Wedding Blog
After 4 years, my trusty Sony DSC-T1 has camera died on me, and it’s all my fault. 
Mr. Bee and I went scuba diving this week, and I took my camera with its underwater case on my dive. The case and camera both performed marvelously underwater when I used them last, so I had no doubt that they would work this time around as well. But on my first dive, the case started leaking and my camera was slowly submerged in sea water. I couldn’t just pop up to the surface, so the entire time I kept thinking, “Oh nooooo, my camera!!!”
According to our scuba instructor, I need to replace the rubber o-ring after each use, or it’ll invariably leak.
I love this camera because it was a gift from Mr. Bee, and it has definitely served me well - many a memory has been captured on this camera. But alas… it’s time for a new point and shoot.
I have a DSLR, the Canon xti Rebel, for when I want to capture high quality images. So what I’m really looking for is a point and shoot camera with good video and sound quality, since that’s what I found myself using my pas for most often. The video and sound quality on my Sony was a lot better than my friend’s Canon, but we both had old cameras and there are so many options out there now!
I haven’t done any research — these are just the two latest Sony and Canon models available.
Sony Cybershot DSW300 13.6 mp or the Canon Powershot SD950IS 12.1 mp? What are you using? Or what would you recommend instead?
|
Share this post: RIP: Sony DSC-T1
I love the Canon. I have the now equivalent of the SD1100 and it’s been lasting me forever. I think it’s only $170 on Amazon too. 
I agree with miss ballet flat… I have a canon powershot that my fiance gave me for our anniversary and i LOVE it! the video quality is great and it doesn’t cap your video time either. There’s newer versions (the one you have there looks amazing) but in general, canon is one of the best.
Sorry about your camera though! *where did you get an underwater case for the camera?? I’d like one for our honeymoon.
I have a Canon powershot 850, and an underwater case for Scuba diving, and its fantastic. You really can’t beat the underwater setting on Canons, because its so much better than a filter. On the Canon cases (and the olympus ones) you don’t have to replace the O-ring after every dive, so I don’t know what kind of case Sony is making.
In the future, you should try doing a test run with your camera case before every dive to make sure it doesn’t leak - just put it in the camera rinse tank on the boat or the dive shop (or in a bathroom sink) and make sure no air bubbles are coming out. That way you can stop leaks as they happen.
I have had the Casio Exilim for 2 years. It works well and its a great size. I can put it in my pocket easily. It takes indoor photos way better than my past cameras. It also has fun “Best Shot” modes. I haven’t tried it for video.
I agree with the Canon Powershot, especially for diving. Mine is about 2.5 years old (an SD550), but it still works like a charm, takes great pictures, the underwater setting is great, and I absolutely don’t replace the o-ring with the Canon underwater housing after each dive, and I’ve NEVER had problems with leaking.
I have a Canon Rebel XSI and the Sony DSC T50. So I’m kind of in the exact same mind set as you- my canon for high quality photos and my sony for video or when I can’t haul my DSLR somewhere or don’t want to risk it.
I think I’m might be in the minority here but, I love love love love the Sony DSC line and they just released a new version as well- DSC T-700. I suggest upgrading the camera you lost. They’re super light weight and take great shots.
canon is definitely better than sony when it comes to digital camera. i debated between the two when i was choosing mine. in the end canon b/c of it superb quality. i love mine!
I just got the Sony DSW300 13.6mp camera in August for our Honeymoon and I LOVE IT! It takes great pictures and the video is amazing! My husband used it in Vegas to take a video clip of Freemont Street during a show and we were amazed at the sound quality and I think my husband said you can record something like a 30 min clip? I’m not sure…I don’t get much alone time with the camera! The picture quality is wonderful i would recomend it! I love Sony so I’m bias but it really does take great pictures…I can show you some so you can see the quality if you’d like. and they do make a underwater case which I so want to get for my next vacation. Hope this helps.
I have a canon sd300 (ooooold elph) and it’s still awesome. My mom has a sd1000 and loves that too. I would suggest maybe looking for one of the ones with IS if you can.. they cost a little more but they make pictures so much clearer in less than perfect conditions.
I disagree that Canon has better digital cameras than Sony. For the small, point-and-shoot type camera, I actually think Sony is one of the best. That W300 looks dreamy. Canons are good too, don’t get me wrong. :-)I want a 5D Mark II so bad.
I used to have the Sony Cybershot, but my last two cameras have been Nikon CoolPix. They’re fabulous. I started with the lower-end model, then upgraded to the midrange. It takes really great photos, and is very easy to use. I have the P5100; the S-series is the more basic one. http://www.nikon-coolpix.com
After having two different Sony cameras that I didn’t care for, I switched to Canon. I couldn’t be happier! I currently have the SD450 (ooolllddd), but am LOVING the SD870. I definitely say go Canon!
P.S. one other great thing about the Nikon CoolPix is the LCD screen on the back is HUGE. You can really see what the photos will look like.
One last thing - this website was VERY helpful when I was shopping for cameras last time: http://www.dpreview.com/
About a year ago I did A TON of research on really great point and shoots that have manual settings and are generally more advanced. I ended up with the Canon Powershot SD850 IS and it is AMAZING!
I’ve owned over a dozen compact digital point-and-shoots forgive me if this is long…
I have a love-hate relationship with the Canon Powershot line, because it’s supposed to be the best (in terms of reviews) and it’s certainly the most popular consumer line in the US. However, I never liked the results I got with them…and I’ve owned about 5 of them.
For compact point-and-shoots I’ve generally found that Canons are the best for beginners, but the pictures are always a bit too over-saturated and the flash too strong/weak (never in the middle) for me.
Sonys tend to have a bit softer image-processing software, so they’re good for taking snapshots of people (as they usually look better with the softer images).
