With the rapid growth of the digital camera industry it wasn’t surprising that new breeds of underwater digitals would soon hit the market. Of the current dozen or so out there, the Panasonic Lumix and the Canon D10 get top rankings among reviewers. Of the two, I liked the feel of the Canon due to its larger rugged size which I felt would facilitate use under water. The down side of the Canon is that the lens is not protected by a cover when not in use. Now, at ReefBuilders, we strive to bring you real world testing of items, so in that spirit, I decided to forego taking photographs of my toes in a bathtub and instead took the Canon to Maui to chase some fish. Armed with mask and snorkel, I set off into the surf zone around a local reef. In use, I was impressed with the bright clear screen which was readily viewed underwater, the controls were very simple to use, the menu easy to navigate. The only issue I had was lag time between pressing the release and activation of the shutter. Whilst this wouldn’t be a problem above water, the fish were not too happy to sit and pose and would rather go about their day, 
resulting in many partial shots of tails and heads. Having said that, once I got used to this slight lag, I could compensate and get much better shots. The results –as you can see- were pretty good, even for a mediocre photographer. The Canon also comes with video capabilities, built in flash, macro mode, and a host of other features and can be picked up from most places for $270-300. To my mind a very capable camera for a great price. I can’t wait to try it in my tank at home! (all of the pictures were taken at Blackrock, Kaanapali beach, Hawaii, tons more after the break)
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