Waterproof Digital Cameras

Sanyo offers two designs for its high-definition waterproof cameras –the horizontal and vertical or pistol grip versions. For those who prefer the latter type, Sanyo offers the VPC-CA9 Waterproof HD Camcorder.

The VPC-CA9 is both a high-definition camera that records 720p MPEG-4 AVC/H .264 videos and shoots 9-megapixel still photos in JPEG. It embodies a further refinement of the ergonomic Xacti blueprint resulting to less muscle fatigue when recording. This allows you to continually take videos or still pictures over extended periods whether on terra firma or subaqua, up to a depth of 1.5 meters.

This camera features a 5x optical and 12x digital zoom. These allow close up photos, picture enlargement, and cropping. To help avoid blurry still pictures and video images, an electronic Digital Image Stabilizer is installed. It also has Auto Face Tracking for proper exposure and focus on your subject’s face. A reverse sequential shooting function allows continuous shooting for as long as the photo button is depressed. This button is distinct from the video button eliminating the need to switch modes when shifting from stills to videos or vice versa. You can even shoot stills and take videos simultaneously.

The VPC CA9 features a 2.5-inch LCD monitor that rotates approximately 285°. With this extent, you can shoot from any angle you wish without having to bend or twist your body or stand on your toes.

Although the internal memory of the Sanyo VPC-CA9 is only 43 MB, it has slots for SD or SDHC Memory Cards with a capacity of up to 32 GB. Power is supplied by a lithium-ion battery that can last up to slightly over an hour of video recording or about 220 minutes of playback. This is roughly the equivalent of 170 still picture shots.

The Vivitar DVR 850W is a handy digital video recorder that incorporates a lot of features making videography and photography an enjoyable experience. What really makes capturing videos and photos enjoyable are the clear and excellent images that come out of your camera. The DVR 850W is equipped to help you with this, both on land and underwater up to a depth of five meters.

This camera has four modes –video, camera, playback, and setup. Within each of these modes there are numerous adjustments that can be made to vary the operation of the camera.

In the video mode, you can adjust the resolution, white balance, exposure, and color effect of the images. When capturing still photos under the camera mode, you can also reset the same settings mentioned in the video mode, plus flash setup, self timer, and date stamp. The settings you need to set when viewing videos or still pictures on the camcorder, TV, or computer are accessible through the playback mode. In the setup mode, you can modify the operating format of the camcorder such as the auto power off option, buzzer, LCD screen brightness, TV output, date and time, and light frequency.

The image resolution of the DVR 850W is rated at eight megapixels giving a digital video resolution of 640×840 (VGA) and 320×240 (QVGA), and for still pictures, a maximum resolution of 3320×2490. Instead of a viewfinder, the camera has a 2.4-inch TFT LCD with an adjustable brightness that can improve visibility even under sunlight.

The internal memory of 128MB is understandably too small to store your videos and still photos, but this can be augmented by an SD memory card up to 8GB. Power is supplied by a lithium ion battery.

The word “shirtpocket” is included in the name of this camcorder because it can fit in an averaged-sized pocket on a man’s shirt. At a height of 5 inches, width of 3 inches, and a depth of 1½ inches, it is only slightly bigger than a deck of cards.

A portion of this small package can be flipped open to expose a 2½-inch TFT LCD color electronic viewfinder screen. This can be swiveled to allow you to capture photos and video images from different angles without having to stand on stools or crouch near the ground.

The camcorder has 8 megapixels of image sensor elements and can capture video images at 30 fps at a resolution rating of 640 x 480. For still pictures, resolution is at 3264 x 2448. With the 2GB SD memory card included in the camcorder, you can record up to 60 minutes of video images in MPEG4 format or 300 high-resolution JPEG still pictures. If you feel these are not enough, you can upgrade to an 8GB SD Card.

These images need not be limited to overland activities and sceneries. You can take the Shirtpocket Underwater Camcorder to a depth of 10 feet and capture videos of your kids performing underwater acrobatics, or still photos of the rich marine life under the waves.

The camera has a 4x digital zoom, a voice recorder, and can be used to play back MP3s. Uploading videos or photos to a computer is facilitated with a USB port and cable supplied with the camcorder. An AV cable is also included for connection and viewing on TV. A lithium ion battery that is fully charged in two hours can supply power for an hour and 55 minutes of continuous operation.

The SDR-SW21 Camcorder is Panasonic’s answer to the demands of an active, sports-oriented, and rugged market who wish to take both still pictures and videos of their adventures regardless of where they are. They could be climbing up or rappelling from a rock mountain, racing trail bikes on dusty sand dunes, or surfing over huge waves, the Panasonic SDR-SW21 Camcorder can put up with them as it is shockproof, dustproof, and waterproof.

This camcorder is strong enough to withstand a fall of 1.2 meters. Its joints and control buttons are thoroughly sealed that neither dust nor water even at a depth of two meters can penetrate into it.

The recording format of this camcorder is an MPEG2 for motion images and JPEG for stills which are recorded onto a 32GB SD/SDHC Memory Card. It also has a YouTube Uploader for quick and easy sharing of your videos.

It captures images using a lens with an image sensor of 1/6″ CCD, and a 10x optical zoom. The focal length is from 2.3 – 23 mm, the equivalent of 43.9 to 439 for moving images and 43.7 to 437 for still pictures. F-stop is from 1.8 to 2.4. To further enlarge your images, the camcorder also features a 25x digital zoom.

And image stabilizer, autofocus system, and automatic white balance correction combine to guarantee clear and sharp images. A stereo and zoom microphone assures that sounds are recorded clearly.

The SDR-SW21 is a compact camcorder designed to fit the palm of your hand. It measures 2.68 cm in height, 4.61 cm in length, and 1.38 cm in width. This small size, coupled with the freely adjustable angle of the 6.9 cm (2.7 in) LCD screen, makes recording or taking pictures from any angle easy and comfortable.

This camcorder comes in orange, green, or silver.

The Sanyo VPC-WH1 is an excellent dual camera that incorporates the best features of a digital still camera and a camcorder.

This dual camera features a 30x optical zoom (42 – 1290 mm in 35 mm equivalent), HD digital video (720p, 30fps), and 2-megapixel sequential shooting (13fps). It has a built-in flash for use when taking still photos. These allow you to capture close-ups of distant subjects, as well as clear and distinct photos and videos, not only above the ground, but underwater as well. You can spend a full hour beneath the waves taking stills and videos of marine life and not worry about your camera.

A 2.5-inch LCD display with a 7-level brightness flips out from the left side of the camera. This can be rotated up to 285° allowing you to take videos or photos even from awkward angles, as when taking a worm’s eye view kind of picture.

The Sanyo VPC-WH1 is equipped with a 12 Subject Face Chaser Technology that automatically adjusts focus and exposure settings of up to 12 faces in the picture. This is operable both in video and stills.

A Digital Image Stabilizer that uses a proprietary Sanyo algorithm helps prevent blurred images by compensating for unintentional camera shake. This can function both for telephoto or wide-angle modes.

A high capacity lithium-ion battery, the DB-L50, manufactured by Sanyo itself supplies power to the camera. In continuous video recording, the battery can last three hours and twenty minutes. In terms of still pictures, it can take approximately 450 shots. When using it for playback, it should last an amazing 9½ hours.

The camera is available in yellow, white, and blue.