Camera flooded :-( time to go shopping and need advice

[Zaixon]

So this past weekend on a dive I had my first camera flood on me. Not a pretty sight underwater errr.... I had a canon 880IS and really liked it. was simple to use and took great pictures for a point and shoot cam. Anyways now i'm looking into a newer easy to use camera that isnt gonna cost me $2000+ for the camera and housing. I just came from the store and was looking at the s95 and the sx230 and another olympus one which was waterproof to 15ft and i believe thy made a housing to take it deeper.

Now i've always been a fan of canon and love how their pictures come out. my only concern with the s95 was that it seemed hard to turn the wheel to switch from picture to video mode while underwater cause its a wheel. This was a great feature with my 880IS because I could easily change to video mode when needed. Is there an easy way to do it on the s95 or would I just be out of luck and have to stick to one or the other for each dive.
now the sx230 had an amazing zoom which is why I liked it but I wasnt sure if they made an underwater housing for it.
and the olympus looked good and seemed to take good pics but i've never had any other camera other than a canon so I am a bit hesitant when it comes to switching.

or does anyone have any other suggestions? This would be my main camera for underwater and on land

 

[flareside]

If you're looking for easy, have you considered the new Canon 300 HS. 24mm wide angle lens, 5x optical zoom and one button movie mode. As far as the SX230, yes there is a UW housing.

 

[Doubler]

Olympus PEN runs about $900 with housing. Check it out.

 

[primus]

I just came from the store and was looking at the s95 and the sx230 and another olympus one which was waterproof to 15ft and i believe thy made a housing to take it deeper.
.....

and the olympus looked good and seemed to take good pics but i've never had any other camera other than a canon so I am a bit hesitant when it comes to switching.

or does anyone have any other suggestions? This would be my main camera for underwater and on land

Just don't buy Olympus compact UW camera. This is the worst possible choice. Especially in the "department" of compact UW cameras Olympus with SW and Tough models has worst quallity of photos. Even UW Pentax Wxx cameras, which has no IS, produces better photos than Olys.

In this area (compact under water cameras, which are shockproof and waterproof up to 12 meters - 40 feet) Panasonic TS3(FT3) is far the best camera at the moment. Panasonic also produces cheap underwater housings (40 meters) for both cameras, TS3 as well as for older model TS2.

My little comparison between Panasonic TS2(FT2) and Olympus 8010 (Egypt, october 2010) - both cameras set to full automatic UW:
Panasonic FT2 (TS2) vs Olympus 8010 album | Primoz | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.

My TS2(FT2) UW pics (camera witout additional UW housing, freediving up to 10 meters deep) from Sharm el Sheikh, october 2010:
Sharm el Sheikh, oct.2010 album | Primoz | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy.

BTW, in last 6 years I have owned this UW cameras: My underwater cameras album | Primoz | Fotki.com, photo and video sharing made easy. and I have tested allmost all other UW cameras like Canon D10, Olympus 8010, ...

 

[PatW]

I would recommend the S95 or the G12. You can get an Ikelite Case for the S95 that is not too expensive. I use a G11 with an Ike case. I never shoot video so switching to video is not a handicap for me.

I would recommend that the camera you get have RAW formatting available. RAW allows you to correct white balance in post processing without penalty. RAW format requires more memory but that is the only trade off. Also RAW photos give you far more flexibility in post processing for exposure, shadows and high lights.

Another thing you might think of is getting an inexpensive strobe. You lose all the reds at just 15 feet. A strobe will bring back the colors.

 

[jameseg]

Now i've always been a fan of canon and love how their pictures come out. my only concern with the s95 was that it seemed hard to turn the wheel to switch from picture to video mode while underwater cause its a wheel. This was a great feature with my 880IS because I could easily change to video mode when needed. Is there an easy way to do it on the s95 or would I just be out of luck and have to stick to one or the other for each dive.

Zaixon, I just got the Canon S95. Haven't used it underwater yet, but I've played with it in the Canon housing above water. The wheel is indeed hard to turn, as you noticed. But the housing does allow you to turn the wheel underwater, and in fact, I think it's actually easier to turn with the housing on, as the housing dial gives you a better grip and a little torque.

James

 

[Zaixon]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I will be going into work shortly (best buy) to see what camera's we offer and go compare each one. All this info has helped a lot gave me a lot more to think about now then what my original few were. i'll let you kno what I decide

 

[tripntx]

I would suggest you at least take a look at Olympus PEN E-PL1 camera and PT-EP01 housing. Less than $1000 total, can be used as a P&S, not much larger than several P&S, and has future upgrade ability when you're ready.

 

[Zaixon]

after going in and looking at what was available I decided to go with the s95. I got a great deal on it because I was allowed to get credit for my broken camera and ended up gettin the s95 for about $60 in the end plus a warranty on it for 3 years for another $60 incase it floods again. I did like the options of the olympus pen and how its right between a point and shoot and a dslr but it would have run me a lot more than what I ended up paying for the s95. I would have liked to see the panasonic ts2 in the store but we dont carry that model. The s95 had much nicer pictures by far from all the ones I looked at and it is right size for me to use on land as well, I like the HD video feature.

Now I just have to decide on a case for the s95. Probably going to go with the ikelite case because it is rated deeper and seems to have gotten good reviews. Now that I saved some money on the camera I could afford a nicer case for it I suppose, unless there is any down sides to it....

 

[flareside]

Zaixon: Ease on over to the Canon section of the forum. There is about three days worth of reading on which case is better for the S95.