Canon vs Nikon

[davelew]

For underwater use with the D90 I'd recommend the Tokina 10-17 fisheye zoom lens and a Nikon 60mm AF-D macro lens. (There is also a newer 60mm AF-S macro lens for an extra few hundred euros, but I'd recommend the 60mm AF-D lens for the D90).

 

[Maddog59]

Dear Mariozi and shoturtle,
I initially thought I would see Nikon and Canon fans at each others’ throats with my post, but never anticipated this type of discussion.
Nevertheless, I think my mind is pretty much made up. I went to four different local photography stores (and two specifically UW) to get an idea of the prices for the lenses advised here in the various posts, and…
Whoa!! The whole thing will easily escalate to 5.000 Euros (with a decent housing and the second strobe I will need, sooner than later). Ouch! At this stage of my progress, I’d rather spend that kind of money diving in different kinds of UW paradises.
On the other hand,

Dear Maddog59,
I’ve noticed in your signature that even with all your experience in diving and UWPhotography you just have the equipment I was originally aiming at (Canon G10, Patima Housing, 2 x Inon Z240-4 Strobes with sync cable) and of which I am only missing the second strobe, the sync cables and the Patima.
Now that’s a lot less money and a lot of freedom of choice while UW.

I believe this is not the end of it, since I really want to improve my photographer skills (btw, I am also of the CMAS school and I think I had an excellent instructor) including topside and naturally I will upgrade to DSLR, but not just yet.

I can’t thank you guys enough for your interest and help.

Hi Guys this post sure has changed since I was last in here!

jbaptis, I went with the G10 option and Patima housing because, in my job I do a lot of traveling and as susch did not want to be burdened with 30 kg of camera gear and an extra peice of luggage to check in. (especially with the new draconian weight limits being imposed by the airlines!) I now carry my UW camera gear in a Lowepro computrekker AW backpack and it goes as hand luggage on all my flights.

As to the limitations of P&S vs dSLR, I also own a D300s with about 6 lenses. Now, I know, that when it comes to general shooting topside I prefer the P&S because I can put it in my coat pocket and be gone in about 20 seconds. There really is no comparrison between the two when you get into the nitty gritty of the specs as the dSLR wins hands down, but from my experience the general population won't pick the difference if you showed them the same photo shot with both cameras. ( I know there are situations where the dSLR shines over the P&S but in general terms the quality is comparable!)

I still stick by my original comments and support Marrozi in his stance in that there is not a great deal more to learn with a dSLR than there is with a P&S.

Let the debate continue!


Peter

 

[jbaptis]

Thanks to your great advices (and in spite of Shoturtle urging me to wait :blush I couldn't hold off any longer, went ahead and got a kit Nikon D90 + 18-105mm. Then I also bought the Nikkor micro 105mm.
Wow, what a great camera/lenses combination!
I've been shooting away like mad, happy as a clam (I never did understand this English expression, never saw a clam smiling but who knows, maybe now with my new macro lens that will change ).
The next obvious step will be the Tokina 10-17mm and then the housing (ouch!).
From my research and the opinions I got so far, I am leaning towards the Nauticam, but our photosub market is so small that no one has a housing nearby for me to see and touch (the closest one would be in Barcelona, one country and 1200 km away) and I really don't like buying blindly.
Please see the Picasa link below with some pics I took with the G10 in the Maldives a couple of months ago.
Once again, thank you all for your input and C&C.
Álbuns Web Picasa - João

 

[shoturtle]

Congrats on the D90, it is a really good camera. Nice lens set up you have. It is sometimes hard to wait for a new toy.

The tokina is hands down the best ultra wide angle zoom out there right now. Well worth the money.

 

[shoturtle]

I would invest in a good C-PL for top side shots. I looked at some of your photo. A good c-pl can help bring out more blue in the sky if use properly. I would use the exposure comp feature when shooting something with a bright background. It can help bring out more detail instead of being white out from being over exposed.

 

[shoturtle]

jbaptis,

You may also want to consider getting a 28mm 1.8 fast prime lens for the d90. It will give you a almost eye prospective with a crop body when shooting up top. It is one of my 2 favorite lenses the 28mm and 85mm.

 

[Fastmarc]

Congrats on the purchase.
Don't forget to pop on over to the Member's Photo Gallery to share your top side photo with us until you take it under.

 

[Maddog59]

Jbaptis, Great to see you bought your camera and I hope that the advice and comments from this thread didn't confuse the process to much!!LOL

As to which lenses you eventually end up with, the only further advice I can add is to take your time and look at what you want to photograph and see which lens would best suit that shot. One of the most common mistakes made by newbie shooters is that they see someone elses gear and say I got to get me one of those thingamejigs! The problem comes when you finally realise what the other person thought was ideal for him, doesn't fit what you want to do, for whatever reasons. Everybody has different expectations of what they want out of their photography and a different way of acheiving the results, so do what is right for you. I quite often read these forums and wonder personally why anyone would want to take a fisheye photo underwater but then I reason, well, that's what they like and what does it matter if it's not my cup of tea!

The other piece of advice is to buy the best quality lenses you can afford. Better to wait a few more weeks and save for a better quality lens then to get a piece of junk that wont do your camera or photographs justice. BTW that 105 micro lens is superb!!!

All the best with the new gear and enjoy the learning period that comes with it as it is also part of the fun!


Peter

 

[jbaptis]

Hi again, guys!
I have been playing with the D90 (so far took about 700 pics and not one of them worthy of being posted here :blush: well, most were just experimenting).
I finally reached a decision regarding the UW casing: after a lot of different but helpful advice, I believe I will try the Nauticam. I read a lot of great reviews from happy customers and I have a local dealer (the Spanish Casco Antiguo) where I can have a 'hands on' experience.
I might even get the casing before the Tokina fisheye, for the weather here has been so lousy that there's no great chance of anything but muckdiving, so macro it will be!
Can't wait! :daydreaming:

 

[jbaptis]

Congrats on the purchase.
Don't forget to pop on over to the Member's Photo Gallery to share your top side photo with us until you take it under.

Just a quick update: I bought the Tokina 10-17mm and really started on topside nature photos. You can see some of them on Picasa Web Albums - jbaptis - Workshop Foto...
I hope you like them... just a little.
Next: the Nauticam D90 housing (ouch!) and take it under! Can't wait!