dc1200 vs mini II

[sjmueller61990]

ok so im sure this has been discussed before but im having a really difficult time finding stuff since the upgrade.

im definitely getting one of these cameras but im not sure which. from what ive found just googling around ive found decent photos from both but i dont want to go by the word of the manufacturer because there not going to sell a product they cant make look good so. what are some pros and cons to each camera and which do you recommend? should i dish out the extra for the dc1200, is it worth it? or should i be just find saving some money and getting the mini II? maybe you guys have some comparison photos youve taken. since the mini II doesnt have image stabalization is it hard to get good clean photos with them? someone told me getting the 1200 was over kill and not worth it. but im going to ask the wonderful people here on SB because im usually not turned wrong here, so please give me you opinions, much thanks in advanced.

 

[cheeko8080]

I have owned both. I'm afraid I dont really have good comparison photos to show you. I can tell you that I was not really impressed with the DC1200. It was ok...not bad...but certainly nothing to write home about. The mini II is also not amazing, however it is less expensive. I definitely find the image stabilization to be difficult to deal with in practice underwater, but I guess that partly depends on what the diving environments you will going into are like. Do you ever plan to upgrade to a more serious sensor such as a micro4/3 or DSLR? If you do plan to do that at some point I honestly would probably just get the miniII to mess around with until you want to make the big investment. If you don't ever plan to go that route, than I think the DC1200 is probably worth the little extra money that it costs.

 

[guggie]

If the DC1200 had HD video that would be a hands down winner. Perhaps its successor later this year?

 

[deeper thoughts]

I owned the dc800 it was ok, owned the dc1000 LOVED IT and owned the mini 2 Hated it. From what I have been reading the dc1200 is not as good as the dc1000

 

[sjmueller61990]

cheeko- thats pretty much what i was thinking, im just not sure yet i would like to not have to upgrade i was hoping i could get away with just using one of these bad boys.

guggie- do they come out with a new one every year? have they announed anything yet about a camera coming out this year, if so ill probably just wait and get that one.

deeper thoughts- i was told the dc1000 and dc1200 were basically the same camera except rhe 1200 had those giant piano keys and were easier to use.

 

[deeper thoughts]

The DC1200 has a focusing distance that is further than the 1000 for macro

 

[sjmueller61990]

anybody else have any input? havent yet decided, someone convince me what to get.

 

[Superlyte27]

Ok, I'm a Sealife dealer, so wanted to be fair and give you that info. I'm also a Nikon and Ikelite dealer.

For $500'ish bucks the DC1200 is the best camera out of anything we have. It shoots fantastic pictures. We use it for stills and videos in every single class session we do. We print crystal clear pictures for the students/ It's the most popular camera we have. In my novice opinion it is better than the DC1000 if for nothing else because it's easier to use.

With that said... The MINI II is roughly half the cost of the DC1200, but it isn't half the camera. It's decent and rugged. We can't blow up pictures as big and we can't get as close or far away from the sea life with it, but it's a decent camera for the price.

 

[sjmueller61990]

AWESOME, yes thats what I was looking for. I'll probably look for doing so good macro shots so the 1200 will probably be the one for me. IMO the macro shots are the game winners, im not sure why I think that way i just love a nice close up detailed photo.

 

[streetjudge79]

I'm selling my DC1200.. keeping the Dc1000. The Dc1000 was the better of the two for sure. I absolutely hated the DC1200. The only good thing was the bigger buttons, but the battery lasts half as long and it takes too long to auto focus. Also the video on all settings is just horrible. I really hope Sealife makes a better product at the end of the year with their 14 megapixel, HD video camera that's coming out. They took two steps backward with the dc1200. Instead of releasing a newer better camera, they gave us that piece of crap. It stays in my camera case as a backup, I'm never let down with the DC1000. The only downside to that was you couldn't change to video underwater.