Fuji Waterproof Rugged Camera

A small splash for the girls, but I was hit from behind by the wave
that caused this splash!  I was down low in the rocks...

We enjoy being out on the water, kayaking and sailing, whenever the weather is cooperative.  This environment, however, has always made me nervous whenever using any of my cameras.  Just a little bit of splashed water can ruin a camera.  If it is salt water, that is even worse!  The corrosive properties of salt water will completely destroy the electronics of today's digital cameras.

We were at the beach a few years ago, visiting family on Long Island, and I managed to damage one of my cameras.  Sheila and I were out on a jetty shooting some photos of the kids.  We managed to get some nice shots but suddenly, out of nowhere, a large wave crashed down onto the jetty soaking all of us and my camera gear.  Not only did my camera get very wet, but it was covered in corrosive salt water.  Not a good thing.  Salt water is like a deadly virus...  not only does it coat everything in an encrusted layer of salt, but the corrosive salt tends to continue to spread.

Water damage is certainly not limited to salt water though.  I have had the same threat of potential problems on all of our kayaking excursions.  We don't kayak in any exceptionally fast water, but there are plenty lazy rapids and there is always plenty of splashing and dripping water.  When on the kayaks, I leave my camera in a gallon sized zip-lock bag.  When I want to shoot a photo, I remove the camera from the bag.  On placid water, such as a lake, I forego the zip-lock bag and just set my camera gear on a towel on the floor of the cockpit between my knees and under the protection of the deck.  

Then there are the times we get caught in the rain while out on the kayaks.  Rain is also the enemy when dealing with photography gear.  Zip-lock bags, towels and stowing away gear when the rains come has worked fine thus far but it certainly is not foolproof.   And, at one time or another, we have all been a fool!  My one time was on that jetty...  really...  that was my only time being a fool...

We now have a fast little sailboat to add to our mini-fleet of boats.  There really isn't room on this little boat for any photography gear but hanging on to a tiny compact camera would be possible if it was strapped to my wrist.  The threat of splashed water is high, however, as is the threat of ending up in the water.  So, once we started using the sailboat, I started to think more seriously about finding a waterproof camera.  I also had thoughts of mounting a waterproof video camera on the sailboat so I could capture some exciting sailing footage.

I found a nice little Fuji compact digital camera that is waterproof, shock proof, dust proof and freeze proof...   it shoots high definition video...  it is pocketable...  and it cost only $120!   

This whole concept of a rugged digital camera is great.  All laptops should be rugged...  all tablets should be rugged...  any piece of electronics that you carry around all the time, in varying environments, should be rugged.  The same holds true for digital cameras.  I swear my next 'pro-level' digital SLR camera will be waterproof and dustproof as well.

As you have probably seen in my previous blog post, I produced an exciting sailing video that was shot using this little camera.  Check it out if you haven't seen it...  it is definitely worth the eight minutes of your time, especially if you enjoy sailing.   As this video clearly proves, this camera can do some really nice video!

Here is another impressive video shot by this same Fuji camera model...   in Marsa Alam, Egypt, on the Red Sea...  This video gets really good when it heads underwater around the 1:20 minute mark...  





Seeing that video makes me wish that I still had the health to do some snorkeling and scuba...  I would love to test out this little camera by producing a video underwater...  maybe even some underwater portraits...  

Here are a few photos we shot with this camera too, albeit on land:

So, it is obvious that this little camera is capable of producing some decent photos for web use or small prints as well as being capable of some nice high definition video.  

Anyway, I just wanted to write a little about how happy I am with the quality of this inexpensive little camera.  Not only is it rugged and waterproof, but it is also priced very well at just over $100.  I highly recommend this camera for shooting photos and HD videos at beaches, pools, while boating, while swimming and while around any other water sports...  or even out in the rain, sleet, snow and dust storms!

Note:  The Fuji XP150 is identical to the XP100 except the XP150 has GPS also.  I had no need for GPS so didn't want a GPS unit wearing down my battery.  Fuji has recently released a new rugged camera, the XP200...  probably sporting improvements and some new features but at a much higher price tag.