nikefreekz
Contributor
Hi all, I've been diving for years and finally decided that I should get myself a ubderwater housing, so herein lies my predicament. I don't need anything fancy and definitely no SLR setup, so that comes down to a compact point-n-shoot. Cost is a big factor and i'll consider second-hand system. I have narrowed down to a few choices and will like to know what you think about it...
Olympus XZ-1 and olympus housing (PT-050)
Not a current model but what drew me is the Olympus housing which is pretty attractively priced and well-built. Will consider used unit for sure. Saw the new XZ-2 in the flesh and I liked it very much, overall build quality not as 'plastic' as XZ-1 but the only down side is that the price is kind of steep. Should be able to get a used XZ-1 and housing for about $500+ thereabout i reckon.
Canon S100/s110
Nothing but good reviews for both models on dpreview, can't go wrong with either but obviously S110 being the latest model, cost quite a bit more than the S100. Housing wise quite a lot of options but realistically speaking can only afford either canon or ikelite.
Canon G15
Saw the camera and really impressed with the size and build quality. Similar to S100/110, housing options is between canon or ikelite (think the other major housing maker should be announcing their housing soon, correct me if I'm wrong). Canon's housing is roughly $200 cheaper than ikelite (quick search on ebay). Being such a new model, unlikely to find second hand. This I think will be the most pricey option.
Lastly, I have a Nikon P300 at the moment, not a smart choice really. Decent camera but nowhere near to all the above options in terms of image quality and only the available housing is from ikelite which cost about $400. The simplest option would be to keep the Nikon and just buy the housing but my thoughts are since I'm going to get a housing, why not get it for a far superior camera instead...
So that's it really, not in a big hurry to get it but mental deadline is may next year, in time for my trip. Your thoughts?
Olympus XZ-1 and olympus housing (PT-050)
Not a current model but what drew me is the Olympus housing which is pretty attractively priced and well-built. Will consider used unit for sure. Saw the new XZ-2 in the flesh and I liked it very much, overall build quality not as 'plastic' as XZ-1 but the only down side is that the price is kind of steep. Should be able to get a used XZ-1 and housing for about $500+ thereabout i reckon.
Canon S100/s110
Nothing but good reviews for both models on dpreview, can't go wrong with either but obviously S110 being the latest model, cost quite a bit more than the S100. Housing wise quite a lot of options but realistically speaking can only afford either canon or ikelite.
Canon G15
Saw the camera and really impressed with the size and build quality. Similar to S100/110, housing options is between canon or ikelite (think the other major housing maker should be announcing their housing soon, correct me if I'm wrong). Canon's housing is roughly $200 cheaper than ikelite (quick search on ebay). Being such a new model, unlikely to find second hand. This I think will be the most pricey option.
Lastly, I have a Nikon P300 at the moment, not a smart choice really. Decent camera but nowhere near to all the above options in terms of image quality and only the available housing is from ikelite which cost about $400. The simplest option would be to keep the Nikon and just buy the housing but my thoughts are since I'm going to get a housing, why not get it for a far superior camera instead...
So that's it really, not in a big hurry to get it but mental deadline is may next year, in time for my trip. Your thoughts?
