Back from PG and flooded my camera!

[Wolverine]

It finally happened. Bad news first: camera flooded on 1st dive, utterly destroyed and looking for a new camera. Am considering the 5060 or the 7070. What are your recommendations and which housing should i be buying?

Good news: Friend had another camera and housing and these were the pics I took:

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=945

 

[nauifins73]

Oh how heartbreaking. The 1st time I took mine down the same thing happened. I was lucky enough to have my dive buddy save it for me! I showed him the moisture alarm thinking it was "working" and it was there was water inside - just a small amount. Wish I could help you on a new model - I used the Nikon Coolpix 995. When you get a new set up think about a moisture alarm - if you didn't have one before.

Becky

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

The 7070s and 8080s aren't that much more than the 5060s nowdays, around $200 more. Actually the 8080 seems to be going for less than the 7070 now - dunno if you want to take that into your consideration - its a bit bigger than the other two. The 5060 and 7070 seem to share the same camera body, atleast to an extent, I don't think they share the same UW housings though...

I have the 5060 and really like it, I have the Oly housing, but really wish I had gotten the Ikelite housing. You can buy the camera and Oly housing for about $600, just over $900 for the camera and Ikelite housing. I really like the camera though

 

[f3nikon]

Sorry to hear about that, how did it happen?

 

[Wolverine]

Sorry to hear about that, how did it happen?

The clasps holding the housing cracked. Not too sure how it happened. In any case, it couldn't hold the water out as I went deeper. Only saw the crack later back on the surface.

 

[f3nikon]

Can you get a refund from Fantasea?

 

[Wolverine]

gonna try... will keep u posted on the outcome

 

[RonFrank]

It finally happened. Bad news first: camera flooded on 1st dive, utterly destroyed and looking for a new camera. Am considering the 5060 or the 7070. What are your recommendations and which housing should i be buying?

Good news: Friend had another camera and housing and these were the pics I took:

http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=945

I have not seen the 7070 but have read up well on the specs.

The 8080 is a very nice camera, and I have used it a bit but not UW. The features that are especially good for UW and in general are:

Very fast. For some reason the half press to focus lock is not a lot faster than many non DSLR cameras, but if you just go from nothing to fire, it is fast, really fast. RAW mode is a big plus. WA lens at 27mm to a very usable medium tele at about 110mm. Optics are second to none in a PnS style camera.

The 7070 however has a feature that makes it VERY appealing.... it has focus tracking. As this camaera has not been out long, and I have not seen any professional reviews, it's hard to know if that feature is worthwhile. But if the camera can focus lock and shoot like the 8080, AND it has a focus tracking that works reasonably well, that's huge. Another reason to like the camera over the 8080 is the size. However a main reason the 8080 is such a good little package is that the optics are good, in fact about the best out there in a non-DSLR. I doubt the 7070 is going to be quite as good in that area, however the 5060/5050 optics are nothing to sneeze at, and the 7070 should be as good, or better than those models.

Well, that's about as good as I can do without using the 7070.

 

[alcina]

That sucks, dude! Glad there was a backup handy

 

[happybuddha]

Sounds like it was a bad week in PG for cameras, you are second person I've heard lost a camera there PG last week. Chilipino that post on SB lost his early in his trip, on the first dive I think. Sorry don't remember more but he told me this after more than a couple of frosty San Migs at The Point.

Drew