Beginner Need Help On First Camera Setup

[babycover]

Hi there,
I plan to do the deed and saved roughly 1000-1500 AUD for a complete camera set up ( camera, housing, strobe, arm). exclude the video light. it can comes later.
I have a friend upgrade her camera to Olympus omd em5 so her old Canon G11 and Ikelite housing is up for me to grab at 400$.
I have quite an extensive experience with DSLR, mirroless on land ( been an assistant / 2nd camera man for a pro taking photos at a wedding, events,etc) but mostly with Nikon system.
I dont plan to have my underwater picture posted on anything or printed in A0 size. just for my hobby and sometime printed in A2 for showing off.
percentage of my picture would be : 60% macro, 40% scenery, big fish,turtle,etc

Would love to have all the experiences advise on :

- Canon G11 picture quality ? (the sensor is small and out date)i know it 90% on the camera man, but the camera does need to be adequately good.
- Would an Olympus omd em 10 mark 1 better ? but the Ikeilite housing would cost around 1200 AUD. is it worth the upgrade? is it better in the long run?
- i trust no complaint in the housing since it a famous brand and have good feedback. also support Canon G12 if i can buy one.
- Strobe - i have absolute no idea, my buddy got YS01, and YSD1. i dont have the budget so plan to get 1 only. i also know 2 strobe better than 1 but atm, 1 shoudl be ok for me. comparison between those 2 ? any idea?
- my LDS advise to get 2 video light instead of 1 or 2 strobes. Thought ?
- Filter - Do i need red filter for my camera when it come down to 30-40 meters or more? i.e while penetrating the wreck.
- the arm - plan to buy some PVC and make it. as for the strobe arm - i havent thought about it yet


thank you in advance for your help

 

[Diver2fun]

I'll try to give a few answers:

Canons are known to have decent macro out of the box. But, a olympus camera using a dedicated macro lens will blow it away. You'll lose on versitality though, and it's more expensive.

Right know the sony RX100 ii is arguably the best compact for underwater, very versatile. It is a bit worse for macro though. If you need 4k video I'd go with the Rx100 iv.

As for strobes, I have the YS-01, good enough for macro. The YS-D1 has more power, important if you're planning on doing many wide angle shots. I would not recommend video lights as they scare off marine life and lack the power of a half-decent strobe.
You won't need a filter if you shoot RAW, unless you're doing video.

 

[snowdog61]

Yes, if you are using the Canon, shoot in RAW and cleanup/correct in post. I'm still shooting a S95 and haven't found a need to upgrade. Sure, there's some things I can't do being limited to F8 but than again, I'm not pulling a huge UFO around. 1 or 2 YS-01s (I'm using 2X S2000s on LocLine arms) will be more than adequate for macro and most general work. Wide angle not so much. As you said, it's 90% on the guy behind the camera

 

[Darol]

I use a Canon G-11 with a Sealife 2000 Lum LED Light. I'm not into photography but enjoy taking pics and video underwater. Here's a few pics from Florida Saint Paddy's Day using my G-11........ Molasses Reef........

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