Need some help - g11 or sealife dc1400 or something else?

[staggsSevin]

Hi Guys,

I'm new to uw photography so I'm needing some help. I just got back from cozumel a couple weeks ago and I took a Intova IC12 camera down. It did pretty good, but I'm just looking for something a bit better. I want to stay with a point and shoot camera.

I'm looking to spend around $800

Here is what I'm currently debating on doing:

I currently own a Canon g11 camera that I use above the water, but I don't have any underwater housing etc. - pick up the uw housing and strobe? (if so help me out with that to get).

I've been looking at the SeaLife DC1400 Pro Set

Or is it possible to piece together something for $800 that would be better than above?

Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Gilligan]

I would not buy any camera for underwater use that does not have RAW capability. The SeaLife DC1400 does not have RAW.

I have a G12 and you will need an external strobe for the G10, G11 or G12 as various brand name housings block part of the internal strobe.

Take a look at the Canon S95 $289 and the Canon Housing $220.
and
the Olympus XZ-1 $420. and the Olympus PT-050 housing $211
all at Amazon.com.

 

[ghnouer]

I am happy with my G11+OEM housing and one external strobe....It's a good setup!Take a look in my flickr gallery.GHN





http://www.flickr.com/photos/50783234@N02/sets/72157628029898615/

 

[oly5050user]

G11 and ikelite housing/dome port and ikelite 160 strobe.With the ike housing you can access all controls and use ttl. TTL is a good tool to have .Eventually you will shoot manual but having ttl makes it easier. Can be more expensive way ,but you can grow with this system.No one says you have to buy it all at the same time.Get housing and then a peice at a time.Of course if you know what you really want to do with your images you will get it all at the same time.

 

[staggsSevin]

Thanks Guys,

I think I have decided to pick up a S95 (since I would like to do a small out of video here and there, but mainly photos). I haven't decided if I should go with Ikelite or the oem housing.....and for a strobe I was looking at the sea & sea ys-02, but don't really know for sure.

For the strobe I'd like it to shoot automatic via a fiber cable, I haven't done much research on the strobe yet.

I haven't pulled the trigger yet on anything as I'd like to layout exactly what I'm going to get first, I realize I'm going to go over my $800 budget but budgets are made to be broken it seems with diving!

 

[staggsSevin]

I am happy with my G11+OEM housing and one external strobe....It's a good setup!Take a look in my flickr gallery.GHN

View attachment 108897

View attachment 108898

Fernando de Noronha - a set on Flickr

Very nice pics! This makes me wonder if I should just skip out on the video and just use my g11 since I already own it. I liked that the s95 is a bit smaller profile which is the main reason I'm leaning towards it, but it's not that much smaller.

 

[Quero]

I just finished teaching a photo course to a woman with a SeaLife 1400. I thought the rig was a pain.

First of all, I think that technically there are too many restrictions on the settings if you are actually interested in photo and don't just want to let the camera make all the decisions for you. Not only is there no RAW capability, but even when shooting in Manual mode, there are just two f-stops (I think 2.8 and 7.9). The two settings for white balance--under 25 feet and in excess of 25 feet--don't produce consistently good color (no surprise there), though of course you can always set the WB manually. My point is that if it doesn't work well, it's just a gimmick for people who can't be bothered to work at their photo skills a little.

Next, the SeaLife strobe is a huge pain to position--it's stiff and the arm is too short to aim it adequately in many cases. Because of that, backscatter is a significant issue. Furthermore, the strobe itself is fussy. Getting the right amount of light isn't all that easy, so there's a lot of dialing up and down on the strobe for bracketing.

Since you've already got a G11, and since it's really a great little camera, I would recommend getting a housing and a good strobe for it rather than spending the money on a whole new setup. If you upgrade to a newer camera model or a different manufacturer sometime later, you can still use the strobe with the new camera. Now that the G11 is not the newest model, you can probably get a housing (Canon or something else) at a nice price and save some money there.

 

[ghnouer]

since you've already got a g11, and since it's really a great little camera, i would recommend getting a housing and a good strobe for it rather than spending the money on a whole new setup. If you upgrade to a newer camera model or a different manufacturer sometime later, you can still use the strobe with the new camera. Now that the g11 is not the newest model, you can probably get a housing (canon or something else) at a nice price and save some money there.

+1

ghn

 

[staggsSevin]

I'll probably end up using the g11 like you guys are suggesting. I'll pick up an oem housing but which strobe setup should I get...that won't break the bank!

 

[Quero]

You'll need to buy a strobe and a tray/arm for it. I have Inon D-2000s. I love them. And I use the Ultralight brand tray and arm system. Those two things would probably eat up most of your budget, but they are really worth the expense, and since you're not investing in a new camera....