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Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures
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With all races canceled and no real training schedules we find ourselves swimming/exploring new open water spots and doing more sight seeing as we swim. I am always wishing I could put a small waterproof camera in my swim buoy or bring it along with me somehow. I know many folks use Go pros. Any other cameras being used by Slowtwitchers in the water they would recommend?

What do you use in the water? Looking for something rugged, small and not crazy expensive. Just for fun.

Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.
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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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Olympus Tough ...something or other. Its a waterproof point and shoot. I’ve had a couple and i like it. I tend to use my go pro these days though.
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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [Miamiamy] [ In reply to ]
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Miamiamy wrote:
Olympus Tough ...something or other. Its a waterproof point and shoot. I’ve had a couple and i like it. I tend to use my go pro these days though.

Thanks! I was just reading mostly good reviews on that one!

Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.
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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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Another vote for Olympus. I have a TG-6 I use in a housing when diving, and the camera itself is waterproof to 50' or so.
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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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I just use my iPhone in a waterproof bag. Much better for video (since the touch screen doesn't work under water), but quality through the TPU bag is very good. The phone itself is also waterproof, so combined with the bag I'm not worried about killing my phone. Done this for lots of snorkeling/OWS in Hawaii.

Another option is a refurb'd GoPro off eBay. Lots of them for <$50. ex.: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Refurbished-GoPro-HERO-waterproof-1080P-5MP-HD-Sport-Action-Camera-Camcorder-USA/333465197341

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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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I've been taking a Lumix DMC-FT30 waterproof camera along with me in recent months when the weather has been good and I've had a bit of time to dick about rather than be 'on it'.
They are about £120 in the UK. So I'd guess can be had for $130-150 in the USA

Not as robust as the DC-F7 but a fair bit cheaper.
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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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https://www.instagram.com/...?igshid=rf42kgfw51tb

All those done on a gopro in a floaty.

I have a wrist strap go-pro mount I use for snorkelling but that would be annoying for proper swimming.
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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [Duncan74] [ In reply to ]
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I've always thought open water swimming could make great sports action video. We did this quick trial shoot in the middle of a tubing session w/ the boat. My son is like what, who, and one kid on the cam.


Chasing the boat, is a lung buster ;). I am going to get a drone and set it up. Prizefighter is a fave soundtrack of mine for swim videos as well. You can see the difference in function between a 16 yo club swimmer and me the AOS with a tight back!






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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [Duncan74] [ In reply to ]
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Duncan74 wrote:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CEFvU6xMn5wrAMI4i3zt1ufslQKnWqMVu7R1hM0/?igshid=rf42kgfw51tb

All those done on a gopro in a floaty.

I have a wrist strap go-pro mount I use for snorkelling but that would be annoying for proper swimming.

Your account is set to private so we can't we your photos

Death is easy....peaceful. Life is harder.
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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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I got a super cheap action cam, Akaso Brave 4. It comes with an underwater case and it works good for what I paid for it ($70 or so). Quick video of my son above and below water. Definitely not as clear as a GoPro or some other high end models but we're playing with it to see if we want to jump into something more expensive.


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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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70Trigirl wrote:
Miamiamy wrote:
Olympus Tough ...something or other. Its a waterproof point and shoot. I’ve had a couple and i like it. I tend to use my go pro these days though.


Thanks! I was just reading mostly good reviews on that one!

+1 on this. I have an older Olympus Tough, still works and thing is solid. Use for off road rides mostly, but is heavy - but they may be lighter now. However, like above said, I have a GoPro Hero8 and use that more often now. Have not used it for extended periods of time in the water, but the quality is excellent.



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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [Quo Vadimus] [ In reply to ]
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Got a drone and did a test flight. Turned out pretty cool. It's got smart tracking so hope to do a bike shoot soon.







Training Tweets: https://twitter.com/Jagersport_com
FM Sports: http://fluidmotionsports.com
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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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I use my GoPro Hero 7 fr all kinds of stuff including under water shots. It is awesome and versatile.
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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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Open water adventures are the best!


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Re: Waterproof camera for open water swim adventures [70Trigirl] [ In reply to ]
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I spent many years using high end UW photographic equipment, all kinds of Nikonos cameras, housed SLRs, and UW video rigs...and it pains me to say that once you get some of the basics mastered, and learn the limits of lighting and how the UW environment affects it, an amateur with a bottom of the line Go Pro can take shots that rival someting a National Geographic photographer took with a $20,000 setup only a few years ago.

The basics to remember:

1) Water absorbs light wavelengths, starting with the reds and yellows and moving up (or down?) the spectrum as you get deeper. So shallow water photos in natural light can pop with color, but under about 20-30 feet, everything starts to look blue/green.

2) If you want to get the color back into your photos, you absolutely have to add an external flash or strobe to the system. That's how the pros get bright, vibrant coral reef shots at deeper depths.

3) However, any particles in the water reflect the strobe light back into the lens, so if you don't separate the camera from the flash, it will look like "snow" in the photo (it's referred to as "backscatter")...even if the water appears crystal clear...so the on-camera flash, if it has one, is essentially worthless underwater for this reason.

4) To overcome 3) above, all you need to do is separate the camera from the source of light by a foot or two (or 6 if you're really working with high end gear). A strobe arm and external flash aren't too much of an added expense these days, not like the $thousands they cost a few years ago.

5) Generally speaking, "get closer" is a good rule to follow. Shoot as wide of an angle as you can, and get as close to the subject as you can. Water absorbs light horizontally as well, and the closer you get, the clearer and sharper the image is. On a 35mm SLR, a 10-20mm lens is about ideal, the digital equivalent would be like a 7-15mm lens. Glass this wide is very expensive, but there are workarounds with external lenses that don't look too bad when you get the hang of them.
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