The latest toy cameras on the market are the underwater, waterproof digital cameras. Now, an area that was out-of-bounds for most of us is available-- and easy. Welcome to the world of point-and-shoot underwater cameras.
With these little gems, small enough to fit in a shirt pocket, you can laugh at dust, beach sand or rainy weather. Since many are shock resistant, don't worry about it bouncing off the dashboard or rattling around in your backpack.
Underwater cameras aren't new, although Nikon quit making its Nikonos in the 2001. But they were bulky-- especially if the land-use camera was safely inside a waterproof housing-- and not the easiest thing to use. You had to worry about focus, since water magnifies everything. Once in the water, reds disappeared almost immediately, and the only way to get vivid color was with a flash. That added yet a another variable to the shooting.
Like anything else, the more you do something, the better you get at it. Remember your first driving lesson, grabbing the steering wheel as we crawled around the parking lot? We white-knuckled the wheel then, but driving is now part of our life. Same with photography. Our Nikon D2 and D3 cameras are a confusing array of dials, lights, channels and menus to beginners, but not to those of us who use them every day.
So, shooting underwater is a particular challenge for me, a guy who prefers paddling on the water rather than swimming in it. Well, unless there are air tanks attached to my back and a mask on my face.
But these little underwater/waterproof point and shoot cameras are terrific. Mine was a reconditioned Olympus 6000 picked up from Perfect Image in Lancaster. It cost about $200, much cheaper than most housings, and certainly less bulky. To read about other cameras and from someone certainly more expert than me, click here. For the record, the folks at Perfect Image like the Pentax model, although it's on the high end of the price scale. My 6000 can be purchased used for about $110, because Olympus now has 8000 models out (newer, better, faster!).
Both of the photos above were shot with the Olympus Tough 6000. The camera is guaranteed to 10 feet underwater. Some models go deeper.
Photo at top was shot in York's Graham Aquatic Center pool. The lotus panorama was shot Saturday while paddling on the Susquehanna River with the Lancaster Canoe Club near Washington Boro, Lancaster County.
These cameras are good for everyday shooting as well. The 6000 has an in-camera panorama feature. You can choose to stitch a few pictures together in camera or on the computer. Two macros settings allow shooting pictures of the butterflies and the bees. Other settings include night photography and action.
While these little cameras aren't going to replace the experts' monster cameras and housing and flash for Jacques Cousteau and family, they are fun and good enough to capture some underwater scenes that have been ignored until now.
Give them a shot.
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