digital or film??
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DesertEagle
Contributor
My own experience has been with film. I started with a Nikonos and a 20mm lens with excellent results. Now I use an Aquatica Housing for a Nikon F801. The housing is heavy in its travel case but underwater I enjoy seeing through the lens. I use slide film which looks brilliant when exposed properly.
In my latest trip to the Red Sea I got some very good shots. More would have been nicer and there were some when the strobe did not fire properly. There are fewer places that process slides lately so it's hard to know that you're doing everything right unless you have experience. They used to always tell me to use slide film but these days print film might be a good choice to start.
There are a lot of variables in digital, like which camera to get and which strobe to choose. You will probably end up spending more money but you can look at your results during your dive!
If you want to start with film, consider a camera like the Sea & Sea MX10. I'm recommending this one because it is simple and can yield good quality results. I also like it because the 20mm lens that is available for the MX10 can also be used with some of the digial housings.
In my latest trip to the Red Sea I got some very good shots. More would have been nicer and there were some when the strobe did not fire properly. There are fewer places that process slides lately so it's hard to know that you're doing everything right unless you have experience. They used to always tell me to use slide film but these days print film might be a good choice to start.
There are a lot of variables in digital, like which camera to get and which strobe to choose. You will probably end up spending more money but you can look at your results during your dive!
If you want to start with film, consider a camera like the Sea & Sea MX10. I'm recommending this one because it is simple and can yield good quality results. I also like it because the 20mm lens that is available for the MX10 can also be used with some of the digial housings.
Gilligan
Contributor
beeman, it's not so much what experienced underwater photographers prefer but more about what you want. I consider myself to be an amateur underwater photographer. I thoroughly enjoy it because the cost factor is near nil as I have a digital camera. I would not enter the hobby if I had to use a film camera. I assume you are new to it or are about to be. If that's the case then go with digital. You will be spending a lot of time getting the hang of whatever camera you buy. If that camera is a film one you will be spending lots of money on developing costs and throwing most of the prints out. You are also limited to the number of prints on a roll of film, usually 24 or 36. If that camera is digital you press the "delete" button for free. You can also take as many photos as the storage medium in the camera can hold. I know these type of threads usually result in a posting war of film versus digital. My 2 cents worth is that there is absolutely no reason for any amateur underwater photorapher not to go with digital in this day and age. I totally disagree with buying a "starter camera". I think it's a waste of money. You can buy a good digital camera and housing right from the getgo in the $500 to $800. range.
Craigus
Guest
Hi, Beeman:
During the past year we've ditched our film cameras in favor of digital, both surface and underwater. To be sure this is simply our preference, but here are some of the reasons we did it:
1. Instant gratification. We can see the results of the pix we take immediately. Particularly, when we're under water, we know if we got the shot - and we can keep after if if we missed it.
2. Cost. The digitals are very reasonable. We use a Canon S50 for underwater and surface shots, and a Canon 10D for surface shots. Canon, Olympus and a few others make very reasonably priced uderwater housings for some of their cameras - and they won't run you out of house and home.
3. Do it yourself. With a home PC, photo quality printer, and a good image editing program (PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro), you can edit and print your own pictures. No waiting on the photo lab - and you get the pictures the way you want them.
4. Less hassle. We are really pleased not to have to deal with waiting for developing and printing - not to mention working with labs to get the pictures the way we want them.
5. We're techhies. We're comfortable with digital technology and pretty computer literate.
All this works for us - and there are probably lots out there who can go on and on about film cameras. We're just not one of them.
Let's get wet! :tree: :tree: :tree:
Eric.
During the past year we've ditched our film cameras in favor of digital, both surface and underwater. To be sure this is simply our preference, but here are some of the reasons we did it:
1. Instant gratification. We can see the results of the pix we take immediately. Particularly, when we're under water, we know if we got the shot - and we can keep after if if we missed it.
2. Cost. The digitals are very reasonable. We use a Canon S50 for underwater and surface shots, and a Canon 10D for surface shots. Canon, Olympus and a few others make very reasonably priced uderwater housings for some of their cameras - and they won't run you out of house and home.
3. Do it yourself. With a home PC, photo quality printer, and a good image editing program (PhotoShop or Paint Shop Pro), you can edit and print your own pictures. No waiting on the photo lab - and you get the pictures the way you want them.
4. Less hassle. We are really pleased not to have to deal with waiting for developing and printing - not to mention working with labs to get the pictures the way we want them.
5. We're techhies. We're comfortable with digital technology and pretty computer literate.
All this works for us - and there are probably lots out there who can go on and on about film cameras. We're just not one of them.
Let's get wet! :tree: :tree: :tree:
Eric.
