With a sigh of relief I noticed — or pretended to notice — a deterioration in the performance of my old Minolta Weathermatic this spring. It is not that I am unhappy with the service it has given over the years, but I had promised myself a waterproof 35mm compact when it began to show its age, and the tough little beast, well protected in its shell like a yellow plastic crab, seemed determined to outlast me. In many ways it has been an ideal camera for a dinghy sailor: foolproof in operation, robust, waterproof down to 5 metres — probably even deeper, the handbook told me, if you accepted that water pressure would fire the shutter as soon as it was cocked. I never tested that theory. For a cheap 110 cassette camera, which is what it is inside the shell, it has a good lens, with five focusing positions easily set by a large plastic knob. There the good points end. The exposure control is of the ‘bright, cloudy and flash’ variety, and I am limited to a shutter speed of 1/200 and film speeds of ASA 100 & 400. I would be quite happy with it, however, if the film format was 35mm rather than 110, as the 35mm negative, being twice the size, offers a much better chance of quality pictures.

Of course, when I bought it, the choice of water-resistant cameras was more or less between the Minolta, at £40, and the Nikonos, at £400. No contest. But this was in my ‘Box-Brownie’ days, and since then I have become a single-lens reflex camera fanatic in my normal life — that spent as far away from navigable water as possible — and I now know what is possible with a decent camera. I have taken my SLR and gadget-bag, which resembles a well-padded tea chest, on sailing trips in cruisers with cabins, and it has been worth it for the sumptuous photographic record of those trips, but only in retrospect. The nervous strain of protecting half a month’s salary’s worth of camera from sea and spray hardens into obsessional neurosis as the days go by, until eventually the camera is in the sleeping bag and I’m on the cabin sole. Take it with me in a dinghy? That way lies insanity!

I knew I would not be able to buy a compact which would give results to rival those from my SLR, but I was certain I could buy something which would represent a quantum leap in quality over the Minolta. The specification was quite simple: the fastest lens available, probably f2.8 (that is, one big enough to let in a lot of light when it’s needed); a wide range of shutter speeds, up to about 1/500; the ability to accept films of many different speeds, say 25-1000 ASA; and a built-in flash would be handy, with a warning light to remind me when to use it. Put that inside a watertight case. It would also be nice to have the exposure meter in the camera in a purely advisory capacity, or at least be able to override it manually. (They don’t always know best!)

It proved to be quite easy to find, my list of desirable features in a motorised, all-weather camera; in fact the choice is wider than I ever imagined. The ability to override the exposure meter is one important exception, especially as film speeds are often set automatically (‘DX’) when the camera is loaded. Changing the ISO setting on non-DX cameras is an effective way to over- or underexpose to cope with difficult light conditions, so a ‘back-lit’ button to achieve the same result is an essential in a DX camera. Neither do I believe that autofocus is essential in a ‘dinghy’ camera, although I would never advocate a fixed-focus lens with all its limitations; simple manual settings are adequate, and in fact most outdoor shots are set for infinity. (If you plan to use your waterproof underwater then AF is out anyway: the infrared is absorbed.) My original plan at this point was to draw up a list of features which are to be found in the range of modern compacts and invite the reader to select the ones thought to be desirable in a seagoing camera. I was on number 37 before I ripped the paper out of the typewriter. We must count the blessings of modern motorised technology and recall Frank Dye, who praised the Ilford ‘Sportsman’ because it could be used and rewound single-handed and accepted that it had no built-in meter and, more seriously, that it was bound to succumb quickly in a saltwater environment. (Ocean- Crossing Wayfarer, p.133). The ‘Sportsman’ is, or was, a thirty-odd year old design imported from the Dacora camera works in the mid-1950s. As a matter of interest, I include a photograph of it and its specification at the end of my look at the cameras: it had no protection — although if I had been with Frank on certain of his trips I am sure that my innards would have collapsed into dust as well.

‘Weatherproofing’ cameras is now a noticeable trend. I would like to think they have dinghy cruisers in mind, but I suspect the makers have their eyes on the yuppie skiing market. But what do they mean by ‘all-weather’? One manufacturer quite seriously stated, ‘To be free of any adverse influence after having been sprayed with water for five minutes from a ten litre per minute per square metre watering can, held at a height of 30-50 cm’. I presume it was bilgewater. Almost without exception, ‘weatherproofing’ means IEC Grade 4: ‘protected against water splashed from any direction.’ This is certainly enough to offer protection from salt air and spray, and the cameras can be rinsed off in a bowl of fresh water, but complete immersion or even being held under a tap is out. Is this enough? That’s for the buyer to decide. There will always be more choice among the ‘weatherproofs’ because the market is wider and less specialised than that for the ‘waterproofs’. However, if I am to find myself bobbing in the water after a capsize, I want the camera to be the last thing on my mind. To go to the other extreme, it seems pointless for a dinghy sailor to go the whole hog and buy a camera which can be taken down to 50 metres!

