Good entry level SLR camera for underwater photography beginner?

[Mark Derail]

Easy question, easy answer...the cheapest you can find, used if possible.
Camera type doesn't matter. Get experience first.

Where to buy? I've bought two so far from Scuba board members. Next buy will be a plastic housing for the Sony NEX5n, and I get to re-use my existing strobes, bought used as "kits", cheapest I could buy (400$ range for a kit - a strobe, camera, housing, lenses accessories).

FWIW, I've seen stunning pictures from disposables, because it wasn't deep, viz was perfect on a sunny day.

Then the obvious --- rent a kit when diving with a resort.

A great way to try before you buy.

Most fun? Video, let's you concentrate on your dive, easy to share on Vimeo/Youtube.

Frustration? Getting lined up for the perfect shot, but your subject doesn't cooperate.

Fish tend to be camera shy when they see a big monster with two eyes & a big mouth (the camera w/fish-eye lens and 2 strobes).

So you end up with hundreds of great pics of corals...fishless.

I want to learn underwater photography without spending a small fortune on an expensive SLR camera. What entry level SLR cameras would be great way to get started as a beginner? I am looking at Canon, Olympus, and Nikon. The underwater housing and strobes cost more than the cameras! Also what places are good for buying one? Backscatter in Monterey has a good selection but MSRP no discount pricing.

 

[TheYellowSubmarine]

As a beginner diver, I'd recommend starting with a cheap second hand point and shoot.
Try to get a fully manual one to prepare for switching to DSLR. Get a decent strobe that you will use with the DSLR (it will cost more than the point and shoot!).

Get experience diving first, underwater photography second.
When your pictures approach the limits of the point and shoot, look at a DSLR.

While I lug around a big DSLR rig now, I'd hate to imagine doing it when I started.

I learnt a lot of skills without a camera - just watching the fish and your surroundings helps to learn where to look for the most interesting things. Taking pictures is distracting and you lose awareness of what's around you.

 

[Ben Prusinski]

Yeah I really don't want a massive camera for trips to remote dive spots. Not sure if Buddy Dive rents cameras or not in Bonaire and whether Reef Divers in Little Cayman rent cameras either. May just get the best entry one I can afford. The main thing is the housing and strobe costs.

 

[Mark Derail]

Without strobes and not too deep, you're ok for macro / up close.

If you want paranoma - wait for Sun and go somewhere not deep, 10-20 foot range, the pics will be nice.

FWIW, the Panasonic Lumix G3 if you don't go very deep, the camera as-is can go UW to 30 feet without any difficulty. At about 40 feet the camera couldn't focus anymore.

Just don't leave it out in the Sun! About 15 mins in the direct Sun killed mine.

The camera is like 200$. You can get a housing for 100 feet for another 200$ or so. Decent video.

 

[80cf]

The camera shop at Buddy Dive does rent camera gear...

Yeah I really don't want a massive camera for trips to remote dive spots. Not sure if Buddy Dive rents cameras or not in Bonaire and whether Reef Divers in Little Cayman rent cameras either. May just get the best entry one I can afford. The main thing is the housing and strobe costs.

 

[Ben Prusinski]

Cool I will rent a camera and take an underwater photography class then

 

[Larry C]

To me, the most important thing is the strobes. No matter what you get from now on, the strobes will stay with you. If you go with an Ikelite housing for the Ikelite strobes, then you're pretty much stuck with Ikelite when you change cameras.
Pick a housing brand you like, trust and can afford. Get the best strobes that work with it. Then build up your collection of ports, gears etc. If you decide to upgrade later, you can take everything with you except the camera and housiing.
Oly has probably the most reasonable combo of housing/ports etc., but their options are limited and they tend to discontinue stuff when the particular camera becomes dated. If I were buying now, I'd probably go 4/3 for two reasons. First is size and weight, both underwater and traveling. Second is the smaller lenses and sensors give better natural DOF. If you like blurred backgrounds, that's not that great, but if you like sharp pictures with a lot of depth and clarity it's a good thing.
The camera isn't the biggest investment, so if I had a choice between say a D5100 and a D7000, I go with the better camera, as long as the housing options are equal.