Waterproof Digital Cameras for Paddling

SEA & SEA DX-750G

• Megapixels: 5
• Lens: 35-105mm, f2.9-4.8
• ISO: 100-400
• LCD: 2 inch
• Battery type: AA
• Special features: Macro to
• 4 inches, external flash optional, built–in flash diffuser
• Price: $485
• Storage: SD card/16MB internal
• Video: 640x480 (24fps)
• Waterproofness: 150 feet, with housing
• Optical viewfinder: No
• Connectivity: USB 1.1
• Shutter speeds: 2-1/1000 sec.
• Weight: 16 ounces (with housing)
• Dimensions: 4.3 by 2.3 by 1.5 inches

The 750G is the point-and-shoot little brother to the 8000G. It comes in its own waterproof housing and is simple to use, with few manual controls, but it still feels solid. The straightforward operation makes it a great camera for new shooters or those seeking lightweight travel options. The 3X optical zoom allows you to shoot wide angle and telephoto, and a macro setting enables you to take photos of objects as close as 4 inches. It has a fiber-optic cable socket for attaching accessory strobes. AA batteries are available everywhere and make this a good choice for traveling. The external LCD hood makes for easier viewing in bright sunlight.

PENTAX OPTIO W10 AND OPTIO W20 (NEW)

Optio W10
• Megapixels: 6
• Lens: 38-114mm, f3.3-4.0
• ISO: 64-800
• LCD: 2.5 inch with anti-glare coating
• Battery type: Lithium-ion
• Special features: Face recognition, movie anti-shake, sound recording, macro to 1cm
• Price: $299
• Storage: SD card/10MB internal
• Video: 640x480 (30fps)
• Waterproofness: To 5 feet
• Optical viewfinder: No
• Connectivity: USB 2
• Shutter speeds: 4-1/2000 sec.
• Weight: 4.9 ounces
• Dimensions: 4.2 by 2.1 by .9 inches

The Optio W10 fits the hand easily and is waterproof to 5 feet. I had it in the water several times and it worked perfectly. There is a bright LCD with anti-glare coating, it records sound to add to your photos, and the images are well exposed. The camera starts up quickly, and shutter lag is minimal. The face-recognition feature in portrait mode is handy—take a photo with someone in the frame and it focuses on that part of the frame, even if the person is not right in the middle. The 3X optical zoom lets you get from .36 inch close-ups to entire landscapes. The only con to this camera is the lack of lens cover, which leaves the lens glass exposed to scratching.

Optio W20
• Megapixels: 7
• Lens: 38-114mm, f3.3-4.0
• ISO: 64-1000
• LCD: 2.5 inch with anti-glare coating
• Battery type: Lithium-ion
• Special features: Face recognition, movie anti-shake, sound recording, macro to 1cm
• Price: $299
• Storage: SD card/10MB internal
• Video: 640x480 (30fps)
• Waterproofness: To 1.5 meters
• Optical viewfinder: No
• Connectivity: USB 2
• Shutter speeds: 4-1/2000 sec.
• Weight: 4.9 ounces

Just after this review was finished Pentax came out with an updated version of the W10 ...the Optio W20. It is still the same compact size but it now is 7 MegaPixels and it has a new 'blur reduction mode' and shoots at ISO 1600 (the W10 was 800). It still produces great images in a supremely compact lightweight body that you will want to take everywhere. The W20 still has no lens cover though.

