Digital Camara

[ckharlan66]

I am looking to get my parents a digital camara for Christmas. They don't want anything larger than a point and shoot so the larger ones are out of the question.

I was looking at the Olympus D510z. I am going to borrow it for diving so getting a housing to fit it is a serious concern.

Any input and advice is appreciated, including where to buy (Half.com looks like it has some good deals on Factory Referbs).

Thank you.

Chad

 

[notabob]

I'm not very familiar with the Olympus cameras, but Canon makes some very nice point-n-shoot digital cameras. They also make housings for most of them. In the 3-4 megapixel range consider Canon S30 or S40. For a 2 megapixel, Canon A40 might do the trick. Canon makes housings for all three. I've seen the housings sold new on eBay for less than $200. All three of these cameras are great as point and shoots, while also supporting some more advanced options for when you take them with you diving. Look at B&H Photo Video or Adorama for some good deals. Hope this helps.

-Roman.

 

[Dee]

Chad....be careful with refurbs. In fact, I would stay away from them. There are too many cameras to choose from that fit your criteria to have to consider the refurbs.

The Olympus PT-009 housing will fit the Olympus D510z. Underwater Digital is an excellent place to buy it. I've really been impressed with my Olympus PT-10 housing.

While it's true all my personal experience has been with Olympus, the Canons that Roman mentioned have gotten very good reviews. I have friends who have the S40...I think. The underwater pics from it are very good.

 

[ckharlan66]

Thank you for your replies. I went with the Canon S30 and the housing.

notabob,

Thank you for the links. Adorama had good prices and the free shipping sealed the deal.

Chad

 

[ckharlan66]

How many pics will usually fit on the 16mb card? Do I need to be looking for a bigger one already?

Chad

 

[Big-t-2538]

ckharlan66 once bubbled...
Thank you for your replies. I went with the Canon S30 and the housing.

notabob,

Thank you for the links. Adorama had good prices and the free shipping sealed the deal.

Chad

That's the same brand that Brian just bought before our trip down to the u/w carving...only difference is that he has the S40. A wonderful camera...gorgeous shots....video capability...EASY to use. however, I would suggest at least a 64 mg card to be able to hold more than the 12 pics you are going to be able to hold with just the 16 mg card. Brian has a 128 for the S40, and it holds like 70 pics on the highest setting, being that you got an S30, you'll probably be able to take approx. 50 and hold a couple of videos.

 

[ckharlan66]

Thanks. I will let my parents know I need a bigger card when I give them the camara for Christmas.

 

[notabob]

I would recommend that you get at least a 128mb. With a 3mp camera you should be able to fit 80-90 hi-res pics on one, give or take. All photos are not of the same filesize at the same resolution setting (assuming you're using JPEG and not RAW), it depends on the complexity of the shot. The more variety of color and texture there is in the shot, the bigger the filesize will be, but on the average I would say about 1.5mb per shot (+/- a few hundred kb) at highest res. A bigger flash card will especially be helpful if you plan on taking it underwater. Remember, you may not want to open up the housing in between the dives to swap flash cards and risk getting saltwater spray/droplets inside. Be sure to have a flash card big enough to fit about 2 dives' worth of photos. You can get a 128 card for less than $50 shipped if you shop around. Check eBay.

-Roman.

 

[Dee]

I've got the 16meg SM card that came with my camera and seldom use it. The 64 meg is used for topside shots because I download frequently. But for u/w the 128megs hold 75 shots at SQ resolution. That's enough for 2 dives...or one very long one!

I've bought all my 128meg cards on eBay and have never paid more than $50, including shipping.

 

[ckharlan66]

I just bought a 256mb CompactFlash card on ebay. Now no one talk about the fact I am going to want a strobe or I will be over there looking for one of those too.

My credit card hates Christmas.

Chad