What the best underwater camera ?

[boatmarine]

Some body know about the best underwater camera for photo under boat ?
I have problem with fiberglass boat hull (coating with antifouling)
Thanks for your information (hope)

[PsiPhi]

I've been out of the photography business for quite a few years now, it always used to be the Nikonos, but that is pretty expensive, even second hand, if you just have a one off use to check your hull.
You could go to the other extreme and get a disposable underwater camera for maybe 20 bucks, if the water is clear the results can be surprisingly good.
Probably the most versatile option would be a modern digital that is made for underwater (Olympus do one I think), or that you can get an underwater housing for - any resonable brand will do. That way, if the photos don't turn out good enough, go take more with no cost overheads.
Big bonus is that it would also be the best option for a camera to keep on board, just in case you get swamped or drop it overboard.
Alternative, go talk to the local diving club or school, some one there is bound to have all the gear.

[Chris Ostlind]

The Pentax Optio W30 is currently the camera that would meet your needs in every way. Beautiful images, good to 3 meters depth for two hours and can also shoot video of acceptable, camcorder quality.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0702/07022103pentaxw30.asp

An alternate would be the new rig from Sanyo. This is a new camera on the market that should present a huge opportunity for boaters who would like to shoot digital video or stills with a waterproof camera that is good to 5 feet underwater for up to 30 minutes.
http://www.sanyodigital.com/product.aspx?v=1

It's not that you can't do that already with any combo of cameras out there AND a good waterproof housing. It's about getting it all in one package so that there's less stuff to fiddle with and probably less weight in the bargain.

[PsiPhi]

Good point.
Most underwater housing for cameras (and a lot of underwater cameras) are cumbersom and difficult to use.