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The 6 best waterproof camera for vacations, vlogging and more
GoPro
Not every camera can handle every situation. Maybe you love to shoot underwater, or capture the action with a camera strapped to your body or equipment. It’s in these situations when a waterproof camera will come in handy.
All of the cameras featured in this roundup are waterproof. Some are versatile action cameras, while others are portable and durable point-and-shoot cameras. All are easy to operate and can generate clear and eye-catching photos and video.
Yes, if you own a more smartphone, like the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or new Google Pixel Pro 9 XL, these are all waterproof and offer powerful cams. Your smartphone shoots high-definition still images and high-resolution video in a wide range of settings and situations.
But if you’re looking for a truly action-friendly option with features that go way being smartphones, read on.
Best waterproof cameras for 2024
Our in-house team of photography experts has curated this roundup of the best waterproof cameras out there. If you want to check out exactly what your phone can do in water first, be sure to check out our coverage of the best cell phones of 2024, best smartphones with AI in 2024 and the best Android phones for 2024.
Best waterproof camera: GoPro Hero 12 Black
Amazon
Still image resolution: 27MP | Max. video resolution: 5.3K (up to 60fps) | Waterproof rating: 33 feet | Dimensions: 2.83 x 2 x 1.32 inches | Weight: 5.43 ounces | Best for: Capturing action content | Optional accessories: GoPro has a vast ecosystem of accessories, mounts and mods
Out of all the action cameras out there, the GoPro Hero 12 Black offers the most flexibility in terms of shooting modes. And because GoPro has the largest ecosystem of camera upgrades, accessories and apps, it captures still photos or video from a first- or third-person perspective in almost any type of location. It can also live stream and capture subjects from unique angles.
For the best results with the Hero 12 Black, we strongly recommend pairing it with the right accessories. There’s the Media Mod ($80), which features an upgraded multidirectional mic and foam mic cover, ideal for content creators and live streamers. The Display Mod ($75) features a two-inch, front-facing, flip-up display that’s larger than the one built into the camera.
The Light Mod ($50) includes a compact, waterproof and powerful LED light that offers up to 200 lumens of brightness. There’s also the Max Lens Mod ($70) that fits over the existing lens to offer a wider field of view with better perspective and depth of field. And the Max Lens 2.0 Mod expands the camera’s field of view up to 177 degrees at 4K 60fps and gives you the addition of Max Wide, Max SuperView and Max HyperView settings.
But that’s just the beginning. There are dozens of mounts for the Hero 12 Black. Think tabletop tripods, camera handles, boom bars, head straps, bike mounts, chest mounts and even mounts that attach the camera to your dog, surfboard, vehicle dashboard or wrist.
GoPro also offers a powerful and free mobile app for viewing, editing and sharing still photos or video. With an optional subscription, you get unlimited cloud storage and auto uploads from the camera.
We love the user-friendly controls on the GoPro Hero 12 Black. Pros can switch to an advanced setting for better control over modes and options. You can also shoot video using HDR (high dynamic range) to improve color authenticity and detail. HDR mode works with multiple 4K and 5.3K resolution options and aspect ratios (including 5.3K resolution at a 16:9 aspect ratio, at 30fps). Plus, the GoPro Hero 12 captures even smoother video than the Hero 11 when the camera is in motion.
Be sure to check out our hands-on review of the GoPro Hero 12 Black to see how well the camera performed during our testing.
Best budget waterproof camera: Akaso Brave 8
Amazon
Still image resolution: 48MP | Max. video resolution: 4K (60 fps) | Waterproof rating: 33 feet, IPX8 | Dimensions: 2.48 x 1.44 x 1.93 inches | Weight: 4 ounces | Best for: Action and travel photography | Optional accessories: Akaso offers a handful of accessories to expand the camera’s capabilities and durability
The Akaso Brave 8 is an action camera that functions a lot like the GoPro Hero 12 Pro. But it’s a bit less expensive. Plus, it comes with a handful of mounts and accessories that GoPro typically charges extra for.
What the Akaso Brave 8 lacks is support from the entire GoPro eco-system. This includes more than 60 genuine camera accessories, advanced photo and video editing mobile apps and software applications, and its own online content storage service.
We like the Bravo 8 as a still-image camera because it offers higher resolution then the GoPro Hero 12 Black (48 megapixels versus 27MP). But when it comes to shooting video, this camera offers a maximum of 4K resolution (60 fps). For most people, 4K resolution video is more than enough.
