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From: Natalie Wiest <wiestn_at_tamug.tamu.edu>
subject: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 17:22:19 -0600
thanks to you who have responded so quickly, now here's a little twist.
It's beginning to look like the best way to go is to get a good digital
camera that has its own hardshell (uh-oh, are we going to go there...?)
plastic water proof case.  Has anyone out there used these cases very
extensively?  Here on Texas Gulf coast, it can get mighty hot during the
summer, and a camera in a clear plastic case just might cook in direct
sunlight.  Alternatives for that of course are that I could stuff it under
my pfd or maybe under bungie cords on the deck with an opaque cover  if it's
not too windy and wavey (technical terminology).  How big does this camera
plus case get to be?  I'm not a really big person and I don't want something
the size of even my small pelican case stuffed inside my pfd...  Gee, maybe
I should go the other direction and get a really BIG camera case to use it
for a paddle float.

Natalie Wiest
Galveston TX

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From: Steven A. Holtzman <sh_at_actglobal.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 16:06:17 -0800
Now that's a great marketing idea!!! A camera case/paddlefloat. I think you
may get rich with this one Natalie--or at least you'll be able to buy
another camera if the first one dies. ;-)

----- Original Message -----
From: Natalie Wiest
To: Paddlewise
Sent: December 10, 2001 3:22 PM
Subject: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras


  Gee, maybe
I should go the other direction and get a really BIG camera case to use it
for a paddle float.

Natalie Wiest
Galveston TX

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From: Michael Daly <michaeldaly_at_rogers.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 19:39:39 -0500
From: "Natalie Wiest" <wiestn_at_tamug.tamu.edu>


> thanks to you who have responded so quickly, 

We just sit here waiting...

> plastic water proof case.  Has anyone out there used these cases very
> extensively?  Here on Texas Gulf coast, it can get mighty hot during the
> summer, and a camera in a clear plastic case just might cook in direct
> sunlight.  Alternatives for that of course are that I could stuff it under
> my pfd or maybe under bungie cords on the deck with an opaque cover  if it's
> not too windy and wavey (technical terminology).  

This is probably an issue.  I'd be inclined to keep the case covered and not in
the sun.  You could make a little padded camera carry based on Bob Denton's
modified water-bottle-carrier-turned-deck-bag (one option I would seriously
consider!)

> How big does this camera plus case get to be? 

Check this page for the Sony I mentioned:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2001_reviews/p5.html  (WP case near bottom of page)

and this for the Canon that someone else recommended:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canondigitalixus300/page4.asp  (ditto)

I've seen other cases for other cameras that can get bulky (especially SLRs), but 
for most point-and-shoot sized digitals, they tend to be comparable to the two
here (that is, case size relative to camera size).  The Canon (a teensy camera!) 
in the case is probably not much bigger than the Pentax 105WR!  Either would 
likely fit under your PFD.

Mike

PS - I'm not recommending any camera, since I haven't used them.  The ones I've mentioned
are well reviewed, however.  A friend has the Canon and loves it.



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From: Nick Schade <schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 08:59:21 -0500
You could just have a light nylon stuff-sack that you keep the camera 
out of the direct sun. My S300 waterproof case is still quite small - 
about the size of a typical SLR camera body.

At 5:22 PM -0600 12/10/01, Natalie Wiest wrote:
>thanks to you who have responded so quickly, now here's a little twist.
>It's beginning to look like the best way to go is to get a good digital
>camera that has its own hardshell (uh-oh, are we going to go there...?)
>plastic water proof case.  Has anyone out there used these cases very
>extensively?  Here on Texas Gulf coast, it can get mighty hot during the
>summer, and a camera in a clear plastic case just might cook in direct
>sunlight.  Alternatives for that of course are that I could stuff it under
>my pfd or maybe under bungie cords on the deck with an opaque cover  if it's
>not too windy and wavey (technical terminology).  How big does this camera
>plus case get to be?  I'm not a really big person and I don't want something
>the size of even my small pelican case stuffed inside my pfd...  Gee, maybe
>I should go the other direction and get a really BIG camera case to use it
>for a paddle float.
>
>Natalie Wiest
>Galveston TX
>
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>here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire
>responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author.
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-- 
Nick Schade
Guillemot Kayaks
824 Thompson St
Glastonbury, CT 06033
(860) 659-8847
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From: Michael Daly <michaeldaly_at_rogers.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 11:11:00 -0500
Just a note on other things to consider with a digital camera.

If you want a camera for nothing more than a weekend kayak trip,  just 
about any one will do.  If, on the other hand, you want to have a camera 
that will provide for a two or three week trip away from civilization, there 
are a few things to consider:

Memory:

There are several types of memory and these are basically your "film".
Most cameras use memory cards.  Some cards, like the Sony Memory Stick,
are proprietary and are available from one company only.  Sony's product
tends to lag the others in capacity and is slightly higher in price.  This adds
up when you consider how many memory cards you need to last a couple
of weeks.  Smart media and Compact flash cards are more common and
a tad cheaper.

There are disk based storage solutions as well.  They can be cheaper than
memory cards.  CD-R cameras are available.  But my concern with CD-R is
that the overall market is driven by computers and entertainment and not 
by cameras.  Since recordable DVD is breaking out and will likely take over,
CD-R may not have a future.  IBM's Microdrive is cool and is cheaper than
memory cards if you want high capacity (up to 1GB of storage).  Not all cameras
can use this, however.  The downside is that it contains moving parts and is more
fragile than a memory card - something to consider if you're kayaking.

You can save memory on a long trip by editing your photos every night.  However, you
need a good sized display to winnow out the bad stuff and the 2 inch display on the
back of the camera isn't good enough (bring a high-end, color PDA? laptop? yeesh!)
This technique will also consume more battery power.

