Good Kayaking Camera
 

I'm going to paddle with the whales next summer around Tadoussac in
Quebec and would like a good, waterproof camera (preferably digital)
to take along. Any recommendations?

Good Kayaking Camera
 

In article ,
says...
I'm going to paddle with the whales next summer around Tadoussac in
Quebec and would like a good, waterproof camera (preferably digital)
to take along. Any recommendations?

I don't know about waterproof cameras, but I would highly recommend a
Pelican case to store camera and equipment in.

http://www.casesbypelican.com/

-kim

Good Kayaking Camera
 

"Kim" wrote in message
a.net...
In article ,
says...
I'm going to paddle with the whales next summer around Tadoussac in
Quebec and would like a good, waterproof camera (preferably digital)
to take along. Any recommendations?


Don't know about waterproof cameras, but wouldn't you be better off with a
conventional digital plus an underwater housing in which to put it? Check
following for such housings...

http://shop.store.yahoo.com/wordtankpro/nikon.html

Good Kayaking Camera
 

"George Gralund" wrote in message
m...
I'm going to paddle with the whales next summer around Tadoussac in
Quebec and would like a good, waterproof camera (preferably digital)
to take along. Any recommendations?

I think today the hot setup is the Pentax Optio 33WR. You get a pretty
upscale digital camera good for temporary immersion to a meter of water.
Sounds about right for boating.

My trouble with dry cameras in Pelican cases (which I now use) is that
they're never around when you need them.

Hth,
Fred Klingener

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Hi George,

The two cameras I would suggest are

Canon S400: 4MP Digital Camera $379.94 (2/01/04)
combined with the WP-DC800 waterproof case $196.88 (2/01/04)

The S400 is fairly small, but takes wonderful photos. I have seen
11x17 prints made from the camera, and they were nice. If you put it
in the case, it is waterproof to 100 feet or more. You can use all the
functions while the camera is in the case. The only reason to take it
out is to change batteries or plug it into your computer.

Minolta Dimage XT: 3.2MP Digital Camera $259.94 (2/01/04)
combined with the MC-DG200 waterproof case $199.99 (2/02/04)

The Dimage is tiny. The lens/ optical zoom fits inside the camera
body, so there are no protruding parts. It is a little larger than a
credit card, but about as unobtrusive. The case makes it a little
larger, but it is still something you can clip to your PFD and not
really notice it. It is smaller than the Canon S400 listed above, but
it is 3.2 not 4MP.

If you want some more information, I put them on the Canoe Colorado
website. The link is http://www.canoecolorado.com/electronics/#Cameras

- Eric

Good Kayaking Camera
 

(Eric Nyre) wrote in message om...
Hi George,

The two cameras I would suggest are

Canon S400: 4MP Digital Camera $379.94 (2/01/04)
combined with the WP-DC800 waterproof case $196.88 (2/01/04)

The S400 is fairly small, but takes wonderful photos. I have seen
11x17 prints made from the camera, and they were nice. If you put it
in the case, it is waterproof to 100 feet or more. You can use all the
functions while the camera is in the case. The only reason to take it
out is to change batteries or plug it into your computer.

Minolta Dimage XT: 3.2MP Digital Camera $259.94 (2/01/04)
combined with the MC-DG200 waterproof case $199.99 (2/02/04)

The Dimage is tiny. The lens/ optical zoom fits inside the camera
body, so there are no protruding parts. It is a little larger than a
credit card, but about as unobtrusive. The case makes it a little
larger, but it is still something you can clip to your PFD and not
really notice it. It is smaller than the Canon S400 listed above, but
it is 3.2 not 4MP.

If you want some more information, I put them on the Canoe Colorado
website. The link is http://www.canoecolorado.com/electronics/#Cameras

- Eric


Canon WP1
about $200.00 35 MM water proof.
My web site is http://pages.ivillage.com/mcgruer . All the photos on
that site are taken with that camera of a Minolta X 700
The Minolta is not water tight but a fine product.
Neither of these are digital but the Canon WP1 took that photo of a
whale under water while I did a roll.
Sony has a cool little digital water proof camera. I don't have one
but a couple of my friends got them for Christmas and are pleased.
If money matters the WP1 is the greatest. Mine cost $120.00 cdn A
COUPLE OF YEARS BACK.

