Looking For U/W Camera (Canon S95, Panasonic LX-5, or Canon G12)

[Scuba_Noob]

Hi,

I'm looking to get an underwater/land camera some time soon, and I'm debating between the Canon Powershot S95, Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5, or Canon Powershot G12. I'm a novice in photography, BUT I want a decent camera that I won't have to replace in a year. Also, I want to save some money.

I'm looking at the Ikelite housings for all three, as they are generally very reliable and allow for add-ons. I was looking at the Canon housings, which are really inexpensive comparatively, but I hear that it's difficult to add lenses (and other add-ons) later on and the quality isn't as good as the higher-end brands.

My number one choice was the S95, as it's not too expensive ($700 including Ikelite housing). But I've heard from many review sites about the poor battery life. Does anyone have experience with it underwater? How long does it last [dive time] and how many photos does it take [with flash, without flash]? And I'm also curious about the battery notification. Scanning the forums, I feel like the negativity towards the battery life was exaggerated.

Also, does anyone have any opinions about the Ikelite housing for the S95? How hard is it to adjust the settings? Would it be too difficult with thicker gloves (that's what I'd likely be wearing)?

Does anyone have any opinions about the Canon housing as well?

The other two cameras are a bit higher-end. I looked at the G12 and with the Canon housing, it isn't that expensive. But do I really want that? The LX5 seems like the best camera out of the three, but it likely will run to about $1000 for everything.

Any other suggestions for cameras and housing?

Thanks.

 

[cardog]

Look at the Oly XZ-1 with the OEM housing. You should be around 700-750 for the camera and housing.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

I've just been checking out the Oly XZ-1 and its housing, and I've seen nothing but positive reviews. Thanks for the tip. I'm going to have to do a little more research, though.

 

[ozziworld]

Consider all if any add-on lenses that you want. then work backwards from there. the housing, ports, adapters and strobes are the majority of the system underwater. Ideally the lens you want is supported or works with the camera and housing that you want.

 

[Scuba_Noob]

Not sure about the add-on lenses, but I like to have a housing with multiple options. Basically, the only ones I'm thinking about are the wide-angle lens and maybe the macro lens, but those are in the very distant future. For sure, the Ikelite housing works with the wide-angle.

Did some more research on the Olympus XZ-1. Turns out the camera is amazing, but the video is below average. I should have mentioned that I mostly want to take photos, but would like to film once in a while.

So top choice will likely be the Canon Powershot S95, based on further research (for my purposes).

 

[sunkmail]

I've got a S95 with Ikelite Housing - I'm still new to this set-up, with only 3 or 4 dives since swapping from my old rig.

I went with the Ikelite more to Depth rating and build quality, rather than lens compatibility, so I can't really comment on that part.

As for battery life, I have been doing dives in the 90 - 100 min range (150 - 200 pics usually) without too much trouble, & without powering off the camera. It does go into sleep mode (Turns off the screen), but otherwise is on the whole time. I am using an external strobe, so every picture forces the flash. If you are doing anything with ambient light, your run time should be better. I would suggest swapping out the battery between dives, which can be awkward on a small boat, but I think it's worth it for the price and quality.

Also, If you are willing to trust aftermarket batteries, do a search on eBay for "S95 Battery" or "S95 Batteries" - The battery that comes with the camera is 1000 mAh - You can find them with more capacity. I got 2, 1600 mAh, batteries and a extra charger for less than a spare battery locally. (Generally, I only use the standard battery when transferring pics, or taking above water shots.) I think the cold water affects the battery capacity sensor in the camera, resulting in premature safety shut-down.

Hope this helps.

 

[sunkmail]

Deleted - Double post

 

[PatW]

I use an Ikelite housing and a Canon G11.

Unless you are diving in very shallow water, you will find the absorption by the water column of longer wavelengths of light to be a real limitation. The only real way to deal with that is to buy a strobe and better yet have 2 strobes.

The Ikelite housing will take an Inon macro lens which works pretty well. The Canon G11 has a "macro" setting. But the macro setting only works with the lens zoomed out. That means in order to get a decent shot of a small critter, you have to be REALLY close. Many things do not tolerate that. The inon lens will let you get the macro shot from "long" range ... say 8".

