BEST UNDERWATER CAMERAS 2023

The Dji Osmo are excellent action underwater cameras for sports lovers. Like the ultra-famous Go Pro, the Dji Osmo is also waterproof, capable of capturing stunning 4k videos 11m underwater. The innovative RockSteady technology lets you take crystal clear photos and videos even when your hands are shaking in excitement. Its small size and lightweight body make it the perfect companion for all aquatic endeavors both in and out of the water. Definitely also a best buy underwater camera for divers.

BRAND: DJI
WATERPROOF BODY: Yes
BEST FOR: Slow-mo
MANUAL MODE: No
MEGAPIXELS: 12
SENSOR SIZE: 1/2.3″ CMOS type
MANUAL WHITE BALANCE: No

The Ricoh W-70 are sturdy and waterproof action underwater cameras. The rugged casing makes this camera almost indestructible and amongst the top best buy underwater cameras, even in the harshest of conditions. This bad boy can take pictures and videos up to 14m in depth and has a battery life of 2 hours of continuous use. Ricoh comes with 16 megapixels, FHD videos, digital microscope mode, and 25 shooting modes.

BRAND: RICOH
WATERPROOF BODY: Yes
BEST FOR: Macro
MANUAL MODE: No
MEGAPIXELS: 16
SENSOR SIZE: 1/2.3″ CMOS type
MANUAL WHITE BALANCE: No

By far the king of underwater video shooting, unless you want to spend tens of thousands of dollars. The GoPro Hero 7 performs like a high-end racing car shooting 4K at 60fps means you can shoot video as good as any wildlife documentary. The GoPro Hero 6 features an improved white balance that adds a lot of color and depth back into the images. The image processor is also top notch and produces excellent tones and warm colors that were not possible with previous versions of the GoPro. The touchscreen LCD makes handling the camera underwater without a housing a dream.

BRAND: GOPRO
WATERPROOF BODY: Yes, up to 10m without housing
BEST FOR: Video
MANUAL MODE: No
MEGAPIXELS: 12
SENSOR SIZE: N/A
MANUAL WHITE BALANCE: N/A

Not only are the Olympus TG-5 underwater cameras waterproof to 50 ft/15m without housing, but it is also freezeproof, crushproof, and shockproof to the same depth. Teaming up the ruggedness with a f/2.0-4.9 lens, 1/2.3″ BSI CMOS sensor, custom white balance, and 4k@30f video shooting and you have a great camera not only for beginners but also for those looking for a little more than a simple point and shoot. The control dial at the top of the camera makes rapid switching between settings on the fly a breeze.

BRAND: OLYMPUS
WATERPROOF BODY: Yes
BEST FOR: Marco
MANUAL MODE: No
MEGAPIXELS: 12
SENSOR SIZE: 1/2.3 “ BSI CMOS
MANUAL WHITE BALANCE: Yes

The Sony RX 100 Mk V are the Rockstar of our underwater cameras bunch. Marry it to a Nauticam housing, and you are almost on the way to a pro setup. This camera delivers on every front, speedy autofocus, full manual controls, a 1” CMOS sensor, coupled with a 24-70mm F1.8/2.8 lens means you will almost never outgrow this camera. To capture those stunning action shots (think of a bait ball under attack by predators) the camera can shoot 24fps in RAW for up to 150 shots. Some of the best shots taken with a compact shot with this best buy underwater camera.

BRAND: SONY
WATERPROOF BODY: No
BEST FOR: Everything
MANUAL MODE: Yes
MEGAPIXELS: 20.1
SENSOR SIZE: 1” CMOS type
MANUAL WHITE BALANCE: Yes

The Panasonic Lumix LX 100 are a feature-heavy beast that delivers both still and video photography. An F1.7 – 2.8 lens, micro 4/3” sensor, 20 megapixels, combine to make this a great shooter. The image processing is impressive and provides clear sharp images, and the color processing produces vibrant warm colors that need minimal tweaking in post editing. Without additional lenses the camera is capable of producing good wide angle shots, adding a wide angle lens turns it into a wide angle monster.

