Weatherproof Camera

William,

Olympus makes a line of waterproof (within reason), shock proof and freeze proof Cameras that may meet your criteria. I use Canon Cameras exclusively, so can't comment on the features or reliability of Olympus products.

If you find a model that interests you, I'd suggest checking both the reviews and User Forums at This Site to determine if the model might fit your needs.

Good luck!

Lots of cameras have a waterproof case that can be put on it. They are hard plastic. I think some Sony ones do and sony's are great cameras. I also use Canon's these days and I haven't checked into that yet. I alwasy shop on Amazon. com. You can do a search for waterproof cameras and read reviews. I may not buy it there but I alwasy check it out there.

Bad advice. No, you do NOT want to get one of the plastic waterproof cases for your camera. Unless you plan to use it while scuba diving, it will not work well and will be a complete PITA to carry around.

I have a plastic underwater case for one of my cameras (a Canon PowerShot). It works quite well for underwater photography while snorkeling or scuba diving (although the photos it takes do not compare with photos you get with serious underwater photo gear). But it's massively bulky, and would be a disaster for taking photos out of water. It's for taking photos when you and it are both underwater, not for taking photos in splashy environments like while rafting.

The previous poster had better advice. For good info on cameras and other photo gear, the website linked in the previous response is the best source of advice. But leave the big, bulky plastic underwater case at home.

I seem to remember reading about puting your camera in a plastic bag to keep it dry in hiking and rafting situations. By putting the zipper part of a ziplock on the bottoem it could even be put on a trypod if necessary. The clear plastic would (if pulled tight across the lens) not distort the picture. Why don't you try it and see if it works?
You will probably carry some anyway so if one breaks you will have a replacement.

Sharon

I got a waterproof bag from ebay, but just a few days ago I saw one at the AAA store. It was even cheaper than I paid on ebay, about $20.
The bag I got from ebay is very cool, it has space for the lens to open. I don't know how the one from AAA is though.

My wife and I kayak fish in the bays and Gulf of Mexico. Almost everyone uses a camera to record catches and interesting things. The consensus seems to be the waterproof models from Olympus. Since the cameas often get wet and saltwater is much worse than fresh,they're pretty tough. They take good pictures, too.

For general use in the rain, while having it tucked inside your jacket when not in use, the Olympus water resistant camera would be fine.

For rafting, I would either keep my camera in a ziplock bag or buy a true water-proof camera. I used to own a dive camera. It was waterproof and took decent pictures but it's a big investment unless you use it a lot.

There are also disposable cameras that are waterproof. They don't take particularly good pictures, I could do the same thing by just keeping another camera inside a ziplock bag. The up side of the disposable, if it goes over the side of the raft, you haven't lost much.