iPhone housing or Point and Shoot?

[button]

Hubby and I are mostly vacation divers - we average two tropical trips a year with a trip or two to the quarry each summer to keep skills fresh. We have a two year old and not much help from family, so can't do as much diving as we'd like.

Anyway, all of that said - when I can, I enjoy photography above water. I have an older Nikon DSLR (D70) that I like to play with on vacation and/or above the water when I can.

I don't dive frequently enough to invest in a nice system but I would like to take some pictures underwater. We are going to Cancun in two weeks and are planning on diving a few days while we're there. We're also traveling to Australia in May and will be diving a days there. I'm thinking of taking my DSLR to Cancun since we'll have no kid, but I am thinking of leaving it at home when we travel to OZ next year.

Thinking of getting a decent point & shoot that I can either get a housing for OR that works well underwater without housing. We mostly like reefs and pretty fish, so rarely go below 60' FSW.

Thoughts:

I'll be getting a new iPhone soon (and could use that for vacation pics) and might just use my old (current) 5s for underwater and get a housing:
https://www.amazon.com/Watershot-Underwater-Housing-iPhone-White/dp/B00CL2FFA0

OR

Do I get a point & shoot that will work for all of my purposes, and take along my DSLR for my other photos?

I might be getting a new DSLR too, undecided about that.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Has anyone successfully used one of those iPhone housings?

ETA: Price range I'm looking for is $150-$400 range.

 

[DesertEagle]

Hopefully I can help answer some questions.

Point 'n shoot: the market has been decimated by phones and action cams. Generally you are limited to higher end cameras like the Sony RX and Canon G series. These are the best option for photos, as you would have lots of options for lenses, strobes and video lights. An alternative is the Olumpus TG-4 which has a smaller sensor than the previously mentioned cameras but it can so amazing macro on its own.

Personally i use my iPhone 6s more than anything else. Last year I started using it in a Watershot Pro housing which is very robust. The app is very easy to use but somewhat limited. Watershot's red filter works well with the iPhone's white balance. Photos in water down to 40 feet of tropical waters look good, although you can't freeze motion as well without a flash. The Watershot Pro housing kit with a wide angle lens is about $200. Add $30 for the red filter. Consider a tray and arm a necessary investment too.

The Rolls Royce of iPhone housings is the LenzO by Valstech. I took one with me to the Philippines and compared it to the Watershot. Corners are better because it has a dome optic, and I really enjoyed the interface which lets you use the phone's regular app. The cost is about $300. You would need to upgrade your phone.

I recently posted a video on the Philippines section. It's a trip report from Verde Idland. Both the Watershot and LenzO housings were used.

 

[Nemrod]

See if you can save up for one of the Sealife cameras. They are not terribly expensive and take surprisingly good photographs for just fun snaps. I think a phone housing capable of actual diving is probably as expensive and can not utilize a strobe, which really is needed for uw photography.

N

 

[KeithG]

several options:
- basic cheapest starter kit is a bare bone olympus tg4
- next step up (in flexibility) is a used p&s like a canon g or a sea & sea dx or a canon s
- add tray, arms and strobes to above
- buy a current compact with tray, arms and strobes
- go full on DSLR
The price for these options ranges from about $300 to $15000.

I suggest you spend a pile of time researching to figure out where your skill level sits. Then figure out where your price pain point is.

on my last trip i saw divers at both extemes. The $300 photographer got better pictures...

Ferraris are great, but very few of us are F1 drivers...

 

[khsjsilver]

If for some reason your iPhone gets wet (which is very likely on a dive trip), you're in big trouble. Not only do you loose all of you dive pics, you loose all of your pics, your phone, your access to the internet, txt messaging, etc. Plus, unless you carry insurance, it could cost you $600+ to replace. IMO, it's not worth the risk.

Buy an inexpensive point & shoot. Not a lot of downside.

For what it's worth, I always wonder when I see someone diving with an expensive watch like a Rolex Submariner. It's great that is waterproof to 1,000 feet. But if for some reason it falls off, it's good to know that when it's sitting 1,000 feet down, it will still be ticking!

 

[JamesBon92007]

I put my old $40 Nokia phone is one of those zip-lock plastic bag smart-phone underwater cases and tried to shoot some video with it. I had it down to about 30-35 feet and it didn't leak or anything but it was very difficult to get it to start and stop recording with the touch screen and to determine if it was recording or not--I just couldn't quite make out the displays on the screen. The videos were not too bad though.

I went through the SLR thing years ago. I had a Canon that I really liked and bought an expensive wide-angle lens, a really expensive macro lens and extension tube, and a very good strobe. I spent months building the ultimate housing with interchangeable ports and full control of all of the functions. It was easy to use and took very good pictures. Then film became obsolete and Canon did not come out with a digital body that would fit into my housing and utilize my existing lenses. They seemed to think I should buy everything all over again. I tried having my negatives digitized but was not thrilled with the results. Frustrated, I am now doing video with a cheap imitation GoPro that I paid $43 for. If I want a still shot I just do a screen capture from the video. They look fine as long as I don't print it out any bigger than about 5X7 and are good for desktop backgrounds. With my Canon and macro lens I could do a poster and it still looked sharp. I have not unloaded my darkroom equipment yet because I'm old and cranky and set in my ways and nobody wants it anyway Meanwhile, I'm enjoying watching the videos over and over again and they sure look a hell of a lot better than the movies I used to make with Super 8. Of course now I'm learning that my old, standard DVD recorder is not adequate and it loses a lot of resolution in the file conversions so I'm looking at spending hundreds of dollars for a HD recorder and a Blue Ray drive for my computer. Plus it seems to make a big difference just how you go about putting it on a disc and which software you use to there is a lot to learn (and buy). Add to that the fact that the digital disc is at the end of it's life expectancy I'll soon have to buy a High Definition SD Card recorder (or whatever they decide to sell to us). My suggestion? Be prepared to spend a lot of money

 

[button]

Thanks for the tips everyone! Turns out that Watershot is deeply discounting the housings for the iPhone 5s to the tune of $50! I'm due for an upgrade anyway so if my phone gets wet, not the end of the world because I'll be upgrading. My plan is to get a new phone and use my old 5s for this kind of purpose. I did their seal test with the tissues inside the case and left it in the tub for an hour with no leakage. Our first outing during vacation is swimming in a cenote, so I will get a chance to try it out then too.

I am just a vacation diver and I live in Maryland, not much diving here (I'd like to check out some OC diving at some point)... so although I love photography and would like to eventually get into taking pics, I don't think that spending a ton of money makes sense for me at this point in time. As I previously mentioned, I do own a Nikon D70, so maybe the appropriate Ikelite housing & some other goodies for that will pop up on eBay.

 

[bmbeaty]

I really liked the Watershot. Very convenient having the photos/videos on your phone. Hard to beat bang for buck.