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11 Things You Should Know About Your Rugged Camera
Five years ago, a waterproof camera is considered an extraordinary gadget. But right now, it is as common as a touchscreen tablet.
If you are one of those people who have been wanting to buy a waterproof camera to capture your water adventures, here are 11 things you probably should know before you spend your hard-earned money on these expensive cameras.
1. Max Depth is When Camera is Static
Some people swear that they’ve taken their waterproof cameras beyond the rated depth and their cameras survived the ordeal. Call them lucky, because others do not have to take their cameras near that depth to turn the gadgets into useless electronic bricks.
What most people do not know is the water resistant ratings on these cameras are measured by immersing the cameras in static positions. But in practice, no one stays underwater at one single spot.
Underwater, your camera is subjected to varying degrees of water pressure, unlike the one tested in the labs. If you want your camera to lasts, keep it less than the rated depth.
2. Keep Your Fingers Clean
All waterproof cameras we have seen so far have their lens enclosed in a glass cover. The problem with this kind of design is water droplets and sunscreens are easily caught on the glass — turning all your pictures and videos into blurry painting.
To avoid this problem, make sure your fingers are free from sunscreen and re-check the glass cover when shooting right after you’ve taken the camera out of the water.
3. Change Your Seal Yearly
If you’re like most buyers, the manual is the first thing that you toss into the dustbin. If you do, you might not have noticed this one short reminder — get your camera rubber seal checked or changed yearly.
The camera checkup is like a regular visit to the dentist. Many people will find it a hassle while others will skip it because they don’t think they need one. If you hardly take your camera underwater, you might have an excuse. But if snorkeling is your passion and salt water is no stranger to your camera, bring your camera for a yearly checkup.
4. Battery Life is Usually Less than Indicated
When it comes to battery life, you normally consult the number given by the CIPA‘s testing agency or ones stated in your brochure. But the number is inaccurate because the tests are done in room temperature.
When you go underwater, the temperature could be much colder than the ones tested in the labs.
This means the number of shots that your battery could muster will be less than the ones stated on your manual. Be smart. Make sure your battery is in full charge before taking your camera underwater and bring a backup or two for a complete peace of mind.
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5. Try to Get One with Wide Angle Lens
If you ever had the privilege of using an underwater camera, you know that their lenses are normally wide angle because that’s the best lens type for underwater use. Such lens is superior underwater because they let you get very close to large objects (reefs, whales, shipwrecks) and still capture the image of the surroundings.
Cheaper models and ones made before 2009 are usually equipped with normal lens instead of a wide angle lens. If you need the camera mainly for your underwater photos, look carefully when buying.
6. Change your battery when you are dry
It’s a good idea to bring a backup battery when your shooting trip is long. But remember not to change your battery when you just came out of the water – when your hair, your camera and your whole body is still wet. A single drop of water into the inside of your camera could kill it instantly.
Your camera like a submarine – when all the doors are closed and tightly sealed, it could be used underwater, but once the hatch is opened and water gets into the submarine, all hell breaks loose.
7. It could handle freezing temperature, not hot weather
While most high end waterproof cameras are designed to handle extreme cold (we’re talking about -10 Celsius here), they are not designed to handle extreme heat. Because of this, never leave your camera on the sand. Sand temperature can get high quickly depending on the type of sand and the weather condition.
If you need to leave your camera, put it in your bag.
8. Get a silicon cover if possible
Sand, kids and water are three hazardous elements for electronics. Even though your camera is rugged, make sure you give it as much added protection as you can.
Even the top of the line rugged cameras are still prone to scratches (never mind the metal shell). The best way to combat this is to encase your camera in a silicon cover. It also acts as a second layer of protection to keep water away from the inner parts of your gadget.
9. Clean it after each underwater shooting trip
Use a bucket, not running tap water to clean your waterproof camera from trapped sand or salt residue. This helps unstuck the buttons, battery latches and reduce the chances of metal parts from rust. Cleaning it in a bucket also helps decrease the chances of water from seeping into your camera.
Do this after each underwater use, especially after a salt water excursion.
10. Use Burst Mode
Most waterproof cameras (except for Sony‘s) underperform in low light. One way to solve this problem is by using the burst mode to take your pictures. From the results, you could select the best picture by looking at the histogram or by taking one with the biggest megapixel count.
11. Underwater casings are available
Many people ask me if they can take their waterproof camera beyond the rated depth. The short answer is no. But the right answer is yes, provided you buy an additional underwater casing for the camera (you probably have to look for it online). But if you find yourself needing such casing, it is probably a good idea to just get yourself a dedicated underwater camera instead of a waterproof one.
Those are 11 key points that you must know about waterproof cameras. If you have used one, they probably are common points. But if you are new, these guides should help provide some pointer on how to really enjoy your camera.
When you know the strength and weakness of your camera, your underwater shooting adventure will be a lot more fun. By the way, which waterproof camera is in your mind right now?
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Picture Credit: Marcos Telias
what is burst mode and what effect does it have on the picture?
In this mode, several images can be captured with one press on the shutter. This is used mainly in mixed-light conditions or when the subject is in successive motion. The photographer can then select the best image of the group or arrange them in a sequence to study the transitions in detail.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burst_mode_%28photography%29
“If you want your camera to lasts, keep it below the indicated depth.”
Uh, shouldn’t that be ABOVE rated depth? Or probably more correctly, less than the rated depth?
Ah, I think you’re right Kevin. Fixing it now.