Asking about water proof Cameras

[Paddle Power]

I've been a fan of the pentax waterproof for years, but to the film days of the old proof version.

I've had a couple of the digital versions. Great little cameras.
Never had an issue with no lens cover, I keep it in my pfd pocket, rolls lots, etc.
I have always looked for the highest zoom, which pentax has done a good job of staying in the lead.

Do a search as this topic comes up every now and then.

[arhdc]

Now you are just being cruel . Not that we have ice or really a hard winter at all this year.

Maybe we will get a chance to head south sometime for some of that southern winter paddling.

[Stingray]

Thanks for the input, The pictures look great, green grass in the back ground with clear boating action in the front. Those boaters were dress for cold conditions.

See ya on the river

[PAC]

pentax waterproofs are pretty bomber... can take some serious h20 beat downs and get run over / tilled by a biston bully ! And still function... without a scratch on the len and staying waterproof.

Based on personal experience.

[sbroam]

I've been a Pentax fan since Dad bought me my first SLR when I was a teenager - I've had the WR-90 and now a DSLR and the W80. I'm the least in love with the W80... the battery / SD card cover make me nervous, water spots and fog on the lens are constant issues, and I seem to miss a lot of pictures, though the shutter lag isn't obviously bad. The battery life isn't great (or honestly, awful either) and you have to take it out to charge it - not sure how the latest one charges. I bought a third party spare battery and it stinks - I think I'd stick with OEM next time. It is really hard to compose with the screen in bright sun, but that is true of anything without a view finder.

That being said, it works well enough and a new/different one is expensive enough that I'll be using this one for a long time. It is tough enough to tether to shoulder strap and tuck in a PFD pocket, which is where this one lives.

[jharris]

I've heard good things about the Olympus Tough series (including earlier in this thread), but stay AWAY from the low-end Olympus waterproof cameras. I have a 550WP which is a waterproof "version" of one of their cheaper cameras from a few years back and isn't in the Tough line. It has awful battery life to the point where I need to carry spares for an average day on the water which is just a couple hours and at most 50 photos. It also focuses poorly and very, very slowly. The waterproof battery and cable doors are very hard to open when you want them to, but sometimes open up accidentally. The best thing I can say about it is that it IS waterproof and has yet to break