Free Camera! What would you do???

[GLENFWB]

Here is my situation. I have the ability through my business to get a camera at no cost. (One of those rewards program deals...I buy stuff for my business, you get points and cash them in for product.) I have listed the cameras I can get with my rewards points below.

I currently have a Nikon CoolPix L11 camera, Ikelite housing, DS51 Ikelite strobe, and just recently found a used DS50 strobe I am going to add to my setup.
I understand some of them may be older models, but as long as they are not to outdated....the price is right!

I really want some input from those of you more experienced then myself. The list below are the cameras I can get at no cost. Of course I will have to buy the housing and I will use my existing strobes. I know the question will be, "what do you want to do with your setup?" I am a beginner in underwater photography so here is my list of priorities.

Be able to shoot in RAW
Be able to use current Iklite strobes DS51 and DS50
White Balance that I can manually set

Feel free to tell me if there are other features that I should put on my "must have" list. I shoot mostly in the Gulf of Mexico and Springs here in Florida. Hope that is enough information. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Cameras Available to me:

Canon Powershot G9 12.1 MP
Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSI with 18-55 lens 12.2 MP
Fuji 10.0 MP with 18x optical Zoom
Nikon 10.2 MP Digital SLR Camera
Nikon Coolpix P5100 12.1 MP
Olympus SP570 UZ 10.0 MP
Panasonic Lumix 7.2 MP with 12x Optical Zoom
Sony Digital SLR with 18-70 mm kit 10.2 MP

 

[alcina]

I'd stay away from the dslrs unless you are sure you want to deal with that kind of money and bulk for underwater work as it all adds up fast! Maybe go for the dslr if you would be happy to use your existing system underwater and your new dslr on land...can't beat free and it would be a nice way to get into dslrs.

Otherwise, the G9 is a very popular choice.

BTW if you are shooting in RAW, there's no real need to have manual white balance control as one of the main points of shooting RAW is to be able to control your white balance after shooting

 

[GLENFWB]

I agree about the DSLR's. I would like to stick with the basic, single lens camera. I will read up on the G9...if you are recommending it, I know it is worth taking a look at.

As far as the RAW and the white balance, I didn't even think of that! I appreciate the help.

I'd stay away from the dslrs unless you are sure you want to deal with that kind of money and bulk for underwater work as it all adds up fast! Maybe go for the dslr if you would be happy to use your existing system underwater and your new dslr on land...can't beat free and it would be a nice way to get into dslrs.

Otherwise, the G9 is a very popular choice.

BTW if you are shooting in RAW, there's no real need to have manual white balance control as one of the main points of shooting RAW is to be able to control your white balance after shooting

 

[kadleck]

I second the G9, for all the reasons above (plus I have one, in Ikelite housing with DS51 strobe!). There is one other plus - the stobe is connected (via waterproof sockets) to the G9's hot shoe. This removes the need to mask the internal flash, which does not fire when it detects an external flash is connected.

G9 review here: Canon PowerShot G9 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review
(long review but as always for dpreview, it is unbiased)

 

[GLENFWB]

I think the G9 is what I will get based upon what I have read. The only thing that concerns me is the battery. It is a proprietary battery and you can't use standard batteries if you need too. Have you seen any problems with the battery running out while you are diving? Also, do you use any wet lenses with your Ikelite housing? If so, which ones?

Thanks for the link...I am going to read it now.

I second the G9, for all the reasons above (plus I have one, in Ikelite housing!).

G9 review here: Canon PowerShot G9 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review
(long review but as always for dpreview, it is unbiased)

 

[kadleck]

It is a proprietary battery and you can't use standard batteries if you need too. Have you seen any problems with the battery running out while you are diving?

No, the battery is not a great concern. It will last for well over 200 shots (less with internal flash, though this will not be a concern with Ikelite housing+strobe - see the edit to my post above). I did buy a (non-Canon) spare battery, and charge them alternately. I take both when diving, but have not needed the spare (so far).

Also, do you use any wet lenses with your Ikelite housing?

