New Camera - Sea&Sea DX-2G or Canon G9?

[MattiasA]

I recently bought a new camera setup (Sea & Sea 1200HD) and had a few issues with the camera that froze etc.
I can't complain about the Customer Service (Got a new camera without discussion) and I fully expect the new one to work, but I'm kind of touchy when it comes to these things and will sell this and get another model. A purely emotional decision, I confess..

At the moment I'm looking at two alternatives:
1 - Sea & Sea DX-2G with 110alpha flash + wideangle wetlens
2 - 2nd hand Ganon G9, Canon Housing and the Inon wideangle kit and a comparable flash

The G9 is a heavier camera on land and has less depth rating, but I am a happy canon-user otherwise. One "drawback" is that the canon housing requires somewhat of a workaround to acommodate the wetlenses (and I do not want to go for the big Ikelite house. I have been offered a G9/Housing package from a friend)

The Sea&Sea (Ricoh) is smaller, comes as a "factory kit" but I am a tad concerned by the noise levels that seems to be quite a bit higher than the Canon.

I plan to use the camera as the landside as well as the DLSR often is a bit bulky for extended travel.

Do anyone of you have experience with the two sets I'm looking at?
Which one would you choose and why?

All and any thoughts are most welcome

EDIT:
After reading a bit in the Canon Corner and seen the Fantasea Bigeye, the G10 came up as a contender as well.. I wasn't aware of any WA-lenses for the Canon G10 Housing...

 

[gNats]

I recently bought a new camera setup (Sea & Sea 1200HD) and had a few issues with the camera that froze etc.
I can't complain about the Customer Service (Got a new camera without discussion) and I fully expect the new one to work, but I'm kind of touchy when it comes to these things and will sell this and get another model. A purely emotional decision, I confess..

At the moment I'm looking at two alternatives:
1 - Sea & Sea DX-2G with 110alpha flash + wideangle wetlens
2 - 2nd hand Ganon G9, Canon Housing and the Inon wideangle kit and a comparable flash

The G9 is a heavier camera on land and has less depth rating, but I am a happy canon-user otherwise. One "drawback" is that the canon housing requires somewhat of a workaround to acommodate the wetlenses (and I do not want to go for the big Ikelite house. I have been offered a G9/Housing package from a friend)

The Sea&Sea (Ricoh) is smaller, comes as a "factory kit" but I am a tad concerned by the noise levels that seems to be quite a bit higher than the Canon.

I plan to use the camera as the landside as well as the DLSR often is a bit bulky for extended travel.

Do anyone of you have experience with the two sets I'm looking at?
Which one would you choose and why?

All and any thoughts are most welcome

EDIT:
After reading a bit in the Canon Corner and seen the Fantasea Bigeye, the G10 came up as a contender as well.. I wasn't aware of any WA-lenses for the Canon G10 Housing...

I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure I read on a different forum that the Canon uw housings are not that reliable. They fail more often that the Ikelite.

I know several people who bought the Sea & Sea 1200 and they LOVE it. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your first camera. But, personally, you risk that with ALL technology. Sad to say, but that is technology. Are you sure you want to trade in such a great camera for a 2nd hand G9?

It is my understanding (again, all 2nd hand info) but the G9 features are not as robust as the 1200. The G9 was meant to be a point and shoot and does not have the ability to go manual and do a lot of over-rides like the 1200.

I have a Canon land DSLR and love it's functionality for manual settings and built-in settings. I don't know if I would buy the D9 however, because it has feature limitations.

Something to consider.

All cameras are not equal uw. I refused to put my Canon DSLR into an Ikelite housing because I didn't feel that it would be that easy to use UW. Menus, the LCD screen, how easy you can push the external buttons on the housing with 5mm gloves (I dive cold water more often than warm). Plus, the setup was heavy and bulky on land and in the water.

Since you are back to the point of exploring cameras and setups, and you are looking at a camera with a 3rd party housing, you may want to add the ease of use UW. I have a SeaLife DC800. I really like the camera and it's features along with how the housing fits in my hands and how easily I can navigate the menus and choose options with my gloves on.

It is also very positive. Which, again, for me, is a good thing. I figure if I am ever in a situation where the camera and I must part ways underewater, if I let the camera go it will float to the surface where I have a greater chance of recovering it. I have heard that negative weight is more common in uw camera setups.

