Whitewater rafting with waterproof camera's

Getting good pictures on the river has always been a challenge, especially from an inflatable kayak.  In the past we had store our camera in a dry bag or pelican box, wait until a flat spot or go to shore, before opening our dry case and taking pictures.  When we had the photos or video we wanted we then had to put the camera away and start rafting down river again.
Today this process is becoming a thing of the past.  We now have access to great waterproof digital video and still photo cameras.  Some sacrifice recording quality or features for the sake of durability, but even that is becoming history.  Here is a list of some of the best of the waterproof camera world.
Still Digitial Cameras

 Olympus Stylus Tough 12.0 mega-pixel

This is a great little camera if you want something that can take a beating.  We have used the older 10.0 version of this camera for the last 2 seasons and despite our efforts to destroy them they are still going strong.  I personally shove mine in a life jacket pocket so I am always ready for a picture.  I have thrown it in the sand, I swim and take underwater pictures and use it in the snow.  IT DOES NOT FLOAT, TRUST ME! But it will handle most anything else.  Downside, the picture quality, especially of action or low light is not great.  It does well with the standard family picture, but trying to get a photo of someone getting a good Torpedo Ride comes out a little fuzzy. Other downside, to get all the features you are required to use their, more expensive, memory cards.  Price $300-$379

Canon Powershot D10 
 The newest addition to the waterproof camera world.  Cannon came into the game a little late but it seems it was because they wanted to perfect it first.  12.1 mega pixels, image stabilization, auto face detection, and waterproof to 33ft.  The action shot quality has mixed reviews.  Apparently to get a good action photo there is a bit of a setting process making it pretty complicated.  Low light quality is typical of Canon, Great.  Durability is a mix if reading reviews online.  Amazon has some raving about it, but there are also a good number of people complaining that their camera leaked and died the first time in the water.  Price $320-$279




Pentax Optio W80 12.0 Megapixel

Waterproof up to 16ft with 12.0 megapixels.  I have not used this one myself yet but most of the reading I have done online seems to be pretty consistent.  Easy to use point and click that is very durable but sacrifices photo quality.  If you are just looking for something small, durable, and easy to use this could be a good fit.  Lots of complaints of  grainy pictures, which I would assume is in bad light situations.  A problem the Olympus has been known to have.  This does have "HIGH QUALITY" movie recording.  Price $299-$180





Video Camera's
The world of waterproof video has come  a long way from having to buy an expensive water proof case for your camera which led to terrible functionality and quality.  Today waterproof video cameras come in small sizes, long recording times, and HD.
GO Pro HD HERO

These are a very cool new entry into the waterproof camera market.  Go pro has been making waterproof cameras for a while and where the favorite for waterproof film cameras until they stopped making them to move over to digital.  The camera shown in the helmet mounted version of the wide angle HD.  These are not cheap coming in at $299 for the HD version with the mount.  If you skip the HD it takes you down to a much more reasonable $189, but who does not want HD?  Especially when it is recorded at full 1080p and can record up to 2 hours.  The camera also takes 5mp stills and is waterproof to 180ft!!!!  Expect to see a couple of these on your next Rogue or Salmon River trip this summer.  Here is a video review I found.


Kodak Playsport HD Video Camera

 The newest member of the waterproof video camera world is the Kodak Playsport HD.  Available in April and coming in at a very reasonable $150.  This takes up to 10 hours of HD video and stills at 5mp.  Website is saying we can look forward to helmet and handlebar mounts so we can use it in our adventure sports.  It does not appear that it is going to have zoom capabilities, but this is not really that type of camera.  Think of this more as a waterproof, hd, camera phone camera.  Its thin enough you can carry it with you anywhere and always be ready to capture that great bit of video.  I am extremely excited to see this thing in action when it becomes available.




There are some other video options out there.  Panasonic has an actual functional video camera out that is shock proof and waterproof but to me the beauty of waterproof and video is that it would be small enough to do the helmet cam with.  
Should you choose to join us on an Orange Torpedo Trips Rogue River, Salmon River, North Umpqua River, or Klamath River trip this summer having a good camera will be important.  Having some head cam footage of you riding the waves of the Rogue River or just some great stills of the family lined up in inflatable kayaks on the Lower Salmon will be a great thing to take home and show off to the friends.

Are you aware enough?

On a rafting trip, like driving, its always important to be aware of whats going on. This is a great video we found on youtube to test and see how aware you are! Use the comments to let us know how you do.