advice on camera purchase

[scuba41girl]

Hi,

I really have doubts about the Olympus quality (images). I have a Tetra 3030 with oly 4000. I'm very happy withit except I got a Canon digital rebel and no comparision points at all. There is the dpreview.com site will help you to decide....check the samples.

I did some research and for my budget and opportunity got across a canon/aquatica setup. I will relly think for I have seen so far.....go with Nikon or Canon.

Old excellent systems
Nikon D100
Canon 300/350

New
Nikon D200
Canon 10/20/30D

Pro
well...it will be over my budget...
Nikon D1X
Canon Mark II

Of course now I'm married to Canon because of the lenses I own (50mm, 105, 10-20, 15-30, 18-55, 75-300)

I will just advice you about getting a housing which ports will work on newer versions ....Aquatica, subal, Sea&Sea seem to always keep the ports re-usables.

Just my 20c

thanks for the input. these are all digital and can be used on land?

 

[HowardE]

thanks for the input. these are all digital and can be used on land?

Yeah - but he just recommended to you DSLR's - they're all over $1000 for the BODY only... this is a camera without lenses.

You said you wanted Point and Shoot.

Like check out the Canon A620 - that should be up your alley.

 

[Tampico_ED]

Well, I had a Canon and housing A75...but, believe me one of the reasons I started with that setup . Was because of limited budget.....if you want to take serious pictures uw/Land you most probably need to get a SLR Film/Digital. Like howarde....
"Stills - Nikon D200 - Ikelite DS-125's - Ike Housing. "

And do not forget the insurance....as of matter of fact....I need it myself....well have to go diving now.

Ed

 

[HowardE]

Well, I had a Canon and housing A75...but, believe me one of the reasons I started with that setup . Was because of limited budget.....if you want to take serious pictures uw/Land you most probably need to get a SLR Film/Digital. Like howarde....
"Stills - Nikon D200 - Ikelite DS-125's - Ike Housing. "

And do not forget the insurance....as of matter of fact....I need it myself....well have to go diving now.

Ed

Yes... but this isn't about me. It's about giving advice to the person who is asking the question (scuba41girl) -

 

[alcina]

I'd look at the Canon A and S series, the Oly 350 and 5050 if you can find one, the Fuji 900/810. All have advantages and disadvantages, of course. But all have manual controls for your aperture and shutter - this is essential for getting the best out of your camera and diving. They all have manual white balance as well - and this is great for when you do not have an external strobe.

It's no use comparing dslrs to compacts...it's like a Nissan versus a Porsche. Both will get you there...but they suit very different needs/wants and their prices are quite different.

Personally I do NOT suggest a dslr for those just starting out. Get a compact and learn what kind of photography you like to do. Learn how to control your camera. Then grow from there - either with add on lenses and strobes for your compact or into the realm of dslrs.

I adore the compacts and often miss my Oly 5050 (which I still have, I just don't take it diving very often anymore) when I have my dslr. But I like my dslr for MY needs/wants.

I adore the Canon A series cameras (the S series are nice, too, I just don't use them on a daily basis). I like the AAs and CF cards. Day in day out I see better results from all types of divers with these types of cameras than from any other brand/model.

YMMV - check out more threads as there are always people asking similar questions and there is a ton of great info out here. PM me if I can help in any way.

Have fun!

 

[ScubaKat11]

Today is my b-day and my parents got me a a Canon A520. Now I am Looking at the housing. That's for Christmas. I'm not sure about strobes but Canon has some nice cameras and has good housings for them. It has a setting for Underwater photography.

 

[alcina]

Happy Birthday!

I just picked up the A520, too. No time to use it yet, but I did also get the housing. I would suggest getting at least another set of batteries as it only takes two and I'm going to guess you'll need to change between dives.

Skip the uw photo setting and use manual - check out some of the getting started threads for some ideas on how to do this painlessly. You'll also want to learn how to use manual white balance (easy on the Canons) for underwater stuff when you don't use an external flash.

As you use it, start a new thread with how you like and your results - it's always great to see different systems and different people's impressions!

 

[Jamdiver]

Today is my b-day and my parents got me a a Canon A520. Now I am Looking at the housing. That's for Christmas. I'm not sure about strobes but Canon has some nice cameras and has good housings for them. It has a setting for Underwater photography.

Congratulations!

I had the chance to play with an A520 on land recently and was quite impressed with it.
It's a very nice camera , you should enjoy it..

 

[Tampico_ED]

OK...I will not insist anymore although. I still believe it is better to start with a Dslr (or similar i.e F828) if you can afford it. Again, if you are serious about taking pictures (taking your camera every dive, selling pics etc …etc&#8230. If not slr, At least make sure you can use a strobe system (Slave or plug-in) try not to use the build-in flash. Additionally, one very important features is the RAW format support.

Good luck !