I've been looking around for an underwater compact too. More for snorkelling than diving now as i've yet to get my OW license. Would prefer to get waterproof camera than pairing it with a housing.

Have you guys checked out the new waterproof Olympus 770SW (up to 33ft) and Pentax Optio W30 (10ft depth)? What do you think of those two models? The Oly 770SW would have fit my requirements if it allows Custom White Balance!

Let me know what you think.

Reviews from ScubaDiverInfo and there are some sample pictures there as well :

Olympus Stylus 770SW



Review from http://www.scubadiverinfo.com/3_cameras_olympus_770sw.html


We like:
- Real diving now possible with new 33 feet depth limit
- Can actually handle depths of 66 feet and more (not recommended, but we tested it)
- Inherent waterproofing provides peace of mind when handling in/around water
- Can survive 5-foot drops and 14 degree temperature!
- Optional PT-035 underwater case good for 133 feet diving
- Superb wide-angle, high-res LCD
- Very good underwater macro mode
- LED illumination and manometer useful.

Not so much:
- Use of underwater wide-angle modes requires practice
- Strictly point & shoot
- Elegant metal body easily gets scratched, so get optional protective skin (US$15)
- Wish it'd fit into the PT-033 case
- Need better handstrap for underwater use
- Uses often hard-to-find xD-Picture Card


Pentax Optio W30



Review from http://scubadiverinfo.com/3_cameras_pentax_w30.html


We like:
- Waterproof down to 10 feet
- Internal optical zoom
- Excellent underwater image and movie quality
- Innovative synchro sound mode
- Digital shake reduction with ISO up to 3200
- Versatile, useful "Green Mode" button

Not so much:
- Low-res, narrow viewing angle LCD
- Fairly large
- Needs better handstrap and protective boot underwater
- No autofocus illuminator light

This post has been edited by ashlight: May 21 2007, 11:30 PM

33ft is barely 10m depth. for snorkling it'll be fine, but for diving i think you should consider a housing to bring it down to greater depths.

I can ask my dad n c but most probably u need around 10 ppl n u can get around 10 % discount for the group i think...

Paintball happens to b 1 of my favourite too.. Hehe..

Yeah.. 10 m for snorkelling is fine.. But from the reviews i read the 770 pic quality is bad coz its bulid for endurance rather than pic quality...

gov means government ?? taking photo under water also need certified ? never heard of ler .... can giv me details ??


haha this is my fren specially bought olympus u720sw for the redang trip. and this is the last photo b4 it ends it life coz dive more then 3 meters......




This post has been edited by kevinyong84: May 24 2007, 11:48 AM

I don't know abt you guys but i'm using olympus 720sw with under water casing (up to 40M depth). I brought this cam around last year at S'pore expo for SG999. It work wonderful for me as this cam already a waterproof itself, no danger of the casing leaking to caused any damages to the cam. So no need for double seal.

For new starter, either you buy a casing for your existing cam or you get a very good one because you won't want to change your cam and casing every 1-2 yrs. Which ever cam you going to get, it need to support your needs for at least 2-3 yrs.

My advise to take underwater pic, is better if you did more than 10 dives at least. This is to get your buyoancy control much better so that you don't go bang to the corals (we not worry abt u getting hurt but the damages to the reefs). IMHO, Diving is still an extreme sport, so is better that you are comfortable with the equipment and more experience before taking up something extra.

Remember, once you start taking photos, just the basic setup will never be enough. You will upgrade the cam with additional stuffs like strob, lens, etc.. even the extended arm cost more than the cam or the flash.. When you see other pro pic and compare with your one, you just need to buy the extra stuffs for it...it will slowly poison you to buy and buy and buy... I already dying bcoz of this... keep away if you can.....

yeah. diving isn't cheap and the equipment. if you wanna get a good set be ready to pay around rm7k.

i've done 30+ dives, i've got my advance as well. when i think about it, i did ALL my dives with my instructor. he's a really good diver with a sharp eye and he's a photographer.

he uses one of the sony cybershots, its around 3-4 years old, 4 megapixels.
not exactly a dream camera today but he takes some wonderful shots, only with the camera, no strobes or cranes/claws/arms.

if you aren't a really serious diver, camera and housing will do.

and on buoyancy, you'll get it over time, you need good buoyancy for sipadan though, otherwise, you'll end up at 40+ metres. dangerous.

i actually thought of those 2 models... but then 33ft is not good enough without an extra casing... as we are diving obviously more than 10 meters...

i am planning to get the sony w80 with the marine pack... what do u guys think???

i took this picture in redang wif sony P100 + marine pack

This post has been edited by ymtoh: Jul 7 2007, 05:46 PM

Just wanna revive this topic. Thread starter, have you bought your camera+casing? How much? I would like to buy one recently. I saw one website where this guy use Canon A80, checkout his website. Photos are all superb.

http://www.malaysia-islands.com/html/sipad.../mid-reef.shtml

And this guy is using Olympus SP350 (below):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/leafbug/sets/72157600313148900/

This post has been edited by freshyyf: Aug 13 2007, 02:43 PM

I'm also planning to get a proper underwater digicam. Tired of using disposable camera, quality not good. That Olympus looks good, I wonder how much is it now....

The 2nd hand Olympus SP350 most probably cost less than RM800. So does the 2nd hand casing. But the strobe will be expensive. Say RM 2500 - RM 3000 for a complete 2nd hand set, inclusive everything. Just my estimation from the research I did in the internet.

Hehe, thanks! malaysia-islands.com is my pride and joy. Yes, right now still am using A80 + WPDC-900 u/w casing. Before this I used Canon A70 before underwater leak rendered the camera broken for good.

Anyone try the Fujifilm F30/F31fd + underwater casing?
Underwater = low-light = F30/F31fd (best high ISO compact camera)
The camera + underwater casing = < RM2k.

This post has been edited by pac1: Oct 27 2007, 03:04 PM

anyone know where i can get 2nd hand housing for d70s?

thanks..