Underwater Cameras for Snorkeling

Not that long ago, taking pictures underwater required a very expensive camera made to go in the water or a very expensive housing for cameras that weren't originally designed to be used in water. No longer!

Waterproof cameras for snorkeling are now affordable for virtually any budget and available with a wide range of features. You can get everything from a one-time-use underwater film camera to a waterproof digital camera that is also shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof. Now everyone can take great photos on their beach vacation!

Here are some of the top-rated and most popular underwater cameras for snorkeling and some tips for using your new camera underwater.

(Photo: © Dmitriy Melnikov | Dreamstime.com)

Panasonic's Lumix DMC-TS5 comes in several colors and is one of the most popular underwater camera for snorkeling and other sports on Amazon as of this writing. It's waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, freezeproof and takes HD video. This camera is great for virtually any sport or everyday use.

With nearly 275 customer reviews, the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-TX10 is currently the best-rated waterproof camera on Amazon, with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars. Like the waterproof Panasonic camera above, this Sony Cyber-Shot is also waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, freezeproof and able to shoot HD video. It also offers 3-D and panoramic imaging features.

You don't have to buy a digital camera to take photos underwater. This little one-time-use film camera from Kodak doesn't offer a lot of features, but it is waterproof to 50 feet and will allow you to take 27 photos on your snorkeling trip at very little cost.

How to get the best photos of your snorkeling adventure

1. Try your camera on land and then in a swimming pool before you take it snorkeling. Once you're in the water, you want to be able to take pictures immediately, not spend time figuring out how to operate it underwater.

2. Choose the largest file setting your camera offers to achieve the best quality. Each photo will take more room on your memory card, but you'll get the best quality when viewing or printing your photos.

3. Get close to your subject. Light doesn't travel the same way underwater as it does on land, so you'll get the best pictures if you're within a foot or two of your subject.

4. Use a flash or your camera's underwater mode. This will help improve the color of your images so they don't look so blue.

5. Use a fast shutter speed to capture moving objects. Fish are fast! To prevent blurry photos, use your camera's sport setting or a fast (at least 1/125 second) shutter speed.

(Public domain file photo from the National Park Service)

If you're looking for good deals, eBay is a great place to shop. You can often find new equipment at lower prices than other online stores, and even better deals on used equipment. It's also a great place to pick up Nikonos underwater cameras. For decades, these were the top scuba cameras you could buy. Nikon stopped making them when the demand for film cameras waned as fancy new digital cameras came on the market, but if you enjoy 35mm photography, the Nikonos is still a great buy.

When buying on eBy, just be sure to shop from a seller with good ratings and you could walk away with the underwater camera of your dream for an unbelievable price!