Advice for a Nikon User

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

DiverEGM

Registered
Messages
8
Reaction score
0
Location
N.Raleigh, North Carolina
# of dives
200 - 499
I have a Nikon D80 and I want to get in to UW photography.

Should I look into trying to get my D80 fitted for shooting underwater or start fresh on something else?

Don't really want to sink too much money into it since photography won't be my main diving niche.
 
@Garrett McMillan begin with the end in mind. Applicable to everything in scuba, including photography.

So the discussion becomes, the d80 is an ANCIENT DSLR that is completely obsolete. Is it still working for you topside and getting you what you need and want from it, or does it make sense to upgrade to something new?
You're going to be investing significantly more than the D80 is worth in a used housing IF you can find one. You may have far better luck finding a complete used setup.

May be worth sending this guy a message to see how cheap you can get into that. Otherwise it may be worth looking at some of the higher end point and shoot types
For Sale - Ikelite Nikon kit

I have a Nikon D610 which I think is not worth investing in for UW photography, but it still works well for the sports photography that I do topside. If I was going to commit to UW photography, I'd use it as an excuse to upgrade to a Z6 or Z7, or switch platforms depending on how invested you are in glass.
 
Agree with @tbone1004.
Unless you can find a real inexpensive housing for a D80, I would get a new DSLR.
UW photography is a very $$ branch of diving. Be prepared to spend multiples of your DSLR price for decent equipment.
 
Don't really want to sink too much money into it since photography won't be my main diving niche.

In that case you're better off with a gopro (or a knockoff) or a phone housing. As pointed out by @tbone1004, D80 is ancient by now, with its housings long out of production, and while you might be able to get a used one, it's going to be old and components like o-rings and springs wear out with time, so it will likely need servicing and refurbishing. A housing is also just the bare start - you will need lenses (ultrawide, fisheye, macro - types of lenses that are not very commonly used in land photography), ports, strobes, tray, arms, clamps, maybe a viewfinder - all of these are expensive. Finally, a DSLR rig is going to be big unless you restrict your photography to a fisheye in a compact port with natural light. I dive with a crop mirrorless (Sony A6300), which is a lot more compact than a typical DSLR, and it still pretty much dominates every dive I take it on. With an action camera, a phone, or a small compact, you can dangle it off your wrist, or clip it to a D-ring, or stuff it into a pocket, but a large camera rig always demands attention. If you dive specifically to take photographs, then yes, a large rig makes sense (though housing a fifteen year old camera doesn't), but if you just want to take an occasional snapshot - get something small and easy to handle.
 
@Barmaglot brings up a huge point @Garrett McMillan
You don't just casually tote a DSLR around. Even the top pros only bring their DSLR's when their primary goal for the dive is photography. If they are just diving for divings sake, they'll bring a gopro or similarly small device they can clip off and bring out when they want to catch something quick.
 
The D80 is very old but more importantly it was never a popular underwater camera. If you need to spend money to put a rig together then get a better camera body. The camera body is going to be the LEAST expensive part of your rig. You can get a used D300, D7100, D600, D800 for peanuts - all are excellent. Best choice would be to upgrade to a good condition body with at least 24 megapixels. Find a used housing and a pair of strobes to complete your setup.
 
My advice - better off with a new Gopro or buy a used 1" sensor camera for better low light performance.

I'm thinking of selling a Sony RX100V and Sony housing - still under warranty. I need a camera with external mic jack.
 
Thanks for all the input; very solid advice. You guys helped rattle out that nostalgia I had for trying to make my old camera work. I'll most likely be focusing on finding a good used setup.
 
I would also like to bring another point up that I think it is important (at least for me).
If you decide to buy a new camera, keep in mind that DSLRs hold a big edge compared with mirrorless cameras like Z6 and Z7 in terms of battery life. Example: On a recent trip to Bonaire, I carried my D500 in a Ikelite housing on 5 out of 6 days of diving. I made 25 1 hour dives (some longer) on those days. I never once opened my housing between dives to change the camera battery. A friend with a mirrorless had to change batteries frequently. For me that is a big +. In UW, you want to avoid catastrophic flooding of your gear so you have to be meticulous when assembling the equipment pre-dive.

Regarding the GoPro: I love it for video but for stills, it does not allow creativity. That's my opinion of course.
 

Back
Top Bottom