What on-water camcorders to buy?

[linter]

i've been thinking about buying a camcorder to take on the water with me or a digicam that takes vids.  what have people here used successfully?  i know that ponobill has the sanyo xacti e1 and loves it but it's still a little out of my price range (or at least it is until i can't find a cheaper solution).  maybe there's something else.  i only want to take vids, no stills, but a still with good video capability might work too.

the other day i did buy an rca small wonder on sale dirt cheap, thinking i'd just shove it in a baggie.  but now that i've got it, i just can't bring myself to do that.

[PonoBill]

the digital heros are super cheap and quite good. Giampaolo does fine videos with his. I think they're about $70. They eat batteries--you need to get high quality rechargeables for them. http://mauisurfreport.blogspot.com/2008/03/back-footstrap-vision.html

[noworrieshawaii]

I dont know if there is something wrong with my Xacti but I dont like it at all because I just can't see what I'm filming... The screen is just almost black in the sunlight... I shoot blind most of the time.

Think Lightning Bolt guys use a little Olympus digital still camera that has video capacity and their stuff looks decent... better than mine.   

[Paduan Sam]

Here's the diddy on the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW from thier website.  I hope this helps!

 SHOCKPROOF (6.6FT).
Accidents happen. A rugged metal body and revolutionary shock-absorbing construction are designed to withstand a 6.6-foot fall, drop or other mishap.

WATERPROOF (33FT).
Innovative waterproof seals and gaskets allow you to take underwater movies and amazing pictures in a pool, lake or ocean.

FREEZEPROOF (14°F).
Perfect for skiing, snowboarding, sledding and other winter fun, this camera is winterized to perform at below-freezing temperatures.

CRUSHPROOF (220 LBF).
With a rugged body and reinforced LCD, the Stylus 1030 SW withstands up to 220 pounds of pressure so your camera and images are protected.

3.6x WIDE-ANGLE ZOOM LENS.
A wider field of view ensures you’ll never miss anyone or anything in your shot. Great for shooting landscapes, underwater scenery, group portraits and amazing panoramic pictures.

2.7” HyperCrystal™ II LCD.
With improved contrast and color reproduction, the HyperCrystal II LCD offers a more accurate and precise image display, as well as an extra-wide viewing angle and increased visibility in direct sunlight.

[Byronmaui]

Just ordered one of these mounts for the Xacti Video camera.


Aloha

Byron

[Paduan Sam]

Wasssup Byron!
The board works good!!!

[surfcal]

Just for informational purposes, I just recieved this e-mail about this product  line.  I have not seen it yet but will in a day or so.http://www.surfcamera.com/

[linter]

bob: seems to me that contraption is not a camera but a case that you attach to your wetsuit (via screws and bolts, i think) and stick your camera in.  it's not waterproof itself.  you need to use either a pentax or olympus sw camera.
   btw/ didn't i see an exacti in your hands at your shop?  how do you like it?
bill: the gopro looks neat, though i wouldn't mind having at least a little zoom.
   anyone here tried the pentax?  from what i've read elsewhere, many folks seem to prefer them over the olympus, mainly because the pentaxes shoot vid at 30 fps and the olympus somewhat less, if i'm not mistaken.

[surfcal]

Linter,
 Yes, that site is for the case but I thought it showed links to those cameras also. I might be wrong
Yes I  also have the Xacta but I have only taken in the water once for a paddle-out memorial.  I just looped the strap on my wrist and tucked the camera in my wetsuit sleeve.  The first shots I got were okay, better than the go-pro.  Write to Tom English (he is a zone member) He seems to have the camera stuff pretty well down.www.tom-tomproductions.com

[paddlesurf.net]

I've been using an X-acti for a while now. This is actually my second one. If you get one be careful with it- it's not as tough as you'd think- the screen on mine went dead after a few months of use, four trips to No. Baja and two runs to Cabo. Don't snap the screen closed, close it carefully and slowly.

Some of the vids I've posted on my site were shot with the X-acti. It's quite a bit more grainy than Camera Groms digital video clips. I don't know if that's because it's stored and compressed differently since the clips are recorded to SD cards or if I'm using it incorrectly. I've bumped up the quality on it as far as it'll let me go.

Almost all the photos on my blog are taken with the X-acti, the quality is pretty good- I'm going to buy a dedicated camera for stills though because I'd like higher quality cameras for a print project I'm completing.

I have a lot more to learn about posting videos- I guess if I want better resolution on the videos I'll need to find somewhere other than youtube to host them. I'm also leaning toward a water housing like the epic housing and a hard drive video camera. Also- unless you're really into it and do it all the time, most water shots for video are not as good as from land. A tripod on the beach seems to give the best results.

I wear the X-acti on a cord around my neck and tuck it into the neck of my wettie or jacket when I'm not using it. It's pretty small but it does not float so be careful. Also, if you're going to buy backup batteries for it spend a little more and get the Sanyo brand battery, it's better quality- I know, I burned through two other off brand ones and still have the original battery in good condition.

By the way, Sanyo was great in honoring its warranty, they replaced my camera without a fuss.

Overall summation: I like the X-acti, it's easy to snap photos and shoot video clips, but it's not as bomb proof as I thought it was- and for what it cost (close to five hundred) you could get a pretty nice dedicated video camera. If you're interested in knowing which clips were shot with the X-acti, let me know and I'll look back through the blog and post the urls to them.

Hope this helps.

John

[surfcal]

Opps! I had a bad link to Tom's website. This one should workhttp://web.mac.com/tomtomproductions1/tomtomproductions1/Welcome.html

[PonoBill]

Nice looking mount--I built a bunch of similar ones from aluminum that just tape onto the board. these looks better though. Mine are probably cheaper--all you need to do is buy a couple thousand bucks worth of TIG welding gear to make them.

I have both the 770SX and the Xacti. I get better video with the Xacti but the 770SX is bulletproof. The xacti is currently dead and on it's way back to Sanyo for warranty service. I can't complain since i lost it in the surf and it was floating around for a day before a fisherman found it.

for still you just can't beat a good digital SLR. point and shoot shots always look like point and shoot. But that's fine for most use. We have a Nikon D80 which is just a super camera for the price, but it ain't cheap and you'll find yourself adding lenses.

Video is worse. If you start playing with it seriously you suddenly find you've spent a few thousand bucks with no end in sight.

[paddlesurf.net]

2nd X-acti just died on me- made a sizzling sound and let out a puff of "electric smoke"...

I can't recommend these cameras- Sorry Sanyo- I followed all your instructions, cleaned, soaked etc., etc. camera still died- as a matter of fact of the four other people I know who've bought one- three are on warranty returns.

I'm looking into that Olympus or the Pentax...

[noworrieshawaii]

Aloha Roel.... welcome to the club of the super stoked.

Thanks for the info on the Pentax camera.. Looks like a nice choice and good to hear how it actually  performs. I'm not happy at all with my Xacti although it has paid for itself already so I suppose its not so bad.

Happy SUPing...

[Byronmaui]

Anybody have any xacti batteries they want to sell?

Aloha

Byron