The G11 and Ike housing system is pretty limited on the wide angle side. You can get an add on wet lens that restores the 28 mm of the G11 (in water it is a functional 35 mm). But I think that is as wide as you can get. I have found that wide angle is absolutely necessary for big subjects like divers. Also with large fish, it is good to be able to get close and shoot with a wider angle. I find the 35 to be not enough on the wide angle side for sting rays, large grouper, landscapes and other divers.

If you go with a higher end housing than Ikelite, you can get a really wide angle with the G12, but you are talking about much more money for that system. You can check the Backscatter web site for information.

Another problem is the shutter lag. Actually it is not that much of a problem once you get a focus lock. Once the focus is "locked" on a subject, there is almost no lag. But on small fish that dart about, it can be hard.

There is another problem. The G11, G12 and S95 all use a small sensor. If you want to realize the megapixils in the camera, you can not shoot with an F stop of over 3.2 . That F stop is fine for wide angle but tough on macro and depth of field. This limitation of resolution and sensor size and F stop all has to do with the diffraction limits of life.

The other system that you might look at is the Pen 3 by Olympus. You could go with that and the Olympus housing with a strobe. The problem is that you do not have the wide range zoom that the Canons have. So you have to change lenses. But you do get a larger sensor which gives you more on the F stop side (which really comes into play only on macro settings).

Oh, I would strongly suggest that you learn about the RAW file format. RAW format allows you to adjust white balance in post processing rather than guess when you are at 30' with shifting light. Also RAW format gives you far more latitude to recover photos that are not exposed properly and to get details out of high lights and shadows. Now RAW format takes more space on a card than JPEG so you will need to plunk down money for 4 GIG cards which hold about 280 photos in RAW.

On land, I shoot with a good DSLR. I was very pleasantly surprised with the G11. It handles very much like a DSLR. It also takes very nice photos. I can see why photo journalists have made the Canon G series their camera of choice when they can not carry a DSLR.

 

[shutsal]

There is another problem. The G11, G12 and S95 all use a small sensor. If you want to realize the megapixils in the camera, you can not shoot with an F stop of over 3.2 . That F stop is fine for wide angle but tough on macro and depth of field. This limitation of resolution and sensor size and F stop all has to do with the diffraction limits of life.

Completely disagree with this. With my S95 I shoot macro at F8 almost exclusively with no problem, and WA at F4 or F5.6. Pictures can be cropped or blown up without any issue. You can easily compensate for the increased DOF at F8 by having a quicker shutter speed which I would do anyways to emphasize the subject with a dark background.

 

[Hoomi]

As new as you are to diving, you may want to consider starting with a simpler set-up. I started with an old, used Canon SD100 and Canon WP-DC10 case that I picked up off Craigslist for $50. While it was a lower resolution camera (3.2 Mp), and I didn't have a light for it, what it had was low cost and very simple to use while I was still getting used to diving. When the battery compartment interlock got intermittent (meaning it sometimes wouldn't turn on), I upgraded to a new Canon SD1300 (12.1 Mp and around $100 at most department and electronic stores) and the WP-DC36 case. Like the earlier P&S Canon, it's very simple to use, meaning I don't have to fiddle around with a lot of stuff while diving, and takes some very nice photos and videos. I've now added an Intova SSFL light mount (about $50), clamp (under $10), and will use either my Tusa TUL300 light, or my UK eLed C8 (I'm working on fabricating a nylon adapter to mount it). Even then, the SD1300 has an underwater mode that makes the colors come out a bit better at depth.

One thing I like about using a lower end camera, particularly for now, is that if something happens either through random mishap or my error, I'm out a $100 camera, rather than a much more expensive one. For inexpensive P&S cameras, Canons are very nice.

The colors are washed out because of no light, but all the footage in this video was taken on the older Canon SD100. I haven't compiled a video from the only dive trip I've taken with the SD1300 yet, but I'm looking forward to using it in Hawaii at the end of this month.