Need help with choosing Underwater Camera - digital and video

[pholsten]

Hello....I am very new to this board.

I currently have a Sealife DC1400 and Strobe...but have not been satisfied with it. The shutter lag is just something I cannot deal with. So I would like suggestions as to what camera I should buy.

I am an amateur but love underwater photography. I would like to stay under $2000 for camera, housing, strobe and video light.....that is user friendly with great auto functionality. There seem to be so many options.

Any recommendations are appreciated. I leave on the 15th for Cayman Islands for a week and really want a great camera. By the way....once I find one I would like to sell my Sealife setup...only been used underwater 2x.

Thanks!!! Pat

 

[bvanant]

a lot (actually a whole lot) will depend on your budget and expectations. If you have $1000 to spend the answer is something very different than if you budget is $5000 and you are willing to take a whole lot of stuff with you when you travel.
Bill

 

[doctormike]

If the problem that you are having with your current setup is shutter lag, then as far as I know you need to switch to a DSLR (correct me if I'm wrong).

Cheapest housing for a DSLR would be Ikelite (about $1400, not including the dome port), plus at least one external strobe, plus camera and lens (wide angle or macro, if you want both you need another dome port).

Hard to imaging staying under $2000...

NOT a cheap hobby!

 

[mjh]

There are many options that will fit in your budget, here is one example System Packages :: Compact Systems :: Optical Ocean Nauticam LX5 Value Package -

Look around if the camera is one generation old there are some deals to be had.

 

[doctormike]

There are many options that will fit in your budget, here is one example System Packages :: Compact Systems :: Optical Ocean Nauticam LX5 Value Package -

Look around if the camera is one generation old there are some deals to be had.

I don't understand, didn't the OP say that the reason he wanted to get a new camera was because of the shutter lag?

The camera in this package is a Panasonic LX-5, it's not an SLR, and it has shutter lag just like all point and shoots (average of 0.5 seconds according to the review I read).

There are all sorts of underwater camera rigs, and you can certainly get a good system for under $2000, but not one that eliminates shutter lag like an SLR.