How to Choose a Cheap Underwater Digital Camera

Underwater cameras are fantastic fun and they are now very affordable for even the casual user. Even if you don't intend doing a bit of scuba a cheap underwater digital camera is perfect for holidays. Not only can you take it in the sea for snaps, underwater digital cameras are very durable and hard wearing and of course can be rinsed off if dirty!

My choices would include the Vivitar V8400 and the Pentax Optio W80. The Vivitar is the cheapest underwater digital camera at the moment and although not professional quality with 8 megapixels it's a great little camera. The Pentax Optio W80 has an impressive 12 megapixels and its higher price tag brings other features. Movie recording and safe to use at a depth of 5 metres, the Pentax really is a great camera to use underwater. It's really stylish and avaiable in a range of colours including azure blue and cardinal red. A highly fashionable accessory to carry at the beach!

Other options for taking digital photographs underwater include custom made waterproof cases. Canon make one for their Ixus 860 IS and Olympus offer a waterproof case for the C-5060WZ. The advantage of using a waterproof case for a digital camera is of course that you can remove it and its back to being an everyday camera.

When considering how to choose a cheap underwater camera don't overlook the idea of disposable underwater film cameras. Some would argue these produce better results than cheap underwater digital cameras. The low price tag makes them ideal for a holiday or just to experiment with underwater photography.

A friend of mine went on a diving holiday in The Red Sea this year and the pictures she produced with her underwater camera are stunning. It's not as always as easy getting great pictures underwater and you may be disappointed with the first results. This again is the beauty of shooting digital of course - we can view the pictures straight away!

Kighting is very important in underwater photography. The deeper you go the less light there is. You want crystal clear water to get good shots as shand and silt will make for murky pictures. Even dense salt can make for poor shots so again don't have too high expectations in your first attempts. As with any photography the results impriove with practise and you will soon be producing those stunning underwater shots with ease.