Well this is my 5th or 6th 'underwater' camera that has proven to be anything but waterproof. A couple of weeks ago I dropped my Pentax Optio W30 in the parking area of Horseshoe Bay and it didn't survive the impact. I cashed in my change from last year's looting and that was enough to buy another Pentax Optio W30 on sale at the local camera shop.(there is really only one camera shop in Bermuda)
These 'underwater' cameras are better described as water resistant because they usually last a little over a year before they leak and drowned, the warranty is 1 year - what an amazing coincidence.
Well, yesterday my treasurehunting buddy Lee wanted to take a picture of something in the water off of Horseshoe Bay Beach and he asked me if he could borrow my camera since his camera isn't waterproof and I agreed to let him use it to take a pic. I don't normally loan out my gear because it usually gets broken and then it is hard feelings but Lee is a mate of mine so what the heck, it was only 1 pic. You guessed it, Lee was back from the briny in a couple of minutes with a drowned camera, complaining that my camera was junk. It wasn't junk when I handed it to him but it was certainly junk now - lesson learned, never lend my gear to anyone.
Later that evening, Lee agreed to cover the camera if warranty didn't cover it. If the camera seal leaked then it is covered, if Lee fumbled the latch that keeps the waterproof seal to the battery locked when he was taking a pic then it won't be covered under warranty because it's not waterproof if you open the waterproof hatch underwater.
In the past 5 years, I've gone through a lot of cameras so I could post pics of my hunts and the beautiful scenery of Bermuda for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately, I may have to reconsider this as it is getting to be too expensive to keep replacing underwater cameras that aren't really waterproof.
Cheers,
BDA

These 'underwater' cameras are better described as water resistant because they usually last a little over a year before they leak and drowned, the warranty is 1 year - what an amazing coincidence.

Later that evening, Lee agreed to cover the camera if warranty didn't cover it. If the camera seal leaked then it is covered, if Lee fumbled the latch that keeps the waterproof seal to the battery locked when he was taking a pic then it won't be covered under warranty because it's not waterproof if you open the waterproof hatch underwater.

In the past 5 years, I've gone through a lot of cameras so I could post pics of my hunts and the beautiful scenery of Bermuda for everyone to enjoy. Unfortunately, I may have to reconsider this as it is getting to be too expensive to keep replacing underwater cameras that aren't really waterproof.
Cheers,
BDA