The SeaLife Micro 3.0 is a dedicated underwater compact camera for divers who want a grab-and-go system that is easier to travel with than a camera-plus-housing setup.
The SeaLife Micro 3.0 Reef Edition comes with the Micro Wide Angle Dome Lens (SL-052), which expands the field of view by more than 40% for both photos and video. It also enables much closer focusing—up to three times closer, with a minimum distance of just 5 inches (12.7 cm)—while preserving edge-to-edge sharpness across the frame.
Built with a permanently sealed, leak-proof housing, the Micro 3.0 eliminates the need for O-rings, lubrication, or routine maintenance, giving divers added peace of mind underwater. Continuing the design approach of earlier models, it offers a compact, ergonomic build along with simple controls and intuitive menus.
The camera captures high-quality stills using a large 16MP SONY® CMOS sensor and records vivid 4K Ultra HD video. It also lets you take 8MP photos while filming. Because the unit is fully sealed, it includes a powerful battery that lasts more than 3 hours—enough for a full day of diving—as well as 64GB of internal storage for thousands of images and hours of video.
For brighter, more colorful underwater footage, the Micro 3.0 can be used with Sea Dragon Photo/Video Lights, since it does not support a flash or strobe. Explore the range of compatible Sea Dragon Photo/Video Lights.
- Best for: divers who want the simplest serious underwater camera setup
- Main advantage: permanently sealed design means no housing and no O-rings to service
- Compatibility note: best matched with constant LED lights, not external strobes
- Major differentiator: rated to 200 ft / 60 m out of the box
- Tradeoff: no optical zoom and no flash-based strobe workflow
Quick Specs
16MP Sony IMX083 1/2.3" CMOS
19mm equivalent, f/2.8, 100° angle
4K 30fps, 1080p up to 120fps
JPEG + RAW (.DNG)
200 ft / 60 m
64GB internal
Compatibility
Works With
- Sea Dragon photo/video lights and other constant LED underwater lights
- Trays and grips using a standard 1/4-20 tripod mount
- SeaLife Micro 3+ mobile app
- Micro-series accessory lenses
Requires
- No housing required
- No memory card required
- 5V USB charger for charging
- For best color underwater, add lighting or set white balance carefully
Optional Gear
- Single tray and grip
- Sea Dragon lights
- Wide-angle dome lens
- Close-up or super macro lens
Why This Product Stands Out
The SeaLife Micro 3.0 is designed underwater-first. Instead of adapting a rugged topside camera with a housing, it gives divers a sealed camera body that is ready for scuba use right out of the box.
Compared with the Olympus TG-7 and TG-6, it is easier to own underwater and goes much deeper without added housing, though it gives up zoom flexibility and stronger dedicated macro capability.
Built for divers who do not want housing maintenance
One of the biggest advantages of the Micro 3.0 is that it removes housing care from the workflow.
- No waterproof door or O-rings to lubricate
- Depth-tested to 200 ft / 60 m
- Easy to pack and travel with
- Large controls are glove-friendly.
Wide-angle underwater imaging made easy
The built-in wide lens is well suited to reef scenes, diver portraits, and close wide-angle shooting.
- 100° wide lens for reefscapes and diver shots
- RAW + JPEG for editing flexibility
- Useful underwater white balance presets
- Strong fit for easy travel video setups
Perfect For
- Travel diving
- Beginner underwater photography and video
- Warm-water reef diving and snorkeling
- Dive pros who want a dependable grab-and-go camera
- Divers who value simplicity over zoom flexibility
Comparison Table
| Product | Imaging / Output | Lens | Best Use | Compatibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SeaLife Micro 3.0 | 16MP, RAW/JPEG, 4K/30p | 19mm equiv., f/2.8, fixed wide-angle | Simple dedicated underwater use | No housing required; best with constant LED lights |
| OM System Tough TG-7 | 12MP, RAW, 4K/30p | 25-100mm equiv. zoom | Macro and hybrid topside/underwater use | Housing needed for deeper scuba |
Sample Photos:
| Image Sensor | 16 mega pixel SONY IMX083 1/2.3” CMOS sensor |
| Image Resolution/Sizes | 16mp (4608×3456 4:3), 14mp (4608×3072 3:2), 12mp (4608×2592 16:9), 9mp (3456×2592 4:3), 7mp (3456×1944 16:9), 4mp (2304×1728 4:3), 3mp (2304×1296 16:9), 2mp (1920×1080 16:9) |
| Picture File Format | JPEG (.jpg) and RAW (.dng) |
| Video Resolution/Sizes | 4K at 30fps (frames per second), 1080p at 120 fps, 1080p at 60 fps, 1080p at 30 fps, 720p at 120fps, 720p at 60fps, 720p at 30fps, 480p at 120fps, 480p at 60fps, 480p at 30fps |
| Video File Format | MPEG4 h.264 (.mp4) |
| Audio | Microphone: Yes (mono) Speaker: Yes (mono) |
| Audio Format | ACC (video/audio compressed together) |
| Lens Aperture | F2.8 |
| Lens Optics | 7 element, fully multi-coated, aspheric optical lens |
| Focal Length | 3.37mm (35mm film equivalent = 19mm) |
| Focus Type | Fixed-focus lens |
| Focus Range | 15” to Infinity (38cm to infinity) |
