Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

I used this camera for the first time on a couple of snorkeling trips while vacationing in Cancun. All together I probably shot around 250 pictures and I couldn't be more pleased with the results. They were beautiful. The color and clarity of the pictures is amazing. I have already blown up a couple to 8 x 10's and the sharpness is really good. The camera is easy to use and works as advertised. No issues with leaks or battery life. A great product.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

Do not under any circumstances buy this camera!

I don't think there is any piece of dive equipment I've bought so far that I am more disappointed in than this camera :(

Once the camera is with-in the housing, you can change all settings, EXCEPT! from 'picture' to 'video' to 'view'.

That means that before the dive, before you even approach the you wet environment, you need to decide if you want to take ALL video, or all pictures. AND while everybody else is sharing their pictures and footage during the surface interval, YOU have to wait until you get back to dry land before you can even know if half your shots worked.

WORDS CAN NOT EXPRESS HOW MUCH . . .

I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS CAMERA!!!

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

I admit, I've used this camera once, but an experienced photographer also used it, and had same results. Initially, I couldn't wait for our first trip to try it and was thrilled that it also had video function! I had trouble with slow shutter speed, which was frustrating. When photos and videos were downloaded, the pictures were much too blue at all depths, although settings were correct for underwater and vis was great! When the video is played a very strange, grinding, digital noise was heard in the background. I contacted and was told to send the camera back to Sealife. The original camera was sent back to me, with a note from the sales manager stating that the noise is normal for this camera, "it's like shooting video from a shoebox" is what I was told. Very disappointing that Sealife feels this way about it's product. I have gone through the instuction book, and can't try it again until we go diving again, soat this point I am disappointed with my purchase and the results. Also, software is marketed to be used with Mac as well. I could not download the program. When I called to inquire about this, hoping I would get more information, the answer was "I don't know". Look at other options is my suggestion.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

The SeaLife DC800 Is A Great Scuba Diving Camera. The Case Is A Little Bulking, But It's Expected When Buying A Camera With And Enclosure Case. That Aside I Don't See Many Cons With This Camera. The Picture Quality Is Very Good (Once You Know What Your Doing). Go Online And Lookup UnderWater Photography For Tips On Taking underwater Pictures. I Used the Camera In The Caribbean In 75ft Visability And Unlimited Visablity Water. The Camera Preformed Beautifully In Automatic and Manual Functions. The Menu is Pretty Straight Forward With Many Option to Suit Your Dive Conditions. Once You Get Used to The Menu On Land, The Menu Becomes Second Hand. Switching Between Video And Photograph Is Easy And Only Requires The Push Of A Button (Display Button)Underwater (Contrary to What Some People Write). The Video Quality Is Fare And Looks Good When Played Back And Just like In Photography It All Depends On Where The Light Source [Sunlight]Is Coming From. Every Diver That Saw The Pictures Wanted Information On The Camera For Purchased. I Will Definately Recommend This Camera To My Friend. I Will Update My Review When I Dive The Colder, Murkier Waters Of New York To Give A More Accurate Review Under These Conditions.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

The camera has a solid body and housing.
Battery life is good and camera has good range of features. Outside of the housing, it is small and compact for terrestrial use. Be sure to take the white balance card underwater with you. Know how to adjust the colour balance using this card and you will have much more natural colour in your pictures.

As a terrestrial camera, it is slow to focus and doesn't take good action pictures. Automatic exposure is inadequate. The built-in flash is weak and doesn't do a good job of fill-in flash. It can be used to record land pictures, but is no replacement for a regular digital camera (too bad for me).

Other problems include: halyard is weak; almost lost camera when entering the water from a boat and halyard became entangled with my gear. Also, make sure you don't leave the mode switch set to preview; this can't be changed underwater and will mean that the camera can't be used during that dive. Finally the small battery retaining clip seems weak; I have concerns about its durability.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

excellent camera for the miney

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

This is a wonderful little camera that is easy to use and I feel it is a great value. I wanted something simple, lightweight and easy to use and this camera is all that. I love the video mode and the buttons on the housing are very easy to use. I highly recommend this camera.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

this thing rocks the picture quality is great and the housing is very durable trust me ive dropped quite a few times. the housing seals very nicely.
the camera is great to take videos and photos get the flash because that thing is brighter than the sun. at 100 ft in absolute ZERO vis that flash on full power illuminated a shipwreck very clear also get spare batteris because the camera sucks tham down relativily quick but love it

