By Joe Kettner
I have glare on my camera view screen while snorkeling and cannot see what I am trying to take a picture of. In snorkeling camera reviews I never see any mention of glare problems on the view screens.
My current setup—a 15 year old point-and-shoot in a waterproof bag—usually has such bad glare on the view screen that I can’t even see what I’m shooting! I’m thinking of finally upgrading, possibly to the OM System TG-7.
Does the current generation of waterproof cameras do a better job of glare reduction on the view screens? I want to make sure with my next camera purchase that I will actually be able to see what I’m trying to shoot while snorkeling! All the camera reviews I can find mention nothing about glare issues on the view screens.
Thank you.
Joe, the problem with glare on the camera screen is a very common one for snorkelers. There is just so much light up near the surface.
Some cameras give the option of turning up the camera screen brightness, like the TG-7. But you should still expect it to be difficult.
Some camera housings, like the one for the TG-7, have available an accessory shade hood. But it is not a perfect solution. If you have too big of a shade, it can also make seeing the screen difficult when you are not looking straight into it.
You can also shade the screen with your other hand a bit.
Mostly though, when it is really sunny and bright and you are taking picture at the surface, you just have to get used to not seeing what you are taking a picture of very clearly, try to get the general shapes of things in the picture you want, take lots of pictures, and hope for the best.