| Field of View | 100° diagonal shooting angle |
| Shutter Speed | 1/25 to 1/2000 second |
| Scene Modes | Land Auto, Land Sports/Action, Dive, Snorkel and Ext Light mode (when using photo video light accessory) |
| Capture Modes | Single, Continuous (shoots 10 16MP pictures in the 1st second and 2 pictures thereafter), Time Lapse (saves as .mp4 file or as series of individual still images depending on setting), Burst (shoots ten 16MP JPEG or three JPEG+RAW pictures in 1 second) and AEB (Auto Exposure Bracketing) |
| White Balance Modes | Auto, Manual, Underwater Deep, Underwater Shallow, Underwater Green, Daylight, Cloudy |
| ISO | Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 |
| Exposure Value (EV) | EV adjustable from -2.0 to +2.0 in 0.3 increments |
| Quality | Super Fine, Fine and Standard |
| Sharpness | Standard, Hard and Soft |
| Metering | Center, Average and Spot |
| Color | Standard, Vivid, Black/White, Sepia and Negative |
| Self Timer | 10 sec, 3 sec and 10+3 sec |
| LCD | 2.4” 260K TFT LCD color display |
| Status LED | Blinking red = charging Solid red = fully charged Solid green = data connection made Blinking green = data connection not successful (Display will read: Clean USB pins & adapter. Use only original USB cable.) |
| Memory (internal) | 64GB internal memory |
| NAND Flash | 1GB |
| USB Format | 2.0 |
| USB Cable | USB-A to USB-C, 2ft (60cm) |
| PC Connection | PC: Windows XP / 7 and up, MAC: OS 10.8 and up |
| Language Support | On-Screen Display: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Turkish, Russian, simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese. Printed manual: English. Online manual: German, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch. |
| Battery | 2000 mAh, 3.7v, 7.4Wh internal Li-ion battery |
| Battery Life | 3+ hours when shooting pictures or recording 1080p-30fps video 2+ hours when RAW+JPEG images or recording 4K-30fps video |
| External Power | Camera may be connected to 5v external power supply for full functionality. Note: External power is only available on land above water. |
| Charging | Use any 5V USB wall charger (not included). Includes USB cable (Type A to USB-C) and 5-pin USB adapter. 4 hour charging time with 1.5A+ wall charger. |
| App | SeaLife Micro 3+ app available for Android at Google Play store and iOS phone/tablet at Apple App Store; app supports phone/tablets running current or previous version operating system |
| WiFi | Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n (Approximate range = 100ft / 30m) |
| System Settings | WiFi on/off, System Reset, Format, Date/Time, Memory Available, Mic off/low/med/high, Sound off/low/high, Quick View on/off, Language, System NTSC/PAL, Light Frequency 50Hz/60Hz, Date Stamp on/off, Auto Off/3min/5min, Upside-down shooting, Shortcut, SSID and FW version |
| Waterproof | Individually depth tested to 200’ (60 m) |
| Altitude | Operational to 25,000ft (7600m) above sea level |
| Shockproof | 3ft / 1m drop test |
| Buoyancy | Negative; -50 grams underwater |
| Operating Temperature | Land: 23°F to 122°F (-5°C to 50°C); Underwater: +33°F to +110°F (0.5°C to 44°C) |
| Storage Temperature | -20°F to +140°F (-29°C to +60°C) |
| Tripod/Tray Mount | Standard ¼-20 UNC tripod threads |
| Certification | CE, ROHS, FCC, IC |
| Weight | 11.6 oz. (329g) |
| Dimensions | 2.1” x 2.9” x 4.2” (5.4cm x 7.4cm x 10.7cm) |
| Packaged Weight | 2lbs (0.9kg) |
| Packaged Dimensions | 3.7” x 5.1” x 5.5” (9.5cm x 13.0cm x 14.0cm) |
| Warranty Period | 1 year limited warranty for manufacturing defects |
| Country of Origin | Designed/Engineered in USA, Made in China |
- Micro 3.0 Digital Underwater Camera
- Wrist strap USB Micro-USB adapter
- USB cable
- Neoprene camera pouch
- Lens Cap
- Micro Wide Angle Dome Lens
- Neoprene dome lens cover
- Rear lens cap
- Protective storage pouch
- Lens retaining lanyard
- Microfiber cleaning cloth
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the SeaLife Micro 3.0 need a housing for scuba diving?
No. The SeaLife Micro 3.0 is permanently sealed and depth rated to 200 ft / 60m, so it is ready to dive without a separate housing.
Is the SeaLife Micro 3.0 good for beginners?
Yes. It is one of the easiest underwater cameras for beginners because there is no housing to assemble, no O-rings to maintain, and no memory card to manage.
Can the SeaLife Micro 3.0 shoot RAW and 4K video?
Yes. The camera captures RAW (.dng) and JPEG stills, and records video up to 4K at 30fps.
What is the SeaLife Micro 3.0 best used for underwater?
It is best for travel diving, reef scenes, snorkeling, diver portraits, and simple underwater video setups. Its wide 100° lens works especially well for getting close to subjects underwater.
How does the SeaLife Micro 3.0 compare to the Olympus TG-7 or TG-6?
The SeaLife Micro 3.0 is simpler for underwater use because it does not need a housing for deep diving. The TG-7 and TG-6 offer more zoom and macro flexibility, but they require a housing for deeper scuba use.
