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Scuba Forum / General / January 2005Re: Underwater Digital Camera recommendations
I want to purchase an underwater digital camera, and I am looking for reviews/opinions on what is available and what is a better choice. I Want to keep it in the $600 range. Is it better to go with a dedicated underwater set-up like the Sealife D310 (good underwater (supposedly), fair land camera) or go with a better land camera and get a housing for it. Thanks >I want to purchase an underwater digital camera, and I am looking for >reviews/opinions on what is available and what is a better choice. I Want [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Thanks My personal opinion is that the D310 is a fair camera. You'll be happiest if you buy something with a high MP and a housing. But a housing is going to set you back $400 or more.  Signaturedillon "When the French are against it, you know we can't be far wrong." - Adm. Bobbie Ray Inman Dillon Pyron <dmpyronINVALID@austin.rr.com> pounded away at his keyboard resulting in: : But a :housing is going to set you back $400 or more. Depends on the housing. Mine was not nearly that much. This website http://www.henrys.com/webapp/wcs/stores/henrys/index.jsp, will show you some typical prices for Canon, Sony, and Pentax. They are a lot less than $400. Dan Bracuk If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure. >>I want to purchase an underwater digital camera, and I am looking for >>reviews/opinions on what is available and what is a better choice. I Want >>to keep it in the $600 range. Is it better to go with a dedicated >>underwater set-up like the Sealife D310 (good underwater (supposedly), fair >>land camera) or go with a better land camera and get a housing for it. > My personal opinion is that the D310 is a fair camera. You'll be > happiest if you buy something with a high MP and a housing. But a > housing is going to set you back $400 or more. I got the cheaper sealife as a gift and I've been thoroughly unimpressed. Personally I want full manual capability and decent cameras that offer it aren't at the low end of the price scale. For those willing to accept the camera's ideas on exposure there are plenty of (relatively) inexpensive options, and full auto cameras can take some very good shots, especially if it has (and you know how to use) exposure compensation. I'd look for that and aperture or shutter priority as the minimum requirement for control, which probably means entry level is $200 or so. The abilty to add wide angle capability is a serious plus, but you could also consider that you're getting a starter set that you'll pass on when you trade up. Ikelite has a few housings for compact cameras with list prices of about $300. Canon and Olympus make housings for several of their cameras that retail for about $150 to $200. That lets you get a decent starter set for not much more than the Sealife. I have heard, but not confirmed, rumors that the Olympus housings tend to leak after 50 dives or so. Of course an external strobe is extremely desirable, so that ups the admission charge. An Ikelite DS-50 with arm and slave or manual controller will run about $500 or so, but is worth it if you're at all serious about things. The strobe can come along when you upgrade. It should be noted that some of the Ikelite housings block the onboard strobe, making an external mandatory. Blocking the strobe may seem like a bad idea, but if it's so close to the lens that the housing's port blocks it you're going to get alot of backscatter, anyway. SignatureSteve The above can be construed as personal opinion in the absence of a reasonable belief that it was intended as a statement of fact. If you want a reply to reach me, remove the SPAMTRAP from the address. I've had both 35mm (Subal & Aquatica housed Nikon SLR's) and digital underwater cameras for several years. The choices are wide and complicated, so make up a checklist and try before you buy (if possible). IMHO, the price of the dedicated UW cameras from people like Sea Life and Sea&Sea is not as competitive as buying a good digital camera and the appropriate housing. You have to make your choice based upon several issues: 1. Functionality of camera, including resolution (I would not recommend less than 4Mp), manual control of shutter, focus & aperture, lens type, memory card type, and many other factors. 2. Physical camera size & weight, I.E compact (such as the Sony PC150), or the mid-sized (Olympus C5050/5060) which offers greater control and functionality, and the top of the range Digital SLR's such as the Nikon D70. 3. Depth rating required for the housing. AFAIK all of the manufacturer badged housings (which are mostly made by a Japanese company called UN) are rated for 40m and are reasonably inexpensive (?125 to ?175), however if you need a greater depth rating and functionality then a much more expensive housing from one of the may specialist manufacturers will be required, such as Ikelite, Sea&Sea, Subal, Sealux, Nexus etc. These range in price from ?700 to over ?2000 for the housing alone, let alone the lens ports and strobe (flash). These expensive housings offer depth ratings from 60 to 100m and the ability to fit many different lenses (with appropriate lens ports and gears). 