I am in the market to buy a saltwater-proof camera ONCE... A camera that is going to go wet suiting with me. I am looking for some first hand accounts of what works well, and what to stay away from... sucks to buy a camera, just to find out that it sucks at night, has a 1 second delay from the time you push the button to actual photo, lens that fogs up when it dries, etc... I am looking at 200$ max. I am looking at the olympus stylus tough 6000 10 megapx.
ANY help would be appreciated... money is tight, so I only want to buy ONE camera. Thanks guys

you picked the right one

I was in the same boat and hope it'll last years of abuse,I bought the Olympus stylus 8000 Tough.

And Robert actually read the manual, so he knows

I have the Olympus stylus 770 sw. No issues with getting wet or going swimming with the camera. Also holds up well to to getting dropped.
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I helped out a friend and he offered to pay me, I said we are all set. He heard me talking about needing a new boat camera. He said he would take care of it. I mentioned that the olympus 6000 looked cool to me. He ended up picking up the Tough 6020 from ebay for less than $299.

The options, it has 14 mega pixels, HD movie, 16' depth, 5' drop proof, dust proof and when you plug the USB cable into the computer to download pics it also charges the battery.

Hope this helps....
Mike

is there a long shot delay with the stylus tough when you push the button? hate it how some cameras have a delay, and you miss the precise action shot... also, does it take good night shots? i also looked at a fuji camera for about 130, but it has no retractable lens cover, and I know the glass on the lens willl scratch out there fast

Here is a delay for the auto focus on the 770. Also there is no viewfinder so at night taking pics you have to rely on the lcd screen which is sometimes tough. It wouldn't be my first choice for an everyday camera but if you need someing that can get wet and dropped it fits the bill.
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there are delays on most camera, especialy at night

olympus would be my choice

There is a delay but it is a pretty good camera that can take a beating. Some models like the older 770 can take more of a beating.

Then there is the professional stuff Fisheye uses that is simply amazing :love:

Check this out my buddy just bought one.


GoPro Official Store: Wearable Digital Cameras for Sports (http://www.goprocamera.com/)


This is blog. He used the camera last weekend for the first time at Sugarbush. There's also a good herring shot taken this week.


Water Frequently (http://waterfrequently.blogspot.com/)

I have the Olympus Stylus 850 SW and it has held up very well and is simple to use. The quality of the photos has been very good. The surprise has been the quality of videos you can take with it.

Beat the dog snot out of my olympus, no issues.

Another happy Olympus owner here. I usually forget to bring it fishing, but I took it underwater on vacation last year and it performed well. Also has been dropped from about 3 feet onto a concrete patio and is none the worse for wear. I'd like faster shutter speed, but it's a trade off between the waterproof/durability and speed. It also takes pretty decent videos.

A lot of Olympus fans here...I have the 870SW version and am happy with it. I carry it in a resealable bag until I use it to help keep it water and sand free.

been using the Olympus digitals for 3 yrs now,
i currently own the TOUGH 6000. amazing camera,
good video, 10mpx, and it took a beating and a soaking
last year. it's also well within your price range~~~

be sure to get a good carrying case. samsonite makes
a "waterproof" one with a compass on the outside. they
all have some sort of delay,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,but the Olympus imports
pix to my pc easily, and the software incl. is manageable.
hope to sea ya out there, my friend :btu: :btu: :btu:

I'm sure I'll bump into you somewhere this season dawg!!! thanks to everyone for the help... I think I will be going with the stylus tough 6000, since its about 200 bucks.

Simple cure for delay. Test shots! Especially at night. Keep taking shots to see how much light you need. On simple point and shoots you need to do this in distance from subject. Also get the focal point you want, then hold the shutter button halfway till you hear beep. Your camera is now set for a quick shot. When the subject comes into the screen press the button all the way down. With practice you will get the shot you want.

Examples of what the camera can do. I have the 770SW. Surf Shots here. Click on the pics in this thread and double click them to get them to open fully. It will give you and idea of what the camera can do. http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripertalk/stripertalk/52176-derby-photos.html

A couple attached, one showing a snowmobile going 70+ on a Lake. The other the use of flash to highlight the subject, with the sunset as a background.

Simple cure for delay. Test shots! Especially at night. Keep taking shots to see how much light you need. On simple point and shoots you need to do this in distance from subject. Also get the focal point you want, then hold the shutter button halfway till you hear beep. Your camera is now set for a quick shot. When the subject comes into the screen press the button all the way down. With practice you will get the shot you want.

I also have the 770sw ... I see a real good night shot you have in your pics . Can you tell me what your setting is ? Available light ? Night + Potrait ? Night Scene ? Fire Works ?

another olympus owner here. love it. i keep it in my plug bag and it gets soaked with no ill effects...

IP - not sure if you got one yet but Buydig had the Olympus Tough 6000 cheap @ $169 Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 10MP 2.7" LCD Digital Camera (Yellow) | BuyDig.com (http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=OMSTT6000Y)

Not as "Tough" as the 770 SW or 8000 / 8010 but a good deal

Olympus Stylus/Tough?
Yes.

Removed giant unsized pics. :D

Fisheye just uses a dslr in a housing. Not rocket science, just more than most people are willing to spend.

I picked up the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 but haven't had a chance to try it out while fishing. Very pocket friendly size, shoots hd vid, water, dust and shockproof. I'll post a few pics when I get it out there.... Soooon......