Another standout feature is that the camera supports a super wide, wide, portrait, narrow and a multi-angle field of view across its shooting modes. You also get AI-driven face metering to ensure that the face that’s in the frame always gets the best exposure. This action camera comes with two rechargeable batteries, along with an accessories kit. And right now, Amazon is offering a $50 instant coupon, so you’ll pay just $240 for the camera.
Best point-and-shoot waterproof camera: OM System Touch TG-7
Amazon
Still image resolution: 12MP | Max. video resolution: 4K | Waterproof rating: 49 feet | Dimensions: 4.48 x 2.59 x 1.29 inches | Weight: 8.78 ounces | Best for: Using as a point-and-shoot camera in any climate | Optional accessories: Underwater housing, silicone jacket, float strap and more
Very few point-and-shoot cameras are waterproof and rugged, like the OM System Touch TG-7. If you’re not familiar with the OM System brand, it’s the new name for Olympus cameras.
Designed to provide all of the built-in features you need to capture great photos or video content — including a three-inch, full-color viewfinder display on the back — the TG-7 offers an integrated flash and a lens with 4x optical zoom. The lens also allows for macro photography and is able to focus on objects as close as 0.39 inches away.
What allows this camera to stand out is that it’s waterproof, works in extreme temperatures and is shock-resistant. It functions perfectly in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit and can operate underwater down to a depth of 49 feet. There’s an optional underwater housing accessory if you want to take this camera deeper when scuba diving. And the camera is crushproof, too. It can withstand loads up to 220 pounds.
Not only does the camera comfortably fit in the photographer’s hands, all of the controls are easily accessible and intuitive. This means you can focus more on what’s happening around you, instead of having to tinker with controls to capture clear images or video.
Once you’ve captured 12MP still images or 4K resolution video, the camera’s integrated Bluetooth and Wi-Fi capabilities make it easy to wirelessly transfer the content from the camera to your mobile device or computer. In addition to providing a handful of shooting modes for on-land use, you get several extra modes that can enhance your underwater shooting by controlling things like color correction.
Best ultra-small waterproof camera: GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini
GoPro
Still image resolution: 24.7MP | Max. video resolution: 5.3K (60 fps) | Waterproof rating: 33 feet | Dimensions: 2.06 x 2.02 x 1.5 inches | Weight: 4.69 ounces | Best for: Capturing action content with the camera attached to your body or equipment | Optional accessories: GoPro has a vast ecosystem of accessories, mounts and mods
As its name suggests, the GoPro Hero 11 Black Mini is a smaller, scaled down version of the Hero 12 Black camera. This model does not offer either a front or back-facing display. It’s designed to be remotely controlled from a mobile device using the GoPro app. More than a dozen voice commands are also supported.
Another unique feature is that this camera has two built-in mounting fingers that pop out from the camera body (one on the back and one on the bottom of the camera). This gives you additional options when connecting the camera to a mount and then setting the camera at an optimal angle.
The Mini has fewer shooting modes than the Hero 12 Black and can only capture still images from video footage that’s already been shot. That said, it can shoot video at up to 5.3K (60fps) resolution. It’s also just as durable as the Hero 12 Black and is compatible with more than 40 GoPro mods, mods, and accessories, in addition to hundreds of third-party accessories.
The Mini offers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. It comes bundled with a curved adhesive mount, mounting buckle, USB Type-C cable, thumb screw and case. A required microSD memory card is sold separately. This camera is best suited to someone who will be wearing the camera, or mounting it on a moving object, and controlling it remotely.
Best waterproof camera for vacations: Sony RXO 11
Amazon
Still image resolution: 15MP | Max. video resolution: 4K (30 fps) | Waterproof rating: 33 feet | Dimensions: 2.38 x 1.63 x 1.19 inches | Weight: 4.13 ounces | Best for: All aspects of photography and videography | Optional accessories: Shooting grip, external microphones, remote control and more
The Sony RXO 11 is a hybrid between a point-and-shoot camera and action camera, which means it gives you a tremendous amount of versatility and creative shooting options. The body of the camera is tiny and easily fits in the palm of a hand. It’s also very durable and waterproof.
Built into the camera is a 24-millimeter, fixed, wide-angle F4 Zeiss T lens, which is able to capture high-resolution and very clear images. The camera’s rechargeable battery lasts for up to 240 still, 15MP shots, or allow you to take up to 60 minutes of continuously shot 4K video.
