INTOVA INWD-IC500 5.0 MP Digital Sports Camera with Waterproof Housing -130FT

I use this camera at the beach & while fishing from a kayak. It does everything it should 4 a <$100 camera. The pictures & video turned out very good. I had it in the water several times & had no problems with the waterproof case. An added bonus is that it floats, so you don't have 2 worry about losing it in the water. It uses AAA batteries so keep some spares handy. I went through 3 pair in a week of daily use on vacation. My computer recognized it even without using the supplied driver disk. For an inexpensive waterproof camera, Intova INWD-IC500 is hard 2 beat.

My expectations were not that high based on the price & feature set of this little camera. I must say that I was quite surprised at how well it worked. The underwater housing is very strong & high quality. The camera itself takes very good quality pictures 4 the tiny lens that it uses. Like most underwater cameras if the visibility is not that great you want 2 avoid using the flash. Luckily it is off by default when you turn the camera on.

I did find that the flash was a little strong when using the camera on land. Putting a small square of wax paper over the flash inside the housing diffused it perfectly & it works great.

I had no clue what kind of camera 2 purchase when I first started scuba diving. The professionals try & sell the $1,000 cameras 2 everyone. I decided 2 take a chance & see how this camera preformed.

The camera takes pretty nice pictures. I have uploaded several 4 others 2 see. Underwater videos include the ability 4 users 2 listen 2 the oceans sounds as well as the operators regulator. Almost all camera options can be accessed through the housing while underwater. The diver must choose distance or closeup before closing the housing & diving. The camera does not have the ability 2 change the date/time, so all pictures are time stamped starting in January 2000.

I have used the camera on three windows computers & one linux computer without any need of loading drivers or using any of the CDs that came with the camera.

Just used this extensively snorkling in Hawaii. Not perfect, but ended up with some great results. I shopped around a lot, & I think this is probably the best-working underwater digital solution 4 under $100.

Pros -
-Housing is the best thing about it - great quality, very well-made & easy 2 use, no hint of leakage during multiple uses.
-Camera floats while in housing
-Under ideal conditions (Sunny Weather, clear water, used near the surface) the image results can be superb 4 such a cheap camera
-Considering most of the cost is probably in the housing, it does better than expected as a general purpose cheap land camera

Cons -
- Flash is useless in housing. Need expensive off-camera flash 4 good results in less than ideal conditions (without direct sunlight, or at any significant depth)
- Shutter delay is substantial & can be tricky 2 use - you have 2 lead moving subjects a little which takes practice

Overall a bargain & would definitely recommend 4 casual underwater use in good lighting.

I used this camera on a trip 2 Hawai'i. It's good 4 relatively close underwater shots if you don't move too quickly while shooting the shot. I got a bunch of pictures that were distorted before I figured that out. As far as the camera itself, it's not very good 4 anything beyond the limited use underwater. The rsolution doesn't seem 2 be 5M, I even switched it 2 10M, but that just made it more difficult 2 use. At the higher reslution setting the camera couldn't set the exposure correctly & I got a bunch of near black pictures. At about $100 it's not a bad deal, but don't expect too much.

Intova IC-500 5.0 MP Waterproof Digital Sports Camera General Features: Black design 5.0 megapixel Waterproof 2 130 feet/39 meters 1/2.5-inch CMOS sensor 4x digital zoom 2.5-inch color LCD display 16 MB internal memory SD expansion slot up 2 2 GB capacity Built-in flash F3.0 lens 6.47 mm focus length (equivalent 2 39 mm on a 35 mm camera) 1/-1000 sec shutter speed Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent white balance Auto, 100, 200 ISO Full function button control Video & Still shot capable JPEG image format Motion JPEG video format USB interface Unit Dimensions: 2 x 3.5 x 0.75-inches (H x W x D, approximate) Regulatory Approvals: FCC CE