Compare DC1400 and Micro 2.0

[salewis]

Well my trusted DC1000 flooded in saltwater and now hunting for a new camera..

Haven't seen a comparison of the DC1400 and the Micro 2.0. Any thoughts? I know I will have to switch to video light as the Pro Flash won't work on the Micro but could use it on the DC1400.

 

[jonhall]

You won't have to worry about the Micro flooding! There are some nice features of the Micro HD+ such as wifi downloading of images. Both the 1400 and Micro do hi-def video and there is only a difference of 1 megapixel for the stills.

Having looked at he Micro and talked to several users who all loved it, the only 3 things that have me still using my 1200 is:
1) It still works great
2) I'm not sure about the sealed rechargeable battery that has to be replaced by SeaLife (probably an unfounded concern as I'll have to have my dive computer battery done by someone else)
3) The cost, which for me would have also included the cost of a new video light. Just not ready to spend a lot of money right now, but when I am ready I will (unless I find something else that interests me) get the Micro over the 1400.

 

[archer1960]

The Micro has no optical zoom, only a crop/resize function.

 

[salewis]

I have looked at the Micro up close but did not dive it, so I have no real frame (sorry for pun) of reference except "spec list." I was hoping someone had a "head to head" comparison. Sealife will give me a "upgrade" to either camera. I believe that the DC1400 is nearing end-of-life so I probably wait until DEMA is over to see if Sealife offers something new. I use the optical zoom and macro pretty heavily (or at least I did ;-( )

 

[Pillpusher]

As archer mentioned, there is no zoom. But in addition to that, there are no manual settings at all. If you want a simple point and shoot, the Micro may be the way to go. But, if you want a little flexibility with your shooting, go with the DC1400. I've been holding out for an upgraded/updated version of the DC1400 for what seems like a decade now. I have been tempted to make the jump to one of the more fully functional compacts, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. Besides, I just bought a new house and am too broke to spring for the significant cost of a brand new kit...lol. Guess we'll see what DEMA has in store for us, but I'm worried that SeaLife is going in the opposite direction that I'm wanting to with my photography. I love the company and their products, though, so we'll see. Even if they don't launch a new one, the DC1400 is still a great camera for its price point.

 

[archer1960]

As archer mentioned, there is no zoom. But in addition to that, there are no manual settings at all.
...

Not quite true; you can adjust the FOV (essentially a digital zoom, but it's better than most digital zooms that I've seen), and you can adjust the ISO. Indirectly you can adjust the white balance by setting land/water/deep water. The only reason I picked the Micro over the DC1400 is the lack of any o-ring seals to mess with. For me, everything else favored the DC1400. I'm a fairly advanced hobbyist photographer on land, but I'm very much a newbie at SCUBA, and wanted something pretty much foolproof. For salewis, I did get the clip-on macro lens, and it works really well. Got some really nice shots of things like a juvie Trunkfish and Flamingo Tongues.

 

[Pillpusher]

There is no difference between using a digital zoom and cropping it after the fact. By manual settings, I was more referring to shutter speed and f-stop.

 

[salewis]

so to "tabulate" some of the differences...
Micro sealed housing vs DC o-ring
Micro fixed focus vs DC Autofocus
Micro less shutter lag (due to fixed focus) vs DC shutter lag (have to wait to AF)
Micro new light system vs DC strobe
Micro less manual settings vs DC more manual settings (depends on which settings considered)

There is a train-of-thought that without a strobe the Micro (and similar cameras) pictures can have blurry edges.

Ideally, I want a pic that I can blow up to poster size.

 

[archer1960]

so to "tabulate" some of the differences...
Micro sealed housing vs DC o-ring
Micro fixed focus vs DC Autofocus
Micro less shutter lag (due to fixed focus) vs DC shutter lag (have to wait to AF)
Micro new light system vs DC strobe
Micro less manual settings vs DC more manual settings (depends on which settings considered)

There is a train-of-thought that without a strobe the Micro (and similar cameras) pictures can have blurry edges.

Ideally, I want a pic that I can blow up to poster size.

Some of your summary is incorrect WRT the Micro. The Micro is not fixed focus, it is autofocus (and it works well and is fast). Its ISO does go fairly high, so you can get a pretty good shutter speed even without the strobes. But having no strobes will still limit you in darker conditions. The Sea Dragon lights are pretty good, but no match for a good strobe.

 

[Pillpusher]

If you want the ability to blow up to poster size, then I think you'll definitely want the DC1400. To blow an image up that large, you wouldn't want to crop (or digitally zoom) a picture since that increases the pixel size and loses resolution. You would want a high shutter speed to get sharp images (I rarely shoot at slower than 1/250). But, as archer mentioned, you need to increase your ISO to do that (since you can't adjust f-stop on the Micro), which also degrades image quality. The Micro may be better for reefscapes, etc. But, beyond that, I think you'll be happier with the DC1400.