4. Cost. The least expensive option would be something like a Olympus mU 410 with housing for ?350, Olympus C5060 or Sony P150 and matching housing (40m) which can be bought for about ?500 complete (probably cheaper in the US). The next level option would be the Olympus C5060 or C8080 with a Ikelite housing, which then can be used to 60m and is far more rugged and allows for a cable connected flash rather than slave connection., this would cost about ?800. Finally, and most expensive are the digital SLR's in dedicated housings. These offer netter quality and functionality, and the complete removal of the shutter delay which is the problem with al of the compact digital cameras. The least expensive of these cameras and housings would probably be the Nikon D70 and matching Ikelite housing, at a cost of about ?2000, including #6807 Ikelite housing, Nikon D-70 camera with Nikkor 18-70mm lens, #5503.55 port, #5509.28 clamp/sleeve and 67mm Hoya +4 Close-up lens; however the Subal, Nexus and Sealux housings cost this much (and more) WITHOUT the camera, lens, lens ports and lens gears. You pay's your money and makes your choice! > I have heard, but not confirmed, rumors that the Olympus housings tend to > leak after 50 dives or so. Neither of my Olympus housing have leaked and both have done many more than 50 dives. And FWIW my current 40M rated housing is happy at 55M >replace spamblock with my family name to e-mail me >I want to purchase an underwater digital camera, and I am looking for >reviews/opinions on what is available and what is a better choice. I Want [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >Thanks Get the Sony 7MP (DSC-P150) and their housing. The total should be right in the $600 range if you buy right. Its a fantastic camera and will work for you on land too. Takes nice macro shots underwater, has a movie mode, and is reasonable. One nice thing about the P150 is that it has very low shutter and start-up lag, making it entirely reasonable to carry shut off and power it up when you want to shoot. -- SignatureKarl Denninger (karl@denninger.net) Internet Consultant & Kids Rights Activist http://www.denninger.net My home on the net - links to everything I do! http://scubaforum.org Your UNCENSORED place to talk about DIVING! http://www.spamcuda.net SPAM FREE mailboxes - FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME! http://genesis3.blogspot.com Musings Of A Sentient Mind > Get the Sony 7MP (DSC-P150) and their housing. The total should be > right in the $600 range if you buy right. Are you able to use an external strobe with this set-up? >> Get the Sony 7MP (DSC-P150) and their housing. The total should be >> right in the $600 range if you buy right. > >Are you able to use an external strobe with this set-up? Yes, if you optically slave it (that is, the flash fires based on the on-camera's "flash"). There is no TTL port available with it - or with any other "compact" point and shoot camera, however. To get a sync output you need to go to something like an Oly 5050 and Ike housing which is both significantly larger and more expensive. -- SignatureKarl Denninger (karl@denninger.net) Internet Consultant & Kids Rights Activist http://www.denninger.net My home on the net - links to everything I do! http://scubaforum.org Your UNCENSORED place to talk about DIVING! http://www.spamcuda.net SPAM FREE mailboxes - FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME! http://genesis3.blogspot.com Musings Of A Sentient Mind >Yes, if you optically slave it (that is, the flash fires based on the >on-camera's "flash"). What do you need to do this? I have a Sea & Sea TTL Strobe - could this be made to work on a point & shoot like a Canon ixus, (IXY SD500). SignatureRichard Faulkner >>Yes, if you optically slave it (that is, the flash fires based on the >>on-camera's "flash"). > >What do you need to do this? I have a Sea & Sea TTL Strobe - could this >be made to work on a point & shoot like a Canon ixus, (IXY SD500). Just a strobe that knows how to optically slave. Most do, but not all, because even if you TTL fire one of them, you almost never are able to slave the second off the first (except optically.) -- SignatureKarl Denninger (karl@denninger.net) Internet Consultant & Kids Rights Activist http://www.denninger.net My home on the net - links to everything I do! http://scubaforum.org Your UNCENSORED place to talk about DIVING! http://www.spamcuda.net SPAM FREE mailboxes - FREE FOR A LIMITED TIME! http://genesis3.blogspot.com Musings Of A Sentient Mind >> Yes, if you optically slave it (that is, the flash fires based on the >> on-camera's "flash"). > > What do you need to do this? I have a Sea & Sea TTL Strobe - could this > be made to work on a point & shoot like a Canon ixus, (IXY SD500). If the Sea & Sea strobe has a built-in slave sensor it will fire when the flash on the camera fires. Since the ixus is