Flooded My SeaLife... Upgrade time ??

[RichKirby]

Yes, yes it is. but for $115 I have to fix it and at least ebay the set for moola towards a new rig.

Looked at reviews on the OLY PS-350 and it seems that it carries the 2 additional negatives that I did not like on the DC500.

Eats batteries [20-30 pics on AA?]
Shutter Lag [8/10 second ?]

I want a camera that I can shoot 2 tanks worth without opening [and fogging] the case on the boat.

Thoughts ?

For the SP-350:
If you run AAs, you really need to use the Lithium batteries. They last a lot longer than alkalines. A better choice is to use rechargable CR-V3s or single use CR-V3s. You should get a minimum of two dives out of any of those choices without having to open the housing.

 

[Larry C]

Yes, yes it is. but for $115 I have to fix it and at least ebay the set for moola towards a new rig.

Looked at reviews on the OLY PS-350 and it seems that it carries the 2 additional negatives that I did not like on the DC500.

Eats batteries [20-30 pics on AA?]
Shutter Lag [8/10 second ?]

I want a camera that I can shoot 2 tanks worth without opening [and fogging] the case on the boat.

Thoughts ?

If you use CRV3's, you will get 2+ dives (about 200 RAW shots/500 JPEGS) and viewing/downloading time. I don't remember the last time I had my camera die during a dive, and that was my second day when I forgot my charger and didn't have a spare battery. 3 plus dives with the camera on constantly.
Shutter lag is about 3 seconds in dark water on auto focus and ttl flash. It only takes 8+ if you're shooting RAW, and that's the cycle time between shots, not the shooting time. In JPEG, it's almost instant. If you use manual focus, manual shutter/aperture and natural light, you can shoot 3+ shots per second. I carry two rechargeable batteries, and 6 1gig cards. I use the high speed "H" cards underwater and my old "m" type slowpokes in my topside camera which stays on JPEG. I've been able to do a three day live-aboard without downloading or running out of memory. The 1 gig cards are down to about $30 each. Only camera I've seen with comparable features in the same type package is the Fuji E900.

 

[EvaL]

OK, to do macro use the digital strobe with the difusser attached then the color will not be washed out. To get longer battery life just go and buy the new batteries thet are rated at 750 mah now. Mine last 2 hours easy

I second using the diffusor. I've had the strobe wash out the shot even from 4-5 ft at minimum strobe setting, so I now tie the diffusor to the strobe and use it when shooting upclose.
If you're not upgrading to a significantly better set-up, I'd go with the $115 camera replacement. just my humble opinion.
Good luck.