Help me pick a scuba & aquarium camera!

[MechEng99]

Hey all! I'm in a pickle, and I need some more experienced photographers out there to give me some advice. I can't make up my mind between a DSLR or a nice P&S.

I love photography, and I think I've gotten as good as my old Kodak Z7590 5.0 MP camera will let me be. I have no experience with a SLR or DSLR, but I'm not opposed to them. However, I've heard there are some pretty fancy P&S cameras that are starting to rival the DSLR's. We don't really have time to play with Photoshop much. We've used it, but we don't have the time to edit every photo.

My husband & I are avid scuba divers, and we'd like whatever camera we get to be a good underwater camera as well (and have an underwater housing that won't require a 2nd mortgage). Our budget is no more than $3000 (including the underwater housing...so say $1500 for a camera.) We'd like to spend less of course, but good things often come at a price.

Any advice on which route to go?

 

[MechEng99]

These are what I managed on my old camera. If it's me, and a new camera won't help me...feel free to say so!

 

[kilroy217]

If you're going to go P&S, I'd recommend the Canon G series... I think they're up to G12 now, but I have a G9 with a Canon Underwater Housing. The housing is only a few hundred dollars, so you'll be WAY WAY WAY under budget. It's good to 130' depths, although I've never gone lower than 60' with it, so I can't say how good it is at those depths. The beauty of that series of cameras is that they shoot RAW, so you can adjust white balance in post-processing. It takes me literally less than 30 seconds per shot to edit when I take pics like this.

Now, with that said, I have a Nikon D90 (dSLR) for my regular photography, and I love it. I'm just not willing to risk my nice camera and lens(es) by taking them underwater, no matter how fancy of a housing I can get for it. Besides the fact that the SLR underwater housings are so expensive, as you've noticed.

Good luck finding the right fit for you!

Matt

 

[MechEng99]

Kilroy - thanks for the tips! Maybe that's the best option...a P&S for scuba with a nice camera for just around on land. Do you have any underwater photos with your G9 you wouldn't mind sharing?

 

[MechEng99]

Ok, I think I'm down to the Canon G12, Canon S95, or the Olympus PEN E-PL2. They all seem like a nice combination of advanced P&S (lots of manual control) at fair prices. Getting a DSLR with underwater housing will put me at the top end of my budget with pretty much no lenses. If I get a really nice P&S, then I can add on option after option. Will keep posted with my research. If anyone has underwater photos they've taken with these cameras, I'm very interested!!

 

[kilroy217]

unfortunately, no i dont have pics to share. lost them all in a recent computer crash, and haven't been diving since. word to the wise - back up your images on an EXTERNAL hard drive!

 

[MechEng99]

Sorry to hear that kilroy. Thankfully we do have an external hard drive, but we're not as good as we should be about backing everything up. Will keep that in mind. Thanks for the tips. I keep going back and forth between the S95 and G12...both appear to be really great cameras!

I'm really surprised I've only had one person respond. Figured everyone would want to give their $0.02 on aquarium cameras.

 

[Seajuice]

I'm looking as well - so inundating as far as housing and strobes! DSLR or point and shoot.
My buddy has a D90(nikon) Aquatica housing setup - really sweet but, huge - alot to handle
For that reason alone I'm leaning toward the PS. Then I think about shutter speeds and lens choice then I go back to DSLR!
I'm probably going to go with a PS setup the new 4/3 cameras look like the way to go. More versatility and better pic quality. Here is a good vendor/resourse - not sure I will buy from them but a good resourse:

http://www.backscatter.com/HostedSt...sop=AND&sf=Price&so=Descending&ftn=youbetcha&

Keep us posted with your thoughts!

 

[MechEng99]

I'm now staying away from a DSLR for my scuba camera simply b/c of the cost. There's no way I'm spending ~$1500+ on a camera...then $1500+ on a housing...then strobes, lenses, etc. Plus, they're huge and I don't feel like lugging all that around during a scuba trip. Then what if all that was stolen?! Bleh.

Plus, I found this link...a guy used the setup I've been eyeballing in Indonesia...and his photos have nearly convinced me. He used the Canon S95 (which from reading all the scuba photography forums seems to take nearly as good photos as DSLRs) with the same lens & strobes I plan to use. I'm going to skimp on the $1100 housing he bought though. I see no point in spending $1100 on a housing for a $400 camera. LOL.

http://picasaweb.google.com/album.s...MediumSizeCanonS95FisheyeOuMacroFlashExterne#

 

[Seajuice]

great photos! I'm going to Indonesia,Wow great macro stuff!
Ya I like the S95 too, if video isn't a big deal for you save some money and go with the S90.
I'm looking at the Sony NEX-5 also...
It's fun looking, I'm going on a trip in May so I need to decide!

 

[israel.kendall]

If you're going P&S, then the Canon g series is the best IMO.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

 

[MechEng99]

We don't currently have any sort of video capability, so video is somewhat important. Plus, there are just some things I want to capture with video underwater. On a trip to Jamaica, we went through a cave...came out the other side and found two dolphins playing together. No photos can capture that!

Argh, see that's my debate now...G12 or S95. And no one has them local so I can try them out! S95 equipment (housing, strobes, lenses) are cheaper than equipment for the G12...and both give great results...so I may go the cheaper route.

 

[Hookup]

I believe the S95 cannot shoot RAW. So it's not even a option for you if/when yo do decide to Photoshop. It would be a deal breaker for me.

 

[MechEng99]

The S95 can shoot RAW, so all good there!

 

[snorvich]

Well, let me offer my perspective. I have been doing underwater photography since 1986. To do it right is not trivial and requires extremely intuitive scuba skills (I have about 3000 dives) since this is a highly task loaded activity under water. The equipment required for total control of your image is expensive. You need to be able to control your camera manually with your housing and you either need 2 TTL strobes or the ability to understand exposure manually (required more for wide angel shots than macro). I am not going to suggest a camera (I shoot Nikon film cameras) but rather get you to understand the capabilities you need and then decide what camera you want.

 

[kilroy217]

Well, let me offer my perspective. I have been doing underwater photography since 1986. To do it right is not trivial and requires extremely intuitive scuba skills (I have about 3000 dives) since this is a highly task loaded activity under water. The equipment required for total control of your image is expensive. You need to be able to control your camera manually with your housing and you either need 2 TTL strobes or the ability to understand exposure manually (required more for wide angel shots than macro). I am not going to suggest a camera (I shoot Nikon film cameras) but rather get you to understand the capabilities you need and then decide what camera you want.

Agreed. Also, those photos from Indonesia are taken with strobes, like Snorvich was saying, and certainly editted in post. So, don't expect to buy the same equipment and get the same results out of the box. The photography hobby, like the reefkeeping hobby, takes time to perfect.