Best UW Camera Setup - Why?

[Peter Guy]

OK, I'll play:

First setup: Nikonos (the one BEFORE they started numbering) 35mm with 35mm lens -- with flash (REALLY, it used flash bulbs) --
picture quality was excellent; fully mechanical so no worries about batteries; easy to use with gloves on; compact; but film so limited to 37-38 exposures; needed light meter that seemed to always flood; haven't used it in years

Second Setup -- Minolta DiMage Xg
Inexpensive 3.2 mgpix PnS; VERY small but with quite good lens and CCD; very quick to turn on, not so quick to focus/shoot; quite decent video; did I mention it was small? and with case easily fits into BC pocket; Battery good for one dive in 48degree water;camera is great for all around use -- truly will fit into a shirt pocket so it is ALWAYS available; add-on lenses will fit onto UW case; the SeaLife "Digital" Strobe synched very nicely with it

Current Setup: Canon S80 with Canon UW Case
I went back and forth between getting the S80 and the SP-350 and ended up with the S80 because of the wider angle lens, seemingly better macro and better reviews regarding picture quality (not to mention it uses SD cards like the DiMage and I already had several). Battery life is excellent -- up to three dives in Puget Sound on one battery (being conservative!). The picture quality is outstanding! It is quite quick to focus/shoot -- much better than the DiMage. I like the many options and I've found the buttons on the UW case quite reasonably placed and easy to use (note -- when my fingers are totally numb at the end of a dive here, NOTHING is easy to use). I wish (and keep hoping) it had RAW available, but I'm not at all positive I'd use it since I shoot JPEGS on land with my Rebel. Inon has announced its UW WAL and Macro are now available for it along with its S-TTL strobe (more money and I thought I'd be saving so much by NOT getting a housing for the Rebel). Also, the video is oustanding. Oh, and the LCD is great -- even in the tropics (with the housing shade in use) I was able to actually see what I was shooting (NOT always the case with the DiMage).

But what do I know?

 

[ssra30]

Personally I still like C5050 best for PnS. It is relatively compact (in comparison to what I use now), decent picture quality especially at low ISO, full manual mode, RAW capability. Many experienced photographers have shown excellent result with this camera so the camera is very capable. Sure its RAW writing speed could be better. Shutter lag is not so good in comparison to the current crop of PnS. However it is well optimized to use with third party wetmount wide angle and macro lenses. I am not sure if the current models of PnS, usually with 28mm at the wide end of the zoom, have solved the problems with compatibility with wetmount wide angle lens or not. If not, I think I would still prefer to use C5050 over the newer PnS cameras.

Now the fun part is dSLR. Bascially if you can justify the cost, willing to travel with extra big bag and weight, diving with equipment that is anything but streamline, and dive often enough, it is not a bad way to do uw photography. Forget the shutter lag, the camera buffer is so good that usually your strobe recycling time will be the limiting factor on how fast you can shoot and the battery that will last you 2-3 days at a time (again, your strobe will run out of charges long before your camera). If you don't have eyesight issue, don't use bifocal glasses, I don't think using viewfinder vs LCD monitor will be a big issue.
You can do more extreme macro, you can go wider, AF is faster and better at low light situation. The setup could also be used as a pretty effective shark shield!
My current dSLR setup is almost 10x more expensive than my C5050 setup. It is hard to say if it is 10x better but there certainly are shots that I would not be able to acheive with my C5050 but whether it is worth the expense, hassle and herniated disc or not, for me it is but for you, only you can decide.

 

[DesertEagle]

1st camera setup:
Nikonos V, 35mm lens, Sea & Sea 16mm add on lens, Sunpak Marine Auto 2400 strobe.
Small, fairly light. Very easy to use. The 16mm lens was a poor man's 15mm. It was great photographing subjects more than 2ft away. Anything closer required you to stop down.

Second setup: Same Nikonos V and strobe. I added a 20mm UW Nikkor. Super sharp. Just about every photo was in focus.

