DSLR vs a seaside holiday?

[PersisGal]

Hi peeps!

Need some advice here. I'll be heading for a holiday at Phuket this coming year end and will be bringing my Nikon D80 along. Will be doing some sea activities like island hopping or canoing.. Question is that I'm dying to get my D80 along for some good scenic shots.. But then again I'm worried abt all the things that were mentioned in the forum about sea water and sea breeze..

Any good advice?

[night86mare]

just be careful, and keep your uv filter on.

all my dslrs have been in constant contact with sea area, my k100d had no problem even after a year plus. getting shots > buying a camera to worship

[ssping83]

i will NOT recommend bringing the d80 for canoeing.. unless you've done some super waterproofing..

but if you are taking a boat and island hopping.. no reason why not.. agree with night86mare.. USE the camera..

[Fotophilic]

Originally Posted by PersisGal Hi peeps! Need some advice here. I'll be heading for a holiday at Phuket this coming year end and will be bringing my Nikon D80 along. Will be doing some sea activities like island hopping or canoing.. Question is that I'm dying to get my D80 along for some good scenic shots.. But then again I'm worried abt all the things that were mentioned in the forum about sea water and sea breeze.. Any good advice?

is dying more impt than worrying to u? if u are dying to use ur D80 for shooting, then bring it. if u are worried then just get a simple camera with water-resistance or a underwater housing. no one can really tell u which is better for u, only u know the answer.

compact camera takes pretty gd images nowadays especially in gd lightings. to me, enjoying and experiencing the trip is more impt than taking pics itself (of coz, may be diff to u). so if i am in ur case, i wouldn't bring along my dslr if i'm worried abt this and that.

a word of advice: when travelling, try not to bring things u cannot afford to lose.

[PersisGal]

Thanks for the prompt replies so far.. I was thinking of getting a extra large ziplock bag to bag my camera while i'm on a boat or canoe or something.. And when I've reached safe land, I'll take it out and shoot! =)

[ahbian]

Instead of using the ziploc, invest in a dry bag. The dry bag doubles as a daypack.

I usually dump my valuables in the dry bag for canoe/dive trips, peace of mind so far.

In my opinion, i believe the camera can withstand splashes of water, just wipe it off with a damp cloth at the end of the day.

[Octarine]

I don't see any reason NOT bringing your camera for this trip. Cameras can stand much more than we dare to imagine. I fully agree with night86mare here, also based on my own experiences. Any underwater case will kill your holiday budget and it will sit in your dry cabinet afterwards eating space. Many of my friends just wrapped the cam into a towel. Very good as protection and handy to wipe off any water drops from casing. All these cams still work fine.
I'm not sure about the ziploc bag - except for passport or other important papers. It would prevent water coming to your cam - but you could also get condensing inside the bag.
I have lost only one camera in the sea: my very first Canon Powershot A100. But this proved finally that the memory cards are robust and will survive a good dip into seawater. Go, have a UV filter on and enjoy all your shootings

[gymak90]

Actually ziplock bag can be truly waterproof. But that is if there aren't small holes on the bag, or the seal is tight. The problem with the seal, is after several times of usage, it tends to be loose.

Just bring your D80 along, it will be fine. Get a UV filter for your lens(es), and try not to change lens at the seaside.

Or you can invest in an olympus cam, it claims to be waterproof.

[ExplorerZ]

compact for me. even a non-waterproof 1 will be much easier to take care of than a small dSLR.

[lsisaxon]

Originally Posted by PersisGal Thanks for the prompt replies so far.. I was thinking of getting a extra large ziplock bag to bag my camera while i'm on a boat or canoe or something.. And when I've reached safe land, I'll take it out and shoot! =)

It's ok if there are no splashes on the camera. Some mist/spray is ok. Just wipe them off. After the trip, use a damp (make sure it's wrung dry) cloth and give the external a thorough wipe, for the optics and electrical contacts, use a proper cleaning fluid respectively. After that, air dry and then keep in your dry cabinet/dry box.

[grumpy]

if you are doing canoeing etc in places like Phuket, the guides usually have dry-bags, so not issues. U can be kiasu and buy your own dry-bag and then put your drybag into the guide's drybag.

I have brought my dslr to white water rafting in Bali before.

[Wzierbovsky]

I was in Phuket some months ago and did island hopping + sea canoeing. My D300 was along for the ride, and it survived just fine.

The excursion organizer I was with provided waterproof bags for camera equipment, but he remarked cheerily that in all his years running the excursions, he's never seen a sea canoe capsize. There's always the risk though, but there you have it.

[PersisGal]

Thanks for all the comments and suggestions given! I appreciate it alot!

Originally Posted by Wzierbovsky I was in Phuket some months ago and did island hopping + sea canoeing. My D300 was along for the ride, and it survived just fine. The excursion organizer I was with provided waterproof bags for camera equipment, but he remarked cheerily that in all his years running the excursions, he's never seen a sea canoe capsize. There's always the risk though, but there you have it.

Wow.. I didn't know they have such a service.. I might ask the ppl over there if they do provide any form of protection for my camera! Thanks for reply too!

[Wzierbovsky]

Well from what I've observed, the water protection usually just involves giving you plastic bags, and perhaps zip lock bags. It's not going to be one of those submersible waterproof camera cases.

[grumpy]

Originally Posted by Wzierbovsky Well from what I've observed, the water protection usually just involves giving you plastic bags, and perhaps zip lock bags. It's not going to be one of those submersible waterproof camera cases.

I am sure such soft adventure companies do better than plastic bags and ziplocs. THey usually have drybags.