New Rig - Photo or Video?

[kfin]

I used to be heavily into Photo and macro photo with a Nikonos V. About ten years ago I got a couple of the first digital cameras and tried them for a bit and then had to quit diving foe a while due to a couple of surgeries. It is time to get back at it though and I have a couple of questions since I am totally not familiar with what is out there now.

I have a Sony SR300 video camrea that we use for the grand kids on land. It is an awesome video machine and I thout about buying a housing for it but they are not made anymore. If I want to take both stills and video, can't I just take the stills out of the video when editing?

I know that video cameras don't take the best photos and a camera does not take the best video....but if a person wanted to do both and the wife would kill me if I bought both....what would you guys recommend? I need the whole setup....camera, strobes, arms...starting from scratch..

camera or video cam? Which strobes? Recommended source? Most diving at this point will be tropical as I don't live in Chicago anymore so quick accesss to the lakes is gone. Going to spend a week in Bonaire and a week in Curacao this summer relaxing.

Thanks for the help getting an old fart back into the game.

 

[mjh]

Well you have a lot of choices. Most of all the new digital still cameras can shoot 1080 HD video. The main issue with them vs. good camcorders is the autofocus systems. Most video systems have very good autofocus where still systems loose focus with subjects moving about quickly. Yes you can get ok stills from some video systems, but rarely something I would put on the wall. So at this point there is not a "still" camera that can do everything a true video camera can, including smooth panning in and out. But the lines are blurring.

So you have to choose what is more important to you video or stills. If it is video there are a lot of great cameras out there. Here is an example of a system people are getting excellent video results from.
System Packages :: Video Packages :: Optical Ocean Gates/Sola Package -

For a still camera that takes great video you will here about the Panasonic GH2 or GH3. Housings are still very limited but it is a camera the was more built around its video capabilities than still. Of course many of the Canon and Nikon DSLRs shoot very good video but as mentioned the issue with this is the autofocus. Another alternative is the Olympus OMD-EM5 nice video as it has a 5-axis stabilization system but it main strength is stills. This camera is getting Power Zooms that will allow electronic zoom in and out.
System Packages :: Mirrorless Systems :: Optical Ocean Nauticam Olympus OM-D E-M5 Package -

There is yet to be a strobe that can really serve as a video light or vice-a-versa. So many end up with two strobes and two video lights, if budget allows. So there are a lot of options but deciding what you want to concentrate on and budget will help in refining your options.

 

[kfin]

Thanks for the responses. I think that I am still leaning towards a camera. Old habits die hard. One good thing is that I already own a Canon S100. Gearing it up may be my best bet as I like the camera. It seems to be used quite a bit after some reading and has both wide angle and macro available to change underwater.

Not a totally fancy one......but I already own at least the camera.

 

[BlueDevil]

Since you alread have a Canon S100 it seems like a great option to just put it in a housing. The Canon S series are certainly one of the most commonly used point and shoot cameras underwater. I have got some great results with my S95. It does HD video but I have to admit that while it can do excellent quality video at times I find it inconsistent in poor conditions, and the fact that it doesn't constantly adjust focus while filming is a disadvantage for tracking fish etc.

The Canon housing is quite cheap but fairly basic. I have made do with it for some time, but there are better (much dearer) housings. It would be a good starting point though. Ikelite also make a housing for this camera, but if you step up to other manufacturers you are getting quite pricey.

 

[mjh]

The s100 is a excellent camera. Add a wide angle lens like the Fix UWL 28, a good video light and a diopter and you have a very capable system. I have seen fantastic stills and video from people just using natural light and filters.

Here you can see a Ike and Nauticam packages you could build on. System Packages :: Compact Systems -

 

[Interceptor121]

For stills a fisheye lens is a must
not so for video you can get a wet mate dome and with 24mm you can cover most of scenes without having to remove it as you can also zoom
On the other hand the money you save on wet lenses you spend in lights if you are serious about video
The S100 is not that good at battery but can do two dives if used spariingly

 

[rx7diver]

Thanks for the responses. I think that I am still leaning towards a camera. Old habits die hard.

Kfin,

Do you own a Nikonos U/W 15mm Nikkor lens? A few months ago I was excitedly reading everything I could get my hands on regarding the (digital) Nex 5 camera and Nauticam housing with an adapter for this lens. Maybe you will like this solution.

Safe Diving,

rx7diver

 

[kfin]

I am not sure if I still have that lense or not but will check to see what is left tonight. I went ahead and ordered the fisheye housing for the S100 today. Could not pass up the sale at backscatter.

Planning on getting the UWL-28 wide angle this spring.

Next wo questions....for macro would I be better served by the Inon stackable or the fisheye closeup.

Strobe.....Be better served with a single (for now) YS-D1 or a pair of YS-01 (might be able to swing both before trip)

Time will probably be fairly evenly split between wide angle and macro.