Hi All,
I've read through a lot of posts asking about good beginner set-ups, but my budgets is tighter than most. I am looking for the best set up for under $300. I know it's a tight budget, but I'd love to have a camera to bring with my on an upcoming trip to Cancun & Cozumel.
I don't mind buying last year's model and I understand the pictures won't be fantastic, but I'd like to have some images to remember the amazing dives we'll be doing.
Thanks!
If that's what you want to spend then so be it for the IC-12. It is a very limited camera as is any without manual capabilities. If you stick with using the built in flash for macro shots (under 2 feet) and use the manual white balance feature for your non-flash shots you should get "okay" photos. Post-processing software will enchance your shots, especially the non-flash ones.
Be sure the housing controls allow you to use the manual white balance feature. To do so you have to hold a white card in front of the lens at varying depths and lighting conditions to calibrate the camera's white balance. You have to remember to switch back to "auto" white balance for the flash shots or you get red photos.
If your not willing to do this and use the "auto" white balance for all your shots you get "bluish" photos on the non-flash shots.
As with any camera/housing you have to practice BEFORE the trip so you are totally familiar with all the controls and can use them quickly and efficiently. Otherwise you get crappy photos.
If you are willing to spend about $500, or a little less depending on where you find it online, then buy the Canon S90 and the Canon WP-DC35 housing. The S90 is replaced by the S95 so it is a little cheaper but has almost the same features except the S95 has HD video. They both have manual controls as well as RAW capability. You can shoot all your flash shots in Auto, M, Tv or Av mode as JPG's or RAW (best) and your non-flash shots in RAW mode which requires no white balance calibration. That's all done in post-processing with the Canon DPP software supplied with the camera.
There is no comparison between those two cameras. The S90 versus the IC-12 is like comparing a Mercedes to a VW Beetle IMO.
Take a look at
"S90 Flickr Group" photos and see if that will sell you on the camera. You not only will be buying a camera that can take "great" underwater shots but a quality land camera as well.
If you decide on the S90 and will shoot RAW take note that RAW files are large so you need a decent size memory card(s), especially if you are not bringing a laptop with you to transfer the files to between dives.
