Lentor parents was asking a couple of weeks ago if I could pick up a cheap digital compact camera for them to bring on their recent trip back to our ancestral home in Hainan Island. They’d heard a lot about the benefits of digital photography, but didn’t want to spend too much. So, I got them a Olympus FE4050 at $168, a small slim compact that’s reasonably fool proof. Upon their return, Mom was gushing about how convenient was the camera and her new found sense of freedom in snapping as many pictures as she wished and not having to worry about printing costs.
That got me thinking about looking into another compact camera. An inexpensive one that would offer functionality that’s on top of what I currently get from the Olympus E-PL1 and Ling’s old Panasonic LZ8 (which she still refuses to give up!). I’m especially interested in one which is waterproof though that can take underwater shots. Yep; now that little Hannah’s gradually getting exposed to swimming, water photography could be a nice thing to get into.
Only problem though is that while there are a lot of specialized compact cameras out there that claim to be weather-sealed and waterproof, the reviews for the majority of them aren’t encouraging. Aside from that they tend to be more expensive and dishing out lower image quality than their non-waterproof counterparts, surprisingly, many of them fare poorly when taken for a swim, despite manufacturer specifications and promises. Horror stories abound of supposed waterproof cameras getting water seepage into sensitive electronic parts on their first swim and completely breaking down. The couple of cameras which can indeed withstand water aren’t cheap too, routinely costing at least $500 upwards. And even for these, there are users e.g. on Amazon reporting failures on the unit’s first exposure to water.
And those underwater casings for cameras? The one for a E-Pl1 costs a whopping USD600 alone – more than the price of the camera itself!
Oh well. If I can’t find a suitable underwater compact without how much I’m willing to pay for it, it’ll have to wait.
This is something I’ve investigated very little, but has piqued my interest. I’m as graceful as a one-legged kangaroo in the water, which does little to encourage underwater expeditions in the first place, let alone the ability to photograph. Yet I so love underwater photography. Something has to give!
Also, it’s neat to hear your mom is enjoying her digital camera. How does she go about viewing the photos?
On the camera’s very small 2.5 inch LCD screen at the moment LOL. I have to transfer all those pictures into her PC for her soon. =)