water is the enemy of most technological devices cameras included so what are
your solutions for keeping your camera dry while still being able to capture
the memories that you're making in and around water Teran suggested buying an
aquarium to put the camera inside and shooting downward like a glass bottom
boat but surely there's a better way let's look into
it cooler Master's master case maker 5
features their free form modul system allowing you to customize adjust and
upgrade make it yours more info in the link in the video description let's open
with a retro solution the classic disposable waterproof camera this
Fujifilm quick snap is limited to 27 shots needs to be developed at a photo
lab costs $15 and isn't rated for depths
greater than what you'd reach while snorkeling the advantages are that it
floats making it hard to lose and if you're using an older smartphone the
resulting digital negatives will deliver higher quality prints however I'm not a
huge fan of the solution for the reasons outlin so let's get into the more modern
ones like this generic dry bag for smartphones this one is from jtec these
simple little pges are shaped to fit your smartphone protecting it from
splashes and dirt and even allowing you to fully submerge your device here is
the biggest problem with using a dry bag like this as your waterproof solution
using your screen can be frustrating most camera controls and even the
shutter button on most phones is controlled through the touch screen
which would frequently fail to register touches my recommendation here is to map
your shutter button to a hardware button on your phone which as long as you're
happy with full auto operation will allow you to not have to fiddle with
your onscreen buttons iPhones use the volume buttons by default and some
Android phones have dedicated buttons but if yours doesn't there are apps that
enable this functionality this will also allow you to press the shutter button
underwater since touch screens do not operate well when fully submerged the
other possibly even more frustrating issue I face when using these dry bags
was the frequent unintentional screen presses caused by water splashing onto
the screen during use this is just a limitation of a capacitive touchscreen
so unless we want to go back to pressure sensitive technology it's likely you
like me will end up with Zoomin and pictures taken that were never intended
thankfully we don't pay for film anymore and without having to spend hours in
Lightroom tweaking at least the image quality seems surprisingly okay but I
would still describe these dry bags as at best a possible lowbudget solution if
your main goal is to keep your phone safe from the elements which it did a
great job of and the actual usage of your device is second secondary if
however consistent usage of your device is more important to you you might want
to give a waterproof case made specifically for your model of phone a
shot in this case we picked a Lifeproof enclosure made for the Galaxy S7 called
The Fray this solution proved to be much more functional since the buttons on the
case are formed to your phone allowing use with your devices physical buttons
to be much easier the case also did not register as many accidental inputs
making the camera with water splashing around a much more manageable experience
I found myself appreciating how much more comfortable the case was to use for
regular use above water since the form factor was much easier to manage not to
mention the advantage of not needing to suit up your phone before entering the pool cost-wise this case comes in at
nearly five times more than a generic dry bag and it can only be used with the
smartphone model it's made for however if you're a casual underwater photo
Taker and care about regular use of your phone while on a trip or you spend a lot
of time around water this is probably the best option for you now for those of
you who want something a bit more powerful action cams like our GoPro Hero
4 Black Edition are a great choice image quality has gone from awful to actually
surprisingly good in the last 5 years but the biggest advantage of using
something like the GoPro in my mind is the sheer number of places you can put
it the Hero 4 has a multitude of first and third party accessories that allow
mounting to basically anywhere your imagination wants it to go from using it
on a selfie stick jumping into a clear Cenote using the head mounts to get a
firstperson view while running up a May ruin and even capturing a sea turtle on
a 70t dive we made great uses of all of
these mounts during our trip in Mexico what's great about this is that it
enables us to get shots that otherwise aren't possible due to space or
operational constraints sometimes you just don't have any hands free to hold a
larger camera the biggest obvious drawback of a GoPro is that it does not
by default have any way to preview your image on the camera gopro's solution to
this is to monitor your camera through their app on iOS and Android which is
fine if you're mounting it statically and you are certain it won't get bumped
when you're in the middle of the action but in practice this is not always
simple to achieve while gopro's marketing is centered almost entirely on
their products in extreme situations I included it in this Roundup because with
the Hero 4 black you can shoot 12 megapixel Stills in a variety of
different modes including single shot Burst Mode time lapse and nightlapse
while the Hero 4 Black Edition is the highest tier model of GoPro there are
other models available at more affordable price points but overall even
though the waterproof housing is included a GoPro and mounts can end up
being a dauntingly expensive option for casual users and on that note here's an
even pricier option an underwater housing made specifically for your
camera we've opted for the iite housing for the RX100 markv a wonderfully
powerful little point and Sho camera that is great for travel and that I explored in more detail here the oculate
housing allows you to use the ARX 100 completely submerged with a depth rating
of 200 ft though you'll need to make sure to check your seals each time you
submerge because Linus forgot to grease the over and managed to get water into
it on a 70t scuba trip though fortunately the camera survived with the
ARX 100 unlike the other options we have looked at so far you have a greater
range in your field of view thanks to the RX1 100's great 24 to 70 mm
equivalent Zoom range now before you go out and buy a fancy underwater housing
for whatever camera you love to use keep in mind that while this was the best
option we looked at from an image quality point of view in no small part
thanks to its 24 to 70 mm equivalent Zoom range and the excellent 1-in sensor
from Sony with this particular particular ecet I had no controls for
the dial on the RX100 forcing me to set my aperture and shutter speed before
getting into the water along with the limited exposure control I found the
zoom rocker on the housing to be very stiff to use I would turn it in One
Direction but it would very easily go past the focal length that I intended
minor control hurdles aside housings like this are mainly made for those who
are seriously getting into underwater video and stills since you'll pay
upwards of $300 for the housing alone so
in conclusion waterproofing your particular camera solution can vary from
simple and hands-off to requiring patience and setup time I hope this
video helps you make your decision regardless of your budget Speaking of
awesome things that you could travel with mass drop we have an awesome
feature deal from them today the DJI Phantom 4 bundle this bundle includes
the Phantom 4 which you can watch Li's review up here a water and impact
resistant rolling travel case from Mustang and an extra battery for a total
of two batteries included in this bundle they also have an optional add-on
available the track emo a tiny gps-gsm
device that allows you to track your drone or any other item across the globe
at the time of filming this spot they're still working with the seller to get a lower price for you but they told me
that the final price will be more than $100 less than you can find this bundle
anywhere else so if all that sounds pretty great too you should check out
the bundle in the link in the video description that's draw do/ lt- DJI D4
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doing all that stuff you're probably wondering what to watch next so click
that little button in the top right hand corner to check out my video on starter
cameras under $1,000 you might find something useful