Dive Gear, check, Safety Gear, check, do I want to buy a camera for diving, help!!

[kwhkg]

reminder also that no matter which camera you buy you will also have to invest in a housing which ,depending on brand, could alctually cost more than the camera. byw I agree that G series is far from amatuer. I gave G9 and I still only know about 20% of its functions.

 

[CODMAN]

Uship, I have a good compromise going... I only have a Canon A70 point and shoot camera and housing (no strobes or anything). It,s enough to take good souvenir photos and some decent Macro when you get a hang of it, but nothing pro level... So basically, the temptation to spend all my time shooting pics isn't there!!!!! I only shoot pics of really interesting stuff or good memories... Then get back on with my dive!

If I had a pro setup, I'd probably become fanatic about getting the shot...

Just my 0.02$ It works for me!:cool2:

Thanks for that 2 cents. I was wondering how the dive would change. See, that's kinda of issue for me too. If I dive with a camera how much of the dive experenice am I losing? I think my buoyancy is good enough to handle the change, but I worry that I will focus too much on the shot instead of just having a relaxing dive. Any thoughts?

 

[broadreach]

I'm with Codman
Simple point and shoot in a simple housing. No strobes and decidedly amateurish.
I have no ambition of becoming a pro or achieving results like a pro and I'd rather not have to worry about lenses and strobes - especially on the high-current dives that I like.

My advice is that unless you are serious about photography and have serious resources to invest in photo equipment, get something simple and accept the fact that you'll never get more than simple photos for your own viewing.

plus serious photographers can be a real pain in the a$$ as dive buddies or in groups. you know the types that have to spend 20 minutes waiting for that mantis shrimp to come out of its burrow when everyone else is ready to move on.


Most of these photos have been taken already by someone else anyways. Just buy a good photo book and save the hassle.

 

[shugar]

i guess everyone's said it already:

PADI Course - save your money! send it to me instead! seriously... 1 hour on SB or wetpixel and a little elbow grease to search up the threads will give you more knowledge on managing your u/w photo experience than $$$$ for PADI will...

Camera - if all you want is something to document your dives with (purely for fun) then something as inexpensive as an Intova or lower-end Canon or Olympus or Nikon Coolpix will serve you very well. If you plan to start taking "real" photos then you won't want to spend twice... get the G11 and maybe a strobe - I love my Fantasea Nano and it's dirt-cheap... if you have a bit more $$$ to burn (or saved from PADI's pockets) you can get an intro-level or mid-level Inon or Ike strobe

Jag

 

[CODMAN]

PADI Course - save your money! send it to me instead! seriously... 1 hour on SB or wetpixel and a little elbow grease to search up the threads will give you more knowledge on managing your u/w photo experience than $$$$ for PADI will...

Jag

So true!!... Hmmm... Not the part about sending you money... The part about searching scubaboard...:cool2:

 

[Karl_H]

Can't confirm this myself but the general theory is get the G10 or G9 if available, both are better than the G11 for UW pics.

I'd recommend spending the PADI course fee on three times as many fun dives and teach yourself

One thing I'd have to strongly disagree with is the comment that it takes five minutes to learn, if you've learned everything after 5 years your missing something The fun part about UW photography is you're always learning, especially if you got for the G series or an dSLR where you can control the aperture and shutter speeds.....

In short, go for the G9 or G10, if you can't find them get the G11, use the PADI course fee on a better housing (i.e. a metal one if possible rather than a plasic based) or use it for fun dives - you learn just as much by reading internet sites and doing the dives yourself. Once you've got better, then would be a betetr time to take more training - do it with a good photographer though, not though the PADI course

hope that helps!

Karl

 

[ushipb00]

Thanks for all the great info. I think I want to buy the G11 so its a camera I can grow into. But I have no plans to buy a strobe, for now at least. I think since this is my first "big" dive (one month away diving) trip I want to have some underwater pictures. nothing special but ok. I already own a Nikon Coolpics S51 for above water, its small and take great shots. I will cancel the PADI course based on all your recommendations. But I will go with the Canon G11, with the Canon's plastic case. Any other housing just seems way to over price for my taste. Based off of user Broadreach I will just not focus too much on the shot and just run and gun (with the camera of course) and try to have fun. That's the point any way right!!.

Buy the way when diving what kind of retractable clip should I use to hold the camera? And should I jump in with it or just have boat crew person hand it to me after I am in?

Thanks guys,
Keep the suggestions coming. they are so helpful.

 

[CODMAN]

Uship, I used a clip with a coiled cord similar to this

Ideally, have someone on the boat hand it to you once in the water. if that's not possible, lower the camera in your hand as close to the water as possible before entering. This lessens the impact of the casing entering the water. It works well for backrolls, but also helps for giant strides...

Cheers!

Thanks for all the great info. I think I want to buy the G11 so its a camera I can grow into. But I have no plans to buy a strobe, for now at least. I think since this is my first "big" dive (one month away diving) trip I want to have some underwater pictures. nothing special but ok. I already own a Nikon Coolpics S51 for above water, its small and take great shots. I will cancel the PADI course based on all your recommendations. But I will go with the Canon G11, with the Canon's plastic case. Any other housing just seems way to over price for my taste. Based off of user Broadreach I will just not focus too much on the shot and just run and gun (with the camera of course) and try to have fun. That's the point any way right!!.

Buy the way when diving what kind of retractable clip should I use to hold the camera? And should I jump in with it or just have boat crew person hand it to me after I am in?

Thanks guys,
Keep the suggestions coming. they are so helpful.

 

[kwhkg]

why not just buy a Fantasea Housing for your Coolpics ?

 

[kevinl4270]

If I am going in backwards over the side I will usually have my cam already clipped on to my BCD. If going in feet first I will usually have the crew hand it to me.
I use one of these retractor cables Cetacea High-Force Retractor with Carabineer to keep it close to me when I can't hold it.
You may want to check out Intova's line of cheap cameras and housings and bundle sets. I have the 8Mp version, and am shocked at the quality vs. price. It's super simple to use as well. It does eat batteries pretty quickly though. But it uses AA so you can take a big pack with you and you will be fine. I can ususally get two to three dives out of a set of batteries.
Good luck. I will be practising in Moalboal myself in about a month. I can not wait!!!