There are two philosophies at work behind the marketing of these specialised cameras; one is to present them unobtrusively, seemingly no different from any others, and the other is to draw attention to them by flaring colours, as in the case of the Minoltas and the Canon AS-6. Where the accent seems to be on appearance, it pays to check the technical specification and compare it with other models in the same price range. I have found fifteen models worthy of consideration and twelve illustrations to accompany this text. My original descriptions ran to six A4 pages, and Joan quite rightly demurred! However, if anyone wishes to have a much fuller evaluation than space permits here, I am prepared to send out the original on receipt of an A4 SAE. In the brief text on each model I have included, a quite subjective and arbitrary five-star rating, based not just on quality but on fitness for the purpose under discussion. Although I am inclined to favour waterproof models over weatherproof, I have not allowed this to affect my view of the latter. All take 35mm film.

Weatherproof, single-lens models

Konica ‘Jump’: Fixed-focus lens, fixed shutter speed (1/125th sec), manual film advance, flash to 3½ metres, ‘fashionable’ looks. £55. Rating: 2

Chinon ‘Splash’: Auto-focus lens with lock, shutter speeds 1/90th-1/410th sec, motorised film advance, no integral flash, good-looking and robust. £70-£100. Rating: 3

Olympus AF-1: Auto-focus and lock, shutter speeds 1/30th-1/750th sec, motorised film advance, automatic flash, fill-in flash, self-timer, ‘capsule’ design, lithium battery — a high quality, hi-tech snap-shooter. £129. Rating: 4

Yashica T3: Carl Zeiss auto-focus lens, AF lock, shutter speeds 1 sec-1/630th sec, motorised film advance, automatic and fill-in flash, second viewfinder on top of camera, lithium battery, tough design with well-protected lens; an extra £20 for the T3-D gives you a databack which will etch on the print the time, date and year you took the shot as you rounded the Horn, plus other codes. Self-timer. £140. Rating: 5

Weatherproof, twin-lens models

Konica MR 640: AF with lock, automatic and fill-in flash, shutter speeds 1/5th-1/500th sec, lithium battery, motorised film advance and self-timer. Choice of 40mm or 60mm lenses. £140 Rating: 4

Olympus AF-1 Twin: The same body as the AF-1, but a 35mm lens and a 70mm are mounted vertically where the single Zuiko lens was before; either lens is chosen by pressing a button which flips a mirror inside. Very full specification. £149 Rating: 5

Waterproof, single-lens models

Sirius ‘Dive’: Fixed-focus lens, fixed shutter speed (1/125th sec), flash available as an accessory. £60 Rating: 2-3

Vivitar ‘Trek 50’: Fixed-focus, shutter speeds 1/30-1/350th sec, built-in flash, motorised film advance, drop-in loading, clip-on underwater viewfinder, rubber armour, close-up button, waterproof down to 3 metres. Unsophisticated but tough and businesslike. £79 Rating: 4

Canon AS-6: Fixed-focus, shutter speeds 1/40th-1/250th sec, built-in flash, motorised film advance, bright orange casing, optional accessory plate fits over lens to take simple viewfinder and a close-up filter, only ISO 100 & 400 film speeds. Accessory flash also available. £127 Rating: 3

Nikon AWAF: (‘All-Weather Auto-Focus’) AF, with four manual focusing zones for underwater work, motorised film advance & rewind, built-in flash, self-timer, DX film speed setting from ISO 50-1600, focus lock. Nikon put one of their well-specified compacts inside a rugged case which is waterproof down to 3m. No longer made, so the original price of £180 has come down to £I00-120, if you can find one. Rating: 5

Fuji HD-M: (‘Heavy Duty - Manual’) The manual-focus lens (six settings) and the meter cell are both covered by a disc of 4 mm armoured glass over which filters can be secured, so the meter always gauges the exposure correctly. This disc also accepts a substantial lens hood. Built-in flash, motor advance and rewind, 38mm f2.8 lens, program exposure, film speed range ISO 100-1600 set manually by a button which has ½-steps for ‘creative’ control of exposure; self-timer, shutter speeds 1/8th-1/500th sec, waterproof down to at least 2 metres. Competed with the Nikon at £180 but was discontinued in Japan last year. Tecno Mail Order of London still have them as part of a kit for £110. Heavier and slightly larger than the Nikon because the body is protected to a very high standard. Rating: 5

