Next camera?????

[Saniflush]

What do you do when you have questions? Ask those that already have strong opinions and are the knowerabouters.

A little background. I have never been all that interested in photography on land so when Mrs Flush and I got certified I did little more than raise and eyebrow when she said she wanted a camera. We bought a Sealife Micro for her and it fit the bill exactly for what she wanted. Point, shoot, download. What I found out along the way is that when I am not with students I REALLY enjoy taking shots as well! So much so that I am usually the one taking pictures now, not Mrs Flush.

I think I am ready to move away from the point and shoot style of a Micro 2.0 and into something that you have more control over function and has a strobe. Understanding that this is a very loaded question what are some suggestions of what to look for next? I have really enjoyed the flexibility the the Sealife cameras have. Being able to take stills and video out of the same rig, WiFi connectivity to download files, etc. I have looked at the next step up in the Sealife line the DC2000 and they are tempting but I just don't know enough about other brands and the pros and cons of them to even begin to compare and contrast.

I did look through a couple of pages of threads and found some material on the subject but a good bit of it seems to be dated. I realize that posing this question is akin to asking what regulator or BCD is the best so I expect heavy handed opinions. Thanks for chiming in as I am sure that most everyone here knows more about it than I do.

 

[mi000ke]

I've been going through the same decision process. I'm a fairly experienced land photographer and have some good photo equipment (Canon 5D, 7D and a bunch of lenses), but when I decided to take up underwater photography last year I did not want to invest the several thousand dollars in a housing (plus another several thousand in strobes, etc.) until I knew what I was doing. So, I began shooting with an old compact point and shoot (Canon s120) and a housing that cost only a couple of hundred dollars, shooting with ambient light. I've been pleased with the results, but shooting in RAW format, it takes a lot of work in post processing to get anything half decent (you can see some of the results in the Cayman Picture of the day thread Cayman - Picture of the Day and search on mi000ke). Shooting with ambient light is a big limitation, as is good white balance.

Like you, I'm now ready to take the next step. I've spent a lot of time doing research, reading a lot, and talking to a few experienced underwater photographers, and I narrowed my choice to either the Olympus OM-D EM5 or Sony a6400 mirrorless cameras. They seem to provide a good compromise between size, flexibility (in terms of interchangeable lenses and user controls), and cost (sub $1000 for the camera). And they seem to produce excellent results underwater as well as on land. The whole basic kit including a housing, wide angle zoom lens and a couple of strobes is coming in around $2500-$3500. I might start without the strobes just to get used to the camera, and then the cost is closer to $2000 depending on the housing.

Another option is to get a really good compact (something like the Canon G7x or Sony RX100) but they cost about the same for the camera (build in lens included) when you add the cost of a lens to the mirrorless option, but you don't get the flexibility of interchangeable lenses and some user controls over the imaging. And as I plan to use the camera on land as well, I want more flexibility to do landscape and wildlife photography.

 

[DavidFL]

FWIW, I started digital UW photography with an inexpensive point-and-shoot in an inexpensive housing. When I stepped up I bought the lights first, in this case a couple of large Ikelite strobes, then a Canon G-15 and an Ikelite housing. I have DSLR's and even a medium-format (film) camera for land photography, but I have resisted stepping up further to a DSLR / housing / ports for two reasons: system complexity and task loading. I discovered that I like taking photos underwater but I don't want to be completely loaded down with manual camera settings, manual strobe settings, bracketing the shots. Over several years I've achieved the results I want by mostly using automatic settings, only very rarely going to manual camera and strobe settings. I have contemplated housing a DSLR several times, but the interchangeable lenses bring the need for interchangeable ports, and I personally have stopped short of that level of equipment complexity. I did flood the G-15/housing once; completely operator error. My most recent upgrade has been an Olympus TG-5 and two large Big Blue 15K video lights. When I'm using the TG-5, the video lights work for both video and stills. For me at least, investing more in having a lot of light on hand (big strobes, big fixed lights), and stopping short of the higher end in cameras / housing / ports has scratched my itch.

 

[BoltSnap]

Nikon D850!!

 

[saxman242]

The Sony a6xxx line made a lot of sense to me. I was able to start with an a6000 and a seafrogs salted line housing for under $1000. The same housing will take me up to an a6400 if I want to upgrade down the line, any lens and port purchases are compatible across bodies, etc. For less than I would have paid for a tg5 set up, I have a camera with a much more capable upgrade path that doesn't require throwing everything away when I want to step up.

