OP
Georgia bubble blower
Guest
Alcina, Thank you for the heads up on the SD series. That is exactly the kind of guidance I was hoping to find here.
Help the newbie...too many camera choices
- Thread starter Georgia bubble blower
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DesertEagle
Contributor
Alcina's right about that. Especially if you want to use an external strobe.
Georgia,
You are in an envious position. Your A80 is a fine camera. Simply buy the housing. If you want the biggest bang for the buck in terms of underwater photographic improvement then spend ~ $400 on the ikelite ds51 flash strobe and manual controller....lighting is everything underwater. This combination will blow away any alternative P&S system without external flash.
Re: SD Vs A series...Generally the A series has slightly better picture quality and more photographic control than the SD series and is cheaper for the equivalent MP camera. The main advantage and selling point of the SD series is the smaller size.
At some other time, if you choose to upgrade, the DS51 is not a lost investment and can be used with any system, including DSLR
I have a canon DSLR but have sticker shock for the $1500 housings so I spent ages looking for a camera that i could buy new, but which also has a housing available....and since the cameras have a 9 month life cycle and the housings come out months later than the cameras this was not easy and it turned out to be a really really short list (particularly if i exclude SD series). I ended up with the A710.
I went for a P&S knowing i must spend the bigg bucks on strobes, but they will carry over to when i plump down the dosh for a DSLR housing.
good luck!
You are in an envious position. Your A80 is a fine camera. Simply buy the housing. If you want the biggest bang for the buck in terms of underwater photographic improvement then spend ~ $400 on the ikelite ds51 flash strobe and manual controller....lighting is everything underwater. This combination will blow away any alternative P&S system without external flash.
Re: SD Vs A series...Generally the A series has slightly better picture quality and more photographic control than the SD series and is cheaper for the equivalent MP camera. The main advantage and selling point of the SD series is the smaller size.
At some other time, if you choose to upgrade, the DS51 is not a lost investment and can be used with any system, including DSLR
I have a canon DSLR but have sticker shock for the $1500 housings so I spent ages looking for a camera that i could buy new, but which also has a housing available....and since the cameras have a 9 month life cycle and the housings come out months later than the cameras this was not easy and it turned out to be a really really short list (particularly if i exclude SD series). I ended up with the A710.
I went for a P&S knowing i must spend the bigg bucks on strobes, but they will carry over to when i plump down the dosh for a DSLR housing.
good luck!
OP
Georgia bubble blower
Guest
29,
Initially that is exactly what I had planned to do. However...the wife loves our A80 and upon my suggesting that I was interested in getting into a little underwater photography and that I wanted to just buy a housing for our A80 she did not seem too excited about that idea. She never actually said "no" but she gave me the "look". You know the one I mean? Although she was very supportive and actually very enthusiastic in my new found interest she really loves that camera and has the "if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality" so she really has no interest in my using that camera for my new hobby and just buying another camera for her to use casually topside. She likes it, she's used to it and quite frankly she's pretty good with it so she ain't going to go a changing things up. I guess I can understand that. Besides, it just gives me a reason to buy a new one now.
Soooo...looks like I will be buying a new camera and housing after all. Actually I have a feeling it will only be a matter of time before she decides she wants to do a little underwater photgraphy of her own so I will just wait and see how that prediction goes. If I'm right, I can buy the canon housing for the A80 when the time comes. She is actually much better with a camera than I am anyway. Although I am sure I will find that I really enjoy underwater photography I don't know that for sure. Who knows I may decide it's not for me, though I doubt that will happen. That being said, I think I will end up buying a less expensive camera that is well suited for the task and is reasonable in price. That way I can learn and hone my skills and when the time comes and I feel it is necessary I can always upgrade to a bigger better camera or just a strobe etc....Right now I am seriously considering the A540 with Canon housing. Seems like a pretty good setup to get started for a pretty fair price. What do ya think? Thanks for posting.
Initially that is exactly what I had planned to do. However...the wife loves our A80 and upon my suggesting that I was interested in getting into a little underwater photography and that I wanted to just buy a housing for our A80 she did not seem too excited about that idea. She never actually said "no" but she gave me the "look". You know the one I mean? Although she was very supportive and actually very enthusiastic in my new found interest she really loves that camera and has the "if it ain't broke don't fix it mentality" so she really has no interest in my using that camera for my new hobby and just buying another camera for her to use casually topside. She likes it, she's used to it and quite frankly she's pretty good with it so she ain't going to go a changing things up. I guess I can understand that. Besides, it just gives me a reason to buy a new one now.
