| Brand: | INTOVA | ||
| Average Rating |
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The new standard in affordable Sports Photography. This full featured 6 MP camera, with a rugged and compact housing, fills all your photographic needs. Use the camera by itself for safe, protected environments or put it in the housing for Wet and Wild photo occasions. The polycarbonite housing has full button feature controls and is waterproof to 180 feet (54 meters). Other features include a 2.4 color LCD display, 12 X zoom (3x optical, 4x digital) and SD card capacity up to 2 gig. more info
{ 25 comments… read them below or add one }
Intova – underwater review
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The Intova with waterproof case is waterproof, at least down to the 40 foot level that I dived to. All functions of the camera worked when housed in the waterproof case, were easy to locate and use in clear water.
It has a strap the goes securely around your wrist.
Zoom was pretty good, sharp closeups. I actually identified my wife from a group of divers that were partially hidden by air bubbles.
Took good shots of fast moving fish when the camera was set in the anti-shake mode.
Get the optional 2GB memory stick. You’ll need it.
There is a delay between the time you depress the shoot button and the flash/camera responds. The camera has a setting that somewhat overcomes the delay.
Color is decent but not great.
Overall – great camera for the price!.. easy to use.I recommend the Intova if you are looking for an easy to use underwater, waterproof Digital camera that also includes a few added functions.
Took a few decent shots out of the water. It fits in a shirt pocket so it makes a good dual purpose camera. No need to carry 2 cameras when you go diving or snorkling.
So far so good
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve only had the camera for a couple of weeks and only used it in my pool hence the pics of the battery operated fish. It seems to take a good picture in and out of the water. Problem, it’s so bright in the pool that I have no idea what I’m taking a picture of. You cannot see the LCD monitor in bright light. Also, I agree with an earlier posting, the quality of the pic on the monitor isn’t even close to the quality of the actual picture, so don’t delete any pics until you’ve looked at them on your computer. I’ve been practicing with choosing a spot above the camera and using that as my focal point. Also, when the kids were in the pool, I had trouble with the shutter delay. But I think that was more related to my being unsure if the picture I wanted was in the frame. It won’t be nearly as bright in the water when snorkeling so I think everything will work out fine. I think I’m gonna enjoy the camera. The only other concern I had was finding silicon grease. I missed it on the Amazon site so I didn’t order it when I ordered the camera. Finally found it at Home Depot in the plumbing department. Just order it from Amazon when you order the camera.
Broke on my first dive
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I took this camera to Fiji hoping for the best. Unfortunately on my first dive it died at about 50ft. Once at the surface, it worked fine. I took it on my second dive and again it would just die at depth. Stay away from this one. Thank you Amazon for letting me return it.
Gave it a second chance-no go.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
We tried this out on our vacation snorkling in the Florida Keys. The cheap plastic lock broke and it opened up in the water. I was lucky to find the camera on the bottom of the ocean so I could return it.
I decided to give it a second chance, and had it replaced. This time, when using it, the inside of the case fogged up, so you could not see anything through the camera and all the pictures were fuzzy.
It was not worth it just for the point and shoot camera as the camera delay was long and there are better products out there, so we returned it in the end.
All in all, we probably got 1 half way decent underwater photo while being hopefull of getting more.
Great camera for the money.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m basing 5 stars on value for the money. It is not a $1000 camera, but it’s worth well more than $100. I got this camera after seeing it in a local dive shop. I talked to the owner and they had nothing but good things to say about it. He was also selling it for $[...]. If your going to use underwater I would recommend the flash diffuser. I haven’t used on any dives yet. Just snorkeling so far. A word to the wise though. Amazon.com shows a 2 and a 4 gig memory card for it. DO NOT buy the 4 gig. It will not work as this camera only accepts up to a 2 gig. I made that mistake, which I’m not too upset about the 5 bucks, but I had to go out and buy a card that would work, which meant a trip to the store that I didn’t want to make, or waiting 3-5 days to get another shipped to me. That’s really Amazon’s fault not the camera. I’m very happy with it.
Great Unerwater Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Got the camera a couple of weeks before our Mexico vacation. Used it three times and reviewed the pictues and they were some of the best we have had. The 6 pixal must be what does it as we had a camera with 5 or less and the pictures seem much better. I like the underwater housing and latch very well. We had another camera and the latch was nothing like this one and ended up breaking. This one will hold the water out. For the price, this is a great underwater camera or all weather camera. The extra megapixal seems to make the difference. We had one problem on our third time out. Took a bunch of pictures and then noticed the lens had fogged up and it would not turn off. Upon getting back to shore found the batteries were hot which evidently made the fog in the case. However, when we did new batteries, everything was fine.
