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I have a second hand Panasonic Lumix waterproof camera which I take sea kayaking. It's certainly waterproof and robust enough, but the photo colours and quality aren't excellent, it's quite an old camera. I initially didn't want to spend much on one incase I never really used it, but it turns out that I do use it a lot. 

So, I would like to upgrade to something with decent quality, but still relatively slimline. I shove it in my buoyancy aid pocket, so I don't want it too bulky. 

I don't want to break the bank, and would still love to get second hand if possible (I try to minimise how much new stuff I create in the world). 

Any suggestions?

What's your budget? Olympus Tough range was always my understanding of the best waterproof cameras. Either that or a GoPro. I really like my floaty, which massively reduces the risk of dropping it to the bottom of the ocean. Also the range of attachment options. Could easily attach it to your kayak.

As said for a waterproof camera the Olympus Tough is probably the best option, I have trialled most of the waterproof / tough cameras over the years and always return to an Olympus Tough. Using a TG6 at the moment, but a newer TG7 is available. TG6 and previous versions are often available 2nd hand.

I have taken it sea kayaking a few times and been pleased with the results in the main. Like any camera if you move away from the auto mode and also use exposure comp the images tend to be better. The macro setting is stunning and probably the best waterproof camera in a low light environment.

You could get a waterproof housing for a better quality compact for better images, but that then makes it far too bulky and the additional cost of the housing.

Think the only waterproof / tough camera I have not used is the Kodak Pixpro WPZ2 Digital Camera, seems mixed reviews.

Ok, so here's where you see how much of a luddite I am with technology! Lol. 

Isn't a go-pro a video camera? Is it straightforward to just use as a point and click camera?

Not keen on attaching extra gubbins to my deck, I want it as clutter free as possible if I need to re-enter or empty boats etc, so definitely want it in my pocket. 

Will look at the Olympus. 

Do the modern ones have Bluetooth to easily transfer photos to phones etc?

They do have Bluetooth, but being also a luddite I have never used it. My wife was using the Bluetooth connection on her TG6 to download to her phone last time we were away, so it is a feature.

GoPro can be used as both. Advantages over a traditional camera are the use of voice controls, which work pretty well. The classic shout 'GoPro take a photo' is hated by many a friend of mine. You can also extract photos from video footage.

The floaty is a hand held 'stick' which does what it says. It's bright orange so if you drop your GoPro you just pick it back up off the surface of the water. You can also get a double sucker attachment for surfboards. I've never used it and I'm not sure I would trust it, not without a cord tying my GoPro to my board. I have the single sucker for my windscreen. Apparently you can stick it to the outside of your car. But reading the reviews of people who have arrived somewhere only to discover it's fallen off put me off that idea. lol.

Example photo below

Do you really need a camera? The newer iPhones are waterproof to 6m and take great photos, definitely better than an old small sensor digital camera. 

My one has fallen in the sea, gone paddle boarding, survived canyoning at work etc etc and seems to be doing fine.

Put it in a decent waterproof case with a lanyard and that would easily last in a BA pocket unless you’re seriously into rolling repeatedly. 

I'm not buying an iPhone. 

I currently keep my phone in a small map case in my pocket. I can technically take photos on it like this, but it is a bit fiddly and I prefer to keep it tucked away in case of emergency. 

At the end of the day, if I lose a camera in the water, I might be sad but it's not the end of the world. If I lose my phone then I have lost a means of communication. 

If we are just pootling in flat calm conditions, then I do tend to just have the phone in my pocket (no case) and use that. But anything even a bit bouncy, I don't really want to do that. 

That's a cracking picture, by the way! Where is it?

In rephttps://www.wexphotovideo.com/olympus-tough-tg-6-digital-camera-red-1703... to girlymonkey:

+1 to the recommendation for Olympus Tough.  I had a Fujifilm camera for a while which was quite disappointing - not only the photos themselves, but the design of the lens somehow seemed to always have a drop of water on it that just wouldn't go away.  That sometimes happens with the Olympus too, but it seems much less prone to it.  And the photos are v good.  I have lots of pics taken with a TG-4, which I recently replaced with a TG-5 and passed the old one on to a friend.  (Both second hand - they seem to hold their value though so even quite old ones in good condition aren't particularly cheap.)