digital, though, it probably has a pre-flash, which means the flash will fire when the camera is checking focus and exposure, and not when the camera is actually taking the picture, unless the strobe is designed for digital cameras. For a digital camera that has pre-flash you need a slave sensor that is designed to ignore the pre-flash and fire on the main flash. Ikelite offers two slaves that will do that, for about $150 each. Look here, and scroll down a bit: http://www.ikelite.com/web_pages/sync_cords.html The TTL slave sensor uses the camera's flash duration to control the external flash, and the manual controller offers you 10 power settings and can be triggered with a sync cord (when the camera and housing are compatible with it) or its built-in slave. The catch is that they only work with Ikelite's new digital strobes, which will set you back at least $300. You can get a package with the smaller strobe, sensor and a strobe arm for about $500 and change. Be aware that the slave sensor may not give you the full power of an external strobe. If the flash duration of the on-camera strobe is too short the external strobe may not reach maximum output before being quenched. For some cameras Ikelite will suggest the manual controller for that reason. SignatureSteve The above can be construed as personal opinion in the absence of a reasonable belief that it was intended as a statement of fact. If you want a reply to reach me, remove the SPAMTRAP from the address. If you are going to use an external flash on a digital camera using it as a slave unit, it must have three additional functions: 1. It must have a slave sensor that can trigger the flash from an external flash. For reliable operation you may need a fibre-optic cable kit to ensure that it will still trigger even when not pointed directly at the cameras built-in flash unit. 2. It must be compatible with the pre-flash given out by many digital cameras, otherwise it will 'flash' when the internal camera does it's pre-flash, not when the main exposure flash is triggered. 3. You will need a variable flash power setting so you can manually set the external flash to suit the distance between you and the subject, aperture and ISO (ASA) setting. In addition this can also be useful when balancing flash against ambient light, as when photographing a close-up whist not losing detail in the background. Many UW flashes have these functions. I use the Sea&Sea YS90TTLdx Duo, the YS120dx also has these functions. Ikelite, Subtronic, Epoque and Inon also of these functions on some of their models. The Inon are getting very good reviews over here in the UK. >Get the Sony 7MP (DSC-P150) and their housing. The total should be right >in the $600 range if you buy right. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > >-- that is the unit I just bought, (AFTER our cameras dumped on us on our cruise) I have not got the chance to use in underwater yet,, but it is a great camera on the land. the marine pack comes with a great housing that lets you use ALL functions/buttons. as well as a removable red lens filter, and flash defuser. I am a sony dealer, and can sell them, but found "BEST BUY" will meet my price, and had the cameras in stock, and found the marine pack on ebay for about $10.00 cheaper then I could sell it to myself for. so with shipping it was a wash. > >Get the Sony 7MP (DSC-P150) and their housing. The total should be right >>in the $600 range if you buy right. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > about $10.00 cheaper then I could sell it to myself for. > so with shipping it was a wash. How does Sony compare with Canon for underwater use? Adam >> >Get the Sony 7MP (DSC-P150) and their housing. The total should be >> >right [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Adam The Canon A85 has an underwater mode which does a number of things, including emulation of the UR Pro filter. The UW housing gives access to all the pushbuttons. It has a flash diffuser and a hood for the LCD. Adobe Photoshop CS does a nice job of colour correcting in case the UR Pro filter doesn't quite get it right. Hope to baptise it in April at CocoView. I am considering a strobe. Any recommendations? Rudy > Hope to baptise it in April at CocoView. When in April, to you plan to be at CocoView? >> Hope to baptise it in April at CocoView. > > When in April, to you plan to be at CocoView? We are aiming to arrive on April 23, which is a full moon. Are you coming? > >> Hope to baptise it in April at CocoView. > > > > When in April, to you plan to be at CocoView? > > We are aiming to arrive on April 23, which is a full moon. Are you coming? Not to CocoView. However, if I do return to Roatan in April, that is my planned date of arrival. Right now, it is just a pipe dream. >> >> Hope to baptise it in April at CocoView. >> > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Right now, it is just a pipe dream. Its not nailed down yet, but correspondence has been exchanged and that date is available. Jeez chilly, if Rudy's gonna moon, ya don't wanna be in range. JF (from sunny