Nikon D5300

C. Berrien (Berkeley, CA USA) : I purchased this camera two weeks ago specifically for snorkeling and fishing during a week long trip to Hawaii. I just got back home, super pissed. Before leaving, I tested its "waterproofness" in the sink and it seemed okay. The macro worked great underwater. I used all the different features the week before the trip so I would be comfortable with it. Everything worked great. I was stoked. First day in Hawaii I snorkeled with it and it seemed great. Great pictures. On the second day I snorkeled and it worked great. The next day I noticed some moisture inside the lens so I removed the battery and memory card and left the battery cover open to let it air dry overnight. I figured maybe I opened the battery cover too early when I transferred the pics from the second day to the computer and some water got inside.

RM : No big deal. Checked it the next day and it seemed bone dry, crystal clear lens. I was excited to use it again. We went back down to the water for some more snorkeling, within 30 seconds the lens was fogged up so I immediately started for the beach. One minute later it was dead! Totally non-responsive. I dried the outside (as I had done EVERY time before opening the battery cover) and found the camera FULL of water. The seal seemed perfect, it was latched. I couldn't figure out where it was leaking from. For the next three days I tried everything to get it to dry out so I could use it as a "normal" camera. Fail. Dead. So pissed, I was really looking forward to using it for some good pics of all the tropical fish. I returned it yesterday. The problem I have is that I really loved that camera when it worked and hope it was some kind of fluke so I can buy another one. I didn't get sand in the seal, I didn't drop it, I babied that camera and it failed in the second weak of ownership! If anyone has had the same experience please reply to this so I that I will know that it was not a fluke and should buy another brand

Gale (Utah) : In summary I wanted to love this camera but in the end I think it only partially lived up to it's bill as an adventure camera. The problematic power supply issues, poor HD video quality, terrible controls, inconsistent photo quality, and less than ideal digiscoping functionality were not enought to outweigh the positives of underwater mode, and high mega pixels. I hope my discussion of the details will help other backcountry users know what they are getting into if they buy this. Unfortunately I feel like I don't know what else to turn to right now.