OLYMPUS STYLUS 720SW

• Megapixels: 7.1
• Lens: 38-114mm, f3.5-5.0
• ISO: 64-1600
• LCD: 2.5 inch
• Battery type: Lithium-ion
• Special features: Waterproof, shockproof, Bright Capture, image stabilization
• Price: $400
• Storage: XD-Picture
• card/19.1MB internal
• Video: 640x480 @15fps with sound
• Waterproofness: To 10 feet; 120 feet with optional housing
• Optical viewfinder: No
• Connectivity: USB 2
• Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Dimensions: 3.5 by 2.3 by .8 inches

Designed to take a beating and keep on clicking, The Stylus 720SW is an extremely portable camera which will withstand a lot of abuse and has a surprising array of useful features. It is waterproof to 10 feet (120 feet with optional housing) and shockproof to about 5 feet. Yes, supposedly if you drop this all-metal body, there is a good chance it will still work; there are no guarantees, though. It has 15X total zoom: 5X digital and 3X optical. The Bright Capture technology helps you get great photos in the difficult hours when the light is the best—dawn and dusk. The image stabilization helps keep your camera steady when the shutter speed is slow as well. This camera accompanied me on a trip to Spain and I came back with photos that I might not have taken with my bulky Digital SLR. It was always easy to stick this small camera in my pocket to take snapshots and the best part was I could even take it swimming in the Mediteranean.

OLYMPUS STYLUS 500 and 1000 (NEW)

• Stylus 500
• Megapixels: 5
• Lens: 35-105mm, f3.1-5.2
• ISO: 64-500
• LCD: 2.5 inch
• Battery type: Lithium-ion
• Special features: Fast start-up time, retracting lens cover
• Price: $199-$399
• Storage: XD-picture card
• Video: QuickTime Movie Mode with sound/20x-storage
• limited by available memory on the storage card
• Waterproofness: Weatherproof
• Optical viewfinder: No
• Connectivity: USB 2
• Weight: 5.8 ounces
• Dimensions: 3.9 by 2.2 by 1.2 inches

The 5MP Stylus 500 camera has been out a couple of years but it still has some features that make it worth seeking out...especially now that the price has dropped. I had the opportunity to take this camera to Baja a couple of years aga and was quite pleased with how it operates with the optional waterproof housing. The Stylus 500 is a small weatherproof camera that is easy to use and produces sharp, clear photos. It has a large LCD, a retractable cover to protect the all-glass lens, and a well-designed optional waterproof housing ($249) that makes it a joy to take paddling. It has a 12X total zoom, 4X digital (resolution drops when using the digitall zoom though) and 35-110mm optical zoom. An all-weather speaker and microphone allow you to narrate captions for your images.

The Olympus Stylus line has several models of weatherproof cameras and the line has been upgraded recently with the introduction of the top-of-the-line Stylus 1000 ...which came out just after this article went to print. The Stylus 1000 features an all metal body that takes clear sharp 10MP photos - the most of any of camera in this review. This is handy whenyou want to blow your photos up to 16x20 size or crop your image. It is weatherproof so you can take it paddling and not worry about splashes and rain although you can't take it underwater. It does not have a waterproof housing and one is not planned for it according to Olympus. The camera has digital image stabilization which helps you produce sharp images even using the low shutter speeds useful in low light situations (think sunsets or pre dawn canoe shots here). It also has a very low (for a point and shoot digital camera) max ISO of 1600 and can even shift to ISO 6400 at 3 MP size.

Stylus 1000

• Stylus 1000
• Megapixels: 10
• Lens: 35-105mm, f2.8-4.7
• ISO: 64-6400
• LCD: 2.5 inch
• Battery type: Lithium-ion
• Special features: Fast start-up time, retracting lens cover, Bright Capture Technology,
• Price: $399
• Storage: XD-picture card
• Video: QuickTime Movie Mode with sound
• Waterproofness: Weatherproof
• Optical viewfinder: No
• Connectivity: USB 2
• Weight: 4.9 ounces
• Dimensions: 3.8 by 2.2 by .89 inches

The Stylus 1000 also features Olympuses 'Bright Camera Technology' that allows you to take advantage of the high ISO capability. You can take bright, well exposed pictures in very low light without using an often annoying flash. It even lets you use this mode when shooting videos. To top it off, since this is the latest offering from Olympus and it has their latest technological features it has a 'Perfect Fix' feature that lets you lighten shadow areas, remove red eye and fix blurry photos...right in the camera!

Since I just received this new camera from Olympus I will be testing it over the next week and will report back on how well these new features work.