aherweck22

With winter coming around i have been looking for a water resistant, high quality, camcorder that isnt over 500 dollars. so far i have not found one yet. if any of you guys know where i can find one or can buy one let me know. also let me know what brand and shit it is cuz i have been looking for a while and im still unlucky.

Tarzanman

You won't find anything high quality for under $500.

Waterproof/shockproof cameras come in two varieties.
1. A camera which is built from the ground up as a water-resistant & shcok-proof device
2. A camera which is built normally, but has an waterproof enclosure available as an accessory.

Cameras in group 1 are usually mediocre in terms of image quality or performance. Not horrible, but not top of the line either.

Cameras in group 2 will cost you more than $500. The enclosures themselves are usually $100+, which takes a chunk out of your budget.

Your best option at your price range is to get one of those tiny helmet/adventure cams (like the GoPro), or a digital still camera that has water resistance (like the Olympus tough cameras).

Or look for something used. Quality cameras are expensive

lisevolution

check out the Kodak Playsport pocket hd cam... not super heavy duty but it should serve the purposes you're looking for. I'm probably going to pick one up for the upcoming season I believe they're about $150 w/no memory card

boardresearch

I just bought this camera in early may for the wakeboard season.. We've been abusing it (jumping off cliffs.. diving into the water.. bringing it on seadoos.. diving underwater and getting shots) and we have had an amazing time with it. There was only one issue where some condensation got behind the lens (indicating a breach in the seal) and Sanyo replaced it.. no questions asked. We have had no problems with the newest one we have.
It shoots in 720p.. which looks amazing during day shots.. but the video seems to get a bit blurry during night shots when it is trying to focus and during quick light changes.

Heres a link to more info:
Digital Camera | Waterproof HD Camera | VPC-WH1 | Xacti SANYO

boardresearch

oh.. and it'll run you about $500.

Suburban Blend

Great camera if used as a POV or followcam:

Drift X170 Action POV Camera

price: $169.95

Or try the HD version Drift HD170 Action Camera

price: $329.95

__________________
Suburban Blend

Rupert Pupkin

Have you looked at the gopro cameras? they record in HD and the quality is crazy.... I also drag race cars and used there suction cup mount on a car that went 175mph in the 1/4 mile and it worked great. hope to mount it to my helmet and board this winter and give it a shot as well....

Suburban Blend

I have the GoPro HD, ContourHD, and Drift HD170. I like the Drift the best for the tighter form factor, LCD, and wrist controller. The new HD170 has 4x zoom and night vision as well.

So much easier to get out and get shots than the set-up of a tri-pod, tapes, and cost of a 3-CCD camera. Hands down what's hot these days is the HD recording on the new Digital SLR's. My bet is one small camera bag with a Canon 70-300 and a couple of these POV cameras to round out the variety of shots.

__________________
Suburban Blend

AngryHugo

You can get a Flip Ultra or Ultra HD with an underwater case. The HD with case will be like $250, and the regular Ultra with case is about $200.

bemf

have a look at the sanyo vcp ca9.
YouTube - Sanyo CA9 shoots in HD and 9 MP Photos UNDERWATER
9mp camera
hd filming
1.5m water proof
got mine for £180 on ebay so you should find one in your price range believe walmart stock them in the states