COOLPIX Shooters in the House

[nitteo]

Nice to see all the Coolpixers here!

I have a CP 8400 that I upgraded to from a CP 5700. I used an Ikelite Housing on my 5700 and was very impressed by it, so I bought an Ikelite for the 8400.

 

[corybaby]

Ive got the same rig, When i go on trips i leave the coolpix for the land shots and revert back to film with an aquashot fuji setup(see my photos)
the coolpix is WAY too slow and i still cannot get but two or three clear images per 20 shots, very frustrating..........im goin slr soon too......

its just alotta moola.........

i could go on another trip for the price of the housing alone!!
good luck

Hey all,

I've been shooting a Coolpix 4300 in Fantasea CP4 pro housing for the past year, with the Epoque ES 150 DS optical slave strobe.

Got some fun shots in the Channel Islands last year. Check my website http://www.joshumsted.com and browse the galleries if you'd like to see what the camera can do.

Here in the Monterey Bay, however, where visibility is considerably less and backscatter from crud in the water is a bigger issue, I've been frustrated for the past year, having captured only a few useable images. Can't completely blame the camera as shooting in these conditions is tough for even the best u/w photographers.

I've just upgraded to dSLR, being a "real" photographer by nature, I found the Coolpix too limiting for a number of reasons. Here are some things I don't like about my Coolpix rig, and why I'm selling it:

1.) Shutter lag. 'nuff said 'bout that. Frustrates the heck outta me.
2.) Slow writing to the CF card. Couldn't say exactly how long it takes to save a full res jpeg, but it's in the 15 second range. Try saving an uncompressed TIF and, well, it's just unreasonably slow.
3.) With the Fantasea housing I have further issues. No on/off (though turning off LCD between shots helps save battery life considerably.
4.) Only 2 apertures on the Coolpix, f/2.8 and f/7.6. When using the external strobe, at least with my non-ttl strobe, it's necessary to shoot in manual mode. Having only two apertures is seriously limiting.
5.) Can't use zoom with Fantasea. There's a rubber hood in the housing which surrounds the lens. At the longest focal length, the lens binds with that hood causing the camera to lock up. Fantasea recommended removing the rubber hood. I opted not to do that and shoot at a fixed focal length, figuring the hood was there to serve a purpose, to keep extraneous light from entering where I didn't want it to enter.
6.) No control button for the camera menu. This is a BIGGIE. The main thing is that one can't get to the white balance control in the menu, meaning you have to go with automatic white balance. It's subtle, but often it's very useful to set white balance manually for given light conditions, using a white slate or other such method. All that would take is one more control button on the housing. Fantasea explained that they were trying to keep cost down. Hey man, it's just ONE MORE button. I believe one can access the camera menu on the Ikelite housing.

Don't get me wrong. The Coolpix takes awesome pics. The optics are superb for the price. The small package is convenient for diving and doesn't get in the way when clipped off to either shoulder D ring (if you have those.) I've been a loyal Nikon dude for many years. After a while, though, if you're into the photography thing, you may find yourself wanting more.

That said, my new rig is a D70s, DS 125, Ikelite iTTL housing, 28-80mm kit lens. I hope the housing ships SOON as the camera and strobe will be here tomorrow. From there, as with all things SCUBA, my credit card will probably never cool off entirely.

My rig will be for sale soon as the new housing arrives.

Best of luck,

Josh

 

[corybaby]

i have much better results without the strobe (epochs) but if there isnt enough light forget it, so i paid the 300$ and it sits in the camera bag, most of the time. The best thing i bought for this setup is the wide angle lens setup......very cool now if i could just buy some speed for the 4300 processors to use!!!!! try setting your camera to strobe off. and use available light, youll be surprised how little light you really need.........until you can get a strobe, buy the most powerful one you can, there are no cheap ones, sorry
corybaby

I have a Coolpix 3100 and I am interested in purchasing the Fantasea CP-3 housing for it. I'm trying to figure out if I can get away without having a strobe. I'm diving in Maui now, so perhaps the water is clear enough.

What are the cheap options for strobes?

Does anyone have some example shots taken with the coolpix and a fantasea housing, but without a strobe?

Thanks,
James

 

[robcap]

Hello!
First of all, I never took any picture underwater, but ... you have to start from something.
I have aq Coolpix 4600. Now I found out there more than one housing for it (my ignorance goes as far as that: I did not even know there were more than one).

