Fuji F100 vs Canon G9 - which one?

[Nudi-K]

Hi All

I am trying to find a thread which i could use to try to help to decide on which camera and housing to purchase, either the Fuji F100 or the Canon G9, but i am not having much luck, so i apologise if this topic has already been discussed.

Does anyone have any experience with the forementioned cameras and any advice on which they would go for?

I have used a Fuji before and found it really easy to use but i keep seeing the Canon G9 being menioned on underwater photography sites. I just went to a shop to take a look and have a play about with them but unfortunately they only had the G9 in stock, it seems quite heavy for a digital camera compared to other Fuji models, but does that mean it is better quality?

Thanks

 

[Larry C]

No contest. Fuji has "simplified" the camera for people who don't understand photography. There is a huge complex menu with dozens of settings for things like ISO, but there is no setting where you can manually set shutter speed and aperture independently. The camera is full auto with manual adustment for shutter speed in "night" mode only, according to the reviews I read. You may take some decent pictures underwater if the lighting is right, but the #1 consideration for an underwater camera is full manual adjustability. If you want a Fuji for underwater, find an old one. The F31fd was, I think, the last to do everything.

 

[Wisnu]

No experience with F100 but I have G9 and SP-350 - quite happy with both but I will say G9 is better than SP-350. With manual mode you will have more control and flexibility and not as difficult as many people imagine.
Indeed, G9 is heavier than typical compact camera; but underwater still positive without strobe or weight.

G9 is replaced with G10 now.

 

[RAWalker]

Larry C is on the mark about the F100 being full auto
Another old model that did full manual is the one I flooded recently the F-700
The new Fuji to look at is the F50fd or F60fd both have full manual the F50fd has a 2.5" display and the FD60fd has a 3" These cameras are not as common as the Cannon or Olympus for underwater photography but they have a color gamut that is top notch.

 

[Jorgy]

I own a G9 with Canon housing and YS-110 strobes and love it. If I were you, I would look at the G10 over the G9 for three reasons.

First is shoots combination RAW and JPEG that means you have the best of both worlds JPEGs to share immediately and RAW files to play with after the trip.

Second: the 28 mm wide angle, I think that for and one-size-fits-all P&S underwater setup the wider angle but less zoom is a better compromise than 35 mm with more zoom (the G9). Not sure how other feels about this, I guess I tend to try more wide shots to capture people, wrecks and coral than macro stuff (note the word try, wide shots with good color, little backscatter and composition are really hard).

Finally, it looks like battery life is improved on the G10 that is important as I have experienced my battery dying at the end of a dive - no fun at all missing great octopus shots on a night dive.

The G9/G10 are big for land use compared to other P&S's but still much smaller than a D-SLR and can really take s great picture.

M

 

[Nudi-K]

Thanks All

I went for the G9. I would have liked the G10 but it was a bit too much out of my price range. For what i need though (i'm not very camera savvy) i think the G9 will be adequate.

Cant wait to play with it now

 

[LGH]

For what i need though (i'm not very camera savvy) i think the G9 will be adequate.

"adequate"?
It will do everything an SLR does except changing the attached lens (although you can use wide angle or tele converter lenses on it) in that little package.

I have used the G9 several times and, as an SLR photographer, I am extremely impressed. I don't think you will be disappointed, so good luck with your underwater photography.

 

[Geoff_H]

I own a G9 with Canon housing and YS-110 strobes and love it. If I were you, I would look at the G10 over the G9 for three reasons.

First is shoots combination RAW and JPEG that means you have the best of both worlds JPEGs to share immediately and RAW files to play with after the trip.

G9 can also shoot combination RAW and JPEG.

Second: the 28 mm wide angle, I think that for and one-size-fits-all P&S underwater setup the wider angle but less zoom is a better compromise than 35 mm with more zoom (the G9).

Agreed.

Finally, it looks like battery life is improved on the G10 that is important as I have experienced my battery dying at the end of a dive - no fun at all missing great octopus shots on a night dive.

That is quite surprising - I can easily get 4 dives out of my G9 - a whole days diving and if I forget to charge overnight I normally get the majority of another days diving out of it too.

 

[Jorgy]

The last dive was the forth dive of the day.....underwater for 3 and half hours that day.

Can you shoot RAW and JPEG simultaneously in manual? If so how?

I am on a business trip right now and don't have the camera in front of me?.

Thanks.....M

 

[Geoff_H]

The last dive was the forth dive of the day.....underwater for 3 and half hours that day.

Can you shoot RAW and JPEG simultaneously in manual? If so how?

I am on a business trip right now and don't have the camera in front of me?.

Thanks.....M

No worries, glad to help!

Press Function Set, scroll to the bottom and use the left/right keys to set RAW.

Then press Menu button, scroll down the options list until you get to "Record RAW and DL" and change it from Off to On... you'll get a CR2 (raw) and JPG file saved each time you take a picture.

For the battery - I guess it depends on how many photos you take... I probably average 20-30 a dive, so someone taking 60 could struggle to get a full days diving out of the standard battery. In this case, you can buy larger capacity batteries for not too much money.

The standard Canon battery is 720mAh, you can buy a 1100 mAh one here for $8.99

Blue Nook - Canon NB-2L / NB-2LH Replacement Battery (1100 mAh)

I havn't tried it, but I think it should easily last for a days diving even with taking a lot of pictures.