Any recommendations for inexpensive starter camera?

[jgttrey]

As for the class, like most classes, it depends 100% on the instructor. There isn't anything in the academics you couldn't read for yourself in the books or forums in an hour. But, if you get an instructor that is really a photographer you can learn a lot - probably much more from the informal q&a than the class, per se. On the other hand, if this is just another specialty class and the instructor isn't really a photographer, then you'd be better off spending the money on gear and the time on reading.

In addition to this site, check out the Wetpixel forums. Good stuff there too.

You're right to want to concentrate on dive skills and comfort, of course. But, don't assume you have to achieve Zen perfection before proceeding. As long as you can remain "in the dive" (situationally aware and in control), stay off the reef and be a responsible buddy, have at it. Buoyancy will continue to improve - probably even faster because you'll be concentrating on it.

 

[Barmaglot]

You're right to want to concentrate on dive skills and comfort, of course. But, don't assume you have to achieve Zen perfection before proceeding. As long as you can remain "in the dive" (situationally aware and in control), stay off the reef and be a responsible buddy, have at it. Buoyancy will continue to improve - probably even faster because you'll be concentrating on it.

That last part is a very good point - I started carrying a camera quite early, perhaps earlier than I should have (I had 15 dives when I took the PADI UW photography course, 25 when I took my own camera down for the first time), but it really pushed me to work on my buoyancy skills, to the point where at fifty-something dives, I got several compliments on my buoyancy from people who have been diving a lot longer than me.

 

[caruso]

Hello I dived for many years with an inexpensive Nikon Coolpix digital camera in a Fantasea housing. I recently upgraded to a GoPro but my old system works great for general use. The whole thing is worth maybe $35 for the camera and $50 for the housing you can find them used lots of places and with an attached strobe you can get great pictures and even some fair quality video. Safe diving.

Same here but one comment about shooting video with a digital camera in a housing that I learned from experience the hard way. When you shoot a long video the camera gets hot. Or at least very warm. What do you think happens when heat is generated in a sealed compartment that is immersed in cold water? FOG. A couple of good videos ruined that way but no apparent damage to the camera. Trick there is to figure out how long you can shoot video for without too much heat and fog generated.

 

[jgttrey]

Same here but one comment about shooting video with a digital camera in a housing that I learned from experience the hard way. When you shoot a long video the camera gets hot. Or at least very warm. What do you think happens when heat is generated in a sealed compartment that is immersed in cold water? FOG. A couple of good videos ruined that way but no apparent damage to the camera. Trick there is to figure out how long you can shoot video for without too much heat and fog generated.

Heat buildup can be a problem for some cameras if you shoot too much video in a closed housing for too long, and some will shut down to protect themselves (including my A6500 which actually has a setting to let you configure how much heat you're willing to put up with).

But, I am skeptical that the camera heat is the source of your fogging. The heat is not adding moisture. That's purely a function of however much H20 was in the ambient air when you sealed your housing. The heat might even be working for you against the fogging, since it warms the enclosed air and the inside of the housing (especially plastic housings that are not terribly good thermal conductors), making condensation less likely.

I'm sure you've doped this out already, but sealing your camera in its housing in your hotel/condo (cooled air w/ lower moisture) rather than on the boat (hot/humid air) is hugely important and usually enough to solve the problem. If you have to change batteries or something on the boat, and fogging is then going to be a problem, there are desiccant packs and strips you can stick in the housing that help.

 

[caruso]

I had one of those moisture muncher tabs in the housing it was still blue meaning it was still effective but it didn't prevent the problem and yeah I probably opened the housing on the boat which wasn't a good idea.

 

[jgttrey]

Yeah, I think they help, but no doubt they are far from perfect. It takes some time for the desiccants to do their thing (otherwise they'd be used up before you can even get them in the housing). I've found that sealing my rig at the condo makes them unnecessary. It's also good practice because sealing up on a bouncing boat is just asking for some piece of hair or sand to get in the o-ring and cause a flood.

The challenge is battery changes, which sometimes have to be done on the boat. Smaller cameras and action cams don't always have the juice to make it through two dives, let alone 3 or 4, shooting video, without changing batteries. For my GoPro, which is an older model, I always used the battery back to double my time. Not sure that is even an option for new models. For my A6500, I have an auxiliary battery in the housing, but when I had an RX100 rig, I just had to suck it up and crack the housing between dives.

 

[JBreezy]

Thanks for the additional advice. I've bookmarked wetpixel and will give that a browse when i get some free time.
Along the line of some of these later replies, when I do get into it, my diving skills will definitely be the priority. Point of the camera is to preserve some memories. I'd hate them to be memories of me mucking everything up with horrible control!

 

[Engine173]

Aloha. I've seen some gopros rigged with flashlights give some decent results, I'm sure you can pick up a used gopro and lights fairly cheap.

 

[ibj40]

Back to the original question, all the great advice notwithstanding.

I've gone through the gamut, all the way back to film, but my current camera is a DC1400 with the Sea Dragon single strobe. Been pretty pleased with it.

And, whatever you get, put a retractable lanyard on it.