Hanimex ‘Amphibian’: Fixed-focus, shutter speeds 1/60th-1/500th, motorised wind-on, built-in flash, manual aperture-priority exposure (set by lever under flash), orange casing, waterproof down to 50 metres! £170 Rating: 4

Minolta Weathermatic: The latest of the marque is unique in being a twin-lens waterproof. It is in fact a Minolta ‘AF-DL’, a budget twin-lens compact, inside a bright yellow shell. AF, with lock, automatic flash, shutter speeds 1/40th-1/150th sec, alkaline or lithium batteries, waterproof to 5 metres, 35mm or 50mm focal length lens, film speeds ISO 100, 400 & 1000. As the auto-focus is useless underwater, the lens becomes a fixed-focus when submerged: it is curved to focus at about 2 metres. Much is made of this curved ‘meniscus’ lens in the hype printed on the camera, but in fact it is a simple matter; our eyeballs are not the right curvature, which is why we cannot focus underwater! £170 Rating: 4

(These last two are included with my tongue very much in my cheek!)

Nikon ‘Nikonos’ 5: (Interchangeable lenses) Manual scale focusing, hotshoe flash, shutter speeds 1/30th-1/1000 plus ‘B’, many expensive accessories including lenses from 18mm to 80mm, some of which have not been corrected for submarine close-focusing and so can be used on the surface. If you buy it with a good lens, expect to pay about £600! Rating: 5+

Ilford ‘Sportsman’: The camera which Frank Dye originally used on his cruises. 45mm lens, front-cell focusing, four shutter speeds, probably from 1/30th to 1/250th. No meter, no flash, no motorisation. Complete manual control over speed and aperture, which many photographers would still say is the way to learn all about it.

The prices quoted above pertained in early summer ’89. Lithium batteries are becoming popular because of their power; typically giving a two second recharging time for flash. I feel that self-timers are more than mere gimmicks. Don’t you wish to appear with your crew and boat in the same frame? Don’t you ever sail alone? The days of long pieces of string attached to lever shutters are well gone! Finally, if you have auto-focus, then an AF-lock is essential — by half-pressing the shutter while your main subject lies within an area shown in the viewfinder you can re-compose the picture without the focus wandering. Without it, you would end up with a crystal-clear image of a thistle head and a fuzzy vista of Loch Lomond!

Key to illustrations of cameras (not all to same scale)

a) Konica ‘Jump’ g) Nikon ‘All Weather Auto Focus’ b) AF-1 and AF-1 Twin h) Fuji ‘Heavy Duty-Manual’ c) Yashica T3 and T3D i) Original ‘Weathermatic’ 110 d) Vivitar ‘Trek 50’ j) New 35mm ‘Weathermatic’ e) Canon AS-6 k) Nikon ‘Nikonos’ 5 f) Hanimex ‘Amphibian’ l) Ilford ‘Sportsman’

(Note: The original 110 Weathermatic was sold without the underwater viewfinder shown; it was an extra. The same finder is now available for the Vivitar ‘Trek 50’.)

I finally bought one of these cameras. I am not going to say which one, because I feel that the choice is so difficult and diverse that I would not want to tip a prospective buyer one way or the other: some of these cameras are truly excellent and should be chosen on their merits as you see them. I will admit that I was on the verge of buying two other models, to the point of picking up the phone in one case, before I bought the one I did!

On the subject of accessories, one camera kit included waterproof film capsules, with a rubber ‘O’-ring in the lid. These are a good idea for stowage in the boat whatever camera you use, as are 10” square waterproof fabric envelopes for gadgetry, also available from dealers. The best idea I saw was a chest belt made from 1” wide elastic and nylon webbing, with a strip of soft neoprene in the middle of the chest with a 6” x ¼” slit in it. The slit was quickly stretched over the lens protrusion of the camera to hold it secure on the chest between photographs. A substantial quick-release plastic buckle completed the rig, which had been invented for skiers and climbers, but was, I thought, just as appropriate for sailors. Some of the rugged waterproofs are not buoyant, so I was impressed by a segmented, inflatable 2” wide flotation strap which was secured around the camera strap by Velcro lugs. This could be duplicated by DIY-ers by stitching small segments of polystyrene into strips of nylon material to form a belt. Those who have an expensive SLR and do not wish to buy another camera ought to know that the simplest underwater housing is a soft vinyl bag with a built-in glove and flat port to secure the lens to, as produced by EWA-Marine. Certainly far less expensive than a second camera, although somewhat cumbersome. However you approach photography afloat, the mechanisms of today’s cameras have to be protected from the elements because electronics make them all the more vulnerable.