Third setup: Aquatica 80 housing with Nikon 8008 camera. Vivitar 19mm lens. Sea & Sea YS50 strobes. Reflex viewing was great. The lens was so-so. Not even close compared to the Nikonos optics. Then I added a 24mm Nikkor lens. Much better. The rig was not light. That housing was much larger than today's housings. It was almost impossible to read the light meter.

Current setup: Olympus SP-310. Will soon add a PT-030 housing and an Inon wide angle lens. Magic Filters too. It will be mounted below my Nikonos V with a 15mm lens and Sea & Sea YS50 strobes. If only the 15mm Nikkor went on a digital! It is amazingly sharp and has virtually no distortion or aberration in the corners. The whole rig will travel light. It will give me the quality of the 15mm lens that I love, with the instant gratification of digital.

 

[dbh]

My progression:

Nikonos V w/ Ike SS200
Oly 5050 in a PT-015 w/ Sea&Sea Ys90DX (2)
Tetra 5050 for my Oly. Traded the Sea & Seas for (2) Inon Z220
D70 in a Subal
D200 in a Subal w/ the same Inon Z220's

The only plus (IMHO) for the Oly systems was that I could carry it all in one carry-on bag. Same with thr Nikonos.

I am in Singapore on my way back from Indonesia. The only 2 rigs with NO problems on this trip were both Subal housings (1 D200 & 1 D2X) w/ Inon Z220 strobes. I think that speaks loud for the reliability of both.

The bad for DSLR: I carry my camera body, lenses and strobes in that same carry-on PLUS a Pelican 1624 with housing, ports, sync cords, batteries, tools etc. Essentially I am travelling with one more bag than I used to but....isn't that why they have Porters ??

Dave

 

[fdog]

Hmm. From my perspective, there is NO perfect camera/housing system, because every dive is different.

That's why, when out on spot news, or on an assignment, I have at least two bodies with different lenses on my shoulder, and a bunch more in the car trunk.

It's like a toolbox... pick the tool that fits the job.

I rarely take a camera on the first dive at a new location; it's just a scouting mission. On the next dive, I'll select the body/housing, lens/port, and strobes & arms.

So, to answer your question, "what's the best..." , I would submit that it's a selection of bodies, housings, lenses and different sized strobes, that you can pick and choose to fit the image you envision. Hey, I've even got an EWA baggie (somewhere); sometimes a low-tech item like that is the best for a particular app.

All the best, James

 

[Scubatooth]

james

i cant agree with you more. i have 3 different camera bodies in my bag and in the case of the upcoming airshow im going to i will have all three hanging off me with different lenses on them 70-200L IS f2.8 will be on the 20D, 28-135 on the 1V HS (yes i shoot film still) and a 24-70 L F2.8 will be on the elan 7e that is the back up. then there are more lenses in the bag that is in the trunk.

underwater is a different story.

i started with the oly 5050(thank you Dee) in a the oly housing on a fisheye tray and inon strobe. this rig will be expanded here in the next couple of weeks with a fisheye top tray, additional set of arms for the second strobe and will be getting the inon UWL 100 at the same point to.

then also i do shoot with nik V w/20mm lenses on them (looking for a 15mm and a 28mm currently).

now in the future im looking at going to a housed DSLR. currently im looking at subdal housing for the canon 1 series with the optional view finder. then domes and ports for my wide angle zooms and primes( 16-35, 17-40, 15FE, 20mm)

there is no perfect, just what works for you.

FWIW

Tooth

 

[arenny]

I will play also!

Started out with the Motor Marine II EX, got the bug and 36 pictures on a dive were just not enough! So I went digital and started out with a PT-015 and upgraded to Tetra.

C5050
Tetra 5050 housing
S&S DX 90
INON WAL
INON Macro

I wish I had a DSLR but don't have the $$$ I have taken some great pictures with this little setup. I love the fact that you can switch between macro and WAL underwater. The setup is not bulky and the TTL is great. What I don't like is the shutter lag! It kills me! Oh and the time that it takes to write RAW pics to the card, but I love being able to take pics in RAW.