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Digital Video Camera makes more sense in a kayak, because
at home youll have 100000 frames to choose from, instead
of some 10s:

http://www.kolumbus.fi/timo.noko/2000/ketku.jpg

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Fred Klingener wrote:

I think today the hot setup is the Pentax Optio 33WR. You get a pretty
upscale digital camera good for temporary immersion to a meter of water.
Sounds about right for boating.

You are probably correct. This camera was introduced last October, so
there aren't many reviews of it yet. Steves-digicams.com likes it.
Neither Dpreview.com nor Imaging-resources.com has reviewed it yet.
The primary competitors are the Stylus/Mju 300 and 400 from Olympus,
and according to Dpreview.com both those produced mediocre results.
Biggest problems with the 33WR are barrel distortion at "wide" angle
(37mm SLR equivalent) and pincushion distortion at telephoto (104mm).

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Canon WP1
about $200.00 35 MM water proof.
My web site is http://pages.ivillage.com/mcgruer . All the photos on
that site are taken with that camera of a Minolta X 700
The Minolta is not water tight but a fine product.
Neither of these are digital but the Canon WP1 took that photo of a
whale under water while I did a roll.
Sony has a cool little digital water proof camera. I don't have one
but a couple of my friends got them for Christmas and are pleased.
If money matters the WP1 is the greatest. Mine cost $120.00 cdn A
COUPLE OF YEARS BACK.

Fantastic pictures with the whales, Alex. Jealous here.

Good Kayaking Camera
 

How about a Cannon ElphSport. It isn't digital, but you can pick one up
cheap ($200). Other advantages are that it is very small, water proof to
20', and very rugged. The only drawback is that it lacks a zoom.

Good Kayaking Camera
 

I called Pentax and asked specifically about using it the 33WR for kayaking
in sal****er and they said it was NOT within the design specs. According to
Pentax it will probably be OK, but they won't garauntee it.

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Michael Daly wrote:

In fact, I wish that I could afford a good 10x zoom digital with
waterproof housing. Until then, I make do with an older 2Mp camera
with 3x zoom.

The Pentax 33WR really lowers the entry price, because previously an
underwater housing cost almost $100, so a good digicam with housing
set you back about $500. Although it can't really be used for scuba
or skin diving, the 33WR costs only $350.

The 33WR is rated JIS grade 7 for waterproofness. According to some
statements on the web, the Pentax WR-90 (an early kayaker favorite)
rated only grade 5, and the Pentax WR-105 rates level 6.

Olympus makes no claims that I can find for water resistance of the
Stylus/Mju 300 and 400. Also I compared several sample photos on
steves-digicam.com and it seems like the 33WR images were sharper
than Stylus 300 images in the corners, and comparable in the center.

Eric Johnson wrote:
I called Pentax and asked specifically about using it the 33WR for
kayaking in sal****er and they said it was NOT within the design specs.
According to Pentax it will probably be OK, but they won't garauntee it.

Several people I know used the Pentax WR-90 for sea kayaking. Provided
they didn't zoom it underwater, and washed it off upon returning, their
cameras survived many trips.

Good Kayaking Camera
 

George Gralund wrote:
I'm going to paddle with the whales next summer around Tadoussac in
Quebec and would like a good, waterproof camera (preferably digital)
to take along. Any recommendations?

One of the best combinations available currently is one of the Canon
Powershot "S" series cameras (S30, S40, S45, S50) combined with the
waterproof housing made specifically for them. They aren't cheap
($400-$600 for the combo if you shop around), but the results are
excellent. I bought my girlfriend the S50 and housing and we've been
having a blast with it. The still shots are high quality and the movie
mode is really nice for training sessions and capturing action on the
water. Just be sure to buy a 256 MB or larger Compact Flash card for the
camera.


--
Regards

Brian

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Bill,
Glad to hear that you know people using the 33wr because I was seriously
looking at it, but was afraid of wrecking it. Couldn't see dropping the
money for a good camera and the waterproof housing when my ElphSport takes
very nice pictures. The 33wr does lower the entry cost a good amount.