Great camera for the money!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I got this camera days before we took off for our diving trip to Belize. It works great. It has great resolution for pics but not so good for videos. However watching the videos on the computer screen is not that bad. I learned it the hard way but the lens gets foggy from the inside in hot days after you immerse it in water. There is an easy way to overcome this difficulty though. Just put a small bag of silica gel that comes in your new shoe boxes! It does the trick! After starting to use the silica gel bags I had no more issues with the fogging.
You can use the camera outside of the housing as well.
Worked great for us
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had originally bought this camera as a gift for my son who is an avid SCUBA diver to use this summer while in the Keys. Not long after I purchased it, his mother decided to buy him a more expensive camera so I ended up keeping this one for myself. We had scheduled a cruise on NCL out of Miami to Nassau and Great Stirrup Cay so I took the Intova with us. My son talked me into trying a 1-tank dive in Nassau and we took this little camera with us. We used the camera both below and above the water and was pleased with the results considering the price we paid. I would recommend this camera to others for it’s simplicity, ease of use and results. Be aware that this was my first experience with underwater photography so I have no point of reference in that department but I am an experienced photographer above water. Another surprise was that the camera is equipped with AEB (auto bracket exposure) which is a great feature for any camera.
Unusable with flash
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I found the camera unusable with the internal flash. When the flash is charging, you can’t change the zoom to compose your photo, use the autofocus, and, of course, you can’t take a photo. The flash would only stay charged for a few seconds at a time — often less time than the autofocus takes before the flash starts charging again. The effect is, it was next to impossible to take a picture using the flash.
Either I got a defective unit, or the camera needs to be redesigned so that the flash maintains it charge for longer, you can still use the camera while the flash is charging, or (ideally) both.
I didn’t test the underwater housing.
Great starter camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Wow! I was skeptical because this camera was so much less expensive than others I’ve seen, but we took it on 10 dives in Cozumel and it worked great! It easily went to our max depth of 115′ without any issues. Definitely a perfect starter camera for a budding underwater photographer like ourselves.
Intova INWD-IC600 digital camera with underwater housing.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This is the first underwater digital camera I have used. This was my first attempt at underwater photography. Putting the camera together and setting it up for taking pictures was very simple. I followed the step-by-step instruction booklet. Putting the camera into the underwater housing was equally as simple and straight forward. I also installed a 2 gig memory card which was plug-and-play. Underwater, this camera was lightweight and taking basic photos was very easy. Just point and click. For close up photos, I found it difficult to use some of the buttons to focus and change camera settings as the buttons are small and very close together. I also found that the view finder was very small. This made focusing on small fish and invertebrates on the sea floor difficult. I often found myself wondering if I had captured the image I meant to. I found that I needed to get much closer to things than I’m used to, in order to see them in the view finder and take a picture. Also, this camera eats batteries quickly. I used 2 batteries a day taking pictures and afterward reviewing those pictures.
These are all problems that I think can be overcome with practice and the use of rechargeable batteries. The quality of photos taken with this camera was excellent. Viewing them on the computer was very easy. I just plugged the camera into the USB port on my computer with the included cables. Connecting the camera to my computer is the best way to view the photos for deletion or saving to computer because the screen is much larger. I think this camera makes an excellent starter camera. I also think more practice with this camera will lead to more satisfying underwater photography in the future.
Very Good Value for Underwater Shots
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The camera did a very servicable job with underwater shots. As others have stated, it goes through batteries rather quickly but I knew that when I bought it. The photos are clear and once corrected for underwater “blues”, the colors were very good. The only thing to be careful about is the focusing. The display is hard to see since most underwater shots are taken with the light source behind you (and on the display). Couple that with the lack of a first “stop” for focusing on the main button and it makes it difficult to consistently take in focus shots. On land, the camera does a good job with candid portraits but landscapes/scenics aren’t that great.
Intova IC-600
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Cannot beat this for the price. Just got back from some dives to 60+’ and skin diving and had no problems. Waterproof housing worked well with no leaks.
Good for the Money
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Nice computer for the money. Takes very nice pictures but was upset that the date would reset everytime you change the batteries but would not promt you to change it to the correct date, so all my photos that were taken on vacation were dated jan. 2008. Other then that I really enjoyed the camera, just dont forget to buy the little pack to put in the camera case to keep out the moisture.
great bargain
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve tried the IC600 out for a few dives now, and it works pretty well, especially for the price you pay. As long as you’re not expecting to get the same level of quality images as with a professional system, it really is a great bargain. Very user friendly, it’s perfect for an entry-level use underwater as well as having a pretty good digital camera out of the water.
