Waterproof camera revisited

bfluegie

I am planning a trip to Hawaii (Kauai) and I am thinking about getting a waterproof camera for beach days. I have read a few of the threads on this forum. While I found this one useful
http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=225712&highlight=water
it has been over a year since the start of the thread and there are new models out. I have read a little about the Olympus Tough TG-2 iHS, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS5, and the Pentax WG-3. I considered getting a housing for my Canon S100, but I would rather have a more compact camera. I usually travel with a "pocket" camera in addition to my DSLR and I thought maybe one of these could fill that spot (I don't expect any of them to be as good as the S100). I probably won't use video much, so I wouldn't consider that a deciding factor.

If anyone has used any of these cameras, I would like to know what you thought. I might consider buying used and selling after the trip although I have a lot of problems parting with gear once I get it. Also, if the previous versions of these cameras are almost as good, a used item could be more readily available.

All suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance.

jonh68

I have the olympus tg2. I think pretty much all the pics in this gallery were taken with it. It will give you a good idea of how it performs for the quick pics. I have had couple of pictures published in a magazine that were taken with the camera.
http://www.jonimages.com/mobile-bay-kayak-fishing-2013

Here is one for a more controlled setting.

bfluegie

Thanks for the input John. I was hoping to save some bucks since the Pentax camera is supposed to have the same lens, but I keep reading about how slow the autofocus is and that there can be color cast issues.

I surely can't argue with the pictures in your album, and the one in your post is really great.

Thanks again for the help.

jonh68

bfluegie wrote: »

Thanks for the input John. I was hoping to save some bucks since the Pentax camera is supposed to have the same lens, but I keep reading about how slow the autofocus is and that there can be color cast issues.

I surely can't argue with the pictures in your album, and the one in your post is really great.

Thanks again for the help.

Overall I'm happy with the camera. It isn't DSLR quality but it is very capable for the what desired purpose.

There is one glitch and it is condensation on the inside of the lens if the air temp and water temp are not close. I tried to do an underwater shoot in the spring where the air temp was hot but water temp cold. It took about 10 minutes for the condensation to go away. Not a deal breaker just something to be aware of.