If many smartphones are waterproof today, their vocation is absolutely not to accompany you to the bottom of the deep end and even less in salt water.
To film fish or your underwater delirium, nothing like a camera or a dedicated camera.
Despite their price sometimes reaching several hundred euros, this equipment also allows you to navigate without fear of damaging them.
In Full HD or 4K the big blue?
To immortalize your summer dives, leave your smartphone with your towel and equip yourself with a device whose purpose is to go underwater.
The tightness of smartphones, if it is announced for more and more terminals, remains first of all a security in the event of accidental immersion and in no case the guarantee of being able to use the device to photograph or film underwater.
Moreover, any smartphone that has been immersed de facto loses its manufacturer warranty.
All the more reason to seriously equip yourself with equipment dedicated to adventure.
20 Minutes
empties its backpack and reveals its selection to you.
The most stable: the GoPro Hero 9 Black camera
Waterproof up to 10 meters, the reference underwater cameras offers two options: filming in 5K (5120 x 2280), in order to then be able to zoom in the images without too much degrading the quality or in 4K at 60 images captured per second (60 fps), which gives a rare fluidity to the reading.
But the real thing about the Hero 9 Black is its incredible stabilization system.
Named Hypersmooth 3.0, this one defies the quality of the most unlikely shots by delivering surprisingly stable images, with a skyline locking system to be orchestrated from the 2.27 '' / 5 touchscreen. , 8 cm from the camera.
New: a second color LCD screen (non-touch) on the front of 1.4 '' / 3.55 cm.
The idea is to surf the tsunami “selfies”, but also to carry out
vloging
(
video
blog
), a very popular practice especially for travel.
Trips during which the GoPro will take 23.6 megapixel photos, without the risk of being damaged in the event of a fall.
Its autonomy: up to 90 minutes.
The only downside: the brand's menus, always esoteric and complicated to tame…
429 euros.
The most robust: the Sony RX0 II camera
The small Sony RX0 II camera will dive by your side up to 10 meters deep.
The device wants to stand out from its GoPro competitor with its screen that can be rotated on a fixed 180 ° axis, but it is not touch-sensitive.
Too bad the video does not exceed 30 frames / second and that the stabilization of the RX0 II is not up to that of its rival.
Sony, however, succeeds in pulling out of the game by the presence of a 1 '' sensor, generally preferred on so-called "expert" compact cameras.
With its 15.3 megapixels and its 24 mm lens (35 mm equivalent in film photography), the RX0 II camera delivers images with remarkable precision.
The selling price of the device which withstands falls up to 2 meters and pressure up to 200 kg remains a budget that can calm even the most motivated divers…
729 euros.
The most accessible: the DJI Osmo Action camera
Waterproof up to 11 meters, the Osmo Action camera takes advantage of the know-how of its manufacturer in the world of drones.
How? 'Or' What ?
By offering a very effective electronic stabilization in video (but at the cost of a display latency of about a second, which can be a problem when framing a scene).
Called Rocksteady, this system can compete with GoPro's Hypersmooth stabilization.
Filming up to 4K at 60 frames / second with its 12-megapixel sensor, the Osmo Action has in addition to its main screen of 2.25 '' / 5.71 cm (touch) a front screen of 1.4 '' / 3.55 cm (non-touch).
We appreciate the quality of the images in daylight, the creative possibilities (Time Laps, Slow Motion 8x), the simplicity of the settings, the possibility of modifying the brightness or the sound of a video viewed by simply sliding your index finger to the screen, or remote triggering from an application.
One regret: despite its two on-board microphones, Osmo Action struggles to offer sound that matches the quality of its images.
340 euros.
A classic yet chic: the Olympus Tough TG-6 camera
Olympus' know-how around cameras / backpacker cameras is well established.
With its Tough TG-6, the brand signs a first off-road device, capable of withstanding crushing (up to 100 kg), falls up to 2 meters, dust, but also 'immersion.
Up to 15 meters deep without a housing, the TG-6 (available in red or black) can shoot up to 4K and handle slow motion up to 480 fps.
What to capture and break down action scenes, like a dive!
Pleasant to handle, taking pictures in 12 megapixels, the little Olympus even includes a compass to find your way, a GPS to geolocate your images, an altimeter and a level.
Once out of the bath, we will enjoy immortalizing Mother Nature with macro photos up to 1 cm.
Downside: the small compact has not been renewed since its launch in 2019. The absence of a USB-C socket for recharging thus seems perfectly anachronistic.
419 euros.
Deep in the deep: the Nikon W300 camera
Less 30 meters!
Diving enthusiasts and other snorkeling aficionados will be able to bring back beautiful memories to the surface with the W300.
With a 16 megapixel sensor, an altimeter, resistant to drops up to 2.4 meters, the robust W300 remains however very dated in its technical specifications with its LCD screen where OLED would be appreciated, or with its limited 4K video capabilities at 25 fps where 60 fps deliver results that truly flatter the retina.
However, we appreciate its Time Laps function for accelerating with the ebb and flow of the waves on the beach or a
so romantic
sunrise
on the alpine peaks!
399 euros.
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