Camera for a boat

[zeehag]

i use a sony cybershot i bought in 2008 for 55 usd at navy exchange. it was reconditioned.
i bought a second one, reconditioned also, in zihatenejo. not a bad lil camera for the money. 7.2 pixels. there are more and lesser ones.. get as many pixels as possible for least dough
i WANT a dslr. and lenses.

[Freedom45]

I have a Nikon Coolpix AW110...water proof, takes still or hd video, fits in pocket.
5x optical zoom. flash...gps? why they put gps in camera...I don't know.

Chuck

[rebel heart]

I've got:

- 2 gopros
- 1 contour
- my canon super zoom (body of an slr, 30x physical zoom, no lenses)
- my phone
- a mini-tripod
- flash diffuser


It's a bit of a drag because the best photos come from good cameras taken with good composition, and every setting has it's "perfect" camera which of course you won't have with you.

If I had to pick one I'd go with a point and shoot Canon. You'll actually have it with you, it packs light, and I trust Canon optics. Having a nice big beefy camera is "better" but only if you have it with you along with a tripod (or monopod), lenses, batteries, and don't mind lugging it about.

These are some shots I've taken with my Canon super zoom. It's a terrific camera and if you want to go further than a point and shoot but not necessarily get into SLR's, check them out. Click for full resolution.













For whatever it's worth, on that bottom shot there I was ~25x zoomed, used the 2 second delay feature, and had the camera on a mini tripod which was lashed to a chair on the roof of a building. I probably took 30 shots just of that scene. I'm not claiming it's great, but normally for every 5 shots I take 1 will be worth keeping and of those maybe ~5% are anything I'd put online or think is worth sharing.

[rebel heart]

Sometimes I see these *perfect* shots, or what could be a perfect shot, but you need to spend 20 minutes shooting from all kinds of angles (if the sun will even cooperate) to maybe get close to what you can imagine it looking like.

This was one of those where I could see what I wanted in my mind but I just couldn't get the shot. Drives me crazy. The "bay of dreams", the rusted fish hooks, the desert, the sky, etc.

[tomfl]

Originally Posted by zeehag

snip

... get as many pixels as possible for least dough
i WANT a dslr. and lenses.

I don't agree. Both my friend Seng and her husband Dick taught me that all pixels are not created equal. Carver Mead described Dick as the most creative engineer he knew. Digital cameras have a sensor used to capture the image. The sensor is composed of an array of detectors that use wells to collect photons and when enough photons are collected the well is activated. That data is used to create an image composed of picture elements, sometimes called pixels.

There are somewhat standard sizes for the sensors in a digital camera and if you cram too many detectors on a sensor the electric current warms up the sensor and creates noise which degrades image quality. Bottom line is that more pixels does not always mean more image quality.

[MarkSF]

Yes that's quite true, the trend towards more and more megapixels is purely marketing-driven. A better way to chose a camera is on the physical size of the sensor - the bigger, the better.

So for the boat I'm using a cheap, $110 Panasonic - it's not waterproof, but I could buy 3 or 4 of them for the price of one waterproof model. Pictures are excellent in good light.

[rebel heart]

Some of Canon's new models even have less megapixels than their predecessors. It was nice to see a company stop the megapixel marketing nonsense.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by WindLove

Thanks for the suggestions. I like the goPro from what I have seen but they are wide angle or (whatever it is) and probably not good for regular photos. Plus I do need a flash. Thanks,

For video or stills, GoPro should probably be your last choice because you stated that you don't need a diving camera -- only weather proof.

For video, take a look at this comparison. I think the Olympus TG-2 and Panasonic DMC-TS5A look the best.

Rugged Waterproof Cam Video Battle 2013 - YouTube

You'll find any of the cameras in that comparison will fit your needs. Do your own research to decide among those and you won't go wrong.

PS - I am not going to buy Nikon again because I've had a recent unhappy experience with their repair policies and pricing, but that might happen with any of those others too. Nikon has been voted off my island.