The viewfinder is an LCD on the back of the camera that can tilt up 180 degrees or down 90 degrees. This makes it particularly useful for shooting selfies or vlogging. The camera is powered using a 1-inch stacked, back illuminated Exmor R5 image sensor. Sony’s proprietary BIONZ X image powers conversion of light captured by the sensor, generating photos and movies with natural detail, realism, richer tonal gradations and low noise.
We love this camera because it’s light enough to serve as a travel camera, plus it’s chock full of useful features and easy shooting modes. If you plan to use the camera for video, a microphone can be connected to enhance sound quality.
Best waterproof camera for vlogging and content creation: Insta360 Ace Pro
Amazon
Still image resolution: 48MP | Max. video resolution: 8K (24fps) | Waterproof rating: 10 meters | Dimensions: 2.83 x 2.05 x 1.52 inches | Weight: 6.34 ounces | Best for: Vacation photography, action photography, vlogging | Optional accessories: Insta360 offers a handful of accessories to expand the camera’s capabilities and durability
Ideal for vacationers, vloggers and outdoor adventurers alike, the Insta360 Ace Pro offers a ton of features packed into a compact camera that’s durable and waterproof. The 2.4-inch, full-color touchscreen flips upward, so you can see what you’re shooting regardless of which direction the camera is facing.
We also like the camera’s convenient magnetic mounting system, and that you can remotely control the camera using a mobile app, voice commands or hand gestures — or use the controls on the camera itself. Plus, the 1/1.3-inch sensor is able to capture stunning still images and video content in almost any situation.
The camera offers a variety of shooting modes that cater to different types of scenarios. And once you’ve captured your content, the Insta360 mobile app uses artificial intelligence to enhance it, and then edit it for you in seconds. Ultimately, you can shoot, preview, edit and then share your creations from virtually anywhere using your smartphone. This Insta360 camera also has an impressive collection of optional accessories.
Out of all the action cameras we’ve tested, this is one of the very few that allows you to shoot video at up to 8K (24fps) resolution using a 16:9 aspect ratio. However, a variety of other resolutions, from 1080p (up to 240fps) to 4K (up to 60fps) are available. The camera is easy to use and extremely versatile. And battery life is up to 100 minutes of continuous shooting.
One of 43 monkeys bred for medical research that escaped a compound in South Carolina has been recovered unharmed, officials said Saturday.
Many of the others are still located a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility’s fence, police said in a statement.
The Rhesus macaques made a break for it Wednesday after an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee didn’t fully lock a door as she fed and checked on them, officials said.
The monkeys on Friday were exploring the outer fence of the Alpha Genesis compound and were cooing at the monkeys inside. The primates continued to interact with their companions inside the facility on Saturday, which is a positive sign, the police statement said.
Yemassee Police Department
Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard relayed that efforts to recover all the animals will persist throughout the weekend and for as long as it takes, the statement said.
Westergaard told CBS News on Thursday that a caretaker inadvertently failed to secure a door at the enclosure, allowing the monkeys to roam free.
“It’s really like follow-the-leader. You see one go and the others go,” he said. “It was a group of 50 and 7 stayed behind and 43 bolted out the door.”
Westergaard acknowledged that it would be a long process to get them back and that they didn’t want to chase the monkeys because that would spook them and make them run away.
“We’ve got them very close,” he told CBS News. “This is all like what we want to see.”
The monkeys are about the size of a cat. They are all females weighing about 7 pounds.
Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police all said the monkeys pose no risk to public health. The facility breeds the monkeys to sell to medical and other researchers.
Alpha Genesis provides primates for research worldwide at its compound in Yemassee, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Savannah, Georgia, according to its website.
A 31-year-old American tourist was killed while on vacation in Hungary’s capital, and the suspect, a 37-year-old Irish man, has been arrested, Hungarian police said Saturday.
The victim, Mackenzie Michalski was reported missing on Nov. 5 after she was last seen at a nightclub in central Budapest.
A Facebook group called “Find Mackenzie Michalski,” created on November 7, said Michalski, went by “Kenzie.” The group confirmed her death in a statement on Friday, thanking U.S. and Hungarian authorities for “their prompt attention, diligence, care, and consideration.”
Police launched a missing person investigation and reviewed security footage from local nightclubs where they observed Michalski with a man later identified as the suspect in several of the clubs the night of her disappearance.
Police detained the man, an Irish citizen, on the evening of Nov. 7. Investigators said that Michalski and the suspect met at a nightclub and danced before leaving for the man’s rented apartment. The man killed Michalski while they were engaged in an “intimate encounter,” police said.
