Customer Reviews

SeaLife ReefMaster RC SL515 Automatic Dive Underwater 35mm Camera

5 star:		(2)
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3 star:		(1)
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The SeaLife ReefMaster RC takes OK pictures but they came out rather blurry and grainy. My guess is that the flash is not strong enough. I went snorkeling with it in La Jolla, CA. It was a bright day with good visibility although never ideal conditions in this area. Perhaps if I was snorkeling in the Florida Keys - which I've done and got good pics with a Fuji one time use underwater camera. I guess in perfect conditions, any camera works well. I've also tried the Sea & Sea MX5-II with no extra external flash. It took better pictures but it looked like water was getting into the housing. The good thing about the Reefmaster RC is that it looks like it stays dry so less worry about that. One further con though is that you cannot turn the camera on/off from the outside of the housing. You must take the internal camera out. To get around this you can leave it always on - it has an automatic shutoff and then you push down the lever a little to activate the camera. Problem is I couldn't tell if the camera was on and took a few pictures of nothing by accident. I was worried the batteries would die as well. Also, the flash ready light is very hard to see. I might try an additional external flash but that means more $$.

This camera takes beautiful photos underwater. The sport viewfinder is handy for point and shoot action. Although you can add big strobes, I haven't found that necessary for my amateur photography. The outershell travel case is indestructible on a dive boat. The inner camera is removable for use on land. The photo processing is the most critical feature for awesome photos. Be sure to use Kodak Sea processing or tell your processor that they are underwater photos so they can properly process the coloration. Solid Camera.

Length:: 4:56 Mins

I purchased my first underwater camera when I was just 12 years old. At the time, the only one available that didn't cost a minimum of $2K was the Canon Aqua Snappy. It worked quite well for many years, but eventually wore out.

The SeaLife Reefmaster is the camera I replaced it with. I would recommend this camera for anyone who can't afford the higher priced digital models. The photos are clear and crisp, the flash filter does a fairly good job at restoring yellows and reds to the images, and there is a good array of accessories for it, including macro lenses and strobes.

With all underwater film photography there is a significant amount of intuition and luck involved in taking good photographs. However, the attachable underwater viewfinder for the SeaLife Reefmaster does a pretty decent job at lining up the subject well.

This camera is durable and easy to use, and the perfect starter camera for someone interested in underwater photography. One of these days, I will be upgrading to a digital underwater camera, and when I do, you'd better believe I'll be looking toward SeaLife in my top picks.

This video contains pictures I took during a trip to Western Samoa in 2004. Music in the video is by Steven Wiseman, http://www.stevenwiseman.com/