Digital Camera System Recommedations

[Jon C]

After seeing all of your great pictures and struggling to get the macro shots I want and dishing out big bucks on film development, I have decided to get into the digital world. To that end, I have taken the 8 track stereo out of my car and will be selling my MX-10 system.

The choices on digital cameras/housings seem overwhelming and I don't want to start from scratch on my research, so I thought I'd post my photo goals and see what you folks might recommend from your experience. Here goes:

- I want to shoot VERY sharp macro's of the little stuff.
- I am concerned about the digital "lag" time.
- Megapixal count?
- Memory?
- I want a useable zoom multiple...what would that be...4X, 8X, 12X?
- Price range....??? I am expecting to pay up to $2000 with the hope I would
never need to buy another camera.
- Strobe recommendations/configurations also sought.
- Suggestions on where to buy in S. California or on the web.

I made up my mind last week in Maui when an octopus grabbed my macro arm and would not give it back!!! Had to pull with both hands to keep it from inheriting my camera.

If you all ("y'all" for those of you in Texas) could help narrow the field it would help tremedously. Any features that you feel are required please mention or ask about.

Thanks in advance,

Jon

 

[jlyle]

Jon,

Please re-post this over on digitaldiver.net.

Jim (jlyle)

 

[alcina]

Fuji 810 in an Ikelite housing with Inon macros (buy two and stack them). Strobes - Inon 220 or Ikelite...buy more than you need now so you can grow. Ike's 50s are great, but limited if you ever want to do WA...the 125 is awesome.

Or, find an Oly 5050 (or other in the x0x0 line) and go the stacked macro route, too. The supermacro feature on the Oly x0x0 cameras is really really nice. There is more delay on these cameras than with the Fuji 810.

Downsides of the 810: shorter battery life (a friend just found her new one is about 140 minutes) and for some reason the image writes faster to the smaller 512 card than the 1GB card. This is not really an issue as one can use that delay on any system to recompose, adjust settings, think about what needs to be done to capture the best image possible...

 

[Gilligan]

I'll second Alcina's suggestion on the Fuji 810.
Take a look at some of the macro photos "Dr. Bob" takes with this camera and posts on digitaldiver.net
You can also get an adapter from Ikelite so as to mount the Inon wide angle and close-up lenses.

 

[chugmeister]

I have a Sony F828 that I have used alot above water and it is an excellent camera. My 3rd Sony in that product line and I am pushing the quarter of a million mark on photos with it. The only thing I didn't like about getting it outfitted for UW use is that I only had one housing to choose from. (Ikelite) Unfortunately I wont get to use it in any real situations under water until I go to Cozumel on the 21st of this month. May use it at the lake this weekend if the viz is decent.

I do photography for the local minor league hockey team and have consistantly out shot the "pro" with the digital SLR with the huge lens and thousands of dollars invested. If it does as good under the water as it does above the water I will be incredibly happy.

 

[dsafanda]

...with the hope I would never need to buy another camera.

I'm sorry to say that this is most likely impossible in this day and age. Digital cameras have become like computer systems. The latest and greatest of today will be ancient technology in five years. As discouraging as that may sound I don't think it should keep you from making the leap to digital.

 

[Jon C]

Thanks everyone for weighing in on this....

I am crunching the specs and dollars on the Sony, Fuji and looking at the SLR D70. I agree that these things will become obsolete fairly quickly. Good thing my mental hard drive is limited so I can spend years learning how to use whatever I settle on.

If there are any other recommendations...including best lenses/arms/ strobes or accessories, please feel free to mention them.

 

[Warren_L]

I don't know much about the Sony, but comparing the Fuji and the Nikon D70 are two completely different systems. Take it from someone who's gone from an Oly 5050 system to a Nikon D70 system, the cost difference was an order of magnitude greater. I don't know much about the Fuji 810 also, but I suspect you'll find quite a price difference between a point and shoot system and just about any DSLR system, such as the D70. Each has it's benefits, so in the end it really depends on what you want out of an underwater camera rig.