Nikon WP CP3
Fantasea CP6
Ikelite

Fantasea is much cheaper, but I would not like to run the risk of a flood ...

Which one would you recommend (and why)?

thnx
ciao

 

[scubanoz]

Now I found out there more than one housing for it (my ignorance goes as far as that: I did not even know there were more than one).

Nikon WP CP3
Fantasea CP6
Ikelite

Fantasea is much cheaper, but I would not like to run the risk of a flood ...

Which one would you recommend (and why)?

I'd go with the Nikon Case.
Everything works, Zoom and all the functions, unlike the Fanatasea cases I've read about. Why buy a Nikon camera to only use half of it with a crappy case design.

Hey,
Does anyone know what the best setting for Strobe is on a CP4200 ?
And can you get RAW files out of the CP 4200 ?

Thanks,
Noz in Oz

 

[Mlody11]

I just bought a Nikon 7900 with a WP-CP4, at first sight the two look great and seem to be easy to control when in the housing.... Although might be a tad bit tough to control advanced options with 5mm gloves. I will be taking it to brazil this october and I shall post the outcome. Damage... 600 for both the housing and camera. Ouch.

 

[jumsted65]

I'd go with the Nikon Case.
Everything works, Zoom and all the functions, unlike the Fanatasea cases I've read about. Why buy a Nikon camera to only use half of it with a crappy case design.

I can elaborate a bit on why the Fantasea is less than ideal. It's true that I can't use the zoom. The lens binds up against the housing when fully extended--that is, at its minimum focal distance. Fantasea recommended removing the rubber sleeve which covers the lens inside the housing. I figured the sleeve was there for a reason so opted to leave it and not use the zoom.

The other big complaint is that there is no control button for the menu, meaning many functions are inaccessible underwater. It would be nice, for example, to manually set white balance at depth. The Ikelite housing has a menu button. Not sure about the Nikon.

Oh, I'm talking about the 4300. You asked about the 7900, so take all this with a grain of salt

Look for a housing with which you can turn flash on/off with camera in housing. That bit me several times

As for Fantasea flooding, they come with one year anti-flood insurance. That indicates they're pretty confident their housings won't flood. I must say that they seem very robust. I like the big, fat o-ring. It never so much as leaked even a little.

 

[robcap]

I can elaborate a bit on why the Fantasea is less than ideal. It's true that I can't use the zoom. The lens binds up against the housing when fully extended--that is, at its minimum focal distance. Fantasea recommended removing the rubber sleeve which covers the lens inside the housing. I figured the sleeve was there for a reason so opted to leave it and not use the zoom.

The other big complaint is that there is no control button for the menu, meaning many functions are inaccessible underwater. It would be nice, for example, to manually set white balance at depth. The Ikelite housing has a menu button. Not sure about the Nikon.

mmmhhh... interesting. Helps a lot. thnx for the info.
So, what about Nikon's WP-CP3 (for coolpix 4600).
Any comment on that one? OR in general on Nikon's housing.

ciao

 

[corybaby]

Hello!
First of all, I never took any picture underwater, but ... you have to start from something.
I have aq Coolpix 4600. Now I found out there more than one housing for it (my ignorance goes as far as that: I did not even know there were more than one).

Nikon WP CP3
Fantasea CP6
Ikelite

Fantasea is much cheaper, but I would not like to run the risk of a flood ...

Which one would you recommend (and why)?

thnx
ciao

i havent had any problems with leaks, been to 110 fsw without a problem with a cp-4.
fantasea comes with a flood ins policy for a year,( at least it used to)
good luck!!
corybaby

 

[Mlody11]

I've seen the Wp-CP3 since my brother got it... It is very similar to the WP-CP4. Both have all the features available underwater... zoom, menu, all. It is a very nice housing and looks like it has a very thought out constuction. I'll take it to Pearl Lake, IL this weekend and I'll post some pics (hopefully) at least report on how it is handling it underwater. The seal has a secure lock so you dont accidentally unhook it underwater or any time... You need to press a button, pull a slide and finally pull out the clip holding the housing shut. The housing has a built in diffuser also... I'll try it out and see how bad the back scatter is and how useful it is. I will also try out the white balance and movie feature.