Hundreds of hours go into the publication of this article from research, real-life underwater testing and compiling the data into a user-friendly guide, aimed at everyone from the budding underwater photographer shopping for his/her first rig, to the intermediate shooter wanting to upgrade his/her system or the advanced underwater image-maker looking to assemble a smaller system for travel. The Backscatter Team annually publishes this Best Underwater Compact Cameras guide to eliminate the headache and hassle that sometimes goes along with searching for underwater photography gear. Here are just a few of our top picks for 2014!
BEST UNDERWATER ENTRY LEVEL CAMERA
Our top pick for Best Entry Level Camera is the GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition for it’s easy-on-the-wallet price of $400 for camera and housing, giving you HD video capability and 12 megapixels stills, entry-level ease usability. Backscatter’s Flip3.1 Underwater Color Correction System is essential for use with the GoPro underwater to acquire vibrant colors and contrast in your underwater videos or photos. For the full review on the GoPro Hero3+ camera, housing and recommended accessories, read the full review of the GoPro Hero3+ Black Edition.
 GoPro HERO3+ Black Edition Camera |
 FLIP3.1 Combo Package with SHALLOW, DIVE, and DEEP Underwater Color Correction Filters for GoPro Hero3 & Hero3+ |
BEST UNDERWATER POINT & SHOOT CAMERA
Once again topping the charts and selected as our Best Point & Shoot Camera for 2014 is the Sony RX100 II. This diminutive camera is a remarkable piece of engineering that delivers outstanding stills and full 1080p video in a sleek, elegant package. Featuring a very large sensor size, the RX100 II has the best of all worlds, with class leading performance and extremely high image quality. The RX100 II sports a stunning resolution of 20 megapixels and still maintains great low-light performance. For the shooter that wants to go as streamlined as possible, with manual control, and the best quality available today, the RX100 II is our top pick. To read the full review, see sample images and video of this camera’s capabilities, please read the full review of the Sony RX100 II.
Wide angle is where the Sony RX100 II shines! Improved low light performance, 20 megapixels and 1080/60fps video with optical image stabilization make it our top point & shoot pick for 2014.
 Sony Cyber-shot Compact Digital Camera RX100 Mark II |
 Nauticam NA-RX100II Underwater Housing for Sony RX100 Mk II Camera |
BEST UNDERWATER ADVANCED MIRRORLESS CAMERA
Olympus recently released the highly anticipated OM-D E-M1, successor to the OM-D E-M5, and now we know why it was so highly anticipated! Its performance, sharpness and image quality is on par with or exceeds many higher priced SLRs. And of all the cameras reviewed, it has the best controls set, making customization convenient and easy. For these reasons and many more, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 is our top pick for Best Advanced Mirrorless Camera. See the stunning performance of this camera in our in-depth review, featuring sample images with macro lens, wide angle lens and other accessories here.
Taken with the Olympus 60mm macro lens, the Olympus OM-D E-M1 can shoot sharp, stunning fish portraits like this grouper image.
 Olympus OM-D E-M1 Micro 4:3 Camera Body – Black |
 Olympus PT-EP11 Underwater Housing for Olympus OM-D E-M1 Camera |
We’ve only just scratched the surface here! Backscatter Underwater Video & Photo has reviewed many more cameras for its Best Underwater Compact Cameras guide for 2014. For the full article, filled with sample still images and videos, tech specs and reviews, please go to: http://www.backscatter.com/compacts
When purchasing underwater photography equipment like the product mentioned in this article, please support Scuba Diver Life by supporting our retail partner: Backscatter.com
