Troy Nicholls
New
hello
yet one more fledgling UW photographer here trying to sift through the chaff and get myself underway into this new obsession... ive read a heap now and have complete information overload; thought i would lay out my situation and see if anyone would care to offer some insight or experience that might help me on my way.
please let me know if you think my conclusions are off the mark.
im sorry in advance that im a cheap ass - ill be getting as much second hand as possible, id love to buy the best but just not going to work.
UW photography history:
a few weeks of dives with an intova HD (gopro style) camera, no strobe, handle or anything. some video came out ok, but not really interested in continuing video much. for stills got very poor results mostly (surprise, right) with the occasional 1 in 50 lucky pic that I can edit the nuts out of to look reasonable. i have a graphics background so the editing side im - if not amazingly skilled at - at least very comfortable with.
my starting goal:
im wanting to purchase a good value/budget camera system (camera, housing, tray, strobe) that i can take underwater on my next dive trips with my limited photography experience, with the primary intent of capturing some good close up stills without too much fuss.
my ongoing goal:
get improved results in macro and wide stills. if possible staying with a setup with ease of use. im sure this will change but at this point i want to be a diver who takes photos, not a photographer who dives. i can see myself adding some lenses, focus light, more strobes, other accessories etc try to get clear of auto settings; id like to generally increase my camera and lighting skills and hopefully this equates to better shots.
packages im looking at:
DC1400 setup with strobe.
ive seen some very nice results with this setup. i imagine the error rate is higher than with other setups, which starting out im ok with.
the apparent ease of use, all in one, auto strobe, it all sounds like its right up my alley to just get underwater, take some photos and have them not look like crap. slow focus sounds annoying but possibly workable, the general automatic/preset nature of the setup i accept may become annoying down the track... but if i can get reasonable results without too much fuss i would be comfortable.
the price is right; but im concerned about the limits of this setup for my ongoing goals.
a little concerned the camera itself is under par compared to others, i remain hopeful sealife might release a better more customisable camera with better sensor/specs in the future that i can stay with. if not and i go this route then hopefully DC1400 setup is enough to keep me happy for a while before i chuck it all and massively upgrade.
RX100 setup.
i see no reason to go for the Mk2 or 3, the Mk1 is great value and for my purposes i think would be perfect and would last the distance.
I cant afford a good housing, id be looking at one of the chinese plastic housings with its inherent issues (acceptable for me at this stage), a tray and a cheap strobe.
i love that this camera is very popular and in common use, and have seen many people get some truly amazing results with it.
im concerned i might not be able to get reasonable shots easily at the start (learning curve, no good auto settings), and i may need to spend too much time faffing about underwater with it when all i really want to do is see something, get in its face and capture it.
G15/16 setup.
have only recently started reading up on this one - the fantasea and G16 setup looks to be exceptional value, and ive read from a few sources that this setup is very good for macro stills with fast focus and good closeups.
not sure which strobe/arm/tray setup i should be looking at, and havent looked into results from others with this setup yet.
havent read enough about this setup yet to see if it would suit my goals, but the little ive read and the prices ive seen it looks very promising.
G15 camera quality vs the DC1400 seems similar? fantasea housing seems better quality than the chinese one id be getting for the RX100? which strobe/arm/tray to get, and does it talk to the camera easily? what other concerns? i need more reading on this but if you have any thoughts...
STROBE questions:
im still unsure how a strobe connects and works with the housing... i believe what i want is fibre optic strobe connecting to the housing.
does the internal camera flash need to fire to set off the strobe? or does the shutter button tell the strobe when to fire
i understand the [theoretical] problems with backscatter and shadows from the internal flash, and it seems logical to me to just turn the internal flash off, and have the camera tell the strobe when to fire automatically. is this possible and is this how it works?
i feel im missing something here if anyone could clarify my ignorance in regards to the above setups id be appreciative.
which cheap strobe would be best for my simple goals; and can i get it to easily talk to the RX100 or G16?
here the DC1400 carries weight, i believe it will talk to the camera easily and fire when its supposed to etc.. i believe ease of use should be very important to me at this stage.
thankyou if you read this far, and double thanks if you'd care to share any thought, no matter how small, that might get me on my way.
if its relevant i live in australia but mostly dive in asia, am a rescue diver almost at 100 dives in 2 years, I consider myself a competent diver if not a good one always looking to improve myself underwater. the next year will see me completing divemaster and possibly instructor, and going on a couple of months of diving trips to some great spots.
safe diving and happy snapping!
