Stylus Tough-8000 Olympus Everything Proof Digital Camera
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Take your photos to the extreme. The STYLUS TOUGH-8000 is virtually indestructible. Whether you’re kayaking in the ocean, riding whitewater rapids, or skiing a double diamond, it’s hard to hurt this camera. The Tough-8000 12 MP Digital Camera also boasts 3.6x Wide Angle Optical Dual Image Stabilized Zoom and a 2.7-Inch LCD.
The Stylus Tough-8000, designed for active and adventurous people, features an impressive 12 million pixels of image resolution for poster-sized prints and can survive a 6.6-foot drop, venture 33 feet underwater, withstand 220 pounds of crushing pressure, and laugh at freezing temperatures. Tap Control makes it easy for skiers, divers and snowmen makers to control key settings without removing their gloves.
Features
- Shockproof: Life can be tough, this camera is tougher. Rugged metal body and revolutionary shock-absorbing construction are designed to withstand a 6.6-foot drop, bump or other mishap.
- Waterproof: A revolutionary system of waterproof seals and gaskets keeps water out so you can take pictures as deep as 33 feet underwater.
- Freezeproof: Boldly enter that winter wonderland without worrying about your camera. This camera is winterized to perform at below-freezing temperatures as low as 14°F/-10°C
- Crushproof: With a rugged body and reinforced LCD, the STYLUS TOUGH-8000 withstands up to 220 pounds of pressure so your camera and images are protected.
- Dual Image Stabilization: Forget about blurry shots with this 2-in-1 anti-blur solution. Sensor-Shift Image Stabilization compensates for camera shake to keep your shots steady while Digital Image Stabilization captures crisp, clear images in any situation.
There’s really only one word to describe the new shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof, crushproof and shakeproof Stylus 8000 camera from Olympus: Tough. Built to withstand some of the harshest environments on earth, the Stylus Tough series builds on the impressive specifications of the renowned Stylus SW Series by adding Dual Image Stabilization. Now, when the Stylus Tough-8000 arrives at the windy mountain peak or dive into choppy waves, it stays steady and ready to capture blur-free images in virtually any condition. Available in Black, Silver & Blue.
Get more details or order the Olympus Tough-8000
Shop for all underwater cameras here.
Can You Find the Two Peacock Flounders?
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In the picture below, can you locate the two Peacock Flounders? They are in plain sight, although there is a bit of sand disguising them, so their beautiful colors are not showing. I would’ve included a picture with them out of hiding, but they were too fast.
This was taken with an Olympus 770SW camera 
7.1 megapixel CCD- 3.6x optical wide angle zoom
- Waterproof to 33 feet / 10 meters
- Digital Image Stabilization
- 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD screen minimizes glare
- Freezeproof to 14 ° F / -10 ° C
- Airtight & impervious to sand, dust, dirt, and water
- In-camera panorama mode
- Stylish, compact, & shock-proof to 6.6 feet
- Multiple shooting modes
- Fast recharge after each shot
- Dimensions are 3.7″W x 2.4″H x 0.84″D
- Weighs approximately 6 oz
Just Offshore At The Turks & Caicos Islands
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Long undiscovered by most of the world, this island nation is becoming an increasingly popular travel destination. It’s comprised of several islands all reasonably close together – none being more than a three hour boat ride from another, and is situated south of the Bahamas and north of Puerto Rico.
Known for having some of the most brilliant white sand beaches and enticing clear, turquoise blue waters, most of the islands aside from Providenciales and Grand Turk remain relatively undiscovered.
It’s the barrier reef protecting Provo, and most of the Caicos Islands, that provides tranquil waters perfect for diving and snorkeling right offshore.
In fact some of the best reefs are reached by a short walk out from the beach, and many are quite shallow making them perfect for snorkeling.
The reefs are healthy and quite fishy, and offer a superb variety of marine life to look at.
Turtles and southern stingrays are a common sight, and even reef sharks show up often enough. The photos here were taken just a few yards offshore.
Keeping Your Camera Waterproof
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A good underwater camera will last for years, but only if you take the extra care required. Unlike land cameras, dive cameras must retain their watertight integrity. If you don’t maintain both camera and housing and check for leaks regularly, you may lose not just your camera, but all your stored images.
O-rings are an important component of waterproofing. They keep water from coming in through the closed openings in underwater components such as camera housings, strobes, watches, and other dive equipment. They’re the rubber rings you see around the edges of most all openings. O-rings come in many different types, sizes, and colors, and are vital to keeping water out of your equipment.
The one you will likely handle most is the one that seals your camera inside its housing. Because the case is opened often, it’s important to give this one extra attention, as it’s easy to contaminate it with things like sand or a stray hair, especially while cleaning it and re-applying silicone grease.
These small particles can cause slow leaks that will surely flood the housing given enough time.
