Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD
Digital camera Review: Trip to the Islands
Summary: 5 Stars
Bought this camera for a trip, it was fantastic. Got awesome pictures of sea-turtles while snorkling. Very good pictures of wife on the beach. Good all around camera. The lanyards is a little funky because you can move it around, but it actually comes in VERY handy. Since you probably want to strap it to something, like your wrist or life vest, and you can move the lanyard so it doesn't get in the way. All around a good camera.Digital camera Review: Awesome piece of Engineering
Summary: 5 Stars
I was about to leave for a vacation to the Virgin islands and wanted a camera that I could carry around without worrying about salt, water or salt water. If possible, I wanted something that I could take into the water with me.
Came across this gem while searching for a waterproof enclosure for my existing canon super zoom. Since the price was comparable to an enclosure and after reading reviews, I decided that getting this camera was probably a better option.
When I finally bought it, I had my fingers crossed (cause of the reviews which indicated water getting into it). I decided this camera would be great, even if it lasted only a day of snorkeling, otherwise I still had my old camera (which I would lose if water got into the enclosure).
I was surprised at the actual results. The camera does an awesome job both inside and outside water. The underwater shots are simply superb. It becomes noisy at >= ISO 400, but this shouldn't affect your underwater shots (which I noticed were almost all at ISO 80 - the lowest for this camera).
I took about 200 test shots (all outside water) before the trip, to get used to the camera and thereby put it through a full drain and charge cycle. The camera has a rated spec of about 220 shots per full charge. Well my results from 3 continuous days of use (with a full recharge in-between) were 640, 700+ and 750+ shots! Most of them were underwater (without a flash) and a few used the flash. All of them were at 12 MP. I used a Transcend 8 GB SDHC Class 6 Flash Memory Card TS8GSDHC6 for this trip. The camera lasted the trip - all the water, surf and beaches.
If you decide to get this camera.. here are a few tips:
1. Put it through a charge discharge cycle before taking it for a real shoot. The way I discharged it was by taking test shots.
2. Switch off the camera while not using it (every second saves the battery power - that's probably how I squeezed out 700 shots). It only takes a second to power up and be ready for shooting.
3. Unless absolutely required don't preview the photos - take another snap if you have a doubt. This will definitely save battery power. Your battery will run out long before an 8 GB memory card runs out of space.
4. The manual asks you to soak it for 30 mins in fresh water after each underwater session. Do this! What it doesn't tell you is to detach the wristband and to soak it separately. The wristband takes a little longer to dry - and if still attached, can splash water when you you open your camera's SD/battery slot. Soak it for a full 30 mins. Wipe it dry and then allow it to dry in air. The good thing is that you can continue snapping new pictures while it is drying. Just don't open it until say after an hour of drying in air.
5. Secure the wristband while in water. Keep in-water camera transfers (to another person) to a minimum, it can easily slip off and sink. You can dive and retrieve it - but it may sink beyond 10m before that or probably end up on a fire coral :-).
6. You can take snaps of the beach while in water - but make sure you switch from the underwater mode to any other mode before doing that (eg.beach mode). If you just surfaced, allow the camera a few seconds for it to 'realize' that it's not underwater (guess there is some white balance and exposure adjustment that automatically happens) and you'll end up with a great snap.
7. When you just surface, there will be drops of water on the lens. Get rid of those (by dipping it again in water and not using your fingers!) before snapping - or you'll end up having blurry spots on those snaps. You'll always have droplets, that shouldn't matter - it's only the big drops which cause these blurry spots (you'll know if its bad enough while composing the snap on the display).
8. Finally make sure the camera is in underwater mode while shooting underwater :-)
Read the manual, clean and dry the camera before opening it. It worked for me and it should work for you. Happy shooting! You will love the underwater snaps!!!
**** UPDATE - Got this error:- "Lens error restart camera" and fixed it *****
Got this error about a month after using it for the first time. I think I know how I got the error - I drained all the juice out of the battery while taking snaps and it probably died before it could close the lens. The solution - turn the camera on and quickly give the lens housing a firm snap with your finger - that should fix it :-). It's better not to take snaps once you get a Low Battery indication. Replace the battery and continue shooting else you may end up with the Lens stuck in between.
This is still a great camera and I would still buy it given it's the best among the options currently available.
Digital camera Review: Very pleased with this camera
Summary: 4 Stars
I got this camera because I was going on a cruise and wanted to be able to take underwater pictures on some of my excursions. I am very pleased with the results that I got. Overall, the camera performed well. However, I am glad that I took another camera with me as well. Compared to my Nikon cameras this one does not have optics that are as good. While most of the pictures that I took are good, they are not up to the quality of the images I get from either my Nikon digital SLR or even my Coolpix. Unfortunately, Nikon doesn't do underwater cameras and I'm not willing to trust my expensive camera to a plastic housing that might leak.
If you are looking for a good point and shoot that is waterproof I highly recommend this camera. Being able to shoot video underwater is a wonderful bonus. A few suggestions:
1. Purchase an extra battery.
2. The accessory kit for this camera is worth every penny.
3. I was surprised that this camera did not come with a flash card, every other one I've ever purchased did. When shopping for flash cards get one that is rated C6 (class/speed rating), everything else will be WAY to SLOW for shooting unless you are only taking pictures of stationary objects.
One other issue is with the microphone on the front of the camera: when shooting video in breezy conditions I found that, upon playback, you get really bad wind sounds -- you'd think I'd been in a hurricane. However, if you keep your finger in front of the tiny microphone to block the breeze it helps.
Many people have commented about the size and shape of the camera. Not sure what their issue is, I had no problems with it. If you want something the size of a credit card, look elsewhere. If you want a good underwater camera and reasonable point and shoot then this is the camera for you. I just wish Nikon would come up with a camera with similar features.
Digital camera Review: Canon D10 A Great Camera from a Great Company
Summary: 4 Stars
this is the one you want for action sports. i've taken great shots & video of: skiing, boating, hiking, biking, fishing, scuba diving, surfing & wake surfing with this canon. amazing quality shots. it is wonderful to have a camera that is small enough that you can take it on your adventures & strong enough that you don't have to worry about breaking it (which i have done with other cameras). i also bought the orange olympus floating wrist band. it works very well. allows you to take the D10 in the water without concern (i've had it in my board shorts in head-high surf). This is my 4th canon & based on my experience (and the experience of my 2 pro photographer friends) they make the best cameras.
also, i can't say enough about what a great company canon is. when i broke the seal on my D10 & got some water in it, i sent it back to be fixed. i assumed that i'd have to pay for the fix (after all i am hard on this thing). canon didn't charge me a cent and they mailed me a brand new one. incredible.
last year when i broke the lens on my G10 skiing, i sent it in for a repair. canon fixed it fast, sent it back fast, and charged me a small, reasonable fee. canon makes legendary products and their customer service is extraordinary.
the only draw back with the D10 is the shutter speed. for action sports you long for a rapid response so you can get a lot of shots. that said, you can't expect the performance of a high-end DSLR in this form factor/price point.
for action junkies who want a point & shoot - this is the choice.
Digital camera Review: Lens Error - Fatal
Summary: 1 Stars
This D10 seemed to work as advertised for a short while. While taking pictures indoors in a benign environment, I got "lens error, please restart" I've tried for several hours restarting and removing & replacing the battery to get the camera to work again without success. The camera has NOT been abused but is apparently much more fragile than Canon will admit. DO NOT BUY THIS PAPERWEIGHT!