As far as convenience, faster learning curve (through instant feedback), cost, versatility (ability to change macro/wide angle lens underwater, talking point and shoot camera here, not digital SLR), ability to manipulate the pictures yourself and not relying on photolab to do the job right for you etc, digital camera will be hard to beat. Saying that, you will get better quality with shooting slide with SLR camera (at least for now, I imagine that the gap in quality is getting narrower and narrower).
So first, decide on your budget and what kind of photography you want to do, how much work/preparation you want to make etc.
Personally I stay with digital as I don't want to do all the works required by film SLR camera but a few of my friends do and the differences in quality is quite noticeable.
So first, decide on your budget and what kind of photography you want to do, how much work/preparation you want to make etc.
Personally I stay with digital as I don't want to do all the works required by film SLR camera but a few of my friends do and the differences in quality is quite noticeable.
TedJ
Contributor
Eric,
You pretty well summed it up for me too.
I've been a Nikon shooter all my life. Not at the F1 level but just below and that far back. After using an MX-10 for several years I was torn between getting a housing for my Nikon N80 or going digital. The Olympus 5050 came along and bingo it just seemed like the right think to do, even for a Nikon person. My wife, Barbara has always been an Olympus shooter but when she wanted to move from her MX-10 this past year it was to a Nikonos V and back to slides and Fuji Velvia 50 and 100. What a strange trip for us.
I'm the techie, she's in the 19th century and we're both using very good gear. So now it's up to luck, circumstance and preparation to get good shots, although Gilligan and Tortuga are currently making me think that location, location, location really makes an awful lot of difference. Being able to shoot a couple times a week really gives you the opportunity to hone your skills, as both of them have done.
Whatever your ultimate choice, there's great gear out there and opportunities abound for quality images.
TedJ
You pretty well summed it up for me too.
I've been a Nikon shooter all my life. Not at the F1 level but just below and that far back. After using an MX-10 for several years I was torn between getting a housing for my Nikon N80 or going digital. The Olympus 5050 came along and bingo it just seemed like the right think to do, even for a Nikon person. My wife, Barbara has always been an Olympus shooter but when she wanted to move from her MX-10 this past year it was to a Nikonos V and back to slides and Fuji Velvia 50 and 100. What a strange trip for us.
I'm the techie, she's in the 19th century and we're both using very good gear. So now it's up to luck, circumstance and preparation to get good shots, although Gilligan and Tortuga are currently making me think that location, location, location really makes an awful lot of difference. Being able to shoot a couple times a week really gives you the opportunity to hone your skills, as both of them have done.
Whatever your ultimate choice, there's great gear out there and opportunities abound for quality images.
TedJ
Film for me.
My buddy and I did Nikon school this past summer and are definitely film advocates. We do slides using Kodak GX and wouldn't trade our Nikonos V's in for digital no way, no how. As mentioned before, there's nothing like the contrast, color definition and almost 3-D quality of a slide.
We tried digital out earlier this year and just weren't impressed at this point. We like going the film route, learning from our mistakes and "thinking" and using what we learned to get a better shot. I'm just not convinced that using digital and "fixing" my pictures on my computer is right for me.
Expense isn't that bad for us. We buy our slide film wholesale online, develop locally unmounted, and then mount those we wish to keep ourselves. Personally, I enjoy the "thrill" of waiting to see the finished product and then taking the time to carefully select my "keepers" and mount. Nothing is more satisfying to me to see my slides in vivid color in a dark room with others who share my hobby.
I do occasionally shoot prints when I know I will be sending pictures to others or scanning and emailing. For example, a diving get together last weekend was mostly quarry people shots underwater....I shot prints and shared.
My buddy has a very good Nikon slide scanner and the computer system to run it......so taking our slides to a digital medium is not an issue if need be.
This is just my 2 cents.
My buddy and I did Nikon school this past summer and are definitely film advocates. We do slides using Kodak GX and wouldn't trade our Nikonos V's in for digital no way, no how. As mentioned before, there's nothing like the contrast, color definition and almost 3-D quality of a slide.
We tried digital out earlier this year and just weren't impressed at this point. We like going the film route, learning from our mistakes and "thinking" and using what we learned to get a better shot. I'm just not convinced that using digital and "fixing" my pictures on my computer is right for me.
Expense isn't that bad for us. We buy our slide film wholesale online, develop locally unmounted, and then mount those we wish to keep ourselves. Personally, I enjoy the "thrill" of waiting to see the finished product and then taking the time to carefully select my "keepers" and mount. Nothing is more satisfying to me to see my slides in vivid color in a dark room with others who share my hobby.
I do occasionally shoot prints when I know I will be sending pictures to others or scanning and emailing. For example, a diving get together last weekend was mostly quarry people shots underwater....I shot prints and shared.
