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?
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?