Is going from Tetra 5050 to G10 in housing XXX really an upgrade?

[Onewolf]

I am seriously considering upgrading from my current Tetra 5050 system (with dual Sea&Sea YS-90DX strobes) to an SLR (Canon) based system. After discussing this several times with Ryan at Reef Photo it looks like it will cost a minimum of close to $4500 for a good SLR housing system (Sea&Sea) based around my existing equipment: Canon 50D body, Canon 10-22mm and 60mm macro lenses, three Sea&Sea YS-90DX strobes, and ULCS arms. A 50D system configured with all the bells and whistles I would eventually want comes in around $7000. :deal:

After seeing the "entry price" into the SLR world I decided to see if there was a less expensive option that would provide a reasonable upgrade path from my current Tetra 5050. Two areas I would like to see improvements are: bigger LCD and faster/better autofocus. The Canon G10 obviously provides a larger (higher resolution) LCD.

For any people who have upgraded from C5050 system to a G10 system, does the G10 autofocus work noticeably better UW than the C5050? Do you think going from the C5050 to the G10 is a worthwhile upgrade or should I just bite the bullet and chunk out the dough for an SLR system?

Another issue I have with the move from a Tetra 5050 -> G10 system is that I really like the Tetra ROC TTL functionality (especially for macro stuff I enjoy so much). Is there a reasonable TTL system available with a G10 housing (besides Ikelite because I understand that Ikelite's TTL system requires Ikelite strobes). From my research it seems like if I want TTL with a G10 system it will be limited to optical sync connections rather than Nikonos style electrical. Is that correct?

Thanks for any information or opinions.

Doug

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

Two areas I would like to see improvements are: bigger LCD and faster/better autofocus. The Canon G10 obviously provides a larger (higher resolution) LCD.

For any people who have upgraded from C5050 system to a G10 system, does the G10 autofocus work noticeably better UW than the C5050? Do you think going from the C5050 to the G10 is a worthwhile upgrade or should I just bite the bullet and chunk out the dough for an SLR system?

While there are many things I like about the Tetra 5050 housing, one of the reasons your rig may have questionable auto focus is due to the fact that the 5050 is a beam assisted auto focus and a non-transparent housing blocks the beam.

I shoot with the system in my tag line and I use the remarkable 5050 auto focus on nearly every dive. I have never seen much need for ttl the way I shoot, and with my stock PT-015 housing I can remove it from the tray, unscrew the WAL, and stick it way back into a tight hole for shots no wired housing will get. It's pretty easy to see the reddish beam hitting the subject, or after review to move the reddish beam to a better subject.

Sorry for not being able to really answer your Q; end hijack.