The wireless transfer is actually wi-fi rather than Bluetooth.  (Bluetooth is v slow, so it would take forever otherwise.) 

You use the "Olympus Share" app on your phone to connect to it.  (On Android anyway, not sure about iphone tbh.)  The app can be a bit of a faff though sometimes, and as a self-confessed luddite you might actually find it easier to just plug it in to your laptop with a USB cable.  (The same one that you can use to charge the camera.)  The camera just comes up as a 'mass storage device' like a memory stick with all your photos on.

I guess it probably won't interest you, but the TG cameras allow you to shoot RAW images as well as JPGs if you want to be able to do all the clever editing, adjust exposures, white balance and the like later.

I've added a couple of favourite pics from my TG-4 too - fabulous conditions in the tiderace at Penhryn Mawr on a slightly misty atmospheric day, and a playful curious seal at the Skerries.

What camera do you have at the moment, and how waterproof do you want your next camera to be?
Completely submersible or weather-sealed but not exactly drop into a bucket of water sort of thing?

Aww, look at that deal! Amazing!

Super pics. 

I have seen some of the older Olympus for sale second hand, so good to hear that they are still good quality. Thanks

Yeah, unlikely to play with editing and exposure etc. I just want to point and click!

I have a Lumix, and it has been very reliable in terms of waterproofing and robustness. I have had it in swimming etc with no issues. 

Yes, I want it submersible. I have some thoughts of playing with it snorkeling too, but it's been a busy summer and I haven't had a chance yet to do it.

If you were to find a second-hand TG-4 in good condition I don't think you'd regret not getting a 5, 6 or 7 at all in terms of photo quality etc.

But one thing that's everso slightly annoying about the TG-4 is that it has a funny proprietary USB connector on the camera itself so it has to have its own special USB lead. 

The TG-5 has a micro-USB (same as lots of Android phones) and I think the later ones are USB-C (same as more modern phones) - meaning that you can potentially charge it with the same lead that you use for your phone and if you lose it you can just buy another one in the supermarket.

That seal was absolutely adorable - best wildlife encounter ever. 

I also have several Lumix cameras. Lumix is the overall umbrella name, like Ford is a name for a brand of cars. Any chance of giving the model of camera please?

My mirrorless cameras are classed as weather sealed but I'd be vary nervous taking them on a kayak, not least because I'm shit scared of water.

I use a TG6 for sea kayaking, I don’t think anything else is as good. I used to have a TG4 which had more pixels, but the pixels being smaller reduced the image quality. There will always be a limit to how good fully waterproof cameras can be due to having a very small sensor allowing the zoom mechanism to be fully contained within the waterproof body. Having said that here’s a photo (cropped) i took when sea kayaking off  Capetown last year

When I’m brave and expecting calm conditions I sometimes take my OM-1 mirrorless camera sea kayaking, it is IP53 rated so water resistant rather than water proof

My Panasonic GH4 was Water Proof right up to the point that a wave smashed into me and physically dislodged the lens from the body from the force of the impact. Other than that I had a great afternoon in the best storm this century filming the waves on the prom.

Even if the final wave had not killed the camera, I think that all the salt water poring over it as I was engulfed by wave after wave after wave would have corroded quite a bit of it to the point that the camera could have died anyway.

I may have tested the camera way beyond its advertised waterproofness.

I have an Olympus Tough, as recommended on this forum 10 years ago. (Presumably the first version). It has served me well, carried on climbs, kayaking beaches etc. After 10 years it looks a little battered, but works fine. The only problem is it no longer communicates with my computer, so I have to take the SD card out to download photos.

If the latest version is of the same build quality, then it has a lot to recommend it.

No idea what model it is, it's whatever seemed like a good price second hand when I bought it!

