4 replies to this topic

[trygon]

If anyone is looking for a good, well built, small camera then I would highly recommend this camera.  It is waterproof to 50 feet, GPS enabled, has WIFi, shootsRAW and 1080p HD, has super macro modes, has an f2.0 lens, is 16 megapixels, and crush, dust, freeze and shockproof.  Plus a whole lot of other stuff.

It is also small and lightweight, fitting nicely in a shirt or pants pocket.  A couple of weekends ago I took mine out for an underwater trial, I've been shooting it for quite a while on dry land and thought it was about time to get it wet.  The macro modes focus to within 1/2" or so and the field of view is fairly narrow and since there aren't that many macro subjects in freshwater the examples I'm going to show you are from dry land.  None of the following images have been cropped, but the underwater images have been tweaked for contrast.

This is a handheld image from about an inch away.  Normal macro.

 

Handheld from less than an inch in super macro.  I was lucky, this newly emerged mayfly didn't want to move.

 

The following are closeups shot in program mode, when the camera makes most of the exposure decisions, but the user can control exposure compensation/value.

Shot in full sun, ISO 400 I think.  Easy-peasy when they come and look at me.

 

Same conditions, this one got a little lost in the background.  It won't be long before this TN dace is in his spawning finery.

 

Even though the flash is usable underwater I wouldn't recommend using it, except in exceptionally clear and silt free water as backscatter (particles reflecting light from the flash back to the sensor) could be a problem as the flash is just slightly off the axis of the lens.  This is a great little available light camera for under $400 dollars.  If one wants or needs to take this little gem deeper than 50 feet Olympus makes a housing rated for 150 feet and will support external strobe.  This camera can get you into underwater photography for a very reasonable price.

[Casper]

Excellent review Bryce.

Does it have a LED spotlight feature that you can turn on and illuminate an object in the shadows or under a rock like a crayfish or hiding darter?

My old Olympus did and i found it very useful in many cases.

It did not create the backscatter as a flash does.

[trygon]

Yes it does. It can be configured to work manually, like a flashlight, or in conjunction with one of the macro modes. When used with a macro mode it will come on when the shutter button is pressed half way and stay on for about 90 seconds or until the photograph is taken.

[Casper]

I really liked that feature.  It came in handy on overcast days when doing closeups.

[Isaac Szabo]

Nice review Bryce. Thanks for taking the time to share this. Sometimes people ask me to recommend a good waterproof compact camera, but it's a difficult question because there are many different models and I have no direct experience with any of them. So it's good to know that this is one of the best options available.