Can't Decide: Video or Still

[WolfyWho]

Hi,

I'm interested in doing some underwater video and/or photography. I have to pick one to start with, as budget is a concern and I don't want to spend the money on housing both my video camera and still camera. I love both video and still photography, thus I'm having a hard time deciding on what to do first. I have a Sony TRV900 camcorder and a Canon 20D still camera. The Sony camcorder has still photo capabilities, but it only creates a 640x480 image which is kind of useless imho. I know I can't be the only one that has gone through this same thought process, so I'm looking for advice from others that had to make a similar decision. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Scott

 

[ScubaSixString]

Hi,

I'm interested in doing some underwater video and/or photography. I have to pick one to start with, as budget is a concern and I don't want to spend the money on housing both my video camera and still camera. I love both video and still photography, thus I'm having a hard time deciding on what to do first. I have a Sony TRV900 camcorder and a Canon 20D still camera. The Sony camcorder has still photo capabilities, but it only creates a 640x480 image which is kind of useless imho. I know I can't be the only one that has gone through this same thought process, so I'm looking for advice from others that had to make a similar decision. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Scott

I'd go with still. Here's why

1> Budget is a concern. Video housings plus the associate lighting etc are much more expensive

2>Complexity. A video camera is harder to use effectively than a still cam

3>Awkwardness. A vid housing is more buoyant/larger/ etc than a still cam and is more likely to sit on the shelf.

My 2 cents.

 

[mjh]

I would go still also. You can do slide shows of your vacations etc. that give you that video feel. Also video requires more pre dive planning and more post dive editing. As far as cost goes depending on what lenses you have and what housing you go with I think Still can be as much as video if not a little more. The following is the typical Nikon group of lens people end up with; 10.5, 12-24mm, 17-35mm, 60mm or 105mm. Thats about $4000 right there.

 

[WolfyWho]

Thanks for your input guys. I appreciate it. I agree with you on the post production stuff. It's pretty easy/quick to put together a really nice slideshow on the computer using something like M$'s Photo Story 3 (freeware actually). Editing video can definitely take some time (I use Adobe Premiere). Much easier to share photos online too, compared to video. The pricing I've done does show that the underwater gear for my still camera is actually more expensive than for the video camera. I'm looking at Ikelite for still housing and strobes, and Equinox for video housing. ScubaSix, I agree with you regarding your complexity comment... You have to hold really steady when shooting video.

Thanks again! I'm still open to other peoples suggestions too. I think I'm leaning toward "still" now. =)

Regards,
Scott

 

[Taxgeek]

Hello!
As background, I am a skilled . . . um . . . air photographer, using a digital SLR, but a relative newb underwater.

In my somewhat limited experience, as a newb anyway, and I'm sure all this changes once you develop more skills in one or both disciplines, video is muuuuuch easier. Once you overcome the white balance hurdle, it's pretty much "point the camera at what you want to shoot and press record." Stills, on the other hand, have you thinking about all the normal stuff you think about on land - aperature, depth of field, etc. Depends what you want your dives to be like.

Both have lighting issues - strobes will be at least an equal headache to video lights and at least as expensive.

You have what many videographers will call the best (or at least a really really good) underwater camcorder. If you haven't already, go ask the question at digital diver, and check out their video forum, as well as the videography forum here. And the 20d, as we all know is (cough cough) far superior, being a Canon, to 99% of the other dslrs out there . . . So you've got great cameras for whichever direction you intend to go.

Like some have said, sharing your work will be much easier with stills. With video, you have to either make dvds to mail around to your friends (a pain, but the relatives love them), post them to your website for others to download, or pay a hosting site ($4.99 per clip per 6 month period is the best deal I've turned up so far).

As far as post processing, if you're shooting a 20d you're probably shooting RAW, so you're going to have to do at least as much post processing on those shots as you would editing your video in Premier.

Maybe you should think a little about what attracts you to the ocean. With me, much of the pleasure is the motion - sinuous waving of anemones, schooling fish moving in unison, the languid waving of a shark's tail, sunbeams shimmering through the kelp. Video is more suited to capture those things. If you are more attracted to more static underwater subjects like extreme macro stuff, brightly colored nudibranchs, fish portraits, etc., stills might be better. If you are shooting what you love, then you'll adapt to the various issues in that style of shooting.

And the ultimate question, why not both??? Ha ha, just kidding. Good luck with your decision!

Edited to add: Big disadvantage of video -- other people constantly making you jealous with the amazing photos they post on forums! (Most recently, I've been sent into an "I want a still camera" frenzy by Jim Lyle's Coz trip report on Diver to Diver, and his super amazing photos.) This happens to me routinely and is a source of great anguish! I may cross the line yet and fork it out to house the slr.

Edited again to add: You can't print out your video and hang it on your office wall.
Taxgeek

 

[crpntr133]

Edited again to add: You can't print out your video and hang it on your office wall.
Taxgeek

Don't they still make programs that you can print a picture from a clip of your video. I have a very old program that does it and figured that Pinnacle, Adobe and such would have it as well. Looks like I might hang on to the dinosaur.

FYI, for those looking for digital diver it is...digitaldiver.org (not .com)

 

[Taxgeek]

Don't they still make programs that you can print a picture from a clip of your video. I have a very old program that does it and figured that Pinnacle, Adobe and such would have it as well. Looks like I might hang on to the dinosaur.

Well, you can, but it is limited to the resolution of the video frame. Mine is 640 x 480 - I think for the better cameras it might be more like a 1mp image - enough for maybe 4x6 printing, but that's it.

 

[diversteve]

Don't they still make programs that you can print a picture from a clip of your video. I have a very old program that does it and figured that Pinnacle, Adobe and such would have it as well. Looks like I might hang on to the dinosaur.

FYI, for those looking for digital diver it is...digitaldiver.org (not .com)

All the new video editing programs do this, the problem is the resolution. Even the best - well, up to HD - video cameras are only going to be in the 1.6-2MP range for stills, contrasted with 5-8MP (just saw one that's 12??) still cameras. So a DV frame grab from video is going to suffer in quality when blown up to any usable size. I do occasionally grab frames from video as a background for DVD menus, but that's about all they're good for imho since NTSC resolution is so much lower.

I agree with Taxgeek, my buddy and I had this discussion the other night and we've decided to improve our video equipment, we both felt that although we've seen some stunning work - Eric Cheng and our own Gilligan's among others - there's a definite advantage to seeing motion with video. And if you're showing dive footage to other people, especially non-divers, I think video holds more interest especially when there's interactivity between the subjects of the video.

just my .02

btw it's digitaldiver.net not .org....

 

[diversteve]

Edited again to add: You can't print out your video and hang it on your office wall.
Taxgeek

Yes but you can make a DVD and play it on the plasma hanging on the wall. Or make your own custom animated screensaver...

 

[jepuskar]

Scott, why do you want to shoot video or still underwater? what is your primary reasoning for being interested in either?

Your answer to this question is important.