Soooo...looks like I will be buying a new camera and housing after all. Actually I have a feeling it will only be a matter of time before she decides she wants to do a little underwater photgraphy of her own so I will just wait and see how that prediction goes. If I'm right, I can buy the canon housing for the A80 when the time comes. She is actually much better with a camera than I am anyway. Although I am sure I will find that I really enjoy underwater photography I don't know that for sure. Who knows I may decide it's not for me, though I doubt that will happen. That being said, I think I will end up buying a less expensive camera that is well suited for the task and is reasonable in price. That way I can learn and hone my skills and when the time comes and I feel it is necessary I can always upgrade to a bigger better camera or just a strobe etc....Right now I am seriously considering the A540 with Canon housing. Seems like a pretty good setup to get started for a pretty fair price. What do ya think? Thanks for posting.Georgia,
First of all, you have permission to buy a new camera and are having second thoughts? lol.
Yup, go ahead and get the A540 then it is s decent camera and youwont be disappointed...if you go on vacation you will need two cameras anyway!
First of all, you have permission to buy a new camera and are having second thoughts? lol.
Yup, go ahead and get the A540 then it is s decent camera and youwont be disappointed...if you go on vacation you will need two cameras anyway!
OP
Georgia bubble blower
Guest
Yea, I've pretty much got the go ahead but now I think I am just over thinking things. I tend to do that. I research things to death. For example. Initially I had settled on getting the A540 and the Canon housing (the best I've found is $345 total for both at Adorama). Pretty reasonableprice for both I would say. Buuuuuuttt...the more I read the more I see that the A620 is also very popular, probably even more so than the A540 and I can still pick that camera up at a fair price as well.
There's my problem, I don't know enough about photography, underwater in particular, to know which is the better choice. I do know that for now, in order to keep my initial cost at a minimum, I will without a doubt go with the Canon housing regardless of which I choose. I just can't justify a $400 Ikelite housing at this time when, from what I have read, the Canon housing appears to do just as well and is so reasonable in price. I know that the A540 housing allows for add on lenses and the A620 does not but I have no idea if this is a deal breaker for the A620. I mean, is this something that I need to consider a total and undeniable deal breaker if I plan on using the Canon housing due to the fact that it will not accept add on lenses?
The A620 has 7.1 megapixel and seems to fair only slightly better in reviews which I have read. I doubt my eye would ever see the difference but I don't know. The A620 has 4 AA batteries as opposed to 2 in the A540. The screen is slightly smaller on the A620 but is higher in resolution than the A540 (which I assume will probably not be a factor underwater) and rotates like my current A80. I like this feature as I can close it up when not in use and it won't be as likely to get scratched or damaged.
My biggest dilema is in regards to the housings and the fact that one will accept add on lenses and one will not and whether or not this is of a major importance. Also, and this is just my observation, the A540 housing looks like it may be a little better when using the camera's flash. By that I mean the flash on the A540 housing doesn't look like it is as obstructed by the part of the housing that the lens fits into as it does on the A620 housing. This part of the housing just appears to be much larger on the A620 than it does on the A540 and I wonder will this allow the flash on the A620 to be as effective at eliminating a shadow in the lower right hand corner of my photos or will it actually contribute to the problem? Again, I have no idea. I only bring this up because to be quite honest I really doubt I will be purchasing an external strobe any time soon. As most of my diving will be done in clear tropical water, mostly in the daylight hours, I may not even need a flash assuming I can learn to use my manual white balance. Or at least I think that is what I understand from what I have been reading.
I guess I will just have to take Alcina's advice and just close my eyes and pick or maybe just flip a coin or something. I am starting to drive myself crazy and I know my wife is sick of hearing about it. I told you I was over thinking things. Any advice from the experts out there? Am I being ridiculous? Be honest, you won't hurt my feelings. I'm here to learn.
There's my problem, I don't know enough about photography, underwater in particular, to know which is the better choice. I do know that for now, in order to keep my initial cost at a minimum, I will without a doubt go with the Canon housing regardless of which I choose. I just can't justify a $400 Ikelite housing at this time when, from what I have read, the Canon housing appears to do just as well and is so reasonable in price. I know that the A540 housing allows for add on lenses and the A620 does not but I have no idea if this is a deal breaker for the A620. I mean, is this something that I need to consider a total and undeniable deal breaker if I plan on using the Canon housing due to the fact that it will not accept add on lenses?
