Looking for experienced opinions

[Steve R]

lol, do you find yourself repeating the same thing to other people within hours of each other

Warren showed me the same deal (with another company) last night.

Thanks bud.

Steve

Buyer beware. Always do a search to check out "reviews" of such places. Often times you will come up with interesting results such as this:

http://www.epinions.com/msg/show_~threads/cat_id_~22/id_~6938/forum_id_~145

This is probably a bait and switch situation, or they don't include things like batteries, charger, manual, etc, or they will only ship if you buy over-inflated accessories. I would run away quickly from this "deal".

 

[Warren_L]

lol, do you find yourself repeating the same thing to other people within hours of each other

Warren showed me the same deal (with another company) last night.

Thanks bud.

Steve

Yah, these scams have been around for a while. You know what they say about a deal seeming too good to be true.....

 

[Thalassamania]

Buyer beware. Always do a search to check out "reviews" of such places. Often times you will come up with interesting results such as this:

http://www.epinions.com/msg/show_~threads/cat_id_~22/id_~6938/forum_id_~145

This is probably a bait and switch situation, or they don't include things like batteries, charger, manual, etc, or they will only ship if you buy over-inflated accessories. I would run away quickly from this "deal".

Thank you for the advice, I’m not too familiar with the current purchasing situations having always bought “over the counter.”

To me the biggest issue with the Point & Shoots is shutter lag. I know it is getting better but that would drive me crazy.

Completely unacceptable.

For DSLRs they are all getting so good it really comes down to what are you willing to spend and do you have any existing lenses. Really $6000 just gets you started.

I spent way more than that for film cameras, so that’s really not the issue.

Once you start adding "specialty lenses", back up bodies, extra strobes, focus lights, Photoshop, backup hard drives, Pelican cases, 12Gig CF cards, the price can really climb.

I’d be interested in knowing what it really takes to get to say, “semi-pro” status with a DSLR based system. I already have all the Nikon AI glass that I could want except (given the clip problem) a ultra-wide and perhaps a longer focal length macro lens. I can’t say that I’ve much cared for soon lenses in the past, save the 43-86 for birthday parties and such. I’ve found them a bit too soft.

One of the disadvantages with DSLR is you don’t have the flexibility the Point & Shoots have.

Pray expand on this idea.

 

[Warren_L]

Pray expand on this idea.

dSLRs being less flexible - refers to the fact that you really need to decide beforehand what sort of shots you're going for before the dive, as that is what your lens selection is based on. There may be a lens that can do it all (a wide to moderately telephoto zoom with macro capabilities, for example), however, this sort of lens may not necessarily be the best choice for any one particular type of shot. P&S systems you usually have the flexibility to go for whatever shot you want at the moment, especially with many of them having wet mount lens capability. But on a dSLR, you can't change lenses during a dive so you're pretty well stuck to taking the shots your lens choice dictates.

 

[HowardE]

Before you purchase a Nikon from somewhere, it's probably a good idea to look here http://nikonusa.com/template.php?goingto=wb_search2&cmbCategory=1&cmbGroup=696 to see if the place is actually an authorized Nikon USA dealer. (If you are a US resident)

If the deal seems TOO GOOD... it probably is.

For DSLRs they are all getting so good it really comes down to what are you willing to spend and do you have any existing lenses. Really $6000 just gets you started.

I have less than $5000 invested into my underwater photography, and I think I've been doing just fine with my current setup:

Nikon D200
sigma 17-70mm macro capable lens (multi purpose, wide angle zoom)
Ikelite D200 Housing + Dome for lens
2 @ Ikelite DS-125 strobes.
1 @ 4gb CF card (240 RAW images)

the D200 battery can shoot well over 300 photos before needing a charge.


(I do have other lenses for topside use like a 70-300mm and an 18-200, and a sb-800 flash - but all told, that's only another $1000 worth of equipment)

 

[Thalassamania]

dSLRs being less flexible - refers to the fact that you really need to decide beforehand what sort of shots you're going for before the dive, as that is what your lens selection is based on.

That's much the same as it is with my film cameras at the moment.

 

[HowardE]

I would say that the inflexibility of making a lens choice is mostly outweighed by the increased flexibility of options for making better shots.

No Shutter Lag
F-Stop range that FAR exceeds that of a P&S camera

and so much more.

 

[Steve_Dives]

I don't have a "serious" camera, but rather one that is extremely portable. The Nikon Coolpix S5. The camera is pocket size, and has a large screen on the back. Topside I can carry this thing around and forget I have it - it's tiny!

The housing is made by Fantasea (spelling?). It about triples the size of the camera (i.e. it's buoyant), but offers a great view of the screen and allows access to all the camera functions. The housing also allows you to mount a plate and strobes, which I don't have.

I'm happy with the pictures. The autofocus works well underwater. Only minor issue is the corners of the pictures are dark, but not the edges of the picture. This is a housing issue. Most people have not noticed the corners until I mention it.

 

[Steve_Dives]

One more thing...

The picture of me in my profile (not the avatar) was a self portrait taken with my camera. The dark area in the top left is not the housing effect.

 

[HowardE]

One more thing...

The picture of me in my profile (not the avatar) was a self portrait taken with my camera. The dark area in the top left is not the housing effect.

My guess is that you don't have an external strobe?