We’re the type of travelers that like to have the convenience of taking a pic wherever we feel there could be a good photo (like while floating in the beautiful Caribbean water!) but, we don’t want to be trekking through the islands with lots of heavy and expensive equipment. So, when we recently broke the camera housing for our point and shoot camera, we started to research possibilities for a new camera – one that didn’t have to be placed in a separate housing unit.
After reading some reviews and spending some time at the electronics store, we ended up purchasing an Olympus TG-1iHS 12 MP Waterproof Digital Camera.
We’re not saying this is THE BEST waterproof camera out there – we haven’t had an opportunity to try many of the others, but we thought we’d tell you of our experience with this one, in case you’re doing some research on a new waterproof camera of your own.
What we like:
1. No camera housing. Seems really strange to just walk into the water with your camera without adding any housing or protection of any kind, but you can with this one!
2. Fast shutter speed. The regular setting is fairly fast, and if you set it to the sport setting, you can take numerous shots in rapid succession – perfect when you’re trying to capture that barracuda swimming by…
3. Large viewfinder. Good for making sure you’ve got that cool turtle in the shot.
4. Picture clarity. As long as the lens doesn’t have any water spots, the photos are very clear!
5. It has a rechargeable battery and it seems that the battery keeps a charge for fairly long, which helps when you want to spend LOTS of time in the beautiful water.
The camera also has video capabilities, but we haven’t had the chance to try that feature out yet. The camera is waterproof to 40 ft., shockproof and sturdy. So far, we really don’t have any complaints.
The bad news? The Olympus TG-1iHS seems to have been discontinued. The good news? It’s been replaced with an updated version – the Olympus Stylus TG-2 iHS Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD (Black)
Do you have the Olympus TG-1 or TG-2? If so, what are your thoughts on its performance? Or – do you have another waterproof camera that you would recommend?
I currently have a Panasonic Lumix DMC – TS20. I use it both in ocean salt and inland fresh water, and it works very well. I use it for video as well and while not a deep diving camera, it has not leaked so far, which my Olympus one did after about two months. It was very handy in Iraq as well, it is perfect for dirty outdoors conditions like sand, dust, and generally rough weather. I think it was about 1/2 the price of the TG-1. But is fun for what it does and if you are only looking at occassional use, it is a great buy for the money.
Thanks Robert!
My girlfriend has a Canon waterproof camera. I cant remember what model but I remember that it was around $600. This camera seems to have better quality photos than the Canon of my girlfriend