Fuji F10

[edwinh]

I'm hunting around for a compact underwater camera. Some cameras that I've considered are the Canon A95, Sony W7, Oly 7070, Fuji 810 and Fuji F10.

I do know that Oly and 810 is in a different class from the rest. I find Oly's bulk a little too much to lug with all my dive gear. 810 is almost perfect in terms of size and performance, unfortunately the battery life is too short for my liking.

Sony has a huge tendency to go "green" underwater.

Canon A95 is general capable underwater and cheap. However, the shutter lag is a big put off.

Now, F10 just caught my eye. Does anyone have any experience with the F10? With all the ups of F10, it is in the very end a point and shoot with almost no manual control over aperture and shutter.

I would really appreciate any advise. Cheers!

 

[edwinh]

sorry... it double posted... how do I delete this thread?

 

[dbh]

at this time there is not a housing available for the F10. I have seen some awesome photos with the F810. If I wasn't dslr, I would be shooting the F810.

Dave

 

[edwinh]

hi dbh

There is a housing for the F10. Fuji WP-FXF10.

 

[dbh]

my bad...digideep.com said there wasn't...and it is uaually up to date.


Dave

 

[localdivah]

Also, there is now the Fuji F11 that boosts the screen pixel resolution by 40%, adds ISO 800 to the movie mode, and provides manual control over aperture and shutter speeds.

I'm about to buy it - just holding off a few more weeks to hope they bring it to the US

 

[Monkey Knife-fight]

I wouldn't take the F10 because of no manual controls. Does the F11 have RAW? If not that would be a deal killer for me. From what i've heard the 7070 isn't in the same class as the F810 (from what i've read the oly line didn't improve much after the 5050 but oly owners could comment on that better). The A95 has no RAW but people certainely seem happy with it. I would reccomend the Fuji E900. It's basically the F810 except without the much discussed battery life issues. The E900 takes AA, and otherwise is similar to the F810. I own an F810 and love it...battery life never bothers me (i'm maybe not as clicky as others...50-60 shots is enough to get me through 2 dives and i usually end with battery to spare) but if i were gonna buy again right now i'd get the E900.

Chris

 

[localdivah]

No RAW for the F11 -- not a deal killer for me because the extent of my photoshop abilities is primarily the one touch improvement button -- I am at the point where I would like to get the framing, angle, and composition right first. By then, it'll be time for a new camera anyhow

 

[localdivah]

...and so I did get the F11 -- unfortunately, the very same day they announced its replacement, the F30, which has an ISO of 3200. Only consolation is that the price I got ($280) went up $50 the next day!

Anyhow, am getting a housing and am interested in its performance compared to my old Canon S300, which floated away on a wreck trip in Canada

Looking for F10/F11 owners to comment on maximizing its performance, especially its low light capabilities -- which should allow me to avoid using the flash and getting backscatter. At the same time, it is pretty rare to have enough light at depth, so I wonder if I will have to force the flash most of the time and still deal with the scatter. Regardless, it will be nice to have the higher ISOs.

Have you found anything unusual or little tips with the F10 underwater? What settings do you shoot with?

Louie

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

I just use my F10 in auto mode and let the flash do what it will. I typically dive in very low-light conditions, so need the flash anyway.

Only limitation I find with this camera is that, while it is exceptionally good (to my concern) for macro shots, the flash is a bit weak for anything further away than about three feet ... in lo vis conditions anyway.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)