Due to some amazingly good fortune, I’m going to the Cayman Islands next week for 5 days. A friend (who used to live there) is housesitting and invited me down for part of the trip.
Anyways, we’re planning on doing some snorkelling, as I don’t have a PADI certificate and don’t want to try to get certify on this trip. I’m a very strong swimmer and can dive down to 6 meters on my own. When I was in the Gulf of Thailand I would dive down to the SCUBA divers and take their pictures while they posed.
In Thailand I just bought a disposable underwater camera which did OK. I got 3 or 4 good shots on a roll of 24. This time I’d like to take a little more underwater photography. Should I buy disposable underwater cameras here in Boston? Buy them there? Or invest in a reusable underwater camera? I have my digital camera but I’m not going swimming with it.
Last months Which? magazine did a survey test of all disposable (and underwater) cameras and top of the heap for clarity, useability and picture quality was Fuji underwater cameras.
You should perhaps stick with this make if you are after a competent cheap option. Whether you get them here or there should be of no consequence.
UW photography is quite a bit trickier than conventional photography (you’re moving, the subjects are moving, the lighting is different, judging distances is harder, the color is shifted etc.) and nothing speeds the learning curve like the instantaneous feedback of a digital camera. If I was in the market I’d look seriously at the Olympus c-50 or c-5050. Both are 5 megapixel cameras. The 50 is very small and compact; the 5050 is larger but gives you more controls and has a faster lens. Housing and camera can be purchased for approx $800-900.
I already have a fine digital camera that I use constantly. I’m not in the market for a new digital camera. And unless there is a fairly cheap and very reliable underwater case for this camera (Olympus C-720) I’m not taking it underwater.
The Fuji looks good, I’m sure they’ll have them down in the Cayman Islands. I’m not going to be doing lots of underwater photography, just this short trip, so it’s not really worth a big investment.
My wife and I were in Grand Cayman a year ago and got some great photos with a disposable. Both snorkeling and on a scuba dive. We got some great shots of us at Sting Ray City feeding the huge Stingrays and petting the eels. It’s very shallow there… 6-10 feet. Some people snorkel and some scuba.
Check the depth limits for any camera you may consider. Some are OK for 10 feet and some for 40. And I’d strongly recommend buying it here. Prices in Cayman are way high.
Want some good very private snorkel beach recomendations in GC? Let me know.
Thanks pipper, if this wasn’t a one time deal I would definately go for one of those. That looks like the best long term solution.
In Thailand I snorkelled well below the recommended depth for the disposables I used, but they still worked pretty well. Light was the problem, not crushed camera. You couldn’t wind the camera at depth, but I rarely had enough time to take more than one photo anyways.
I’ll be on Cape Code this weekend, I see if the dive and kayak shops have the cameras for sale. I found this site http://www.caymanislandsdiscounts.com/OffshoreSnorkeling.htm
for some dive recommendations and my friend is an experienced diver who lived on Grand Cayman for several years. But if you have suggestions, I’ll take 'em.
I’ve gotten extremely good results with a Canon A10 and underwater housing. Unfortunately when you dive in the real world you’ll find that you need an external flash unless you’re in very shallow, very clear water on a sunny day. Ikelite makes a dive strobe that works with point and shoot digicams, even giving auto exposure, but it’s over $400. A big investment for short term use.
Some underwater pics I took in Grand Cayman a few years ago, along with my writeup on the trip.
I’ve been using one of the big Ikelite housings with my Canon SLR (which is what I got the shots above with) but I’ve gotten tired of hauling the thing around. (Between the housing and strobe the thing is huge.) I’ve picked up one of these and will be taking it to St. Maarten next week. I’ll let you know how it worked after I get back.