We bought this camera specifically to take snorkeling on a vacation in the Bahamas. After some research this clearly was the front runner. Now I know why. It works very well, is very easy to use, and lives up to it's billing.
We took a number of pictures underwater, mostly snorkeling on the surface. In pretty bright sunlight we were able to get good pictures of barracuda that were at 10 feet below us. Color was at least as good as what you are actually seeing, especially if you use the Underwater color setting. The controls are very easy to use and make reasonably intuitive sense. Colors on reef fish and sponges are representative of real life. At one point we went scuba diving in a cave and got it down to about 20 feet. Pictures came out blurry but that wasn't the camera's fault. We were trying to take pictures of a moving small shrimp. One thing to keep in mind is that when you are snorkeling/swimming you are not being completely still while you are taking the pictures.
Also, the camera takes great pictures out of the water. I was very happy with the regular quality. It has a good combination of automatic and manual modes that allow you to over/underexpose picutres, change the light settings, and it also has manual focus capability.
One thing I like is that the connector for the strap is actually a button that can be locked onto anyone of the four corners of the camera. This allows you to move it around to fit the situation. I would highly recommend a floating strap. We got the one from Olympus and it will float the camera. It also makes it easier to find and gives you a sense of comfort that you won't lose it.
Good:
1. The camera actually is waterproof, at least down to 30 feet.
2. Picture quality is very good, both in and out of water.
3. Good combination of manual and automatic modes.
4. Battery life appears good. I was able to get at least two full days of picture taking out of one charge. I never ran the battery all the way down so I don't know what total life is.
Could be better:
1. I agree with the reviewer that threads for filters would be useful. There are some filters designed for underwater photography to bring out color that would be nice to use.
2. Uses a propretary battery and charger. Although the battery seems to last a long time you have to make sure you have the correct charger with you. Not a huge deal unless you leave it. Also means you can't run into the drug store for more batteries if you get low.
3. Screen sometimes difficult to see underwater. This can be an issue if you are trying to get a picture of a specific moving fish. If they are not really bright and easy to see you may have trouble getting them centered the way you like.
4. Because of the design of the housing (which is a little bulky) you may have to work to find a case that fits.
Bad:
1. Nothing.
All in all I am very happy with this camera and recommend it highly. Even the things I would like to change are not really that big a deal.
There is a newer model of this item:
Canon PowerShot D30 Waterproof Digital Camera, Blue
$288.00
(344)
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$288.00
(344)
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
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This Item  Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-Inch LCD (OLD MODEL) |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | Currently unavailable. | $52.99 | $69.99 | -9% $499.99 List: $549.99 | $599.00 | $299.00 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 14 | Get it May 15 - 21 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Zoom | ||||||
| Image stabilization | ||||||
| Picture quality | ||||||
| Auto focus | ||||||
| Battery life | ||||||
| Sold By | — | Asenc | YOODEE | Amazon.com | Kellards | Acute Tek (We Record SN) |
| display type | — | LCD | LCD | LCD | other | LCD |
| display size | 2.5 inches | 2.8 inches | 2.8 inches | 3 inches | 5 centimeters | 3 inches |
| lens type | zoom | Telephoto | Macro | Macro | 100° Wide Angle Lens | fixed |
| zoom type | Optical | Digital Zoom, Optical Zoom | Digital Zoom | Optical Zoom | — | Optical |
| shooting modes | Scene | Automatic | Automatic | Movie, Auto, Manual | Time-Lapse, Underwater, Manual | Scene |
| connectivity tech | USB | USB | USB | Wi-Fi, Micro HDMI, Micro USB, Bluetooth | Wi-Fi | USB |
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Customer Review: Great Camera, Accessory Kit OVERPRICED
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Customer Review: Excellent Waterproof Camera
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Reviews with images
Awesome piece of Engineering
I was about to leave for a vacation to the Virgin islands and wanted a camera that I could carry around without worrying about salt, water or salt water. If possible, I wanted something that I could take into the water with me.Came across this gem while searching for a waterproof enclosure for my existing canon super zoom. Since the price was comparable to an enclosure and after reading reviews, I decided that getting this camera was probably a better option.When I finally bought it, I had my fingers crossed (cause of the reviews which indicated water getting into it). I decided this camera would be great, even if it lasted only a day of snorkeling, otherwise I still had my old camera (which I would lose if water got into the enclosure).I was surprised at the actual results. The camera does an awesome job both inside and outside water. The underwater shots are simply superb. It becomes noisy at >= ISO 400, but this shouldn't affect your underwater shots (which I noticed were almost all at ISO 80 - the lowest for this camera).I took about 200 test shots (all outside water) before the trip, to get used to the camera and thereby put it through a full drain and charge cycle. The camera has a rated spec of about 220 shots per full charge. Well my results from 3 continuous days of use (with a full recharge in-between) were 640, 700+ and 750+ shots! Most of them were underwater (without a flash) and a few used the flash. All of them were at 12 MP. I used a Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS8GSDHC6 for this trip. The camera lasted the trip - all the water, surf and beaches.If you decide to get this camera.. here are a few tips:1. Put it through a charge discharge cycle before taking it for a real shoot. The way I discharged it was by taking test shots.2. Switch off the camera while not using it (every second saves the battery power - that's probably how I squeezed out 700 shots). It only takes a second to power up and be ready for shooting.3. Unless absolutely required don't preview the photos - take another snap if you have a doubt. This will definitely save battery power. Your battery will run out long before an 8 GB memory card runs out of space.4. The manual asks you to soak it for 30 mins in fresh water after each underwater session. Do this! What it doesn't tell you is to detach the wristband and to soak it separately. The wristband takes a little longer to dry - and if still attached, can splash water when you you open your camera's SD/battery slot. Soak it for a full 30 mins. Wipe it dry and then allow it to dry in air. The good thing is that you can continue snapping new pictures while it is drying. Just don't open it until say after an hour of drying in air.5. Secure the wristband while in water. Keep in-water camera transfers (to another person) to a minimum, it can easily slip off and sink. You can dive and retrieve it - but it may sink beyond 10m before that or probably end up on a fire coral :-).6. You can take snaps of the beach while in water - but make sure you switch from the underwater mode to any other mode before doing that (eg.beach mode). If you just surfaced, allow the camera a few seconds for it to 'realize' that it's not underwater (guess there is some white balance and exposure adjustment that automatically happens) and you'll end up with a great snap.7. When you just surface, there will be drops of water on the lens. Get rid of those (by dipping it again in water and not using your fingers!) before snapping - or you'll end up having blurry spots on those snaps. You'll always have droplets, that shouldn't matter - it's only the big drops which cause these blurry spots (you'll know if its bad enough while composing the snap on the display).8. Finally make sure the camera is in underwater mode while shooting underwater :-)Read the manual, clean and dry the camera before opening it. It worked for me and it should work for you. Happy shooting! You will love the underwater snaps!!!**** UPDATE - Got this error:- "Lens error restart camera" and fixed it *****Got this error about a month after using it for the first time. I think I know how I got the error - I drained all the juice out of the battery while taking snaps and it probably died before it could close the lens. The solution - turn the camera on and quickly give the lens housing a firm snap with your finger - that should fix it :-). It's better not to take snaps once you get a Low Battery indication. Replace the battery and continue shooting else you may end up with the Lens stuck in between.This is still a great camera and I would still buy it given it's the best among the options currently available.
