Beginner questions and tough decisions

[aae991]

This is my first post on this board... Great and informative place!

I'm heading to St. John in about 4 weeks and will do extensive snorkeling (off boats and kayaks) and possibly an intro dive (I'm not certified). My budget does not allow for me to go out and buy an expensive dSLR housing and a decent strobe considering I won't be in the Caribbean often enough to justify it (I own a Canon 5D and 20D).

Here's the dilemma - I want to buy a housing for my wife's DMC-TZ5 and an inexpensive strobe (suggestions welcomed). Total price would be $180 for the housing and $180-350 for an inexpensive but usable strobe. My wife wants the flexibility of something like a Canon D10 (for using to snorkel and on the beach, kayaking, on the boat, etc...). While some of the shots I've seen from the D10 are good, I won't even consider it without buying an external strobe to use with it - assuming an external strobe would work with the D10.

Any opinions would be welcomed! I know the D10 is considered "low end" by some, but it's versatile. Having said that, I don't want to suffer with limited flash ability and want an external strobe. One more thing, I'm a bit picky about image quality. I know the Canon D10 and Panasonic DMC-TZ5 have limitations and can't equal a dSLR, but a good P&S is still a great camera to have around. Will either of these cameras match up with the results I've seen from other P&S cameras when paired with a strobe???

Maximum prints would be about 11" x 14"...

Thanks.

 

[Nemrod]

This is my first post on this board... Great and informative place!

I'm heading to St. John in about 4 weeks and will do extensive snorkeling (off boats and kayaks) and possibly an intro dive (I'm not certified). My budget does not allow for me to go out and buy an expensive dSLR housing and a decent strobe considering I won't be in the Caribbean often enough to justify it (I own a Canon 5D and 20D).

Here's the dilemma - I want to buy a housing for my wife's DMC-TZ5 and an inexpensive strobe (suggestions welcomed). Total price would be $180 for the housing and $180-350 for an inexpensive but usable strobe. My wife wants the flexibility of something like a Canon D10 (for using to snorkel and on the beach, kayaking, on the boat, etc...). While some of the shots I've seen from the D10 are good, I won't even consider it without buying an external strobe to use with it - assuming an external strobe would work with the D10.

Any opinions would be welcomed! I know the D10 is considered "low end" by some, but it's versatile. Having said that, I don't want to suffer with limited flash ability and want an external strobe. One more thing, I'm a bit picky about image quality. I know the Canon D10 and Panasonic DMC-TZ5 have limitations and can't equal a dSLR, but a good P&S is still a great camera to have around. Will either of these cameras match up with the results I've seen from other P&S cameras when paired with a strobe???

Maximum prints would be about 11" x 14"...

Thanks.

The D10 is a splash proof camera. You will not be using an external strobe with it, yeah, it would trigger but really, no. The other camera you have, have no idea what it is. "Other" P&S covers a huge range from pocket camies in a OEM housing to bridge prosumer cameras in pro-grade aluminum housings. Quite frankly, the answer to your question, IMO, is no.

Everyone else is going to say yes, I will stick with no.

N

 

[chrishet]

Last time I was in St. John's (Caneel Bay!) I rented a Sea and Sea from a local dive shop...kept it the whole week. That was many moons ago but you may look into this as an option...

 

[aae991]

The D10 is a splash proof camera. You will not be using an external strobe with it, yeah, it would trigger but really, no. The other camera you have, have no idea what it is. "Other" P&S covers a huge range from pocket camies in a OEM housing to bridge prosumer cameras in pro-grade aluminum housings. Quite frankly, the answer to your question, IMO, is no.

Everyone else is going to say yes, I will stick with no.

N

The Panasonic DMZ TZ5 is a pretty decent P&S and has a housing from panasonic that's comparable to the Canon-made housings for Powershots, etc... The image quality is quite good (no, not dSLR quality, but good).

From what I've read, the canon D10 is a bit more than splash-proof, but has a maximum rated depth of about 30 feet. I agree, trying to run a slave strobe with it would be tricky... I lean towards the Panasonic housing and a strobe...

 

[diver 85]

How but some pics from a $400 camera and housing---no strobe, click my 2 links below for some of my pics.....You really don't need much for down there---just some good subjects, IMO, & a little knowledge combined with a lot of patience.......Oh, & sprinkle in some luck along the way...

---have a lot of 8X10's on the wall since '95.....

EDIT: the Canon A570 was DC'ed last year BUT the (new)Canon S90 could/should take better shots???......also, the A720 would probably do as well?...I would try both in a Canon housing(like I shoot my 570 in)...

EDIT II:...I have no 1st hand experience with either the S90 or the A720, I'm just going by what I've read & pics I've seen from these 2 cameras...I'm sure others will give you their 1st hand knowledge of them.....good luck though, & let us know what you decide on......

 

[aae991]

What camera/housing did you use for these great shots?

 

[Nemrod]

What camera/housing did you use for these great shots?

He used the Canon A570IS. It is a great camera specially when you factor in price it is hard to beat. To bad it was discontinued. N

 

[aae991]

I ended up buying the housing for the Panasonic TZ5. I got it at a great price ($174) from a reliable on-line retailer - Provantage. It's not quite as WA as the newer Panny TZ7, but I've seen some nice work done with it underwater. Now I'll try and figure out the need for an external strobe or just hope for the best with ambient light (or the on-board flash occasionally).

I'm leaning towards one of the "lower end" strobes or a good deal on something used. While I'm a little wary of the Intova 2000 unit, I'll consider it. I'm trying to weigh the cost vs. the performance (and the fact that I don't get many chances to do underwater photography).

 

[skynscuba]

He used the Canon A570IS. It is a great camera specially when you factor in price it is hard to beat. To bad it was discontinued. N

True, but they seem to go pretty cheap used on eBay, and there is a Craigslist one local to me, new, for $129.

It looks to me like the S90 oem case will block the internal flash more than the A570 oem case does.