Also, research battery life. A lot of cameras will chew through batteries. I find that the cameras that use regular AA batteries chew through them faster and the unit weighs more than a specifically designed battery.

Taking the ease of use uw is just as important as features and reliability. Or you will come home from a great dive trip within nothing but fish butts :-D

Oh, one more thing: If you think you may use the camera topside - the housing can be an important feature. I have and plan on using my UW camera and housing (minus the strobe) for outdoor events where the elements are not condusive to cameras (rain, snow), when I am at water parks, boating, or near the water, or even amusement parks or places where the camera needs extra shock proof protection.

Hope my comments and experiences help. Good luck with your decision.

 

[The Mighty Thor]

Patima also has a G9 housing which has gotten good reviews, and is a lot smaller than the Ikelite.

 

[Magnus357]

I could be wrong, but I am pretty sure I read on a different forum that the Canon uw housings are not that reliable. They fail more often that the Ikelite.

I know several people who bought the Sea & Sea 1200 and they LOVE it. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with your first camera. But, personally, you risk that with ALL technology. Sad to say, but that is technology. Are you sure you want to trade in such a great camera for a 2nd hand G9?

It is my understanding (again, all 2nd hand info) but the G9 features are not as robust as the 1200. The G9 was meant to be a point and shoot and does not have the ability to go manual and do a lot of over-rides like the 1200.

I have a Canon land DSLR and love it's functionality for manual settings and built-in settings. I don't know if I would buy the D9 however, because it has feature limitations.

Something to consider.

All cameras are not equal uw. I refused to put my Canon DSLR into an Ikelite housing because I didn't feel that it would be that easy to use UW. Menus, the LCD screen, how easy you can push the external buttons on the housing with 5mm gloves (I dive cold water more often than warm). Plus, the setup was heavy and bulky on land and in the water.

Since you are back to the point of exploring cameras and setups, and you are looking at a camera with a 3rd party housing, you may want to add the ease of use UW. I have a SeaLife DC800. I really like the camera and it's features along with how the housing fits in my hands and how easily I can navigate the menus and choose options with my gloves on.

It is also very positive. Which, again, for me, is a good thing. I figure if I am ever in a situation where the camera and I must part ways underewater, if I let the camera go it will float to the surface where I have a greater chance of recovering it. I have heard that negative weight is more common in uw camera setups.

Also, research battery life. A lot of cameras will chew through batteries. I find that the cameras that use regular AA batteries chew through them faster and the unit weighs more than a specifically designed battery.

Taking the ease of use uw is just as important as features and reliability. Or you will come home from a great dive trip within nothing but fish butts :-D

Oh, one more thing: If you think you may use the camera topside - the housing can be an important feature. I have and plan on using my UW camera and housing (minus the strobe) for outdoor events where the elements are not condusive to cameras (rain, snow), when I am at water parks, boating, or near the water, or even amusement parks or places where the camera needs extra shock proof protection.

Hope my comments and experiences help. Good luck with your decision.

Lots of incorrect or misleading information in your post.

The Canon underwater cases known to be quite reliable within recreational diving depths. I would venture a guess that Canon sells more cases and has more cases in use that any other manufacturer. Therefore, the number of floodings will of course be higher. Underwater case reliability has a lot to do with user maintenance. You need to be careful not to drop the case, carefully inspect and lubricate the o-ring, and flush the case with warm fresh water after each extended use in salt water. This applies to the $150 Canon cases and $3,000 Sea & Sea cases.

Some of the Canon case short comings are that they come from the factory very positively buoyant. However, Canon sells an accessory to weight the case to one's own needs. Another slight issue with the cases is that it's not very easy to mount other lens options. But several third parties manufacture options for lens mounts.

The biggest positive of the Canon cases is that they are CHEAP, at least comparatively. You can get most of them for less than $200. You'll spend at least twice that on any other option. The Canon cases are a good intro into underwater photography. If you find you don't like it, you're not invested for big $$.

