DC1400 or S95 or S100

[ivakdiver]

My friend and I have both had several SeaLife cameras including the newer DC 1400. Very user friendly with good results, but I always felt. I was missing something and wanted a camera that had more manual 'flexibility and that could Shoot RAW. We both now have an S100. 1initially bought the Canon waterproof case, and am quite pleased with it. (price was a major determinator). Great macro shots using internal flash and diffuser. Also very good wide angle and HD video. With the addition of an adaptor,close up lenses and wet lenses can be added.
For external flash, I am experimenting with an older Nikon SB 105 flash. I have found that in slave mode, the Canon flash will trigger the strobe. Setting the flash at 1/16 power, I can get very good macro exposures at an ISO of 100 f8 1/1000. A small pieces of black tape on the diffusers, directly in front of the camera flash, effectively blocks the possible backscatter from it,.and I can angle the SB 105 using my old Nikonis tray and arm assembly.

 

[Professorshours]

Just to clarify. The DC1400 has now Built-In their wide angle lens. I had fair to good results on my "test drive" with 3 days of diving using the dual strobe Elite setup. Lots of blue in the pictures unless very close-in. ALSO, the DC1400 has a new feature called Super-Macro. Gets you close enough to do damage!!! On this setting you really have to be no more than a couple inces from the subject or the camera won't focus. Lots of lost opps in my recent trip cause I was unwilling to bump my subjects. But I got some amazing closeup of brain corals and the mouths of each node!!! Note the red one wouldn't Super Macro or even macro focus. But the Coral Super Macro worked great. Also, I found I had to "dial down" the two strobes to a setting of "3-3.3" instead of Auto so closeups wouldn't wash out. This is based on a recommendation from Sea-Life, so you may have to also fiddle with light, sometimes Auto works best, close in, dial it down. I have not yet tried Manual WB, but will do this on next trip to St. Martin in September.

 

[ivakdiver]

My friend and I both have used SeaLife cameras for some time. DC500, DC 1000 and most recently the DC1400. We have been pleased with the ease of use, capabilites and results. Also, SeaLife has been excellent with customer service and advise. They have a product which offers much to divers.
We have, however, lately decided to move to the Canon S100. I have the Canon waterproof case and my friend has ordered the FIX housing. We both have ordered Inon wideangle lenses to supplement the initial set up. It all depends on what you are willing to spend and what your needs are. I want very wide angle and RAW capability, neither of which the SeaLife offers.
I also was initially quite pleased with the results from dives in Roatan and two local quarries in Southern Ontario, some of which I have posted in the gallery sections.

---------- Post added ----------

Nice Shots. My friend and I had difficulty with the Super Macro as it never seemed to focus properly.

 

[RonFrank]

The S100 is a very different camera vs the S95.

Crucially, the S100's three key imaging elements are all entirely new. The lens range has been extended wider and longer, to a 24-120mm equivalent 5x zoom; it retains the fast F2 maximum aperture at wideangle but is limited to a rather less-impressive F5.9 at telephoto (an inevitable consequence of the camera's compact dimensions). Secondly the S100 debuts Canon's latest DIGIC 5 image processor, which the company says is six times faster than the previous version, allowing more sophisticated image processing and noise reduction. But perhaps most significantly, the S100's image sensor is a Canon-made 12.1 MP 'high sensitivity' CMOS sensor in the 1/1.7" format (approx 7.5 x 5.5mm); only the second home-grown sensor the company has used in a compact camera after the PowerShot SX1 IS of 2008.

Canon PowerShot S100 Review: Digital Photography Review

These cameras typically have poor high ISO performance so the larger and improved high ISO sensor is welcome.

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

Old Bear, I think you will be happiest with an S95 or S100 in an Ikelite, Recsea or FIX housing. Ron - I have to respectively disagree about the S95 and S100, I found them to be fairly similar. - Scott

 

[RonFrank]

My recommendations are based on DPReview reviews. I own Nikon DSLR and 4/3's systems. That said I believe DPReview over most sources. The fact that the S100 has a 24mm WA makes it a much better UW shooter than the 28mm S95. How is that fairly similar?

 

[BluewaterPhoto]

My recommendations are based on DPReview reviews. That said I believe DPReview over most sources.

I completely agree with you, DPReview is the best source for reviews out there imho. But I simply disagreed with them on their comment regarding the S95 & S100. Others may see more of a difference.