Power:

There are two classes of batteries: proprietary and generic.  Proprietary batteries are 
more expensive and only available from a single company.  Generics include both 
standard battery packs (oddball container, but shared by several companies) and the 
good old AA.  The best, IMNSHO, is a camera that uses AA batteries.  You can get
high energy alkaline, NiCd, NiMH, Lithium ($$$) and in the near future (I hope), 
rechargable Li ion.  For a long trip, just run down to the local big-box shopping club and
buy a chest full of AAs and you're off.  Since these fit your VHF, flashlight etc, you can 
trade them from one to the other as need arises.

You can get a recharger that is solar powered to help with the power, but you won't want it
on deck (corrosion of the recharger and batteries), so it'll only be useful on land.  It's an 
option, but not extremely reliable (unless you rest on sunny days at noon and paddle 
evenings and in the rain).

One of the main reasons I haven't bought a digital camera is that I haven't found one with 
the features I want and that uses regular AA and memory cards.  Sony, Nikon and many
others all use proprietary stuff.  HP, Kodak and others do use generic batteries and memory,
but tend to lack the other features.  Sigh...  In time...

Mike

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From: Nick Schade <schade_at_guillemot-kayaks.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 12:55:18 -0500
At 11:11 AM -0500 12/11/01, Michael Daly wrote:
>Just a note on other things to consider with a digital camera.
>
>If you want a camera for nothing more than a weekend kayak trip,  just
>about any one will do.  If, on the other hand, you want to have a camera
>that will provide for a two or three week trip away from civilization, there
>are a few things to consider:
>
>Memory:
>Snip
>Power:
>Snip



These are definitely issues. I was waiting to get over the waterproof 
with zoom hurtle which is solved with the case. The memory and power 
issues were less of a concern. When it comes right down to it, most 
of my trips are day trips, I've got my old film camera for longer 
expeditions.

My Canon S300 uses Compact Flash cards for the memory. One 8M card 
holds about 20 1600x1200 fine compression pictures. This is not 
enough for a long trip, but higher capacity cards are available. 
Although the CF card may become out dated, it will always work with 
the camera. Long term storage can by CD or DVD if you have a burner.

The S300 uses a proprietary battery which because it is so small does 
not last that long. AA would be more convenient  but the camera would 
be bigger. Future versions may shrink everything enough that AA 
batteries could be used and still have a small camera. I purchased an 
extra battery so I could swap out as necessary.
Nick
-- 
Nick Schade
Guillemot Kayaks
824 Thompson St
Glastonbury, CT 06033
(860) 659-8847
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From: James Hagan <hagan_at_virginia.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 13:22:03 -0500
On the issue of battery life: I use a Canon G1, ( the current model 
is G2) with a lithium-ion battery. I have a backup battery but have 
never needed it. I regularly shoot 256 MB of stuff with no sign of 
loosing power. By the way, the G1 is quite small and fits in a tiny 
drybox.

jimH
-- 
James Hagan
"http://cosmicoven.com"

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From: Mary Zuschlag <mzuschlag_at_attbi.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 11:21:28 -0800
Well that has not been the experience with my Nikon coolpix or any of the
Canons I looked at.  They take a standard compact flash memory card and
standard AA batteries.  I use the rechargeable nimh AA batteries, in fact my
camera came with energizer batteries.  Here is a great article about compact
flash memory.
 http://www.steves-digicams.com/high-capacity_storage.html

Olympus uses smart media cards which are a little more expensive (I own an
Olympus digital as well).

They are making Compact flash in all sorts of memory range.  I have a 128
card in my camera and with 2 megapixels I get about 160 pictures.  Plenty
for me!


visit my website: http://www.mzuschlag.com


One of the main reasons I haven't bought a digital camera is that I haven't
found one with
the features I want and that uses regular AA and memory cards.  Sony, Nikon
and many
others all use proprietary stuff.  HP, Kodak and others do use generic
batteries and memory,
but tend to lack the other features.  Sigh...  In time...

***************************************************************************


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From: Michael Daly <michaeldaly_at_rogers.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 19:19:25 -0500
From: "Mary Zuschlag" <mzuschlag_at_attbi.com>
> Well that has not been the experience with my Nikon coolpix 

Ooops.  I should have been specific and said "the Nikons I've been 
looking at".  For some reason, there are several different batteries
used across the Nikon line.  The ones that have the features I want
use the EN-EL1 battery.

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From: Mark Colvin <mcolvindvm_at_earthlink.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 20:54:48 -0700
I have the Sony Cybershot P-1.  And just got back from a trip to the Virgin
Islands Kayaking. I Bought the underwater housing.
Positives:  Camera is small Fits in my shirt pocket
                UW case is simple to use and allows near full function.
                Great pictures With 64 mb memory chip can get  70+ shot at
1600x1200 plus a mini movie or two

Negatives: Camera HATES SAND (soon to send in for cleaning)
                  Water spot on UW case lens must be watched or great pics
look like Witness prection shots
                Paralax while snorkling is hard to compensate for
                Quirk of loading into uw case is the camera is set to the
movie function so you have to watch that you then switch to still before
taking shots


all in all I like the camera.  Does anyone know if a product like RainX
would lessen the water spot problem?

Mark


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From: Allan McLane <amcl_at_sover.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Waterproof digital cameras
Date: Fri, 14 Dec 2001 08:53:14 -0500
On Thu, 13 Dec 2001 20:54:48 -0700, Mark Colvin wrote:

>all in all I like the camera.  Does anyone know if a product like RainX
>would lessen the water spot problem?

Just a guess, but the lens coatings might fail...

--allan


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