Water + Camera = Bad News! Waterproof camera housing to the rescue!
Maybe you're on vacation and it starts pouring down the rain.
Or maybe you like to visit the seashore. Or perhaps it's foggy, or any other number of weather conditions that are wet!
Whatever the case, unless your digital camera is one of the waterproof varieties like the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 Digital Camera with 10.2 Megapixels and 4x Optical Zoom or maybe a Kodak Playsport Video Camera
you're going to need to do something to keep your camera dry so it won't get ruined.
In a pinch, you can try using a plastic bag. It's not ideal, but if it's all you have at the time, it should at least help keep your camera dry.
However, if you want to be prepared with a better solution, there are also various waterproof camera housing cases.
The prices vary. There are some pretty cheap ones, like this DiCAPac WP-410 Alpha Underwater Waterproof Digital Camera Housing Case shown to the left. It's under $30 and is excellent protection for your camera when out in wet weather.
It has a transparent and flexible case that allows convenient control for camera buttons as well as perfect visibility for the LCD screen. To get your camera in and out there is an easy to open and close Roll & Velcro zipper system. The camera lens is covered by a UV coated polycarbonate window.
This case is not only for wet weather, but actually meant to be used underwater. One word of advice... before taking your camera underwater in any case, test the case first by putting something in it that it doesn't matter if it gets wet, and submerging it in water.
Once n a while a case has some imperfections, so better to know ahead of time than to lose your pictures and ruin your camera next time you go snorkeling or scuba diving. It's not as rigorous a test as actually being in the ocean with water pressure, but it will give you a pretty good idea if the case has any problems.
When choosing a camera housing case to use underwater, be sure and check the depth guide. For instance, this Aquapac Waterproof, Submersible Polyurethane Camera Case for Large Digital Cameras with a Zoom Lens or Very Small Camcorders says it will work in up to 15 feet (about 5 meters) of water. It runs about $50.
There are also waterproof camera housing cases made for some specific cameras. Generally speaking, these are more expensive, running about $150 and up. However, they are more apt to be able to keep your camera safe in deeper water, like one I saw with a rating of 130 feet.
If you're only going to be in the water a time or two, like snorkeling on vacation, you could also just buy a one time use disposable camera like this Fujifilm Fujicolor QuickSnap Marine, Waterproof 800 Camera with 27 Exposures of Fujicolor Superia X-TRA 800 35mm Film. It's ideal for shooting outdoors in wet and snowy conditions, and operates up to 10 feet underwater! It may not have quite the flexibility of a digital camera, but it's easy to use and you don't have to worry about ruining your camera when these only cost about $7. Just be aware that if you wait until you are on vacation to buy one of these cameras, you'll likely pay a lot more for it than if you buy one ahead of time and take it with you.
Whatever option of waterproof camera housing you choose, don't let water keep you from taking some great pictures!
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