In the market for a new camera -- looking for advice

[sdwho]

Hi - On my last trip I finally lived up to the old adage -- its not a matter of if, its a matter of when...I flooded my housing and killed my camera. I had an Olympus 5050, which was the Oly of choice at the time I bought it. Now that I'm back in the market for a new camera and housing, I thought I'd check with the folks here to see if there is a current "fave" among the Canons like there used to be among the Olys.

Any advice as to which of the many Canons available people most love would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[SFLDiver3445]

Everyone seems to love the Canon G9/G10, but it does fall in the pricier range of the point and shoot models, especially when matched up with one of the higher-end housings (i.e., Ikelite, Patima, Seatool, etc.). The cost can be worth it, but that's a personal decision that depends on the expectations you have regarding your underwater photography and the equipment you use.

There are other point and shoot models that will still give you equivalent/similar/superior performance, but I'll let someone else with more hands-on experience with those models make those recommendations.

Personally, and as my signature indicates, I went w/ the G9/Patima setup, and even though the setup cost me a pretty penny, I have never once regretted it!

 

[ScubaSteve]

Are you looking to remain P&S or are you interested in jumping to DSLR?

 

[diver 85]

Everyone seems to love the Canon G9/G10, but it does fall in the pricier range of the point and shoot models, especially when matched up with one of the higher-end housings (i.e., Ikelite, Patima, Seatool, etc.). The cost can be worth it, but that's a personal decision that depends on the expectations you have regarding your underwater photography and the equipment you use.

There are other point and shoot models that will still give you equivalent/similar/superior performance, but I'll let someone else with more hands-on experience with those models make those recommendations.

Personally, and as my signature indicates, I went w/ the G9/Patima setup, and even though the setup cost me a pretty penny, I have never once regretted it!

Thanks for your info, why did you choose the Patima box over the other 2??---and along those lines, what cost do you have in the setup???.......I'm going G9 or 10 sometimes in earlier '09---will need to get these questions answered sooner or later so why not now..lol.TIA.....

 

[OzZiggy]

Hi guys ( i am another newbie) andthis post seemed exactly the same question i amasking myself.

I have opted out ofthe DSLR choice because my fiancee wouldnt really use the DSLR system, thus a smaller digital compact will suit us both better than a bigger DSLR as much as i want one

So i am left looking for a good compact.

I am thinking the G9 or g10 but i see from the forum that the G9 has better adaptability to wet lenses and that somehow appeals to me greatly. Does the G10 have any advantages with speed of focus and shutter lag over the G9. I like that they both shoot RAW.

Also with strobes. i see ikelite housing support TTL with their strobes. This is apealing but expensive. I have an INON strobe D2000 which supports S-TTL which seems a second best comprmise. Can S-TTL be used with the G9 and G10 well or shouldi go ikelite. I liked the idea of the Patima housing for the G9 but i can seem to find anyone who has stock of them left in Australia because PATIMA sems to be concentrating on the G10.

With wide angle will there be any cahnce of using a wide angle wet lense wth th G10 0r is this a total adavantage of a G9 system assuming i can find one.

Last but not least i there any other compact digital i should b looking at that compares with the G9 or G10?

Many thanks in advance for any help.

cheers Zig

 

[sdwho]

I'm probably going to stick with point and shoot rather than move to DSLR. I guess it may turn on what the point and shoot camera are capable of doing. I loved my Oly 5050, but I have to admit that the "digital delay" in shooting with it was an issue for me. I'd love to find a camera that had less delay.

 

[SFLDiver3445]

Thanks for your info, why did you choose the Patima box over the other 2??

Here's a few of the reasons I chose the G9 Patima Housing:

* The Patima comes with a 100 meter depth rating. I live in South Florida and do enjoy diving some of wrecks in the 200' to 300' range, and the Ikelite Housing was going to limit my ability to dive the deeper ones.

*The Patima also was attractive to me because of its ergonomic design. The housing allows for the easy operation of practically all of the camera's buttons with one hand, which was an very valuable feature to me that has come in very handy when trying to get that tough shot.

*The Patima also has standard features that allow you to connect strobes via either sync chord or optical cable. The optical cable option was important, because I already owned dual Inon Z-240 Strobes which ideally connect optically.

*The Patima also comes standard with dual ports for wide angle or close-up photography. Each of the ports comes threaded and allows for the simple attachment of 67mm wet lenses, an option I learned to appreciate with my previous setup.

*The Patima also has a very solid and small aluminum construction. This housing is solid aluminum and built to last! The size was also important to me, because as a rebreather/technical diver that often dives in heavy currents, I needed to have the ability to have the smallest possible housing that I could attach to my body and not create additional drag in high current.

...and along those lines, what cost do you have in the setup???

Cost??? Let's see (please keep in mind these are very rough figures and in USD's):

$500 - G9 Camera
$1000 - Patima Housing
$1500 - Dual Inon Strobes
$750 - Inon UWL-100 Wide Angle Lens & Dome Unit
$300 - 2 x Inon UCL-165M67 Close Up Lenses
$300 - ULCS Base & Arms
$150 - Big Blue Focus Light
---------
$4500 USD (I'm sure I've left out a few items)

...I'm going G9 or 10 sometimes in earlier '09---will need to get these questions answered sooner or later so why not now..lol.TIA.....

I hope this info assists you in making your decision.

Adrian

 

[diver 85]

thanks 3445.....that's what I needed to know......

 

[diverrex]

$500 - G9 Camera
$1000 - Patima Housing
$1500 - Dual Inon Strobes
$750 - Inon UWL-100 Wide Angle Lens & Dome Unit
$300 - 2 x Inon UCL-165M67 Close Up Lenses
$300 - ULCS Base & Arms
$150 - Big Blue Focus Light
---------
$4500 USD (I'm sure I've left out a few items)Adrian

I'm halfway towards the same setup. Funny how a $500 camera turns into a $4,500 UW rig.

PS: I think $300 for the ULCS Base & Arms is low. 1 tray, 2 handles, 4 arms, 6 clamps & 2 strope adaptors is more like $500+. It add ups. Throw in some sales tax and now that $500 camera turns into a $5,000 rig.

 

[kerryw]

I'm halfway towards the same setup. Funny how a $500 camera turns into a $4,500 UW rig.

PS: I think $300 for the ULCS Base & Arms is low. 1 tray, 2 handles, 4 arms, 6 clamps & 2 strope adaptors is more like $500+. It add ups. Throw in some sales tax and now that $500 camera turns into a $5,000 rig.

La la la la la..... I'm not listening and I'm not adding my costs up, but I do have a similar rig...

Kerry