Before you dive with a new camera for the first time, check for leaks by sealing the camera in the housing, dunking it under fresh water, and watching for bubbles or traces of water in the housing.
Ahead of every dive perform the same leak check before entering the water. Dive boats usually have a camera rinse bucket on board, so once you have prepared your camera for diving, put it in the bucket on the way out to the dive site to check for any leaks.
Keep the camera and sealed housing in water for a few minutes to ensure there’s no leakage, usually apparent if you see a stream of bubbles or you can see a small amount of water inside the housing. If this happens, remove the housing immediately, get the camera out, dry it off, and fix the leak.
And again be alert for slow leaks caused by hair, sand, or other small particles that stick to the o-ring. A tiny leak will fill the housing over time, and sometimes faster at depth.
After the dive, be sure to rinse your camera. Its preferable to soak it for a bit in fresh water before the salt water or heavily chlorinated water has a chance to dry. Be certain that your housing remains sealed before submersing it, and activate all buttons and controls while soaking. Don’t use any other chemicals or cleaning agents on your camera housing.
Before opening any housing or ports, be sure the unit is dry. And as an extra caution, always open any cover with the opening facing down. That way any unseen, trapped water will fall away from the opening, thus causing no damage to sensitive components.
Shop for all underwater cameras here.
The Joby Gorillapod – Super Tripod
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Every now and again a truly innovative idea comes along. Such is the Gorillapod
And this includes underwater since the Gorillapod uses high-quality, injection-molded plastic for snug joints that stay firm after lots of action. These fully articulating ball-and-socket joints that bend and rotate to form the perfect shape, are key to keeping your camera steady anywhere, and soft rings and rubberized feet prevent your Gorillapod from slipping in even the toughest environments.
The original Gorillapod is small enough to fit in your pocket, but strong enough to hold most compact digital cameras. There are also 2 larger sizes available for SLRs and video cameras.
The Gorillapod is the ideal camera accessory for photographers on the go. Throw it in your pocket or backpack and you’ll be ready for your next adventure! While the Gorillapod
KONA CLASSIC 8 – Worlds Top Underwater Photo & Video Festival
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The 2009 Kona Classic on the big island of Hawaii, will be here before you know it. At this years event held last May, participants had the opportunity to learn from pros that included Sport Diver Editor Ty Sawyer, Dive Trainings Marty Snyderman, along with pros David Fleetham, and Doug Perrine. Even though the final cast is not yet determined, you should be able to expect the same quality of talent for next year.
Enthusiasts at all levels of underwater photography, from beginner to advanced are welcome, and the competition and seminars are structured to be certain everyone gets a chance to fully participate. Don’t miss your chance. Check out details below:
LEARN FROM THE PROS - COMPETE WITH YOUR PEERS… Start making your plans to be a part of the 8th Annual Kona Classic Photo and Video Competition. It’s not too soon to sign up–we only take 8 photographers, so we can all be comfortable and there will be plenty of room for equipment. It is a great opportunity to join some of the world’s top professional underwater photographers and videographers as they converge on Kona from April 25th to May 1st, 2009.
Dive 5 Two Tank boat dives and 1 Tank Manta Ray Night Dive with the pros in the pristine waters off the Kona coast. You’ll emerge with answers to all your underwater photo questions as you learn from these top pros during your dives and again during nightly review sessions and seminars on all aspects of underwater photography and videography.
Call us at (808) 331-1858 or toll-free at (866) 463-3486 (866-GO-DIVE’N) to reserve your space for the Kona Classic Photo Underwater competition now! Car reservations can be made through Sunquest-Hawaii at toll free 800-367-5168.
The Outrigger Keauhou Beach Resort is the official host hotel for the Kona Classic and will be offering room rates for their Partial Ocean View rooms at special rate for both single and doubles. Bottom Time Hawaii, located right at the lobby of The Outrigger, will provide complimentary van transportation to and from the Resort and the Harbor. Stay tuned for further updates as we continue to develop the schedule of daily events, seminars, banquets and prizes.
Underwater Photos in Roatan, Honduras
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Surrounded by the world’s second largest coral reef, Roatan in the Bay Islands of Honduras offers some of the world’s best scuba diving and abundant marine life. It’s this reef system that provides calm, clear waters for divers, along with tranquil beaches for swimming and snorkeling.
The island’s friendly, “laid back” atmosphere is an ideal setting for enjoying great meals & drinks at the many fine restaurants & bars, or just relaxing on the beautiful beaches. Then once having adjusted to a more leisurely pace, take time to check out the wonderful culture and many local attractions.
These photos, the first of a banded coral shrimp, and the second, an orange icing sponge, were provided courtesy of Bob Millsap. You can find full-size images and many more photos on his Roatan.ws site along with a wealth of information on accommodations, activities, and a lot more about the island and its people.