 

[outofofficebrb]

The Olympus TG series is a very popular franchise - no wet macro lens needed for macro shots...You can use microscope mode with focus peaking for macro.There is some control over shutter and aperture but there is no full manual control which is a hindrance for some people. You can use strobes or lights with it, or just shoot it as is with ambient light, though the latter is not ideal for any camera. You can add a wide angle lens and dome if you choose (ideal) for larger scenes. Given how popular it is, there is a great second hand market for it if you are not yet ready for a larger commitment and expense or if you want to eventually upgrade and unload it.

Another option is to get a really good compact (something like the Canon G7x or Sony RX100) but they cost about the same for the camera (build in lens included) when you add the cost of a lens to the mirrorless option, but you don't get the flexibility of interchangeable lenses and some user controls over the imaging. And as I plan to use the camera on land as well, I want more flexibility to do landscape and wildlife photography.

A compact is a larger investment than the TG series but you give yourself the capability of full manual and you will less likely outgrow it or if you do, it will last you a lot longer than the Olympus TG series. You may not outgrow the TG series at all, depending on what your aspirations or your long term goals are. One thing to keep in mind with mirrorless options and interchangeable lenses are the the added expenses of different lenses that you need depending on the subject that you want to shoot as well as the various ports and domes that go with those lenses that you have to buy and carry with you. If you are looking to shoot a range of wide angle and macro, the total expense may be more for a mirrorless system than a compact system.

A compact system is more limited given its fixed lens but you switch it up with macro and wide angle lenses with domes. The advantage is that you are not "stuck" with one lens or another during a dive as you are with a mirrorless or DSLR and you can switch it up on a dive though it is quite cumbersome and not practical for some people. (You also can't leave a lens on and discover this on a dive! ) Some folks have their macro wet lens on a flip so they can shoot regular and macro on the same dive. I have seen some people go as far as removing their wide angle lense and dome mid dive to swap out for macro. Whether or not you will actually do it or not is up to you but there are some pros and cons in addition to price differences.

 

[scubadada]

Hi @Saniflush

I was in your position a few years ago, upgrade from a P&S to something better. I ended up buying a Canon G7X in a Nauticam housing. I'm not that interested in post production processing, the one button white balance correction is excellent. I understand the Mark II, probably the Mark III do not have this useful feature. Best part, it also applies to my video. I have a strobe but do not always take it, most of my subjects are wide angle, out of range, sharks, mantas... I love the vacuum check system, really gives me sense of security and saved me once when fibers from the camera table were caught in the housing.

Best of luck in your search, I'm currently happy

Good diving, Craig

 

[Chris Ross]

Going from one compact, the Sealife micro to another like theTG5 is not really much of an upgrade, they are quite different cameras of course, the TG-5 a bit of a macro specialist compared to the wide angle Sealife. Questions:
What's your budget? Where do you dive? DO want to do wide angle, macro or both?

Two obvious steps, a 1" sensor compact, (RX100/G7X mkx/LX10) have a look at the advanced compact section in this comparison: Best Underwater Cameras of 2019: Compact Cameras - Underwater Photography - Backscatter You will likely need some wet lenses as the wide end is not very wide especially through a typical flat port housing and macro is a little limited .
The other would micro43, with an olympus in a nice housing you can do everything a DSLR will do for significantly less money. Interchangeable lenses from fisheye through to macro with appropriate ports. The small sensor comapred to APS-C or full frame DSLR means you can use smaller ports. Quality/price ratio for me is a sweet spot.

Add to this a strobe or two as light is really the key to nice images.

 

[PatW]

First off, there are relatively few dedicated retailers for underwater photography. If you are near any of the major ones: like Backscatter, Reef Photo and Video and Bluewater Photo (I think that there are a couple more). I would strongly suggest that you visit one. Being able to hold the equipment in your hand makes a difference.

I got talked into buying a Nauticam housing and I am glad that I did it. A superb housing makes a huge difference.

I shoot a D800 full frame DSLR. It is a superb camera. But I would not recommend it for most.

I dive with a guy who shoot a mirror less Olympus camera. It has a much larger sensor than a point and shoot. It is far more compact than my system and less stuff to lug around the airport. My camera does produce better images when used right. But his system produces really good images. Also being more compact, it is easier to line up the strobes on macro subjects hiding in holes and crevices than my much larger system.

Given the fact that on a mirror less system, you have to focus and shoot with the LED screen, one would expect shutter lag and focus being an issue but it works very well.

An advanced point and shoot might be what you will want to use. But I would recommend that you look into a mirror less system.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Underwater photography equipment is like many other niche market items. People constantly move up to a more advanced system and sell their old ones. There are great deals to be found on Ebay. You can get a used DSLR, housing, ports and strobes for about the same price of a new point & shoot. I'm currently shooting a Nikon D3x in a Subal housing. I got the camera, housing, strobes and a couple of ports and extensions from Cathy Church. After selling the strobes, my final cost was $3,000. The retail price for all new would be close to $20,000.