Pros: It’s easy to use, the housing is solid with the two o-rings, image quality is fairly good in clear water, the price is outstanding, it records sound in video mode underwater, it is versatile with the removable housing for use dry or wet. Easy to turn on and off and change shooting modes in the housing even with gloves on.
Cons: The shutter delay for still pictures is a little slow so it’s a little tricky to take stills in rougher water, the screen is a little hard to see underwater in bright sunlight, the function buttons on the housing are a bit too close together to use effectively with gloves on, high power drain.
Overall, the cons are sometimes irritating, but in my opinion they are pretty minor compared to the performance you get for the price. If anyone has serious complaints, they probably should invest more $ in a higher-end system, their expectation are too high for what they’re paying.
Using a 2GB SD card is a must. THe internal memory of the camera can hold 6 shots at fine qualty and 30 seconds of video. THe SD card can hold 600 shots and 2 hours of video. Also, the camea is often sold with the blue SD card. The black SD has a higher transfer speed and seems to work better.
One piece of advice from other reviews that I have to agree wholeheartedly with is to use at least 2400 mah rechargeable nimh batteries. the camera will drain even duracell ultra AA batteries in one use, or even when playing around with the settings before you take it underwater. I noticed in the instruction manual (on the page that explains how to install the batteries) there is a tiny, fine-print helpful hint that says nimh batteries are recommended, and regular alkalines are not recommended except for testing settings because “they can degrade camera performance”; probably due to the gradual power loss of alkalines.
Had to be sent back.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I found this item was listed at a terrific price and decided to order it even though other similar under water cameras were selling for 3 times as much. When it arrived it looked like a decent quality set up, especially for the money. However the camera did not work at all. All that would happen when it was turned on is the green LED it would blink and then go to an off state again. I tried six sets of brand new batteries since the trouble shooting guide said it had to be battery related. I immediately sent the camera and case back and knew it was too good of a deal to be true.
Great underwater camera with some limitations.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
If you look for anything under $200 the price this cannot be beat. And I did my research. I also found some recommendations on which settings to use. Using this the picture quality within five feet was excellent. In my experience with this camera, the water quality in Maui on my trip declined somewhat with distance, but with sufficient natural light, even at 25′ the picture quality was good. But the lighting was very important. It was good that this was a digital camera in that I could take a lot of pictures and dispose of most. These discarded shots were due to poor timing in shots of marine life as the camera’s auto focus took considerable time to process. The second issue was shots taken at too great a distance given the visibility. And the third issue included shots taken while the protective case got foggy. This last issue is a bit complex. I took an estimated 50 – 75 shots per set of batteries (rechargable). But after I had to change them while on the beach, invariably the air in the case afterwards, mixed with the cold temperatures of the water caused condensation.
The other option for buyers are the new slim cameras that are water proof to 5′ -12′or so. These are optimum conditions for underwater photography for most swimmers anyways. I would expect better auto focus speed. But I have not tested these. Good luck and happy hunting!
It Worked Well With a Few Flaws
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I am overall VERY satisfied with my decision to buy this camera, and I highly recommend it. I used this camera for 10 days while in Roatan, learning to dive. I don’t claim to be a pro at either photography or diving, so this is an amateur’s opinion. The good and the bad:
The good:
The camera housing kicks butt! I found it easy to tap into all of the functions of my camera at various depths, and I changed between the Auto and Video mode frequently with nothing but success and ease. I never saw water seap into the housing, and it is very sturdy and rugged. My photos came out better than expected (in most cases). The videos also came out better than expected, but I will admit to having low expectations for that function. The price is unbeatable. I was the envy of many experienced divers, and many wanted the pictures I took above and below the water. I bought the diffuser and the red filter, and these accessories fit perfectly. Many are bashing the diffuser, but I got shadows just about every time I did not use it. I cannot comment on the red filter, as I noticed close up pictures were hurt by it while normal pictures were helped by it.
The Bad:
My strap broke on the first dive…I am still not sure how it broke, but I know that I did not do anything extrenuous to break it. Some of my pictures came out bad in that they had some sort of digital discoloration. I would say about 10-15% of the pictures had this problem. I am not sure if it was user-error or camera malfunction, but I am going to blame both. The spring on the flash/back button of the casing malfunctioned to where I was unable to use it on the last 2 days.
All in all, the good outweighs the bad, and I think this is a great travel companion for those who want to remember their aquatic adventures. I plan to have many more adventures, and this camera will definitely be among the first things packed.
Buy it if you specifically want an underwater camera…
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The Intova IC600 is a decent camera, hobbled by a couple of very strong shortcomings. If it were just any old camera on the market, I’d say pass it by without a second look…but it’s not just any old camera. For less than the price most companies charge for an underwater housing, Intova delivers both the housing and the camera. This makes your decision a bit more complicated.
