It started innocently enough – a fast visit to Amazon to buy a disposable waterproof camera to induce some underwater shots. Four hours later, I had somehow managed to develop associate underwater camera obsession, and will even be seen eyeing up I like lite Housing for my DSLR at a walloping $1,700. I actually have checked out everything from disposables to “rugged” cameras to underwater housings, therefore i assumed i might place all that recently gained information to sensible use and list a number of the choices that square measure accessible to you if you fancy taking some underwater footage yourself.

1) Disposable Camera

A very cheap and cheerful option priced at around $9 a go is the waterproof disposable camera. Image quality will be poor and you get zero control of any description, but if you just want to record the moment you can’t really go wrong. This is what I have used in the past, and whilst the image quality is poor (poorer than an iPhone snap) for price they can’t be beaten.

2) WaterProof Housing for iPhone

The second option I looked at was a waterproof housing for the iPhone – I looked at two: the LIfeProof ones, and the Watershot ones (which someone else helpfully pointed out to me) Of the two, the Watershot one looks the best – the number of reviewers stating that their cameras didn’t work after using the Lifeproof case really put me off: I want my $500 phone to be in one piece after an outing to the pool! There are a few of these housings available, just do your research and make sure you test them before bringing your iPhone into water with it. This is a great option if you just want to take casual pics, and have the ability to use what you already have!

3) Rugged WaterProof Point and Shoots

There area unit some of those on the market, every at completely different worth points. As a rule they’re all waterproof, shock proof, drop proof and then on, creating them ideal for delivering to the youngsters to require photos or for general family holidays at the beach or pool etc. The draw back to those is that the Image quality is poorer than those in love a comparable purpose and shoot that does not have an equivalent “tough” issue.
Here are some of the ones available and their price points.
Fujifilm FinePix XP80 around $175
Olympus TG-860 around $230
Canon PowerShot D30 – around $250
Ricoh WG-5 around $260
Olympus TG-4 – around $380
Nikon 1 AW1 around $700
Naturally, as you go up the price points the features go up: if you are interested primarily in photo quality look at the aperture, ISO speed, sensor size, autofocus speed and frames per second, just as you would with any camera. If you intend to do deeper diving etc, then look at the “toughness” specs – they all have different ratings for underwater etc.

4) Point and Shoot with Underwater Housing

If you already have a point and shoot then this might be a no-brainer, you can simply pick up an underwater housing for it and away you go! The only point and shoot I have is years old, and therefore the specs of it are surpassed even by the rugged point and shoots, and to add to it, underwater housing hard to come by for this model and therefore expensive. If you have a newer model though, you should be able to pick up a housing relatively cheaply. You’ll get better results if you get a housing built specifically for your point and shoot model, so you’ll need to search on Amazon for it. These range from about $100 to $400, depending on manufacturers etc.
If you don’t already have one, but are more serious about underwater photography, then you can of course buy a decent point and shoot and the housing, and this will give you better control and image quality than the rugged versions above. A friend of mine said that she noticed that many pros used the Sony RX100 (original model which is priced around $400) combined with a underwater housing (at around $150 upwards depending on brand) and were taking amazing images with them – and as usual she was right  It looks like a good combination that is relatively inexpensive and will give you great looking images. 
5) Waterproof Housing for your DSLR
If you are really serious about taking decent underwater shots, then you can also invest in an underwater housing for your DSLR. At this point, I would not scrimp on quality as if water gets in, it’s toast for your DSLR so it’s a pricey mistake. I likelite are generally considered to be the best – the one for the Canon 5D Mk3 comes in at a whopping $1,799 though. This takes it out of many people’s price range, and although of course you can get cheaper versions (one from Neewer for example only costs around $600) it’s still only worth it if you are serious about underwater photography.
The plus side is you get complete creative control of your images, both in capture and in processing.

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Which is the right one for you?

I think that covers all the categories of choices on the market, and that i do not believe that one is desirable to the other: it depends on however serious you’re concerning underwater photography, or whether or not you simply need a family friendly choice, and after all what proportion you’re willing to pay. If you simply need a laugh with the camera then opt for a disposable or one amongst the cheaper rugged purpose and shoots. If you continue to wish to require semi-decent pics, and love the thought of getting a camera that’s just about indestructible (i.e five year recent proof!) and one thing for family holidays then get one amongst the upper priced rugged ones. If you actually do wish to urge the simplest footage doable however still during a “normal” surroundings, then either a degree and shoot with housing is your best bet, or Associate in Nursing Associate in Nursing underwater housing for your DSLR if you’re terribly serious concerning it.