Affordable Waterproof Cameras Make Waves
Fun, tough options are now available for less than $180.
Oct. 21, 2010— -- People may love splashing around in the pool, but most electronics do not.
If you want to capture those water-filled memories, there are two choices.
The first is a waterproof enclosure designed for your digital camera or camcorder. The second is a waterproof digital camera or camcorder.
Enclosures allow you to take advantage of the features and image quality of higher-end cameras and camcorders. But if they're not used properly, you risk damaging the camera.
A wide range of companies, including Canon, Sony and Panasonic, offer tough, waterproof digital cameras and camcorders, but with list prices generally around $400.
Recently, however, rivals from the days of film have brought to market waterproof imaging products that break the $200 barrier and can even capture full high-definition (1080p) video.
Their main differences lie in their still-capture capabilities, form factor, and ease of use.
The $179 Fujifilm Finepix XP10 is a 12 megapixel (MP) digital camera with features taken for granted in a low-end digital still camera. It includes a flash and 5x optical zoom. It also boasts an "auto-intelligent" setting for picking the proper scene mode, depending on what it's seeing.
The new camera is a successor to the company's first waterproof cameras, the Z33WP series. And with it, Fujiflm has upped the image and video capture resolution, but retained its somewhat toothy shape. The camera is also shockproof and dustproof.
The $149 Kodak PlaySport follows a number of hit camcorders, such as the Zi6 and Zi8, introduced to compete with the Flip camcorder (now owned by Cisco).
(According to NPD's Retail Tracking Service, sub-$200 camcorders like these now account for 56 percent of the camcorder market.)
Like the XP10, it has a distinctive (although more traditional) design, with a rounded top and bottom, and a playful two-tone color scheme of white and purple. Like the XP10, the PlaySport is rated to be used in depths of up to 10 feet.
Unlike the Fujifilm digital camera, it can capture only five-megapixel stills and they are shot in the same widescreen format as its video. However, while the pictures may be a bit soft, they have better color saturation than the Fujifilm's. And Kodak's user interface makes it easier to switch between video and stills.
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