Bye bye Sealife

[alcina]

I flooded my camera last week all I got from Pioneer was a offer of $50 off a new reefmaster mini for my old camera. Thats not really what I would call wonderful support.

What were you actually hoping for?

I would not expect any company, other than my insurance company, to offer anything at all for a flooded system unless it was due to manufacturer's defect - but that is extremely rare from any manufacturer.

 

[mike_s]

I flooded my camera last week all I got from Pioneer was a offer of $50 off a new reefmaster mini for my old camera. Thats not really what I would call wonderful support.

well call up Nikon or Cannon and tell them you dropped your camera in the water off of a boat and ask them how much they will give you. I think you already know the answer to that.


After all, Pioneer/Sealife didn't flood your camera, you did.

I think that $50 bucks off a new camera is pretty gracious for them to help you recover from a camera loss that they didn't have anything to do with.

Blaming them for your camera flooding is like blaming a pencil for mis-spelling words.

 

[Capt Scotty]

I wasn't blaming them. I called to send it in for repairs to the housing and purchase a replacment camera. I was told my model was outdated and they can't repair them.

 

[mike_s]

I wasn't blaming them. I called to send it in for repairs to the housing and purchase a replacment camera. I was told my model was outdated and they can't repair them.

hmmm... I bet I'd have the same problem.

I've got the DC310 (3.x Megapixel) with housing/strobe.
Of course they don't make it anymore, although it was a popular camera "in it's time", I'm betting they might not have spares for it anymore either as they quit making it several years ago.

But I wouldn't bash them saying that wouldn't be wonderful customer support. Most companies (regardless of product) have a scheduled "life of support" after they quit making the equipment.

 

[alcina]

I wasn't blaming them. I called to send it in for repairs to the housing and purchase a replacment camera. I was told my model was outdated and they can't repair them.

Umm, I'm confused. You seem to be very unhappy with their offer, which, imho was very generous and beyond what I would expect.

I ask again - what did you actually expect from them?

 

[Capt Scotty]

hmmm... I bet I'd have the same problem.

I've got the DC310 (3.x Megapixel) with housing/strobe.
Of course they don't make it anymore, although it was a popular camera "in it's time", I'm betting they might not have spares for it anymore either as they quit making it several years ago.

But I wouldn't bash them saying that wouldn't be wonderful customer support. Most companies (regardless of product) have a scheduled "life of support" after they quit making the equipment.

I agree with part of what you are saying, but if you look back to the past five years they have changed their housing just about every year. So if you have a two year or three year old housing you cant get it repaired? Do you think that is true with all housings? These are the things I"m looking at as I shop for a new housing.

 

[mike_s]

I agree with part of what you are saying, but if you look back to the past five years they have changed their housing just about every year. So if you have a two year or three year old housing you cant get it repaired? Do you think that is true with all housings? These are the things I"m looking at as I shop for a new housing.

well they are forced to change their housing by the market and technology.


If you'll notice that the "shelf life" of a digital camera at any electronics store is only a couple years at most... I'd say most are less than 2 years.

cameras are replaced every year by new ones that are higher tech, higher megapixel, have more features, better menus, better battery systems and are more compact. People want smaller (thinner, lighter) but want a big LCD. So they have to re-design the entire camera.

The SeaLife cameras are not newly designed cameras only made from scratch for diving. They are existing designs that they modify slightly to use in a housing and them have to make a housing that will fit existing buttons on that type of camera. So they are forced to change just because technology changes.

For example the Sealife Reefmaster DC310 is a Fuji made camera. I can't remember the exact model, but it's basically one they bought, re-branded, and upgraded the firmware to work better in low-light underwater conditions. To shoot underwater you change the mode in the menus (via firmware).


Ikelite has the same problem. Every year new digital cameras come out. They have to decide which ones to make housings for based on which ones divers will want.


so yes I think it is likely true with all housings.

Just to show how technology changes, to buy an old Olympus D360 (I think that was the model) 1.3 megapixel new was $300 bucks. Now most cell phones have at least a 1.2 or 1.3mp camera. the D360 was bulky, heavy for a point and shoot and used 4 AA batteries. Now days it's not worth anything as better, lighter, faster cameras are out there with better features. Because of that, the housing market for the D360 when from high price, to "clearance sale", to now no one wants them anymore.


It's not the dive consumer market that pushes these chagnes on cameras. It's the entire camera market. The dive industry camera sales I would guess is less than 1% of all camera sales. It is a slave to the bigger market.


If Sealife/Reefmaster, or any other camera company, doesn't change or come out with new products in a timely fashion, they'll get left behind.

If you want a perfect example of this, go see how much 35mm Reefmasters with housing go for on Ebay. Most won't get more than $15 to $25 bucks. Technology has just left them behind....

 

[Capt Scotty]

So you are saying we are supposed to pay $800 for a DC800 pro kit that you can expect to be serviced for the next two years? Thats what I paid for what I have and I can't reuse the housing, camera or strobe. I too have one of the 35mm, the pelican case comes in handy its worth more than the camera....lol

 

[alcina]

So you are saying we are supposed to pay $800 for a DC800 pro kit that you can expect to be serviced for the next two years? Thats what I paid for what I have and I can't reuse the housing, camera or strobe. I too have one of the 35mm, the pelican case comes in handy its worth more than the camera....lol

LOL welcome to the fast paced world of digital photography!

I'm not sure why you can't reuse the strobe, but it could be true.

I have about $4500 ish in old film gear that is virtually worthless now - it's just the way of things

 

[mike_s]

So you are saying we are supposed to pay $800 for a DC800 pro kit that you can expect to be serviced for the next two years? Thats what I paid for what I have and I can't reuse the housing, camera or strobe. I too have one of the 35mm, the pelican case comes in handy its worth more than the camera....lol

Yeah. I sold my 35mm SeaLife but kept the Pelican case it came in. It was worth more than the camera. (anyone need a stamped piece of foam foir a pelican case that will fit this camera, let me know )

like alcina said, welcome to the fast paced world of digital photography!


You have other options. You can find the same camera that goes into your housing (the land version) and flash the firmware with the one for underwater and get the same results. Or try to find just the camera on ebay.


As for replacement parts, etc, I know one person on here that finally got a DLSR housing setup that he liked and doesn't plan on ever changing to a new system. He's got several $$$ thousand dollars invested. But they quit making the body of the DLSR that he's using a year or so ago. Well he didn't want to have the problems of not find replacement parts a few years from now, so he's laid out the money now and bought them upfront because he likes this setup so much.