Canon A or Sealife

[CGonTheWay]

Reason behind question may also shed some light. the 620 canon housing does not allow add on lenses as mentioned above. But is easily half the cost of the iklite that I have seen online. to some 350 versus 600 isnt much. and in the long run that might be true. but I am probably also being impaitient and buying the iklite would take more time. so maybe I have andswered my own question as I ramble and try to defend my thin wallet.

 

[alcina]

I'd say - go with the Canon housing. Why? You can afford it right now and that means you will get in the water sooner and start taking photos sooner.

If/when you decide you have reached the limits of the 620 by itself you can decide to add a strobe. This will increase the kinds of shots you can accomplish.

Once you reach the limits of that setup you will need to make some other decisions: buy the Ike housing and the add-ons or change systems altogether. The strobe (assuming you buy a "good" one) will go with you to the next system so I wouldn't skimp on this purchase...I still have strobes from the early 90's in my arsenal!

But if you keep waiting for the perfect set up or the perfect price or until you have all the cash for all the toys, you'll never get in the water!

I don't use any add-ons with my Canon systems (A20, A70, A75 and now the A620). I do use them with my Oly 5050 all the time. I think you can have enormous fun without extras.

That's just me...I'm not great at waiting. And since I'd have to learn it anyway...

 

[Bbarnes]

I am a total camera novice. What is the purpose the the optional wide angle? would I really use it?

By using the wide angle lens, you can get close (and therefore get into good flash range for color) but still be able to get a larger view of a diver, shark etc. Without it you would have to back up in order to fit the whole area into your shot. If you were more than a few feet away, your picture would be blue.
By the way, I shoot with a Sealife DC500 and love it. I have the elite set which has the digital strobe, and wide angle lens. (The 3x, 8x, and 16x lenses that were used with the dc310 are NOT compatable and not needed with the dc500). Problems that some people had early on were corrected with a firmware upgrade.

 

[CGonTheWay]

Thanks for all the info. I think I am going to work towards the 620 and housing. Thanks all