Waterproof Cameras – Go Digital or Disposable?
Posted by: Brad
Tags: camera, digital camera, underwater camera, underwater digital camera, waterproof, waterproof digital camera, waterproof disposable camera
When it comes to choosing a way to take pictures of your underwater adventures while on vacation, or even just for a day on the beach, or by the pool, you essentially have two options. You can either purchase a waterproof disposable camera, or digital camera. Each has its place, and situations where one would be better suited than the other.
For those one-off days at the beach, you might want to go with a waterproof disposable camera. They are much cheaper than waterproof digital cameras, and they are simple enough to use – point and click. A waterproof digital camera can have multiple settings; this setting for being on the beach, this other white balance setting if you’re taking photos underwater, etc. If you’re looking for less expense, and more ease of use than a waterproof disposable camera is probably the best way to go.
However, aside from those two aspects, a waterproof digital camera is superior in basically every other way. As far as ease of use goes, many people enjoy the flexibility offered by the multiple settings of a digital camera. In addition, you can take many more pictures than you will be able to with a disposable camera. As far as picture quality goes, this is debatable, as many people will claim nothing is better than film, but these days digital cameras are good enough to not create any noticeable lack of quality to most eyes. Disposable cameras aren’t exactly high-quality any way, so you’re likely going to get the best pictures with a waterproof digital camera.
There is, of course, the expense of a waterproof digital camera. With a bit of foresight though, this doesn’t have to be an additional expense. If you are someone who takes frequent vacations, or spends a lot of time in or near the water, you can simply purchase an underwater camera when it comes time to upgrade your old digital camera. They are just about as slim as your standard digital cameras, and they can take a lot more abuse, with most of them being shock/drop proof, sand proof, waterproof, and freeze proof.
While disposable cameras are good if you happen to have forgotten a camera, and you need to grab something at the dive shop right before heading out on the boat, it’s not something you want to spend your money on regularly. Waterproof digital cameras are more expensive but are far superior in many ways, and the cost will justify itself not only because of this superiority but also by the fact that you’d have to repeatedly purchase disposable cameras, as well as having to pay for photo development.