The suspect, whom police identified by the initials L.T.M., later confessed to the killing but said it had been an accident. Police said that he had attempted to cover up his crime by cleaning the apartment and hiding Michalski’s body in a wardrobe before purchasing a suitcase and placing her body inside.
He then rented a car and drove to Lake Balaton, around 90 miles southwest of Budapest, where he disposed of the body in a wooden area outside the town of Szigliget.
Video released by police showed the suspect guiding authorities to the location where he had left the body. Police said the suspect had made internet searches before being apprehended on how to dispose of a body, police procedures in missing person cases, whether pigs really eat dead bodies and the presence of wild boars in the Lake Balaton area.
He also made an internet search inquiring about the competence of Budapest police.
Michalski’s parents are currently in Budapest, police told The Associated Press.
Friends posted condolences on the Facebook group of candles. Michalski was a nurse practitioner, the social media post said, who used “her humor, positivity, and limitless empathy to help heal her patients and encourage family and friends alike.”
Two years of record-breaking drought have dealt a heavy blow to what is arguably the Amazon’s most successful sustainable economy: the managed fishery for the giant pirarucu.
In Brazil´s Amazonas state, almost 6,000 riverine dwellers authorized to fish have reported a sharp drop in production and rising costs. They are demanding aid from the federal government and debating how to adapt to climate change.
Last year’s catch totaled 70% of the government-authorized quota of 100,443 fish. This year could see an even steeper decline, since many communities still haven´t been able to fish. The season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
Jorge Saenz / AP
Pirarucu managed fishing began in the Amazon 25 years ago in the Mamiraua region and has since expanded. It helped the Amazon’s largest fish escape risk of extinction and is now an important source of income for locals in 10 sustainable conservation units and eight Indigenous territories, where deforestation is close to zero.
Unlike other aquatic species of the Amazon, such as river dolphins, the pirarucu — also known as arapaima — historically have proven resilient to drought and climate change. But low water levels are making it extremely difficult for fishers to transport their catch from remote lakes to major rivers and onto cities.
It’s a mammoth task. The pirarucu, which can weigh up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds), lives in large lakes that during flood season are often connected to major rivers. Fishing typically occurs when water levels begin to recede, making it easier to trap the fish and transport them out in small boats or canoes. In several areas, however, water levels dropped so quickly that this connection was cut off before fishing could begin.
In the São Raimundo community in the Medio Jurua region, fishing is scheduled to start Saturday, a two-month delay — a common situation this season. As a result, Coletivo Pirarucu, an umbrella organization that represents 2,500 riverine and Indigenous families, has requested that the federal government extend fishing season until the end of January.
Even in large rivers navigation has become problematic, raising costs and uncertainty among fishermen. It usually takes three to four days to transport fish from Carauari municipality — a major pirarucu producer — to Manaus, the Amazon´s largest city. During the peak of the drought, the trip increased to 10 days, and the freight price has doubled.
Tough as pirarucu are, they are not immune to climate change, according to researcher Adalberto Luis Val from the National Institute for Amazonian Research. He says rising temperatures and severe droughts are exacerbating the “death trio” for all fish: warmer water, more CO2 and less oxygen.
The pirarucu has evolved to breathe air but is far from invincible.
“No fish can regulate body temperature,” Val said. “Then there’s water scarcity. As its level drops, you start to get a high amount of suspended material, leading to sludge buildup. It sticks to the gill area, blocking the processes that occur there.”
Fearing deteriorating conditions in the following decades, Coletivo Pirarucu contends that the fishermen should be entitled to compensation for losses caused by climate change. “This crisis not only challenges the resilience of communities but also highlights the urgent need for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies,” the nonprofit stated in an open letter last week.
In an e-mail response, James Bessa, a federal official overseeing pirarucu management, said that Ibama, Brazil´s environmental agency, is working with other public bodies and local fishing associations to reduce the impact of extreme events like droughts and floods. He said there are plans to start scientific studies and closer monitoring to provide insights into ways to support riverine and Indigenous communities in sustaining their fishing activities.
Adevaldo Dias — a riverine leader who presides over the Chico Mendes Memorial, a nonprofit that assists traditional non-Indigenous communities — argues that adopting additional public policies to help the fishermen is a matter of climate justice.
“The Indigenous and riverine peoples have minimal impact on the environment,” Dias said. “We know that conserving the forest benefits both us and those outside it. And when extreme climate events occur, they are the most vulnerable.”
