Top 5 Waterproof Compact Cameras For Underwater Macro Photography

The realm of compact camera underwater photography doesn’t seem to be belonged to the usual suspects.

If you Google the keyword “underwater camera” or “waterproof camera” you will come across brands that are not normally known either in the DSLR world or in the mass market compact camera, for instance SeaLife. How often do you think of SeaLife when you buy a camera?

But there is every reason to “think SeaLife” if you are planning to go for serious underwater photography.

With the exception of Olympus which has been producing underwater compact cameras over the years, other legacy camera makers have been quite slow in tapping this segment of the market.

It is heartening therefore that brand as big as Canon can now be associated with compact camera underwater photography with the release of its first ever purpose-built waterproof camera, the Canon PowerShot D10.

The birth of the “D” series can be a sign that serious competition is now brewing in the rather ignored waterproof camera segment.

Without further ado, here is the list of five of the most recently announced waterproof cameras as well as those that are already in the market.

The Top 5 waterproof cameras are in no particular order although SeaLife occupies the top two for a reason:

1. SeaLife DC1000

SeaLife quitely — at least to me its quiet — carves a niche of its own in underwater photography and has been setting a benchmark of sort for that specialised type of photography.

As it specialises in producing cameras for underwater photography, SeaLife is not bogged by the need to appeal to the mass compact camera market.

This enables SeaLife to focus on its own path of development, giving great emphasis on colour vibrancy, an important aspect in underwater photography.

Its latest offering, the Sealife DC1000, is a testimony to this. SeaLife says the DC1000 “brings all the true colors of the water and the world to your photographs. SeaLife’s new DC1000 10-megapixel camera now has features specifically designed to allow for the best possible photographs, both in and out of the water.”

DC1000 main features:

• 10 megapixel CCD for sharp, high-resolution pictures.
• Large 2.7″ LCD for easy on-camera viewing
• Depth tested to 200 ft (60m) – Guaranteed
• 5X optical plus 5Xdigital zoom
• High capacity rechargeable lithium battery 1250mAh for 2 tank dive+ (2+ hours or 200+ pics)
• Auto focus to 2″ (5cm)
• Fast shutter response time and quick start-up for fast action photography (As fast as 0.1 sec in Ext Flash mode and infinity focus)
• 640×480 large format Video mode with Sound
• Sea mode with 4 UW color correction settings for blue and green water conditions at shallow or deeper depths)
• External Flash Auto mode for automatic exposure settings when using one or two external flash accessories. Ideal for beginner and intermediate UW photographers
• Ext Flash Manual mode for manual aperture and shutter speed exposure controls when using one or two external flash accessories. Ideal for advanced UW photographers
• Snorkel mode with color correction setting matching shallow water light conditions
• Spy Mode – The camera automatically shoots continuous pictures at set time intervals. Ideal for wildlife photography or other hard-to-shoot subjects
• Plus 11 Land modes – Automatically pre-sets the camera for the type of scene. Includes Anti-shake and aperture/shutter priority
• Expandability with SeaLife wide angle lens (SL970) and up to two Digital Pro Flashes (SL961)
• Removable inner camera for use on Land & Sea
• Big shutter button and widespread controls for easy access, even with dive gloves on.

The DC1000 is also available in with optional accessories as shown above. On the left is the DC1000 Elite; the other is the DC1000 Maxx.

2. SeaLife DC800

Until the recent announcement of the DC1000 (which will be available in March 2009), SeaLife’s flagship camera has been the DC800, featuring 8 megapixels CCD sensor.

Like its newer cousin, the DC800 also comes in three which includes the camera itself and the option of attaching one or two Digital Pro Flashes. The two variants are known as the DC800 Pro and DC800 Maxx respectively.

Main features:

• Large 2.7″ LCD for easy on-camera viewing
• 4X optical zoom plus 5X digital
• Auto focus to 2″ (5cm)
• High capacity rechargeable lithium battery 1250mAh for 2 tank dive+ (2+ hours or 200+ pics)
• Fast shutter response time and quick start-up for fast action photography ( As fast as 0.1 sec in Ext Flash mode and landscape focus mode)
• 22 Land modes – Automatically pre-sets the camera for the type of scene. Includes Face-detection, Anti-shake and aperture/shutter priority
• 640×480 Video mode with Sound
• Depth tested to 200 ft (60m)
• Wide angle optical lens 28mm to 112mm film equivalent
• Sea mode with 3 UW color correction settings (Oceans Blue, Oceans Green and Rivers/Lakes)
• External Flash Auto mode for automatic exposure settings when using one or two external flash accessories ideal for beginner and intermediate UW photographers
• Ext Flash Manual mode for manual aperture and shutter speed exposure controls when using one or two external flash accessories. Ideal for advanced UW photographers
• Spy Mode – The camera automatically shoots continuous pictures at set time intervals
• Pocket size removable inner camera
• Rubber armored for durability and sure grip
• Big shutter button and widespread controls for easy access, even with dive gloves on.

3. Canon PowerShot D10

The 12.1-megapixel Canon PowerShot D10, Canon’s first waterproof camera, dives up to 10 metres or about 100 30 feet.

Canon says the camera is “engineered for those with an adventurous, active lifestyle” due to its combination of “take-anywhere levels of toughness with exceptional image quality.”

Main features:

• Waterproof (to 10m), shockproof (1.22m), freeze-proof (-10°C), dust-proof digital camera
• 12.1 Megapixels
• 3.0x optical zoom with optical Image Stabilizer (35-105mm)
• Smart Auto mode with Scene Detection Technology
• DIGIC 4 for ultra-fast response, superb image quality and intelligent
• Image Stabiliser and Motion Detection Technology
• Face Detection Technology, Face Select & Track and Blink Detection – plus FaceSelf-Timer and Auto Red-Eye Correction technologies
• Range of shooting modes and Special Scene modes
• 30fps VGA movies

4. Olympus Stylus TOUGH-8000

The Stylus 8000 is a 12-megapixel camera featuring 3.6x wide zoom lenses, which Olympus says will be “great for taking awesome wide-angle photos of rugged terrain and for zooming in on the distant bits that you can’t get to!”

The lens starts at 28mm and ends at 102mm.

Main features:

• Shockproof (2m), waterproof (10m), crushproof to 100kg and freezeproof (-10°C)
• High-precision 3.6x wide optical zoom (28-102mm)
• Dual Image Stabilisation (mechanical and digital image stabilisation)
• TAP Control Menu for great convenience also when wearing gloves
• 12 Megapixels
• Face Detection
• Intelligent Auto Mode detects the five most commonly used scenes and adjusts settings, focus and exposure automatically
• Easy checking of air and water pressure thanks to on-screen manometer
• LED illuminator to lighten up underwater or macro sceneries
• Movie recording with sound (up to VGA resolution at 30fps)

5. Olympus Stylus TOUGH-6000

TOUGH-6000 is TOUGH-8000′s “younger” brother and shares some of the features except that it has lower resolution of 10 megapixels. Unlike its big brother, it won’t be able to dive deep — only up to 3m, but good enough for “snokerling photography”.

Main features:

• Shockproof (1.5m), waterproof (3m) and freezeproof (-10°C)
• 3.6x wide optical zoom (28-102mm)
• Dual Image Stabilisation (mechanical and digital image stabilisation)
• TAP Control Menu for great convenience also when wearing gloves
• 10 Megapixels
• Face Detection
• Intelligent Auto Mode detects the five most commonly used scenes and adjusts settings, focus and exposure automatically
• LED illuminator to lighten up underwater or macro sceneries
• Movie recording with sound (up to VGA resolution at 30fps)