Best Camera for a New Diver

[GoodUnderPressure]

I'm terrible with navigating forums, so please forgive me if I completely missed a thread discussing this recently. Maybe this would be a good sticky, or could a sticky be created for beginners like myself?

TL;DR For a beginner, is the Olympus TG-6 a good starting camera? What would be the best choice for a housing/tray/strobe/light assembly?

I'm very new to diving, my girlfriend and I just had our first actual dive trip this month, after getting certified, down in Cancun. We had a spectacular time, and plan to go back and get a few dives in Cozumel as well (the weather didn't allow us to dive down there while we were there).

While diving, my GoPro Hero 5 Session took a crap on me; it overheated, and stopped working and would only work intermittently the rest of the trip. Apparently, it's a common problem with that model... Luckily our divemaster lent me his for the rest of the dives.

SO, I'm going to need something that is more reliable for my future dives. I think I'd like to have something that takes good video, as well as good photos, but I'm sure there isn't something that does both really well. I'm thinking that it would be best to get something that takes great photos and decent video, because I'm not going to print, mat, and frame a video.

All that said, I'm leaning towards the Olympus TG-6, because it's cost effective, and seems to be a great camera without going full DSLR (I'm not there... yet...) Does this sound like a good starting point?

Then, I was looking at the backscatter packages with the trays, strobes, and accessories, I think I can navigate those fairly well, but do I need a package? If so, what are my needs? I went on a night dive, and I think that was my favorite dive (shallow reefs, deep reef, deep shipwreck, sinkhole, and cavern were the others), which required a light instead of a strobe, would one be better than the other? Do I need both? Which are crap and which are over the top?

This is a lot, I know, so thanks in advance for everyone taking the time to read and respond.

 

[tursiops]

Honestly, you are such a new diver.....and a camera is such a huge distraction to your buddy skills, your SPG, your depth, your navigation, your body position in the water vis-a-vis the reef, your situational awareness....
Without seeing you dive first, I'm hard-pressed to recommend ANY camera.

 

[Marie13]

Bingo. Me, too.

 

[Raphus]

Yes, bouyancy and general awareness needs to be good before starting with a camera.
This can be 20 dives or 100. Depends on how frequently you dive and other factors.

If you buy a tg6, get a housing aswell. Its only rated for 12m.
I have the tg6 and i love it.

 

[homerdoc]

I hate to say this, I agree, you want to keep task loading to a minimum, and to this day if a dive has more than 2 different things I havent done before I wont take a camera.

If you do anything mount a GoPro to your mask turn it on and dive. Then forget about it until you get back.

I missed out on several cool lionfish hunting pics, but I also didnt miss that we were diving a square profile dive to 85 feet and I had to watch NDL's even more like a hawk on my last trip.

It is so easy to get distracted, you have to fight that.

Homerdoc.

 

[tursiops]

Honestly, you are such a new diver.....and a camera is such a huge distraction to your buddy skills, your SPG, your depth, your navigation, your body position in the water vis-a-vis the reef, your situational awareness....
Without seeing you dive first, I'm hard-pressed to recommend ANY camera.

Having said this, let's suppose you are the very rare (1 in a 1000?) new diver who will do just fine carrying a camera around.....

I still would not recommend the TG6 for anything other than grab-shots and snapshots....nothing serious. If you are an accomplished photographer, the TG6 will just be frustrating, for three main reasons: (1) it has a very small sensor, so image quality is only good in decent light at low ISO, and large prints are not going to be very good; (2) it has no adjustable shutter speeds, so one of your three creative tools does not exist; and (3) it really only has two f-stops (f/2.0 and f/2.8 unzoomed) and achieves an "f/8" setting by inserting a 3x Neutral Density filter, which means a second of your three creative tools is lacking, and you have to just take whatever depth-of-field the camera gives you. Nothing to play with.
The TG6 is good for macro, however, and if that is all you want to do, have at it.
If you are NOT an accomplished photographer, you may find the TG6 all you want....but be advised if you grow as a photographer you will replace it rather quickly.

Consider that the TG6 is good for macro.....that means you will be trying to get very close to the reef without touching it, and hold still....this is hard enough for really experienced divers....

 

[ChuckP]

Having said this, let's suppose you are the very rare (1 in a 1000?) new diver who will do just fine carrying a camera around.....

I still would not recommend the TG6 for anything other than grab-shots and snapshots....nothing serious. If you are an accomplished photographer, the TG6 will just be frustrating, for three main reasons: (1) it has a very small sensor, so image quality is only good in decent light at low ISO, and large prints are not going to be very good; (2) it has no adjustable shutter speeds, so one of your three creative tools does not exist; and (3) it really only has two f-stops (f/2.0 and f/2.8 unzoomed) and achieves an "f/8" setting by inserting a 3x Neutral Density filter, which means a second of your three creative tools is lacking, and you have to just take whatever depth-of-field the camera gives you. Nothing to play with.
The TG6 is good for macro, however, and if that is all you want to do, have at it.
If you are NOT an accomplished photographer, you may find the TG6 all you want....but be advised if you grow as a photographer you will replace it rather quickly.

Consider that the TG6 is good for macro.....that means you will be trying to get very close to the reef without touching it, and hold still....this is hard enough for really experienced divers....

I was under the impression that it was a pretty good little item..... If I'm doing Truk and Bikini but if I want to take macro photos of stuff I can't even see, what camera do you recommend?

 

[johndiver999]

A go pro 9 with a tray and some lights, should give you some very nice video. You should be able to capture some decent stills off it as well.

 

[Esprise Me]

I agree with getting solid on your skills before adding the distraction of a camera, though it's something of a moving target. I learned a useful term in my solo diver course: "pinnacle dives", to describe your deepest/hardest/first of its kind dives (first night dive, first dive at a new site, etc.) Even as an experienced and certified solo diver, you want to avoid doing solo pinnacle dives. I would say the same about bringing a camera. Of course, any pinnacle dive ceases to be one after you've done it enough (with a buddy and without a camera) to feel comfortable. So if your buoyancy control is good, you might be ready for a camera now, at least on the dives that are easy and familiar to you. Just leave it behind when you're pushing your comfort envelope.

I have the Olympus TG-5, which is very similar, and I love it. I have the Kraken housing and a 3800 Big Blue video light, which I also recommend. Be sure to get something to attach it to yourself in case you drop it. I have a coiled lanyard that also clips to itself and has a bolt snap on each end. (Similar to this but with clips on both sides: 36)

 

[tursiops]

You should be able to capture some decent stills off it as well.

The OP is talking about printing and framing. Not really a GoPro thing...