confused, please help me choose p & s system

[suzy1111]

I have been researching cameras and strobe systems for underwater and am thoroughly confused. I am looking for an 8 mp point and shoot with strobe. Here are my questions:
1. trying to decide between Sea and sea dx8000, Canon s80, and olympus sp350.
Most people don't seem to choose the sea and sea, not sure why. Is it the price? What do you think about these 3? Have the battery problems with the olympus been resolved?

2. If I get the canon or olympus I am confused about whether to go with ikelight housing and strobe vs the canon/olympus housing and buy a strobe to fit. Some people think ikelight is the best, some think they are bulky and ackward. Any thoughts?

3. I have been advised to use a strobe with ttl (ikelight) and also that ttl doesn't work well underwater so the Inon d2000 might be a better choice. Everyone I talk to has a different opinion, sometimes based on what they sell.

Help! This is overwhelming. I'd so appreciate any input. Thanks, Suzy1111

 

[Charlie99]

I don't know much about those specific point and shoot cameras, but do know that there are two key features that are missing from my Olympus Stylus 400 point and shoot ---- the ability to do a manual white balance, and the ability to manually preset the focus to a given distance.

The manual white balance helps a lot when taking photos without a strobe, such as a long distance view of a wreck or a large portion of a reef. The preset focus would help a lot when trying to take photos of individual fish. An autofocus camera will tend to focus on the reef behind, or not focus at all.

The ability to record photos in the "Raw" mode eliminates the need for manual white balance, since you have all of the data available from the sensors and can do the white balance after downloading.

 

[AndyT]

The two P & S cameras that seem to be getting the best reviews at the moment are the Oly sp350 and the Fuji E-900 .

Of the two you will only get hard wired TTL with the Oly in an Ikelite housing .