Thanks folks, sounds like it's an Olympus tough of some sort. I will spend some time looking at used ones and go from there. 😊

Oh, and thanks for your lovely photos too! 

Thank you, photo was from a 5 day trip last year down the Abel Tasman coastline on the New Zealand South Island. Amazing place

You won't go wrong with TG, ForeverYoung on the other channel?

I initially thought Deepsoup had sent you a link to an amazing camera bargain! Spent far too long looking for it. Doh!

Ha ha, sorry, I didn't notice my typo! Lol. 

Lol, yep. It seemed more of a sea kayak question, but I thought I would post here too as this forum is just more active and people have such a wide range of knowledge and there is always cross over with different activities.

HaHa. “On the rocks”

Owen's link above got a bit mangled - don't know if this helps at all, but here's a version that works: https://www.wexphotovideo.com/olympus-tough-tg-6-digital-camera-red-1703071...

Not an amazing bargain, but it's very reasonable.  (V fair price from an actual shop, there are a few cheaper as private sales on ebay at the mo though.)

The photos in that listing reminded me that the TG cameras are also quite good at macro photos.  I got a couple of very satisfying pics of a beetle that landed on my knee while I was sitting eating my lunch in the woods a while back.  (Can't seem to post pics at the mo though.)

The macro setting is excellent, almost as good as my dedicated macro lens on my DSLR, but a 1/3 of the price.

A few of the hoverflies I record for a research project for Exeter Uni, pretty mind blowing as the nearest land is 120 miles away from my oil rig and these have probably migrated from Denmark or Germany.

Amazing.

Ah - apparently I can post those beetle pics now too.

For info, if you are still looking for a used Tough camera, OM Systems are doing a limited time 40% off on their reconditioned cameras (30% off lenses) which includes the TG7.

One advantage of the reconditioned items direct from OM Systems is they come with the same warranty as new items and backed by OM Systems themselves.

I’ve not checked, but the reconditioned offers are usually excellent c/w anything else being sold online, though will still be pricy if you are looking for an older model. Suggest you don’t wait if interested as I’ve seen reconditioned cameras and lenses sell out in a couple of days for popular items. BTW no code required as discount automatically added to valid items put in basket.

Thanks. I ended up getting an incredibly cheap TG4 which cosmetically is quite bashed up, but seems to work fine. Only just got it so not played with it much yet

Is this on the OM UK site?

Got excited and had a quick check, no TG7s. Didn't realise they sold reconditioned stuff though, must keep an eye on it.

£399 for a new TG7 on Amazon at the moment so I'm tempted by that.

In reply to Tricky Dicky:

Yeah, that one popped up on a search when I was seeing what was available. I decided it very definitely had to be a scam!

Good luck. Now I just need to find out who disliked my post about the GoPro. I mean what was dislikeable about what I said??? 

Earlier this year I bought a Kodak Pixpro which would meet your requirements.

Have to admit that I haven't actually taken any images off the SD card yet, so can't attest to the quality of them.

They (Harrisons Cameras in Sheffield) also had a Pentax model with very similar  specs for about £80 more. Apparently being a Pentax it would have a better lens, but it was larger and I decided to go for the smaller Kodak.

Yes UK site - https://explore.omsystem.com/gb/en/reconditioned/cameras.

Obviously sold out “overnight” which doesn’t surprise me given less than £300 for what is effectively an as new TG 7 is probably as cheap as a used one but with full warranty.

The high discounts like the current offering are infrequent for info (think this maybe the second this year iirc), but it if you are interested in them it is easier know about them by signing up to their marketing emails rather than random website checks. You usually get early access notification of the offers by email; though you still have to act fast usually if interested on usually out of stock items. (The downside is they do send a lot of marketing emails overall!!)

Re buying from Amazon, check warranty etc c/w authorised dealers. OM Systems are a bit iffy, or so I’ve heard, with non authorised dealers regarding the type/length of warranty available/any cashback offers/grey imports, etc. The list of authorised dealers is on their website.

I use a TG-7 and bouyancy aid, works for snorkling as well.