Need some advise with my G11

[eazy11523]

Hello
I just joined this site and its really interesting. In January my girlfriend and I got our Open Water Certification in Roatan. It was incredible and now we are both hooked. However living in Alberta we don`t get out enough. Anyway I was wondering if someone could help me with some photography questions. I just got a Canon G11 and it`s great, I want to get an underwater case but I`m not sure what else I will need. I want to get it all ordered soon so it will be here before our trip. We are going to Playa del Carmen for a week at the start of may and I want all my stuff here on time. If anyone has some advice on what to get or where to buy it I would really appreciate it. Plus we have never dove in this area before and would like some help with finding a dive shop or some hot spots to visit while we are there. Thanks so much hope to hear from you all
R-Dizz

 

[skynscuba]

What is your budget? Do you want to do wide angle and macro that require add-on lenses, or just use the built-in G11 capability?

 

[Puffer Fish]

Sky is absolutely correct... the camera, by itself and the canon case will allow basic pictures.. and video... add a strobe and you can take well lite images... add a second strobe and you can take near perfect fish and small stuff images... but want to take wide angle images... well that takes a more expensive case and wet lens. Want to take super macro... more lens

All depends on what you want to take pictures of.

I shot for years with the canon case... one just has to know the limitations

 

[Divingguy]

Personally, with your number of dives, I would say get the Canon case, and go take pictures in ambient light. You will get some great pics, and still be able to enjoy exploring new dive environments with your dive buddy without being overwhelmed by gear. You can always add TTL flash as you progress, in diving, and taking pictures. I have the Canon case for the G10, and am amazed at the pics it can take.

 

[Jorgy]

I would go with the Ike housing.......

It will allow you to use the camera to its full potential........

Ikelite Housing for Canon Digital Camera

Twice the price of the Canon housing but able to be expanded and use wet lenses.....

Depending on budget........in purchase priority order.....

1 - Ike housing
2 - WA lens
3 - Arm/Tray & Strobe
4 - Macro lens
5 - 2nd Strobe.....

The G11 is a great camera......with the right add-ons you can take awesome pictures....

Hope this helps.....M

 

[LeeParrish]

Personally, with your number of dives, I would say get the Canon case, and go take pictures in ambient light. You will get some great pics, and still be able to enjoy exploring new dive environments with your dive buddy without being overwhelmed by gear. You can always add TTL flash as you progress, in diving, and taking pictures. I have the Canon case for the G10, and am amazed at the pics it can take.

I would agree. I have an older and much less capable Canon SD770 and have taken some photos I've really been proud of, and considering the G11 is much more capable you should be able to really get some nice shots. I recently bought a G11 myself since I finally thought my underwater skills were beginning to exceed what my older SD770 could deliver.

Get a spare battery, they aren't that expensive on places like EBay or Amazon. This way you can have one in the charger and charged and ready when you want to switch one out. Nothing like coming back from a dive with a low battery and missing other vacation photos. Or forgetting to charge it and then realizing you don't have time before your next dive.

Shoot RAW as well as JPG. This means that you will use up space on your memory cards much quicker, but it also means you can correct color balance issues later if needed on your computer.

Get an extra couple memory cards. And switch them out every time you switch batteries. If you have a laptop, copy off the photos each time to make a backup, if not no worries. Switching means that if for some reason a card goes bad, gets corrupt, or any other problem, you don't lose all your photos.

And have fun. It's easy to get tied up in spending money and forgetting to have a good time. I personally don't want my equipment ever to be so expensive I'm afraid to use it. When you get your housing, put your camera in it and play around, get used to the controls. You don't want to be on your first dive and fumbling with your camera and miss something. Better to get the practice before the dives if you can.

 

[KhunNeal]

I'd suggest starting with the Canon Case
Later on you can add a strobe
then a second strobe
the a whole new camera

But it can be years between those steps, I did 20-30 dives with a simple setup before adding a strobe and then getting a new camera(S90) and housing

ps. Shoot RAW when underwater, much easier to correct color that way.

 

[LeeParrish]

Twice the price of the Canon housing but able to be expanded and use wet lenses.....

Make that a little over 3 times the cost of the Canon housing. The Canon can be easily found for $174.99. The lowest I've seen the Ike for is around $616.

 

[Peter Guy]

How about NOT getting any UW case at the moment -- just take the G11 and take topside pics. Slow down and enjoy the newness of diving.

After you've had more dives, have your buoyancy "spot on" and have your situational awareness (buddiness) down pat, then buy a housing (I use the Canon housing on my camera because I really didn't like the Ike housing) and start taking pics.

Become a very solid diver first before adding a camera.

YMMV

 

[under water]

I agree with Peter. But maybe not for the same reason.
For now, if you must take a camera on your dives, I would get the Canon housing and use that. Don't invest in a lot of extra stuff just yet. You will have plenty of time for that after you get your basic diving skills down and then work on your U/W photo skills.
Why wait? .. well I think we are on the cusp of a really big change in U/W cameras. With the newer cameras that are coming on the market, (a blend of the best of SLR and the best of P&S) there is much more potential for higher quality and consistent images than with the existing compact cameras. I use a G9 compact with an Ike housing and all that stuff the others talked about and I am just waiting myself.
With the new cameras, you will get higher quality at higher speeds, better dynamic range, better resolution, etc
If you wait 6 months or so, you could probably see which direction you can go and then your upgrade path will be more thought out and you may save some money. (and maybe save some coral too)