Nikons are gritty and can give a somewhat harsh output…but personally I love this look.
As a personal preference, I prefer the Panasonic Lumix line the best because it delivers a nice compromise. Pictures can be a bit noisy in low light, but I just love the Leica lens.
Definitely check out http://www.dpreview.com/ like DCKate suggested…it’s the premier source for digital cameras!
I recently bought the Sony Cyber-shot T77, and I absolutely love this camera. It’s a replacement for the Sony W50 I purchased 2.5 years ago. The technology has changed quite a bit in such a good way. The picture quality is amazing with a good sized touch screen. I am able to take pictures with less lighting and still end up with a great white balance. The macro mode (up to 1cm) is the best I’ve ever seen, which is really important for me when I take close up pics. The bonus is that it’s so slim without sacrificing quality.
I had a nikon for years (one of the first coolpix that were huge and twisted so you could take photos of yourself - not that i ever did…LOL) before switching to Canon. I loved the nikon but at the time, they were just to ginormous to lug around. Now, I have an sd500 and an sd850is and they’ve been nothing short of excellent, especially the new IS version! My pictures look even better now!
Here’s a site I always go to for camera reviews. He’s very thorough, provides example pictures, and reviews almost every brand. http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html
I vote Canon, but if Sonys really have improved their picture quality then I don’t know, I love my little canon though…
I have had 2 Canons as my point and shoot cameras and love them. They are super reliable and I have never had any problems.
Canon all the way. I’ve had the SD500, SD650, SD1000 and most recently the SD1100, which comes with image stabilizer, which I’m not so sure I like that much, so I am looking for an SD1000 again and have found a few on ebay for about $80-$130. Compared to other brands (my friends cameras), I find the quality and size to be the best. These cameras last a long time too, I just happen to lose cameras a lot.
I love the Canon Powershot line too, just about everyone in my family has one. The video quality is great, but I don’t think the sound quality on video is particularly good. I don’t have much to compare it to though, my last camera was an Olympus, and it took so long to take pictures they inevitably came out blurry. I’ve heard they’ve improved since then, but my frustrations with that camera make me a bit wary of the brand.
hands down canon. that’s the one i have and i LOVE it!!! like, seriously love. it’s really wonderful for macro pics, which i used 90% of the time. the colors are really bright and vivid too. it has the image stabilizer which means pics are crisp without much effort also (which helps it rocks for macro pics, too!). so, yeh… my vote is canon ALL the way. good luck!
I had the Canon SD1100 - bought it from Amazon right before my wedding & it died on my honeymoon. It said “lens error… please restart camera” and that wouldn’t go away.
I researched this error & found that it is a common theme with the canon powershot cameras.
I loved the camera though & it took amazing pictures. I just wasn’t happy how it crapped out on my honeymoon
I don’t think I’ve ever worked with a Sony so it’s hard to say. But I’ve always been impressed with Canons. I’ve worked with several of the Point and shoot line and I love the functionality, and durability of the canon!
I don’t own either, but am looking for a new camera as well. My mom just sent me a newspaper article she found on digital camera and Cumsumer Reports rated the Canon Powershot as the best in the “point and shoot” type category. Thought I would just pass that along.
i have a love/hate relationship with canon. i loooooved my first canon but after i had it for about 4 years, it went dead on me. =( so i got another canon with image stabilizer and i hate it. the pics come out blurry and it just doesn’t look good. i really don’t get it. i’m thinking that the image stabilizer is a hoax. i’m probably going to get another camera soon because this camera sucks big time. oh it’s the canon power shot sd850 is. don’t get it cuz you’ll regret it.
I have a Canon, and always have love the Cannon line of cameras. My very first digital camera was a Sony and I disliked their customer service when I had to send it back for it to be fixed, the problem jsut never got resolved. Aside from that, my boyfriend works for Sony, and after using his Sony camera, their quality seems to had gotten better. Sony now even have a ‘Smile Shutter’ camera that detects when the person is smiling, then it will automatically snap the picture for you. Its very cool!
Just a thought from another scuba bride who puts her camera into an underwater case - you SHOULD not have to replace the o ring everytime unless someone sold you a shotty o ring. You should have to maintain (clean and silicon lube from time to time) but you should be able to use that sucker for a darn long long. To put in perspective, the o ring in your tank only gets replaced every 2-4 years on a RENTAL!
i didn’t clean the o-ring or test it — stupid i know! it was a $100 case made for the dsc-t1. next time i’m going to invest in a nicer waterproof case.
after reading all your comments, i’m still undecided!
Sorry about your picture. I know how much it means to you. My first purchase was a Sony back in 2002 and did not like how it couldn’t capture moving images good…..everyone had to be really still or it would come out blurry. Then I bought a canon powershot SD 800. The canon was much easier to use but lately I’ve been unhappy with the quality of the images after they are printed. I’m on a search for a better point-and-shoot as well.
go with the canon! you will not be dissapointed! i had a sony model and it lasted me about 1.5 years! it was such a disappointment. i replaced it with a cannon and love it for the picture quality and for all the extras canon has.
Doesn’t Olympus have a new point and shoot model that’s meant to go underwater?I really don’t know the specs but it might be worth a look.
| Visit our sister sites | Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Fertile Thoughts Infertility Support |
Mrs. Bee, New York
Age and Occupation: 29, Weddingbee Publisher
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 33, Internet
Engagement Date: May 7, 2004
Wedding Date: March 5, 2005
Venue: Westside Loft, New York
About Me: Yes, my name really is Bee! I love my blogging, wikis, and tabasco sauce!
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 |
| 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 |
| 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 |
| 29 | 30 |
Latest Gallery Pics