My buddy has a very good Nikon slide scanner and the computer system to run it......so taking our slides to a digital medium is not an issue if need be.
This is just my 2 cents.
Everyone has pretty much covered it.
I first used a S&S MX-10, then upgraded to a S&S MMII. I spent 7 years using film cameras underwater. I was not happy with the results, the hundreds of dollars it took after each dive trip to develop and print the 20+ rolls of film, only to throw most of them away.
Digital with it one time cost of memory, excellent results, zoom lens, builtin macro, etc. not to mention the instant feedback sounded great....and it was!
I've recently upgraded to a second Oly camera, a C-5050 and you couldn't pay me enough to go back to film.
If I was a professional photographer I might prefer a housed SLR film camera but I'm not. I'm a diver who likes to take good pictures while I'm there. The small difference in the results of film and digital are of no concern to me. The digitals advantages far outweight the film advantages to me. That's only my opinion.
I first used a S&S MX-10, then upgraded to a S&S MMII. I spent 7 years using film cameras underwater. I was not happy with the results, the hundreds of dollars it took after each dive trip to develop and print the 20+ rolls of film, only to throw most of them away.
Digital with it one time cost of memory, excellent results, zoom lens, builtin macro, etc. not to mention the instant feedback sounded great....and it was!
I've recently upgraded to a second Oly camera, a C-5050 and you couldn't pay me enough to go back to film.
If I was a professional photographer I might prefer a housed SLR film camera but I'm not. I'm a diver who likes to take good pictures while I'm there. The small difference in the results of film and digital are of no concern to me. The digitals advantages far outweight the film advantages to me. That's only my opinion.
Film or Digital.
Digital cameras are STILL not producing the quality of 35mm. Are they getting there. Yes. But Film in the last 5 years has made leaps and bounds also. Used to, Pro's shot on Medium format exclusively. And Slide film. Now, they're going high end digital. And a 35mm will produce the quality a Medium format used to. Also, alot of Film people are going to Negative from Slides. Because the quality of Negative film has come way up. While slides are dying away. For Pro's they use whats needed for the shot. Highend digital SLR for magazines or Pics. If they want something big. High end Back on a Hassy.
I hear people talk about how they used there OLY 5050 to print a 20x30. And how good it looked. I looked at it and it looked horrible. It was a great shot. But at that size, it is ridiculously blown out. At an 8x10. It's a good pic. Not great, good. A 35mm will blow it away still.
I still shoot Medium format and Large format. I love the big negs. And playing in the dark room.
Now, I never had an inclination to do Photo underwater. But now, I'm looking at an OLY 5060. Just because it's easier to shoot. But I also have a Nikonos V. I've been playing with. I never liked 35mm. Because I like BIG shots. That's why I never did anything with one underwater. I'm trying to get a nice Digital Video cam. I like the movement underwater better then the stills.. That's one of the big reasons I never got into photo underwater. Explaining the Beauty of a Shark swimming by underwater isn't gonna work without Motion.....
So see, an easy choice it ain't...LOL I hope I didn't confuse you as much as I confused me...LOL
Digital would be easier to learn with. Take pics and throw them away. But with film, if your hard drive dies. You still have the negs....
Digital cameras are STILL not producing the quality of 35mm. Are they getting there. Yes. But Film in the last 5 years has made leaps and bounds also. Used to, Pro's shot on Medium format exclusively. And Slide film. Now, they're going high end digital. And a 35mm will produce the quality a Medium format used to. Also, alot of Film people are going to Negative from Slides. Because the quality of Negative film has come way up. While slides are dying away. For Pro's they use whats needed for the shot. Highend digital SLR for magazines or Pics. If they want something big. High end Back on a Hassy.
I hear people talk about how they used there OLY 5050 to print a 20x30. And how good it looked. I looked at it and it looked horrible. It was a great shot. But at that size, it is ridiculously blown out. At an 8x10. It's a good pic. Not great, good. A 35mm will blow it away still.
I still shoot Medium format and Large format. I love the big negs. And playing in the dark room.
Now, I never had an inclination to do Photo underwater. But now, I'm looking at an OLY 5060. Just because it's easier to shoot. But I also have a Nikonos V. I've been playing with. I never liked 35mm. Because I like BIG shots. That's why I never did anything with one underwater. I'm trying to get a nice Digital Video cam. I like the movement underwater better then the stills.. That's one of the big reasons I never got into photo underwater. Explaining the Beauty of a Shark swimming by underwater isn't gonna work without Motion.....
So see, an easy choice it ain't...LOL I hope I didn't confuse you as much as I confused me...LOL
Digital would be easier to learn with. Take pics and throw them away. But with film, if your hard drive dies. You still have the negs....
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