Secondly, while the G9 is one generation old, it IS a full manual camera. The poster above is obviously not familiar with the camera. You'll have full PASM modes with custom WB options and RAW shooting capabilities. The G9 was a highly regarded point and shoot in its time. The G10 has a wider angle lens, but then again you'll spend more on it. The G9 does not have a HD movie mode though.

 

[Magnus357]

At the moment I'm looking at two alternatives:
1 - Sea & Sea DX-2G with 110alpha flash + wideangle wetlens
2 - 2nd hand Ganon G9, Canon Housing and the Inon wideangle kit and a comparable flash

*snip*

EDIT:
After reading a bit in the Canon Corner and seen the Fantasea Bigeye, the G10 came up as a contender as well.. I wasn't aware of any WA-lenses for the Canon G10 Housing...

The Fantasea Bigeye for the G10 is looking to be a good option. They're just now hitting the market. Keep in mind that they don't give you true wide angle, they only restore the original 28mm wide angle view that the camera has above water. I don't believe that Fantasea is planning a G9 version.

None of the current lens mounting solutions for the Canon G9 case work with wide angle. This is because the G9/G10 lens retract when going into wide angle mode, which means any add on lens will vignette quite badly. To fix that, you have to zoom in which means you lose the benefit.

If you're looking for inexpensive wide-ish angle, I'd wait a bit on the G10 BigEye's port.

 

[MattiasA]

gNats:

Are you sure you're not referring to the DX-2G?
I know that one (and its predecessor) has a lot of manual settings, but the DX 1200HD struck me as about as point and shoot as my Ixus that I used previously. It does have the advantage of HD filming though, but I realize that I'm mostly into still photography.

I've also ruled out taking the DSLR down with me. I do not want to do pure "photography dives" but "being able to take photos while diving" if you know what I mean.
I mostly dive cold water myself with either dry gloves or 5mm, but I found the housing on my Ixus to be rather workable.

I haven't seen the Sealife cameras here in Sweden, but I'll take another look.


Magnus357:
I've heard good things about both the G9 and G10 underwater.
One reason I was hesitant about the G10 was the lack of wetlenses, while I read about the Inon setup for the G9 combining a Wideangle with a Dome. But it seems as if there are adapters coming for the G10 as well..
(I'm just a beginner when it comes to WA photos so I don't really know what to expect or look for.)


I'm planning on an in-shop head-to-head with the DX2 (or rather the Ricoh) and a G10 tomorrow just to get a feel for the controls/menus and zoom. So far there's no rush, but hopefully I'm going to Monterrey this fall and until then I need to come to a decison

 

[Magnus357]

MattiasA,

I'm not familiar with the Ikelite dome port for the INON lens, but I do know that the Ikelite case for the G9 is pretty hard to get a hold of. I don't think that Ikelite manufactures it anymore.

The G10 is a very well rating prosumer type point and shoot. I view the G10+Canon Case+BigEyes lens as a good entry level setup. I'm still using my SD1000 in a Canon case, but I'm thinking about picking up the G10 setup. I don't dive enough to justify > $2000 for a wide-ish angle underwater camera.

 

[Magnus357]

Looking around at Jack Connick's website (a forum sponsor), I found what looks to be a converter to allow one to use the G10 BigEyes dome port on a Canon G9 case.

Fantasea Canon G10 to G7/G9 Eyedaptor - Point & Shoot Lenses & Filters - Optical Ocean Sales Underwater Photography

I'm not exactly sure that this does what I think it does, but if you call Jack I'm sure he'll be able to answer for you. If it does work on the G9 case, this would probably be the least expensive option for you if you can get the "buddy" deal on the G9 with case.

 

[hammerhead man]

I would look seriously at the DX-2G. I own the DX-1G and have been very happy about it. Regarding noise, if you keep the ISO rating at 100 or 200 noise there is little noise. In my opinion, for most cameras noise is not a factor because most divers don't make prints larger than 8.5X11. If you check my pics out in my photos link, you can see pics taken with my camera (Fiji pics were taken with a DX-5000 and Galapagos and Turks pics were taken with the DX-1G).

The DX-2g is a point and shoot that also offers a full manual mode. The camera's lens already takes wide angle photos (24mm) and has a nice wide angle lens that is attachable underwater. It also has a closeup lens available as well. I would not hesitate to recommend the Sea&Sea cameras.

Regards,

Bill