Wish they never stopped making C5050s

My 2 cents...

 

[Mariozi]

But, this is not my question.... I am interested in knowing what people who like their rigs, like about them...

Ok... I also think there is no BEST RIG. In fact the way you shoot is what influences it mostly, as you progress in photographic skills your "best rig" gets higher...

I have never had any "best rig", wich I consider a top Pro DSLR on a SeaCam housing, Hartenberger strobes, best 1000US$+ lenses like 200mm micro, 14mm/2.8... and AF-S/2.8 series.

You may consider me old school, but I strongly believe UWP and Photography to be all about LENSES! So I tend to invest much more in lenses than in bodies...

When I bought my first film SLR, digital was already knockin on films door, so I did not draw big bucks on a Nikon F100, instead going for a Nikon F80s in a Sea&Sea housing, lovely compact, modern TTL trustable, still have it with me.

On goind digital I also did not spend great money, I am waiting for my "dream 12Mp, maybe Full Frame, DSLR for under 750US$" so I got one Nikon D50 and a Sea&Sea DX-D50 housing:

- Nikon D50: great image quality at higher ISO, fast sync speed, looong battery life, compact size, cheap to replace.
- Sea&Sea DX-D50: Compact, cheap, high quality, access to all interesting buttons, accepts my old ports/arms.
- Sea&Sea Ports: Very versatile!!! I got the following:
Fisheye Dome Port (with an extra pair of shades sawed for the Sigma 8mm/4 circular fisheye)
Extension Ring 40
SX Extension Ring
Compact Macro Port Base
Compact Macro Port 111
Compact Macro Port 67
Extension Ring 22
- Lenses:
Nikkor AF-D 10.5mm/2.8 fisheye: DSLR WA workhorse
Nikkor AF-D 16mm/2.8 fisheye: SLR WA workhorse
Nikkor AF-D 20mm/2.8: use it UW for fish-wide-angle and love it topside with film
Nikkor AF-D 24-85mm/2.8-4 macro: versatile, remembers me my Motormarine IIex
Nikkor AF-D 50mm/1.8: Best less-than-100US$ lens to use! Topside only...
Nikkor AF-D 105mm/2.8 micro: Macro workhorse
Sigma 8mm/4 circ fisheye: I love creative techniques, multiple exposures...
Kenko Pro300 3x teleconverter: Best supermacro tele, keeps AF on.
Kenko Auto Extension Tube set: Helps go beyond 4,5:1.
Sea&Sea Strobes: YS90 and YS120, good, sturdy, reliable, fast recicle, operates on NiMH AAs.

It is just as compact as it can get for a housed DSLR system that holds these lenses, and it all tucks inside a Pelican 1610.

Other than that I want to buy in the future:
Sigma 10-20mm: the only other DX sensor lens I would buy...
Kenko Pro300 2x and 1,4x teleconverters: want to get to 10:1.
Nikkor 60mm/2.8 micro: nice for fish photo.

Wish I could buy:
Nikkor 14mm/2.8
Nikkor 70-200/2.8 VR

 

[Mariozi]

Sorry, forgot to mention my progression, will be brief this time, promise:

1: Motormarine IIex + YS60, 20mm, Macro 2T.

2: Nikonos V + 35mm, Aqualens with Nikkor AF-D 16mm/2.8 fisheye and YS120 on UCLS arms. (still have it)

3: Nikon N80 on Hugyfot housing, YS90+YS120 on Hugys arms, Nikkors 16mm, 20mm, 105mm.

4: Nikon F80s on Sea&Sea NX-80 housing, same strobes, added Nikkors 24-85mm and Sigma 8mm. (still have it)

5: Set descibed above...

All of them were "best rigs" at a time, but as I am VERY stubborn, I gess my photography evolved over the first setups.

My wifes: Nikon Coolpix3200 on Nikon WP-CP1 housing, adapter and S&S 16mm WA, looking for a strobe system.
Shes giving strange looks toward my DSLR sys...