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Eric Johnson wrote:

Glad to hear that you know people using the 33wr because I was seriously
looking at it, but was afraid of wrecking it. Couldn't see dropping the
money for a good camera and the waterproof housing when my ElphSport takes
very nice pictures. The 33wr does lower the entry cost a good amount.

I do *not* know anybody using the 33WR, which only began appearing in stores
a short time ago. Sorry if I was unclear. My point was just that Pentax
has been king of waterproof cameras since Nikon abandoned the ActionTouch.
Several people I know have ruined Canon Stylus/Mju cameras, also touted as
"weather-resistant", by dropping them in the water. They are definitely not
as waterproof as Pentax P&S models. So given the additional class 7 rating,
you can probably rest assured that the 33WR will work for kayaking.

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Glad to hear that you know people using the 33wr because I was seriously
looking at it, but was afraid of wrecking it. Couldn't see dropping the
money for a good camera and the waterproof housing when my ElphSport takes
very nice pictures. The 33wr does lower the entry cost a good amount.

I do *not* know anybody using the 33WR, which only began appearing in stores
a short time ago. Sorry if I was unclear. My point was just that Pentax
has been king of waterproof cameras since Nikon abandoned the ActionTouch.
Several people I know have ruined Canon Stylus/Mju cameras, also touted as
"weather-resistant", by dropping them in the water. They are definitely not
as waterproof as Pentax P&S models. So given the additional class 7 rating,
you can probably rest assured that the 33WR will work for kayaking.

What is the 33WR? I have the 105WR and like it. The zoom range is 35-105. It is
an excellent camera for kayaking.
Lynn

Good Kayaking Camera
 

LLutton wrote:

What is the 33WR? I have the 105WR and like it. The zoom range is 35-105.
It is an excellent camera for kayaking.

Isn't the 105WR's zoom range 38-105? The Optio 33WR is a digital camera
with zoom range of 5.7-16mm, equivalent to 37-104mm on your camera.

Specs are good, and results look very good, but with the included memory
you can fit only 7 images of biggest size 2048x1536 and highest quality,
or 11 images if you go for 1600x1200. For about $35 you can get a 64MB
SD memory card, 4x as large, to hold 28 or 44 such images.

The Optio 33WR weighs 208 grams vs 360 grams for the film-based 105WR.
The 33WR is an ugly square box, not very deep, with rubberized corners.
It takes CR-V3 lithium battery, or alternately 2 standard AAs, which is
about as good as it gets nowadays (AA batteries will be around forever,
and NiMH rechargeables are available). Pentax claims "up to" 450 shots
using the CR-V3 lithium battery, but I could find no independent test.

It takes only 2.5 seconds to turn on, but 2.3 seconds between shots,
although there is a continuous shooting mode for 6 frames in 5 seconds.
Shutter lag is a long 6/10-9/10 second, or 2/10 second if prefocused.
The weakest point for durability is probably the LCD. I'm not certain
how easy it is to wipe fog or splash droplets off the tiny lens.

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Isn't the 105WR's zoom range 38-105?

It probably is. I was being lazy and just guessed at the zoom on the low end.
Sorry.

The Optio 33WR is a digital camera
with zoom range of 5.7-16mm, equivalent to 37-104mm on your camera.

Sounds pretty good. I wonder what the 33 stands for? Neither the digital or 35
equiv.
Lynn

Good Kayaking Camera
 

I recently got a Pentax Optio 33WR to replace my 105WR. I forgot I had it
in my PFD pocket last week and rolled with it - no problem. Looks like it
is going to do exactly what I wanted - i.e. replace the 105WR with digital.
Pics at http://www.fastq.com/~jrschroeder/bl...004/index.html were all
taken with it then knocked down to size for the web without any other
tweeking.




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Good Kayaking Camera
 

I recently got a Pentax Optio 33WR to replace my 105WR. I forgot I had it
in my PFD pocket last week and rolled with it - no problem. Looks like it
is going to do exactly what I wanted - i.e. replace the 105WR with digital.
Pics at http://www.fastq.com/~jrschroeder/bl...004/index.html were all
taken with it then knocked down to size for the web without any other
tweeking.

Good pictures, thanks,
Lynn

Good Kayaking Camera
 

Excellent shots!!