Prospective visitors should note that most hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals, are a short walk to the beaches, and Roatan’s many dive operators assure convenient access to deeper waters. When not diving, visitors enjoy a place that’s distinctively less “touristy” than many Caribbean islands.
Roatan Honduras offers accommodations across a wide range of prices and amenities. Everyone from budget travelers to those demanding the very best can find exactly what they want from hotels, hostels, resorts, & lodges, to private homes, villas, & apartments.
Resources: Underwater Cameras
SeaLife DC800 8 Megapixel Underwater Camera Rated to 200 Feet
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In June of 2008, SeaLife – the world’s leading maker of underwater dive cameras, introduces its most advanced digital dive camera. Sleek, modern design meets high-tech functionality in SeaLife´s new DC800 8-megapixel camera.
With 5 new dive-specific color correction modes, the DC800 makes it easier than ever to take sharp, colorful underwater pictures. Set the camera to Sea mode to restore lost colors typical for underwater pictures.
The DC800 provides 8.0 megapixel resolution, a 2.7-inch LCD display screen, 4x optical plus 5x digital zoom, SD/SDHC image storage up to 4GB (along with 32 MB of internal memory), and USB connectivity.
The rugged polycarbonate case is designed to provide a solid grip underwater while making all controls easy to operate, and when on land, the camera can be removed from it’s protective shell making it truly compact and convenient for taking photos above water.
Easily expand the camera with one or two SeaLife external flash accessories, and enjoy quick shutter response as fast as 0.1 second for superb action photography. You will also appreciate the benefits of a long lasting, rechargeable lithium-ion battery that easily provides a full day of shooting underwater.
Automatic focus goes from 2″ to infinity, and very impressive is the large format continuous video recording with sound. Depth tested to 200 feet and fully rubber armored for shock protection, this is truly a next generation dive camera for serious underwater photographers.
Get more details or order the SeaLife DC800
Shop for all underwater cameras here
Rugged Olympus Stylus 790SW 7.1MP Digital Waterproof Camera
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The shockproof, waterproof, freezeproof, sand and dustproof Stylus 790SW captures amazing 7.1-megapixel images in any situation — whether it is a day of fun at the beach, an action-packed snorkel adventure, a family ski trip or a night out with friends.
Built with durable materials and shock-absorption technology that minimizes the impact delivered to the lens and circuitry when dropped, the Stylus 790 SW offers superior durability in a point-and-shoot digital camera.
The camera’s good looks, smooth design and rugged exterior contain an array of innovative features and technologies that ensure sharp, vibrant images in any environment.
Stylus 790SW Highlights
7.1 megapixel CCD
Waterproof to 10 feet deep
Shockproof from 5′ vertical fall
Freezeproof to 14 °F / -10 °C
Face detection technology
Shadow Adjustment technology
Large, 2.5-inch HyperCrystal LCD
Bright Capture technology for low-light conditions
Digital Image Stabilization for crisp, clear pictures
Perfect Shot Preview mode
TruePic III image processor
LED Illuminator for macro shooting
Stylish, compact, rugged design
Slim profile at only 0.8 inches
27 selectable shooting modes
Movie Mode records VGA video & sound
In-camera editing features
Olympus Master 2 software
Get more details or order the Olympus Stylus 790SW
Shop for all underwater cameras here
SeaLife DC600 6.1 Mega Pixel Underwater Camera
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Fast Shutter response means you’ll never miss the action, and 6.1 mega pixels yield sharp, crisp enlargements. The SeaLife DC600 is easy to expand with up to two flashes, wide angle & other lenses, and all SeaLife accessories. The camera may also be removed from its waterproof housing for use on land.
Improving on the award winning DC500 model, SeaLife designers have put a high priority on ease of use with button positioning, a large 2.5″ LCD, full rubber armoring, and ergonomic buttons. The long-life lithium-ion rechargeable battery means this camera will be ready when you are.
Camera & Housing Features:
- 6.1 mega pixel CCD
- 2.5″ color LTPS TFT LCD
- Land & Sea exposure modes
- 12 land modes; Sea mode; External Flash Mode
- “Color Booster” for richer colors especially at depth
- White Balance control to restore lost colors
- Spy Mode for automatic continuous shots at pre-set time intervals
- Focus range of 2″ wide angle / 12″ tele zoom, to infintiy
- One-touch brightness control toggles all settings
- Movie mode - 640×480 VGA / 30FPS
- Rubber armored polycarbonate case
- Depth rated to 200 feet / 60 meters
- 3X optical plus 4X digital zoom
- Lithium battery & charger
- 10MB flash memory plus up to 1GB SD Memory Card
- Housing dimensions: 3.5″H x 5.5″W x 3.4″D (8.9cm X 14cm X 8.6cm)
Get more details or order the SeaLife DC600
Shop for all underwater cameras here
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