Mark Sanders has told us about his several kayaking cameras; now it's my turn. I switched from film to digital almost nine years ago, but it was only a partial switch, as I was unable to find a waterproof digital camera that had the quality of my Nikonos V film camera. My practice on wilderness kayaking and camping trips up till now has been to carry the Nikonos under my PFD (carefully leashed to the PFD!) for use on water and a digital SLR and accessories in the cockpit between my knees for use on land. (I kept the DSLR inside a camera bag for which I had made a drybag liner.) To say the least, this was hardly the ideal solution, as it made entering and exiting the cockpit an awkward experience. For several years I've wanted a quality carry-around digital camera, but until last year none of the pocket cameras, including the waterproof ones, had good reviews for picture quality, and very few could save raw files. Then, last October, after reading several positive reviews, I bought a Sony DSC-RX100 camera. It has everything I could wish for but one -- it's not waterproof. There are several waterproof housings available for it, but the good ones, such as Recsea and Nauticam, cost half again as much as the camera; the $400 Ikelite is suited only for underwater use; and the flexible bags are awkward at best, if they fit at all. Recently, though, I read about a new, Chinese-made housing for the RX100, the Meike MK-RX100, aka the Meikon-42. It is compact (about the size of the Nikonos), appears to offer full control over the camera, has a 67mm thread for a lens hood or other accessory, a diffuser for the flash, and best of all, costs less than $200. Though hardly a pocket camera, it is still small enough for use from a kayak, and it looks like it will probably work for one-hand use. If you also have an RX100, I suggest you look into it. I plan to order one in the next month or two. http://www.divervision.com/catalog/rx100-housing-for-sony-cyber-shot-rx100b- cameras-p-1939.html Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I've been happy with my Canon S95 in a waterproof case, but I'm jealous of the big chip in your Sony. I lost my Pentax waterproof camera, but I mostly only used it for video, as the stills just weren't that great. I miss having it though for east of use. I'm getting used to the big WP case, but it's a bit intrusive. The S95 can shoot raw files, but I didn't find I was able to manipulate them enough to make it worthwhile. Perhaps I should work on it a bit more. I've taken my old Canon Rebel SLR out with a 300mm zoom for some whale hunts and to shoot a surfski race a while back. A bit nerve wracking with no WP case! No guts, no glory! Here's some shots with the S95 from a recent mild RG day. http://www.sandmarks.net/ElMoroRG/ElMoro1.html Let us see some of the results of that new camera some time! Mark Sanders www.sandmarks.net www.rockgardenkayaking.com On 3/11/2013 3:43 PM, Charles Holst wrote: > Mark Sanders has told us about his several kayaking cameras; now it's my > turn. > > > > > > For several years I've wanted a quality carry-around digital camera, but > until last year none of the pocket cameras, including the waterproof ones, > had good reviews for picture quality, and very few could save raw files. > Then, last October, after reading several positive reviews, I bought a Sony > DSC-RX100 camera. It has everything I could wish for but one -- it's not > waterproof. There are several waterproof housings available for it, but the > good ones, such as Recsea and Nauticam, cost half again as much as the > camera; the $400 Ikelite is suited only for underwater use; and the flexible > bags are awkward at best, if they fit at all. Recently, though, I read about > a new, Chinese-made housing for the RX100, the Meike MK-RX100, aka the > Meikon-42. It is compact (about the size of the Nikonos), appears to offer > full control over the camera, has a 67mm thread for a lens hood or other > accessory, a diffuser for the flash, and best of all, costs less than $200. > Though hardly a pocket camera, it is still small enough for use from a > kayak, and it looks like it will probably work for one-hand use. If you also > have an RX100, I suggest you look into it. I plan to order one in the next > month or two. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Looks like fun, Mark. You certainly captured a lot of action. It'll be a while before I can post any photos. First, I have to get the Meike housing, and I'm waiting to do that until after I know what my tax bill will be. Second, unlike last March, this March has been colder than normal, and the water still has a hard scum on it. Last year, we only got out on the water (Lake Superior) once, thanks in part to a long list of remodeling projects my wife made up for me. There was a bald eagle in our neighbor's tree for a few minutes yesterday. I grabbed my DSLR and managed to get two shots of it in the tree and three of it flying in my general direction. An old film photographer, I completely forgot to use burst mode, but still got some decent single shots. I was surprised to see it so far from the Mississippi. Chuck Holst *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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