Just starting out

[00wabbit]

I would follow with the s110 recommendation.

The sealife doesn't shoot raw. You will want raw eventually.

The canon 20d which I had was a fine camera but the newer smaller ones are much more advanced. I wouldn't put any more money into that camera unless you can find a really good deal on a used housing. Otherwise you would be better off moving forward with something smaller and just as capable or doing the big upgrade to the modern era digital slrs.

Here is a video I made a while back to discuss why I like RAW.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ti...why-i-shoot-raw-video-tutorial-lightroom.html

 

[KeithG]

i suggest you approach the new world of digital in steps & stop at any step if you are happy.
1) buy a used (inexpensive) prior generation p&s with housing: approx $200 range, consider it disposable.
2) then buy a good re usable tray arm strobe system: upwards to $1000
3) then buy a second arm & strobe: $500
4) then buy a "real" camera & housing: $1500 and up?
5) then buy additional lens / ports
with this approach you can learn as you go and stop/hold at any point with minimal investment. i would not worry about buying the "perfect" camera at the beginning. start taking pictures again and figure what type and how you want to work it (RAW is great if you want to post process, but what if you decide it is a waste of your time?)

trays, strobes & arms can be reused with better cameras, but only if you bought the right ones.
the key camera issue is deciding if you will eventually go compact or DSLR. this is a big choice as it dictates wet lens versus ports.

 

[SKMoss]

wabbit,

you are preaching to choir with respect to raw. Every thing I shoot is shot raw. I like what I see in Lightroom, but already have photoshop. Having the before and after in the same window may well be worth the cost though.

---------- Post added August 3rd, 2014 at 10:54 AM ----------

Gif,

the progression makes a lot if sense. My primary reason for starting diving again is to help out with the WAVES Project. WAVES project Photography will take a back seat to that, so full dslr underwater is probably not on the radar screen at this point.

Good compact, housing, good strobes is going to be the setup for me.

so camera and housing have been decided on. Next is strobes.

 

[KeithG]

so camera and housing have been decided on. Next is strobes.

sea & sea or inon seem to be the popular brands.
one decision to consider is optical only or wired sync capable strobe(s)? optical only are generally cheaper.

optical is easy to connect & flood proof but has some limitations compared to wired sync especially concerning cycle time. with optical you will likely find that the onboard flash recycle time will become your limiting factor, not your strobe recycle time.

i started with optical but then converted to wired sync due to the slow (greater than 2 seconds) recycle time of my onboard flash. lucky for me, my original strobes supported wired sync.

 

[SKMoss]

Giff,

Thanks. Sounds like the wired sync is the way to go. That refresh speed is important.

The optical is nice when you want to get strobe away from the camera to back light something like a fan coral. I'm making a big assumption here, but one wired synch and another that was optical and matched to the wired one, would accomplish that, right?

---------- Post added August 5th, 2014 at 05:01 PM ----------

So the S110 and housing is on order. I pulled down the manuals and it looks like the only option is fiber optic cable. I'm assuming this just allows the flash to be routed to the strobe and will thus have the 2 second refresh delay.

Don't like it the refresh time, but considering total investment so far is around $320 so far, I'm thrilled.

 

[KeithG]

Giff,
So the S110 and housing is on order. I pulled down the manuals and it looks like the only option is fiber optic cable. I'm assuming this just allows the flash to be routed to the strobe and will thus have the 2 second refresh delay.

Don't like it the refresh time, but considering total investment so far is around $320 so far, I'm thrilled.

Congratulations: You have successfully completed step 1 of my "universal 5 step get into scuba photography plan" (as revealed above). At $320 you can consider yourself winning! So far...but be prepared to be sucked into the highly expensive, never ending, soul sucking vortex of scuba photo gear...

At this point I would not sweat too much about the flash cycle time. Depending upon your picture taking style / preferences, this may not be an issue. Other items like RAW image write time, autofocus time, picture inspection time, re-composition time, preferred subject type may out shadow the flash cycle time. This cycle time may be totally acceptable for your world. It works for many people. It is a big issue for me as I tend to utilize 4 fps burst mode when I take pictures. Not right or wrong, just my style based upon my preferred subject matter. Figure out your needs and make your own decisions.

Step 2 in the universal plan is tray, arm & strobe. Note that this step can be delayed until after you have splashed about a bit with just the camera & housing using either ambient light or onboard flash only. Happy snaps as an end goal works for many people. You did not indicate if you used flash with your Nikonos. I carry a pocket canon elph in my BCD for happy snaps. Works awesome for what it does. It is all the camera my divebuddy needs. We have developed on new hand signal for "happy snap" which requires me to dig it out, turn it on, adjust the settings and hand it to her. She does not understand why cameras have more than 1 button. Why would you need more than the "take a picture" button?

This step officially requires additional thought about the future before you plunge headlong into $$$$.

Stating the obvious: If you think you will upgrade in the future to a system that utilizes wired sync, then do not spend $$$$ on a strobe that does not support it. The whole concept is to future proof your big ticket items like strobes. Your current camera / housing should be considered "disposable". Do not get attached to it. Do NOT give it a name! It is not one of your many highly cherished offspring. But you knew that.

You may find that your style does not require wired sync. My crystal ball (obtained via a give me your opinion post several months ago) indicates that optical only is the future for many. So keep this opinion in mind. It all depends upon your type / style.

Alternately, you can also go elcheapo with the tray, arm & strobe and consider them disposable just like your camera. (Please do not give a name to your strobe either.) I have seen some good used prior generation optical only sea & Sea strobes on ebay for under $200. If going this route make sure you understand the nuances of "pre digitial" strobes that can not handle the pre flash of current P&S cameras.

Cheers...

 

[SKMoss]

AH MAN. I was thinking about Nick and Mariah for the names of the Canon/Strobe...

I did shoot the Nikonus V with a strobe, but not the IV. I was never really happy about the pics I got with the strobe, but had no one to help teach me. That was long before the internet and so that should change now.

I will need the wired strobe in the future. Like you I do burst photography almost all the time. I'll proceed beyond the snapshot, but not go Nat Geo Pro. Similar to my in air photography. I do a lot and at best can be considered a pro-sumer. I've sold some images, and done a couple of modeling gigs for friends, but have no interest in going beyond that.

In the end, the S110 (Or future similar upgrade) may well be enough for a long time.

Soon as the camera and case get here (camera this week, case in a couple of weeks) I'm going to take a run over to ShootingUnderwater.com's brick and mortar store on a lunch break and see what the options are. It's only 10 minutes from the office. If I can at least get stuff picked out I will know how long until I can pick up the trays and strobes/lights. I will cry when I hand over the cash, but I am mentally prepared for it.