Water Resistant

Digital Camera

Selecting a Water Resistant Digital Camera

If you are a lover of the outdoors, then chances are you will want a water resistant digital camera. Whether you love fishing, paddling out in a canoe, or just hiking, a quality digital camera comes in handy for showing the folks back home what a great time you had.

But the Great Outdoors can be an unforgiving place on electronic equipment and digital cameras are no exception. You want a camera that will be able to hold up in a heavy downpour or even an occasional dunking in a lake. 

So for anyone in the neighborhood for an effective and useful water resistant digital camera, here are few things to look for when buying:

Water Resistant Rating

Now be careful when buying a so-called water resistant digital camera because words can be very misleading-especially when used by advertising people.

More often than not, a company saying it has a water resistant digital camera is really saying its camera is safe so long as you keep it in a waterproof case.

Now having a case that can be submersed in water is fine, but what about the camera itself? After all, it is when you are using the camera that you are most likely to drop it in some water-not when its safely tucked away in its case!

For this reason (and if you are serious about wanting a camera that will hold up to submersion), don't bother with a water resistant digital camera with anything less than a Class 7 waterproof rating.

A Class 7 rating means that the camera can handle being underwater (in shallow waters) for a couple of minutes without problem. Also, that rating means you can survive a downpour with your camera intact and still functional.

Anything less than a Class 7 rating is dangerous and you may very well run into problems in a light rain, let alone dropping it in water.

Now don't think you can take pictures underwater using a water resistant digital camera with a Class 7 rating-but do know that it will stand up to shallow water and heavy rain.

Camera Features

A water resistant digital camera can stand up to deep water submersion but it doesn't mean a thing if it takes fuzzy or lousy pictures. You want at least 4 megapixels or more in order to take 8X10 quality photos.

Since you are shopping for a water resistant digital camera, it is a good bet that you spend a good deal of time around the wet stuff. 

For that reason, try to find a camera that has a surf or snow scene mode as this will compensate for water glare and give you clearer pictures.

If you plan on taking pics of friends and family on water skis or landing the big catch, look for a water resistant digital camera with snap mode-this compensates for moving objects.

Basically, you want your water resistant digital camera to have the features you want with a Class 7 waterproof rating. It should be no problem to find a quality water resistant camera for around $300-$350.