Anyone recommend an underwater camera?

[jedi58]

A year ago I bought a SeaLife DC800 and have used it on 2 dives, on the second dive however I didn't get to take any pictures as close to the start of the dive the housing leaked and ruined the camera. Sadly it was out of warranty so couldn't get it replaced despite barely having used it.

So I'm definitely keen to stay way clear of SeaLife after wasting money on equipment that can't even make it to 10 metres (and yes I did check the o-ring before the dive).

I've thought about going for a Canon Ixus and getting a housing for that - anyone have any better recommendations?

Thanks!

 

[bvanant]

How much money do you want to spend, how often do you dive (not very often apparently), what kind of things do you like to shoot? A lot will depend on how serious you want to be.
Bill

 

[ramasule]

One that doesn't leak.

 

[Rascally Rabbit]

With underwater photography it isn't a matter of if you are going to flood a camera but when you will. It is critical that when sealing the housing a great deal of care must be taken to make sure the seals and sealing areas of the housing are free of any dirt or contamination and just a minimal amount of lubricant be used. Without using extreme caution in doing so a leak is nearly guarranteed.

Based on these facts my suggestion for anyone wanting to to pursue underwater photography is to decide your wants and needs. If they are simply a few nice snapshots then the budget gear is a great place to start and the gear is generally more capable than the users. Intova makes great low cost underwater cameras for the beginner or those not looking for more than quick snapshots. You can take their cameras and add their Slave Strobe and improve the color of your snapshots while progressing as an underwater photographer. They also offer filters and a wide angle lense for some of their cameras for further progression you can ad these and maybe a second slave strobe. When all is said and done if you follow these recomendations. You'll be taking some underwater shots that are better than the majority of what your friends could do on land. You have a very capable underwater outfit and You'll have a complete camera outfit that cost less than just the camera and housing offerings from Sea & Sea or Sealife. At that point you can decide if a more advanced camera (and more expensive) really offers you anything you need.

Another company that offers great P&S cameras and their own housings on a budget is Fuji.

 

[farsidefan1]

just a quick hijack since for some reason the new thread post is not working - Canon g12 or Olympus pen 2?

 

[Rascally Rabbit]

Neither the Canon or Oly look at the Fuji F300 EXR

 

[bvanant]

just a quick hijack since for some reason the new thread post is not working - Canon g12 or Olympus pen 2?

Very different beasts. One has interchangeable lenses and a big sensor, one has a nice zoom lens and a tiny sensor. Both have reasonable housings. The advantage of the Canon is that you can do different things on a given dive (like macro and wide angle). The advantage of the oly is that the picture quality is quite a bit nicer at least to me.

Depends on what you want and how you dive.
Bill

 

[BHB ScubaTroll]

Yes, DSLR in an Ikelite housing using Ikelite TTL strobes and take out full insurance that will cover replacement.

So I'm definitely keen to stay way clear of SeaLife after wasting money on equipment that can't even make it to 10 metres (and yes I did check the o-ring before the dive).

So, what makes you think the next time you f'up and screw the camera to the pooch, you will have something to complain about, rather than blame the manufacturer of putting something that is proven to work on the market?

 

[jedi58]

How much money do you want to spend, how often do you dive (not very often apparently), what kind of things do you like to shoot? A lot will depend on how serious you want to be.
Bill

I'd like to try and spend less than £600 if possible, I usually dive every few months to get new qualifications, but only pleasure dive once a year at the minute due to work commitments

I like to shoot wildlife when above water, so intend on trying to shoot similar things underwater, though I'll be doing a wreck qualification soon so kinda like the idea of photographing wrecks too

(sorry for the delay in responding, I only just spotted I'd gotten responses!)

 

[jedi58]

One that doesn't leak.

lol, very true indeed