No - not yet. I may go for the Ikelite wide angle eventually. Bear in mind that adding this wet lens requires a shorter port on the Ikelite housing, which restricts the G9's max zoom a little. A friend has this set up, and gets occasional problems... If he inadvertently tries to fully zoom in, the lens hits the port and the camera reports a 'zoom error' and shuts down. Not a huge problem, as no damage done. But it does require a re-power-up in that situation.

 

[GLENFWB]

I have the DS51 with my current camera. I use the EV controller with this camera. Guess you are saying you use the sync cable? You wire yours directly to the flash?

The reason I worry about the battery is because I have been known to take a lot of pictures on a trip. Glad to hear the battery has held up for you. Do you use the RAW function?

No, the battery is not a great concern. It will last for well over 200 shots (less with internal flash, though this will not be a concern with Ikelite housing+strobe - see the edit to my post above). I did buy a (non-Canon) spare battery, and charge them alternately. I take both when diving, but have not needed the spare (so far).
No - not yet. I may go for the Ikelite wide angle eventually. Bear in mind that adding this wet lens requires a shorter port on the Ikelite housing, which restricts the G9's max zoom a little. A friend has this set up, and gets occasional problems... If he inadvertently tries to fully zoom in, the lens hits the port and the camera reports a 'zoom error' and shuts down. Not a huge problem, as no damage done. But it does require a re-power-up in that situation.

 

[AbyssalPlains]

OK, since there seems to be a general trend toward point and shoots, I feel I have to weigh in. Personally, I would go with any dSLR over any point and shoot. It's a no-brainer IMHO. Yes, the cost does add up more than with a point and shoot, but if you're serious about UW photography and ultimately want more than "memory shots", there is no way you will be happy with anything but a dSLR in the long run. The shutter lag alone will drive you nuts.

Just my 2 cent. I know that others will disagree. I started with a point and shoot, got frustrated pretty soon and moved on to dSLR. Way to go in my opinion. Ultimately, you will want to shoot completely manually, set shutter speeds and f-stops yourself. Ever tried focusing manually with a point and shoot underwater? Forget it. If you want to do macro, and that's what it sounds like, because the DS 50 and 51 are hardly any good for anything wide angle, you will need a camera that allows you to focus manually. Nothing is more frustrating than shooting macro with a point and shoot in autofocus mode.

On an unrelated note: If you have a cam that allows you to shoot RAW, you no longer need to set a white balance. You can shoot on whatever WB you want and adjust everything later.

 

[kadleck]

I have the DS51 with my current camera. I use the EV controller with this camera. Guess you are saying you use the sync cable? You wire yours directly to the flash?

The reason I worry about the battery is because I have been known to take a lot of pictures on a trip. Glad to hear the battery has held up for you. Do you use the RAW function?

Yes, and I use DS51 in TTL mode. The G9 controls the DS51 very well, and the internal flash never fires.

... and yes, I do use RAW some of the time. The down side is that a 2GB card does not go far if I use RAW... Need a bigger card!

The shutter lag alone will drive you nuts

I sort of agree, though the G9 lag is negligible if 'half-press' is used to get focussed, etc. (BTW the Canon housing does not allow this, but Ikelite's shutter release does).

Nothing is more frustrating than shooting macro with a point and shoot in autofocus mode

Again, I agree in general, but the G9's manual focus is very easy. It does tend to 'hunt' a little with macro autofocus, but it is not that bad most of the time. I use aperture priority to gain DoF with macro and hardly ever manual focus.

The only reason I stay with point-and-shoot is cost. G9 is among the best available, so that is what brought me there. I also have a 400D but will not take it under water (fear of loss!).

 

[friscuba]

I'm getting such good life out of the batteries on the G9, well more than I expected and better than any other small camera I've owned. I'm sure there's cameras with better battery life, but it lasts me several dives (I don't shoot tons of shots when I'm working).

The G9 is the best low light point and shoot camera I've used so far, and there's much less lag time than with my earlier cameras... video's pretty OK too.