noobographer, on Flickr

S95:

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/noobography/8​015299094/
1209238 by noobographer, on Flickr

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/noobography/8​085807063/
Zebra Turkeyfish by noobographer, on Flickr

The Gopro is handicapped in that it cannot use strobes, and is always in fisheye mode.

These are great examples! Thanks for your comments!

I think I will change my mind about the GoPRO.

What do you think about the Panasonic TS20? Seems to be the cheapest option specially considering Im going to use it for one trip.

Personally if it was just for a single trip, I'd buy a Dicapac waterproof bag for my current camera, or buy a cheap P&S that is known to give good IQ, and then buy a Dicapac bag for it. That will probably give you better photos both in and out of the water.

I have a Canon s95 and bought the underwater case for about £150 .. I've had great results with and really pleased with the design..

Compared to your 5D3 any one of these options is sure to disappoint. That being said, the GoPro makes a nice video camera but the sensor is pretty small for stills. If you can find something like the S95 with a housing or get lucky finding something else used. PM me if you want to fiddle around with my Nikonos III which is a 35mm film camera, totally manual. I'd sell it real cheap.

I spend a few months each winter in Hawaii and decided that I wanted a reasonable underwater camera. Initially I bought a underwater case for my G9 but on a winter dive last year I drowned it because I didn't seal it properly in the dark. Live and learn. I looked at the GoPro cameras and they really are everywhere in Hawaii. I ultimately went with the Canon D10. I still preferred the G9 but the only thing I didn't struggled with was seeing the screen in certain underwater lighting. I have always been the kind of person to upgrade to the latest and greatest point and shoot and buying the underwater cases was getting expensive, hence the D10. I would ultimately like an underwater case for one of 1 series bodies but they are way expensive. I don't have any complaints about the D10 but don't expect that you are going to get DSLR results. The video is fine for my purposes as I don't do this other than for fun. I have seen some great work come out of the GoPro cameras but also some that were crappy just like you can get out of any camera. One of the other reasons I went with the D10 is that it travels better as a point and shoot camera. It can take plenty of bumps and keep on ticking. At the end of the day you should consider how you want to carry this and if you simply want something for underwater or something that will serve you for multipurpose. You can take the GoPro out of the housing and I have never had to do that but it looked like it would be a pain.

My daughter had bought herself a Pentax Optio underwater camera and she returned it because the quality was horrible. I think she got a bad version of the camera but she also got the D10 which what was prompted me to get mine instead of replacing my G9 and another underwater body. There are plenty of options available these days that will do what you want. If you want something that easily hooks up to surf boards, bicycles, etc. then I think the GoPro is a good option. If you want something that will handle your diving or snorkeling excursions and also be a good point shoot candidate then I would look at some of the other ones you have listed. All I can say is that I am happy with the D10.

thanks for all the reply guys! A friend of mine has an underwater case for a Canon S90, I will try to grab a used one from ebay!