BRAND: PANASONIC
WATERPROOF BODY: No
BEST FOR: Wide Angle
MANUAL MODE: Yes
MEGAPIXELS: 20.1
SENSOR SIZE: 4/3”
MANUAL WHITE BALANCE: Yes

COMPACT VS. DSLR & MIRRORLESS:

There are three types of cameras; compacts, DSLRs and Mirrorless. DLSRs and Mirrorless underwater cameras tend to be used by professional photographers. Not surprisingly they are expensive, and all the housings, lenses and accessories needed to use them can run into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Most divers use compacts, who have developed enough to be able to produce some stunning images. If you are worried about the quality of images you can create; there is no need. Some of the best underwater photos you see are taken with a compact camera.

MANUAL WHITE BALANCE: The white balance compensates for the loss of color underwater. Any underwater camera worth buying has manual white balance. With manual white balance, you place a white slate, sand or your hand in front of the camera lens and press the trigger to tell the camera that object is white. The process rebalances the colors and brings them back into the image. Without the ability to adjust the white balance, the deeper you go, the more your image will become blue.

MANUAL CONTROLS: Jumping in and snapping away is nice at first, but as your skill level and experience develop you will start to yearn for some more control over your images. Purchasing underwater cameras that does not allow full manual control will lead to frustration, and you will end up upgrading sooner than you wanted. Always opt for a camera that gives you the option of full manual control.

Manual control in the camera world is the ability to modify the exposure and depth of field of your image. You can achieve this by controlling the aperture (f-stop), shutter speed, and ISO settings. Being able to control these can produce some stunning results. Adjusting your settings can add dramatic effects to your images. Pictures of critters with a black background that makes their colors pop can be shot during the day with specific settings.

MACRO: Some the most stunning underwater photos are Macro images. Good diving cameras have a dedicated macro mode (usually indicated by a pictogram of a flower). When in macro mode the camera software adjusts its ability to focus and process the image to take its small size into account. Having a macro mode is vital for any underwater camera to produce the best underwater camera results.

TTL FLASH OPTICAL OR SYNC CABLE: Choose a housing for your camera that can sync its flash to an external strobe via a TTL sync cable or a fiber optic cable. The fiber optic option is a simple cable that relays the light from the internal flash to the strobe and triggers it. A sync cable connects electronically to the camera and strobe and communicates to the strobe how bright it needs to fire. If you use a fiber optic cable, you will have to set the strobe power manually for each shot. Manually configuring your strobe may seem a pain, but it only takes a second and most pros like to have full control over the lighting of their images.

FAST AUTO FOCUS: Always look for a camera with fast autofocus. Underwater there is little time to get focus. Unless you are taking pictures of coral, whatever creature you want to picture will be long gone if your autofocus is too slow. Slow autofocus can even be frustrating with Macro subjects moving slowly due to the magnification exaggerating small movement, and a shallower depth of field.

HOUSING AVAILABILITY: There are hundreds of models of compact digital cameras on the market. Unfortunately, there is only a handful who have underwater housings. Manufacturers have many reasons for choosing which camera they make housings for. The main one is the ergonomics of the camera and can they get everything to work smoothly. Additionally, the optical zoom plays a big part in choice, if it is too long the front of the housing has to have significant modifications to accommodate it at maximum and minimum extension and still function correctly.

LONG BATTERY LIFE: In an ideal world, you want to set up your best buy underwater camera in the morning and then do two dives with it. Opening your housing between dives on a busy rocking dive boat is a recipe for disaster and can easily lead to mistakes that flood the housing. Look for a camera with good battery life, and ideally one that has a power saving mode.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS: Choosing the right best underwater camera is a balancing act. Weigh up your diving frequency, the type of photos you like taking, the capability of each camera, and your budget. Then choose one of the best underwater cameras for 2020 from our list!