Troy
yet one more fledgling UW photographer here trying to sift through the chaff and get myself underway into this new obsession... ive read a heap now and have complete information overload; thought i would lay out my situation and see if anyone would care to offer some insight or experience that might help me on my way.
please let me know if you think my conclusions are off the mark.
im sorry in advance that im a cheap ass - ill be getting as much second hand as possible, id love to buy the best but just not going to work.
UW photography history:
a few weeks of dives with an intova HD (gopro style) camera, no strobe, handle or anything. some video came out ok, but not really interested in continuing video much. for stills got very poor results mostly (surprise, right) with the occasional 1 in 50 lucky pic that I can edit the nuts out of to look reasonable. i have a graphics background so the editing side im - if not amazingly skilled at - at least very comfortable with.
my starting goal:
im wanting to purchase a good value/budget camera system (camera, housing, tray, strobe) that i can take underwater on my next dive trips with my limited photography experience, with the primary intent of capturing some good close up stills without too much fuss.
my ongoing goal:
get improved results in macro and wide stills. if possible staying with a setup with ease of use. im sure this will change but at this point i want to be a diver who takes photos, not a photographer who dives. i can see myself adding some lenses, focus light, more strobes, other accessories etc try to get clear of auto settings; id like to generally increase my camera and lighting skills and hopefully this equates to better shots.
packages im looking at:
DC1400 setup with strobe.
ive seen some very nice results with this setup. i imagine the error rate is higher than with other setups, which starting out im ok with.
the apparent ease of use, all in one, auto strobe, it all sounds like its right up my alley to just get underwater, take some photos and have them not look like crap. slow focus sounds annoying but possibly workable, the general automatic/preset nature of the setup i accept may become annoying down the track... but if i can get reasonable results without too much fuss i would be comfortable.
the price is right; but im concerned about the limits of this setup for my ongoing goals.
a little concerned the camera itself is under par compared to others, i remain hopeful sealife might release a better more customisable camera with better sensor/specs in the future that i can stay with. if not and i go this route then hopefully DC1400 setup is enough to keep me happy for a while before i chuck it all and massively upgrade.
RX100 setup.
i see no reason to go for the Mk2 or 3, the Mk1 is great value and for my purposes i think would be perfect and would last the distance.
I cant afford a good housing, id be looking at one of the chinese plastic housings with its inherent issues (acceptable for me at this stage), a tray and a cheap strobe.
i love that this camera is very popular and in common use, and have seen many people get some truly amazing results with it.
im concerned i might not be able to get reasonable shots easily at the start (learning curve, no good auto settings), and i may need to spend too much time faffing about underwater with it when all i really want to do is see something, get in its face and capture it.
G15/16 setup.
have only recently started reading up on this one - the fantasea and G16 setup looks to be exceptional value, and ive read from a few sources that this setup is very good for macro stills with fast focus and good closeups.
not sure which strobe/arm/tray setup i should be looking at, and havent looked into results from others with this setup yet.
havent read enough about this setup yet to see if it would suit my goals, but the little ive read and the prices ive seen it looks very promising.
G15 camera quality vs the DC1400 seems similar? fantasea housing seems better quality than the chinese one id be getting for the RX100? which strobe/arm/tray to get, and does it talk to the camera easily? what other concerns? i need more reading on this but if you have any thoughts...
STROBE questions:
im still unsure how a strobe connects and works with the housing... i believe what i want is fibre optic strobe connecting to the housing.
does the internal camera flash need to fire to set off the strobe? or does the shutter button tell the strobe when to fire
i understand the [theoretical] problems with backscatter and shadows from the internal flash, and it seems logical to me to just turn the internal flash off, and have the camera tell the strobe when to fire automatically. is this possible and is this how it works?
i feel im missing something here if anyone could clarify my ignorance in regards to the above setups id be appreciative.
which cheap strobe would be best for my simple goals; and can i get it to easily talk to the RX100 or G16?
here the DC1400 carries weight, i believe it will talk to the camera easily and fire when its supposed to etc.. i believe ease of use should be very important to me at this stage.
thankyou if you read this far, and double thanks if you'd care to share any thought, no matter how small, that might get me on my way.
if its relevant i live in australia but mostly dive in asia, am a rescue diver almost at 100 dives in 2 years, I consider myself a competent diver if not a good one always looking to improve myself underwater. the next year will see me completing divemaster and possibly instructor, and going on a couple of months of diving trips to some great spots.
safe diving and happy snapping!
Troy