Mexico) > > >> Hope to baptise it in April at CocoView. > > > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Right now, it is just a pipe dream. > Jeez chilly, if Rudy's gonna moon, ya don't wanna be in range. > > JF (from sunny Mexico) Good point, John. How the heck have you been? You've been conspicuous in your absence. > > > >> Hope to baptise it in April at CocoView. > > > > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > > > Right now, it is just a pipe dream. >> Jeez chilly, if Rudy's gonna moon, ya don't wanna be in range. >> >> JF (from sunny Mexico) > > Good point, John. How the heck have you been? You've been conspicuous in > your absence. He's in Mexico now. Maybe he only posts on vacation, like Reef Fish. >> Jeez chilly, if Rudy's gonna moon, ya don't wanna be in range. >> >> JF (from sunny Mexico) > > Good point, John. How the heck have you been? You've been conspicuous in > your absence. There he is, in sunny Mexico, and he has nothing better to do that check rec.scuba. Obviously, he has no life and no friends. > >> Jeez chilly, if Rudy's gonna moon, ya don't wanna be in range. > >> [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > There he is, in sunny Mexico, and he has nothing better to do that check > rec.scuba. Obviously, he has no life and no friends. I don't know why anyone would check out rec.scuba while they are on holidays . . .other than to brag or make sure one of your bestfriends was still alive. I've been keeping an eye on y'all but had nothing worth contributing. I started reading this thread because it was about digital photography and I happen to have a new Canon digital. I just wish I'd bought the housing so I could get some pics of the caves I'm diving later this week. JF All I hear each day around the pool is talk of politics and/or football. I have no use for football since I grew up, and I figgered if I had to listen to political discourse I might as well hear it from experts. Hence the visit to rec.scuba. Besides, TV sucks here and one can only read so many hours a day. JF > All I hear each day around the pool is talk of politics and/or > football. I have no use for football since I grew up, and I figgered if > I had to listen to political discourse I might as well hear it from > experts. Hence the visit to rec.scuba. Besides, TV sucks here and one > can only read so many hours a day. I hear there is a problem with Northers down there just now? It is a tad chilly and the seas up a bit? Sorry if my replies seem disjointed. I'm using Google out of necessity and having sorted out it's foibles yet. The wind has been onshore for the first two weeks of the year but turned around to come out of the south for a couple of days which made for flat seas. On Monday it started blowing out of the north but it hasn't been a problem. Still warm by the pool. Admittedly a tad chilly (no pun intended) in the shade in the morning but fine once the day gets going. The breeze is a bonus on the beach cuz without it hooter patrol is very warm. The seas here in Cancun have been bumpy most days and I was told that the port was closed down in the Puerto Aventuras area for a couple of weeks. The boats here in Cancun have been out most days but I've seen all the dive sites here before so it just doesn't seem worth the trouble to fight the waves to clamber back aboard a dive boat. I'll just settle for a bit of cenote diving instead. The weather's always nice in the caves. JF >> >Get the Sony 7MP (DSC-P150) and their housing. The total should be right >>>in the $600 range if you buy right. [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > >How does Sony compare with Canon for underwater use? My wife was pretty pleased with her DSC-P7. It's an older model and has the long lockup problem, but she's learned to adapt. Our next step will be a strobe for it, assuming the ENT gives her the green light to dive again. >Adam Signaturedillon "When the French are against it, you know we can't be far wrong." - Adm. Bobbie Ray Inman > My wife was pretty pleased with her DSC-P7. It's an older model and > has the long lockup problem, but she's learned to adapt. Our next > step will be a strobe for it, assuming the ENT gives her the green > light to dive again. What's wrong with your wife's EN or T? >> My wife was pretty pleased with her DSC-P7. It's an older model and >> has the long lockup problem, but she's learned to adapt. Our next >> step will be a strobe for it, assuming the ENT gives her the green >> light to dive again. > >What's wrong with your wife's EN or T? Blown eardrum. And the doc says her eustacheon tubes are "small and convoluted". Which means equalization is a royal bitch. She may have surgery to repair the hole or replace the drum. Signaturedillon "When the French are against it, you know we can't be far wrong." - Adm. Bobbie Ray Inman I picked up a 4MP Nikon Coolpix 4300 on Ebay for $180. Should be good land camera. I ordered the Fantasea case for it from B&H Photo in NY for $144. I don't need the camera but this seemed to be the cheapest way. |
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