Underwater Camera/GoPro Advice?

[DarlingDiva]

Hey guys! I'm headed to the bahamas next week (woohoo spring break!) and plan to spend a lot of time in the water snorkeling/paddleboarding/kayaking/swimming/etc. and want to be able to take pics/video above and underwater. But this is something I've never done before and don't know what the best option is. I've looked into GoPros (thought about one of these before for other uses) and also waterproof housings for iphones. Have any of you tried these or something similar and have any advice? Thanks!

 

[Jasmine]

Lifeproof cases are waterproof too. You're supposed to be able to submerge them for about an hour. I'm planning on buying one for taking pictures while diving.

 

[Genie]

As great as LifeProof cases are, I would not recommend them for more intense water activities like snorkeling and paddleboarding. There is wayyyy too much important stuff on my phone for me to be putting that at risk. GoPros are a very nice option if you have the money. If you're more interested in just recording the experience, and not getting the best quality, then it's not horribly expensive either. The regular GoPro Hero runs for about US $129.99... along with a dive housing US $59.99 and a buoyant monopod US $29.99. Total you're looking at about US $219.97 for all three of these products. Please note, though... I did pull these off of the official GoPro websites and they may cost less with other retailers. To conclude... if you're looking for a camera to take on several adventures in the next few years, this is definitely a good long-term investment for you. If it's just for the one trip, and you're not overly worried about the safety of your phone, go with a lifeproof case. I'm not trying to talk down lifeproofs at all... they are great and even come with warranty for your phone. I just love my Hero4 a lot and think you'd love a GoPro too .

 

[PAL_Kolya]

Lifeproof cases are waterproof too. You're supposed to be able to submerge them for about an hour. I'm planning on buying one for taking pictures while diving.

PLEASE don't tell me you mean you're going to try to take a Lifeproof case SCUBA diving Dx It won't live! They're rated for about 6.5 feet (~2 meters), but it will leak if you go too deep (a friend of mine tried... didn't end well).

As for the poster...

The GoPro is great, because it's small and relatively easy to mount, and ditto most of what Genie said :P I highly recommend GoPro products. I use them all the time on dives, and they work great!

 

[Jasmine]

PLEASE don't tell me you mean you're going to try to take a Lifeproof case SCUBA diving Dx It won't live! They're rated for about 6.5 feet (~2 meters), but it will leak if you go too deep (a friend of mine tried... didn't end well).

As for the poster...

The GoPro is great, because it's small and relatively easy to mount, and ditto most of what Genie said :P I highly recommend GoPro products. I use them all the time on dives, and they work great!

Yep, I am, but that's only because I wouldn't be going farther than 6 feet. I'm not scuba certified yet (I have asthma), so just snuba for me. xD

 

[Captain-Heather]

This is like...2 weeks later, but a great camera for above and underwater is the Canon...I want to say it's like the D10 model. It's their blue underwater camera. They are on their 2nd or 3rd model now, but I still use the first model for all my underwater photos, and for above ground when I'm feeling too lazy to get my nice camera out. It takes some great pictures!