Bought a A70 with underwater case for around $600

[juggernutt]

was this a good price? Included 512 CF card, charger and rechargeble battery and underwater case plus bag.

I wanted to buy the Canon S50...but diving with a $300 camera is scary enough.

I am a noob...in scuba and photography.
Some thinks I noticed:

1) I used a huge amount of air when I take pictures.

2)Closeups is best(within flashrange...to far and it's all a blue mass.

3)digital is nice....but it's SO slow compared to a regular camara. Basically moving fishes is impossible to picture.(I made so many pictures of the assend of a fish...)

4)best picture are at night. Using the flashlights really colour things up beautifully.

5)with underwater cameras...the maller the digital camara the better. I bought the A70 because it fits better in my hand comapered to an Ixus...but with an underwater case around it. The smaller the better.

My dive guide adviced me to buy a filter. Than I won't be bothered by everything turning blue. No need to use my flash all the time or be within flashdistance. Anyone can give me advice on this? where to buy it?

I bought Canon. In hongKong the underwater case is available for just $150,- A very good price IMO.
But the best deal for underwatercasings got to be Casio!! Just $99,- And believe me these casings just look like the ones made by Canon or Sony(are all the casings made in the same place?)

 

[Burner]

Yeah its a pretty good price, I paid about the same including the 512mb cf and rechargeables.
I noticed the same thing about night pictures being the best, and staying within flash range. Overall its a good set up for fairly cheap. I bought it mainly for use as a land camera, so it doesn't cost much more to make it underwater.
I don't think you'll probably get amazing pictures out of it, but its good enough to send to your friends and family and say I was here, and you were sitting at home watching tv.

 

[Scubatooth]

juggernat

congrates on the camera nad you will like it,just it will take some time to get used to it

a 512mb card is more then enough for a two tank trip(or a whole day at the lake) so that you dont have to open the case, as for rechargeables they are good but you need to remember that they self discharge after a while so just make sure you top them off before you plan to use them for the day (get ones with a capacity of 1700 MA or higher)

1. using more air while taking pictures is normal but the more you get used to taking pictures it will improve (just like from the time you first started diving to now your sac rate dropped)

2. well thats just how it is with taking photos in water (try adding just a red filter that will help but not a lot just remeber most objects beyond 10 feet even with a strobe will be blue.

3.ah yes the good old shutter lag issue that everyone mentions well theres a way to cut that to a very minimal time >.1 of a second by simply half pressing the shutter, this will set the focus and exposure(and even if you are tracking a fish just when the time is right you take the shot) then when the time is right press the shutter down the other half and you will think you had a SLR (also remeber even SLRs under water have a lag because they have to deal with the same levels as the digital, also go do a search under my screenname and look for the posts in the photo section and i have a complete write up on how/why digitals have a shutter lag that they do )

4. again this is a case of more available light and thats its concentrated in one spot

5. you got a good camera and case, im just waiting to see if they will make one for the G5 because thats the camera im looking at right now

your guide was right and the filter to get will be a red filter because that is the color that is lost the most/first underwater

if you have anymore questions feel free to post them.

 

[juggernutt]

To bad I am home again...but your tips will be a huge help...next time.

Could you tell me how to fit the red filter onto the camera?
Will this help when you take pictures further than 10 feet?

G series doesn't have an underwater case I think...but have you considered the S50? Also a 5 MP camera with a casing available.
I still don't undertsand how you dare to bring such an expensive camera underwater...

 

[Crazy_J]

juggernutt,

Check this article out...there are many ways to "compensate" for the color depletion of the depths..one is to "trick" your camera and make it sync to a white that is not a white..while adding in artificial red... read the following for more info!

http://www.digideep.com/articles.php?id=2#3

Another suggestion that I have...before trying any "tricks" or adding filters or external strobes...be as familiar w/ your camera as you can be, i.e. take many UW photos, learn how to adjust balances (white, exposure compensation etc....) After you are fully comfortable w/ your camera, and by this time should get some great shots w/ out any extra accessories, then you should look into filters / lighting accessories and the like!

This is an example of a shot that I used a little exposure correction (+2), adjusted my white-balance, used the internal flash and got what I believe to be a decent shot (though some may argue) NOTE: only camera and UW housing were used, no extraz! ;-)

Cheers,
~Crazy_J
:doctor:

 

[Scubatooth]

juggernut

i have seen the reviews and have tested the S50 and the lens has some difficult with purple fringing which i cant stand) plus there are more contorls at my use on the G5 compared to the S50 plus i will allow for a traditional through the lens exposure program (and a bunch of other things that are enhanced from the S50)

as for taking a expsensive camera underwater its called insurance and i never leave home with out it. plus i only mess with the seals once before i get in the water and thats at home, i have it set up for a whole day of picture taking(because in a controlled enviroment i can make sure its all ready to go and nothing is caught in the seals

dan

 

[juggernutt]

Crazy_J....I think the A70 has whitebalance on it...
But I don't exactly understand what's being done? Could you please explain it to me?

Scubatooth...that's true. Insurance is the magicword.
I prep my camera before each dive....clean everything and test it. After that I don't mess with it again till I get back to my room.