The first (and largest) problem is the battery life. It’s horrendous. With alkaline batteries you’ll get maybe a hundred pics. With rechargeables (I use 2500mah), you’ll be lucky to get a couple of dozen. Intova recommends against using alkalines except for occasional emergency use (even though they ship two alkaline batteries in the box), and I’ve noticed that when you put alkalines in the camera, the screen glows lightly, even with the camera off.
The second problem is the time to take a picture. If the camera isn’t on when you see something you want to shoot, you can forget about it, especially if the shot requires a flash. Time to first pic without a flash is about 15-20 seconds…and charging the flash requires an additional 20 or so seconds. Even if you already have the camera on and the flash charged, getting your shot could be iffy, since it takes about 2-3 seconds to take a picture from a ready state.
The pictures themselves are generally fine. The camera has a bit of noise in low-light situations, but most digital cameras do, these days. It embeds Exif info, and you can choose image size and quality.
The video quality is sub-par at best. It is over-compressed, noisy in low light and the sound tends to drop out every few seconds. I suppose it works okay as an emergency video source, but don’t expect to replace your camcorder.
Like I said, if this were just any camera sitting on the shelf at Target or Wal-Mart, I’d recommend passing it by without a second thought. However, the inclusion of the waterproof housing changes things by giving this camera a niche.
The underwater housing is a high quality acrylic case with a double O-ring design and external buttons for all the functions. It is not a glorified zip-seal baggie like many 3rd party “cases.” It is rated at 180 feet. It is easy to open and close, without any significant risk of accidental opening while underwater. The only issue with the casing (and this is common to all underwater housings) is that the cold water could cause condensation and fogging inside the case.
The inclusion of the case with the camera for less than the cost of most manufacturers’ cases alone makes this worth picking up *if you want or need an underwater camera*. If you don’t require the case, then I strongly suggest you look elsewhere for an everyday use camera.
Good camera but eats batteries
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The camera has many features and takes pretty good pictures. A couple of issues: it eats batteries. I turned it off between pictures and it lasted for a whole 30 minute dive. Unfortunately, one time I loaned it to my son. He left it on and only got 4 pictures before it ate a set if new batteries. The other problem was that a couple of times when it ran out of battery, it left the lens deployed and the lens open. Not too big a deal but it didn’t fit in my pocket and I was afraid to scratch the lens. The camera is waterproof and has a good price but has some irritating flaws.
A good buy for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I took this camera for our first cruise to Western Caribbean, we snorkeled at two ports (Grand Cayman and Roatan) and did Cave tubing in Belize. I finished 2 GB card and another half 2 Gb. This was my first ever time in water in about 5 years, so I was a little apprehensive of the picture quality of this camera. I bought it mostly due to the price, I really did not take into account the picture quality, but have to say it took some great pictures where the lighting was good, other times the quality was bad when there was not enough lighting. The outer cover is rugged and is well made, the housing along with the camera took quite a beating, but it stood well, there was no leaking and any problem what so ever of camera getting wet.
Pros:-
1. Good package for the price.
2. Have good array of accessory.
3. Prompt support if you need to find out more or have any question with Intova.
4. Housing very well made and rugged.
Cons:-
1. Mediocre picture quality.
2. Pictures even in natural light come out noisy.
3. Lag when pressing the button and the actual picture is taken.
4. Can only take max 2 GB SD card.
All in all for the price I would recommend this package, it is a good buy if you are not concerned with the picture quality.
Great vacation camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased two of these cameras, one for my 12 year old and one for my 9 year old, for our recent two week Bahama trip. The cameras were easy to use and the kids loved the video mode. They took video of all sorts of under water activities as well as video of them hand feeding the fish. The cameras performed just as well out of the housing on dry land.
I was very satified with the cameras for the price. We did take the advise of previous reviewers regarding using rechargeable batteries and purchasing 2Gb memory cards.
Looking forward to our next trip!
Very low Quality (get what you pay for)
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
while it is nice that a water proof camera is this cheap it isnt worth it. The whole point of having a camera is to capture life’s moments to reflect on at a later date. This camera takes low quality washed out photos when using flash and has an orange blury tint to it if not using a flash. Overall the quality is not that of a camera that claims to be 6.0 MP…
In the end you are better off laying out another $100 and getting a quality camera
Have used it 2X now and no leaks!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Works great! Little hard at first but you get used to it. Wish the clarity was better, but good for what I got!
Good Underwater Camera for the $$$
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The INTOVA INWD-IC600 arrived promptly and performs well.
It replaced another camera on which the “O” ring had failed.
Works well and dollar for dollar is a good buy.