New vs. Used?

[Hotpuppy]

Hello,
I'm seriously considering going with a Sealife camera and was wondering how others feel about theirs?

My main purpose is to take pictures for myself and to share with friends. The pics will wind up on my blog or webpage from time to time. Other than that I may print them out and frame them for at the house.

I am leaning towards Sealife because I don't want to get stuck fighting with very expensive equipment and I'd rather take snapshots and pick through them. Realistically, I'm not going to earn a living taking shots underwater.

I like that SL can do video even if it isn't ultra high quality, it will work for what I am likely to use it for.

I originally was looking at a DC 1000. It seems like the DC 800 has some issues. What are the drawbacks to a DC600 or DC 500? I realize that the megapixel rating is lower, but that isn't the end-all be-all. In fact, I was surprised to see that the DC 1000 is 10mp at 24bit rgb and the dc 1200 is going to be 12mp at 12bit rgb which is half the color depth.

My thinking was that a used dc500 or dc600 would let me conserve cash, take pics, and then upgrade later on. Battery life, strobe battery life, and storage capacity are likely to be my biggest headaches.

 

[greylion]

The later versions have much better battery lives. I love my DC100 elite package and I bought mine for the same reasons you outlined, it takes a darn good photo and it don't break the bank. I love how compact the whole rig is to travel with too.

 

[treywilly]

I am a sealife fan, I've had the dc600 elite, which was my first Sealife. I just recently purchased the dc1000 and another strobe which gives me the dc1000 maxx. When the other gentlemen mentioned battery life he is right. The battery life was a major improvement, I love my new camera. I have a dslr and i'm reluctant to take it in the water and besides if I travel that means I'm packing 2 cameras and all kind of chargers. Get yourself a Sealife either the dc1000 elite or the 1200 elite you can't go wrong. Also it takes great land pictures as well. And the have great service on there product if ever needed. Sealife is Quality products!!!


Ps....... And the camera has great video!!!

 

[treywilly]

If cash is a problem, then just purchase a camera alone. I would get the dc1000 the older cameras battery life was always an issue. But that strobe make a Hugh difference. If your on facebook you can look at my pictures from Puerto Rico from Feb4-8, 2010.

 

[Hotpuppy]

I actually found a great deal on a Canon G9 with the underwater case, so I decided to that route. I do appreciate everyone's feedback though.

 

[DandyDon]

Great. Got it insured? The best: Personal Articles

 

[Hotpuppy]

That will be the next task... Probably through Dan. However, honestly insurance is only for things you can't afford to replace and the insurance needs to be less than 10% of the replacement cost for me to consider it. So if the rate to insure a $500 camera is under $50/yr than I will consider it. Otherwise I'll just be really careful and bite the bullet if I screw up. The odds of flooding all of your equipment are somewhere next to nothing... .and honestly if you manage to flood your strobe and your camera on the same trip I think you are having a really bad dive.

There is a tendency for insurance to be unreasonably priced in specialty lines.

 

[DandyDon]

That will be the next task... Probably through Dan. However, honestly insurance is only for things you can't afford to replace and the insurance needs to be less than 10% of the replacement cost for me to consider it. So if the rate to insure a $500 camera is under $50/yr than I will consider it. Otherwise I'll just be really careful and bite the bullet if I screw up. The odds of flooding all of your equipment are somewhere next to nothing... .and honestly if you manage to flood your strobe and your camera on the same trip I think you are having a really bad dive.

There is a tendency for insurance to be unreasonably priced in specialty lines.

Well, when you check the rates & terms of both, I think you will find that the SF-PAP kind of blows away the others. I do have my camera & strobe insured as a package so if one part gets broken or flooded, I claim the entire package. It's often said that "it's nnot a matter of if your dive camera floods, but a matter of when". I don't agree completely as I sold my first two cameras to my home bud as I upgraded over the years and he's only flooded one of those - except he just didn't dive the other one much, so maybe we support the statement? Anyway, the rates are cheap, no deductible, and the one claim I have had (on a laptop zapped by a power surge, which homeowners would not have paid) went very well.

The plan is also known as "Inland Marine," which is how I heard of it on SB. If you search both terms, I think you will find reports favorable. Let me know how much they want to insure for $500, okay? Sporting goods are more for good reason, but I bet it's a lot less than $50. I am looking at mine now, and I have cameras insured for $650, other sporting goods for over $2,000, and my new laptop that I insured by phone before I left the store for $1,000 - all for $88/yr.

I hate to see posts from divers who have flooded their cams, lost them, or broke them - but I never see those posts from divers who had them insured. Just the ones who wished they had.