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.
What are your recommendations for an underwater camera?
Hi Charlotte, we have many pages on this site about recommended cameras. The link at the top of the post is to our main cameras page for an overview of options.