The A620 has 7.1 megapixel and seems to fair only slightly better in reviews which I have read. I doubt my eye would ever see the difference but I don't know. The A620 has 4 AA batteries as opposed to 2 in the A540. The screen is slightly smaller on the A620 but is higher in resolution than the A540 (which I assume will probably not be a factor underwater) and rotates like my current A80. I like this feature as I can close it up when not in use and it won't be as likely to get scratched or damaged.
My biggest dilema is in regards to the housings and the fact that one will accept add on lenses and one will not and whether or not this is of a major importance. Also, and this is just my observation, the A540 housing looks like it may be a little better when using the camera's flash. By that I mean the flash on the A540 housing doesn't look like it is as obstructed by the part of the housing that the lens fits into as it does on the A620 housing. This part of the housing just appears to be much larger on the A620 than it does on the A540 and I wonder will this allow the flash on the A620 to be as effective at eliminating a shadow in the lower right hand corner of my photos or will it actually contribute to the problem? Again, I have no idea. I only bring this up because to be quite honest I really doubt I will be purchasing an external strobe any time soon. As most of my diving will be done in clear tropical water, mostly in the daylight hours, I may not even need a flash assuming I can learn to use my manual white balance. Or at least I think that is what I understand from what I have been reading.
I guess I will just have to take Alcina's advice and just close my eyes and pick or maybe just flip a coin or something. I am starting to drive myself crazy and I know my wife is sick of hearing about it. I told you I was over thinking things. Any advice from the experts out there? Am I being ridiculous? Be honest, you won't hurt my feelings. I'm here to learn.
DesertEagle:
Check out the Inon web site. They've got adapters now that fit the oblong port of the canon case. Not sure if it performs as well as the Ikelite but at least there is an option for the canon cases and aftermarket lenses.
Never mind - I got confused as to which case I was looking at. sorry. I don't think they would have a hard time building one though.Greenman
Registered
This thread's been inactive for a little while, so I may be chiming in too late. But it's only 2 cents so what the heck.
I've had a Canon S80 digital point'n-shoot for a little under a year and can recomend it very highly. It's pricey but worth it, in my opinion. I have a bachelors degree in photography and worked as a professional photog for many years; my standards are inconveniently high.
Strengths:
*Good zoom lens, even interchangable with optional telephoto and wider angle zoom lenses for greater versatility. I don't have the extra lenses but will probably get them when I can afford them.
*Excellent manual control if you want it. Point and shoot if you don't. Ask me if you want more detail about the manual features, it'd take too long to write if nobody cares.
*High resolution. 8MP.
*Good battery life
*Video surprisingly good.
*Small. Not the smallest point'n-shoot, but smaller than anything with similar features.
Weaknesses:
*Expensive. Lists for $499.
*Shutter response not the fastest on the market, though not the worst.
*Battery not a standard size disposable, so I have to deal with a bulky converter for the charger when I'm overseas. This seems to be a problem with nearly all digitals, however. I got spoiled on a 35mm that took a tiny watch battery which lasted for months of heavy use.
*Canon's waterproof housing doesn't give access to all the controls. I don't have it yet (ordered today), but I'll write a review when it gets in.
I've had a Canon S80 digital point'n-shoot for a little under a year and can recomend it very highly. It's pricey but worth it, in my opinion. I have a bachelors degree in photography and worked as a professional photog for many years; my standards are inconveniently high.
Strengths:
*Good zoom lens, even interchangable with optional telephoto and wider angle zoom lenses for greater versatility. I don't have the extra lenses but will probably get them when I can afford them.
*Excellent manual control if you want it. Point and shoot if you don't. Ask me if you want more detail about the manual features, it'd take too long to write if nobody cares.
*High resolution. 8MP.
*Good battery life
*Video surprisingly good.
*Small. Not the smallest point'n-shoot, but smaller than anything with similar features.
Weaknesses:
*Expensive. Lists for $499.
*Shutter response not the fastest on the market, though not the worst.
*Battery not a standard size disposable, so I have to deal with a bulky converter for the charger when I'm overseas. This seems to be a problem with nearly all digitals, however. I got spoiled on a 35mm that took a tiny watch battery which lasted for months of heavy use.
*Canon's waterproof housing doesn't give access to all the controls. I don't have it yet (ordered today), but I'll write a review when it gets in.
Are you sure about the housing not allowing access to all the controls? That seems odd to me - maybe Ed can chime in here...
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