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

I just used this camera in Curacao for 12 days and I am very happy with it. It is a nice entry level, point and shoot camera for the price. The housing is solid but the back window has a few scratches on it already, so you might want to leave the protective film on it. I was initially disappointed when I noticed I couldn’t switch from photo to video mode while the camera was in the housing, but I later learned from another review that you can access video mode. I am disappointed that the manual does not state this more clearly. I noticed a few other reviewers complain about blurry pictures, but any camera will do this if there is any significant movement during the exposure. It is a good idea to take at least two pictures of the subject in case one of them is blurry. I used the built-in flash for a few up close pictures where there was low light and it worked well. This camera takes nice land pictures as well.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

I bought this camera to use underwater as well as out of the housing on land. The pictures on land have come out perfect with no problems. Easy to use menus and options. The underwater features are easy to use but I am still learning. The blurriness probably comes from my unsteady picture taking underwater. So far the camera has been wonderful.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

This is my first "true" underwater camera. So far, I love it. It is a little difficult to press the picture button, but is getting easier as I get used to the camera. I took this camera down with out the external flash, and have some great pictures. I learned how to use the external flash, and have some great land shots. We shall see on the next dives with the ext. flash!

I am familiar with digital camera's and have had difficulty reviewing past pictures while in the waterproof case. You can easily review that last picture, but have not figured out how to review the others.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

Super easy to use. Pictures turned out great. The only issue I had was the zoom feature not working while in the housing. The company worked with me until we got it corrected. They were great. You can switch to video mode while in the housing by pressing the disp button. Works great under the ice, I am very pleased with it. Perfect for the novice. Best camera out of 3 that I have used.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

This was my first "real" underwater camera. I've been an avid photographer for years, and have had a digital 35 SLR for 3 years. While it doesn't have the flexibility of the SLR, it has great features for a point-and-shoot. I took photos above and underwater with outstanding results. Just a couple of things that were negative:

1. The shutter release on the housing jammed on one dive after two pictures. Of course, you can't fix that kind of thing underwater, so I fixed it during the surface interval. It worked fine on the next dive.

2. This may be a newbie misconception, but below about 45 ft the pictures come out very blue. Yes, I know this is normal, but I thought the blue filter would be a little better (say down to 70 or 80 ft). Several of my friends have said to get a strobe and the problem will go away, so I guess that's my next purchase.

I've read some posts about the battery life being short. I did two dives a day, sometimes with flash, sometimes without, and never had to switch the battery between dives. I rotated the batteries daily (bought a spare with charger just to be sure) and everything worked fine.

Overall, the picture quality was fabulous (especially viewed on a HD screen), the learning curve was short, and the features are exactly what I was looking for.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

Need to go through menu to switch from still to video anytime it is in its case. Kind of a pain underwater. No zoom when in video mode. Good basic camera

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

You can go from standard photo to macro to video (takes great videos) in a flash

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

A great little underwater camera for the money.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

So far, have only used above water, but it fit in my front pocket. Recharged battery a few times in my 11 day vacation. Took 140 photos and most came out very good. Be sure to steady yourself against something or they won't be clear. Down loading into my computer was easy and able to correct some photos, red eye or too dark.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

Nice camera at the lower price range. Does not get much cheaper for what you get in the package

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

I would like to make a correction to the previous poster. Modes can be changed underwater by pressing the display button - he needs to read the manual.

I am happy with the response time on saving the images, it is much faster than the Sony I am replacing.

I am using it with the digital flash and it is great. I love the adjustability of the flash.

My only warning would be to be careful not to get the lanyard caught in the clamshell when closing. This will cause it to leak.

Comments about Sealife SeaLife DC800 Reefmaster 8.1MP Underwater Digital Camera:

This product falls down on three main issues:
1) Shutter & memory speed on fine picture quality. On the fine picture setting the camera takes too long to take the picture, when we all know that too often underwater photo opportunities are fleeting.
2) Hand movement. Perhaps linked to the first point, but you have to be able to hold the camera extremely still in order to avoid blurring. other cameras I have had were able to minimise this effect and even quickly taken shots have remained clear.
3) Mode switching. The most fundamental flaw of this camera is that you cannot switch between picture and video modes when the camera is in the housing. This is just ridiculous and it is not advertised clearly enough when purchasing it.

The housing is good, and the price tag is reasonable, but think hard about how annoying these little things can be. Agreed this camera is not meant to be of professional standard, but I imagine it is marketed above a regular point and shoot. If this is the case, it really doesn't live up to it. Moreover I think you lose some of the functionality of a point and shoot without gaining anything in return in terms of picture quality or versatility.