Headed out early this AM to the “best” place to photograph fish. A different SD Card was in the camera. Had a fish wrangler with me. Lots of fish but after about 10 minutes – the camera freezes.
So, I get a Return Authorization from BH Photo. But wait. I still want an underwater camera for Samoa. Should I try another TS30. But, by then the sun had set in the east and BH Photo was closed until sundown tomorrow.
Question to self. Is the TS30 worth 99 bucks. Assuming I have a lemon. And, I have this little feeling that my problems with the TS30 have something to do with video. Well, after a lunch of leftovers – I wriggle into my still wet wetsuit and head out into the bay. Not many fish were I went. But I was determined to get the best possible photos out of the TS30.
Took these four images this afternoon, just across the street. There are not a lot of this in this area. But, I don’t have to pay attention to anything except the fish. So, I was sure that the shots were auto focused correctly etc. And, since I suspected video might be the culprit – I didn’t play with video until I was cold and ready to come in.
I did no processing – except color correction to the video. It isn’t very good. The GoPro made lots better quality videos. But, I am not a videographer. I can just put some duct tape over the video button. The video did NOT lockup the TS30. However, when I was looking at the video in camera – it locked up. Video still seems to be the culprit.
Bottom Line: Let the lockup problem slide. I am trying to decide if I want to get a replacement. I do not want to invest a bunch of money in a “better” under water solution. Real underwater photography takes a good camera, lights, and a super expensive housing. I’d rather spend my camera $$$ on land-based lenses for my Oly.
So, the question is: Am I happy enough with the decidedly marginal quality of this $99 camera.
The answer is yes for in ocean work. But, it is not a substitute for by Oly. The quality is not as good as my phone camera. My Oly is “weatherproof”. I have one “weatherproof” lens. So, bad weather isn’t really a problem. If it rains too hard, there is always the ziplock bag.