Opinion: g11 or s90

[gearhound]

Looking for honest opinions (from people that have used them) and reasoning, rather than rants about how, since you own it, it must be the best and everything else is crap!
I'm buying a new camera, housing and strobe. I've narrowed down my choices to the G11 with the Canon housing or the S90 with the ikelite housing. The cost is roughly the same.
I have an obsession with overhead environments (caves and wrecks), so I'll be taking pics in a dark environment. As well, I dive the West coast of Canada (emerald green, 30' viz). Warm water I'm not too worried about, because I'm sure both cameras would perform very well.
Portability is also a concern. Being a cave diver, I travel with lots of gear but I hate paying extra baggage fees. That's why the ikelite g11 housing doesn't appeal to me (plus the extra $350 msrp)
So with that in mind, which of the two would you recommend?

 

[M_Bipartitus]

If you want something more compact for caves, go with the s90. The two cameras have the same size sensor and both have a digic 4 image processor, so the low-light performance should be similar.

Keep in mind the internal flash on either camera is unlikely to be of much use in a cave, especially if the water has any suspended silt.

Edit:

If you have not seen this review, it could be useful. The reviewer is an experienced photographer on land and uses both cameras:

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/cameras/s90.shtml

 

[gearhound]

Thanks.
Question on strobes too then. With the s90 and ikelite, its a slave strobe. Since I'm diving with lights, should I be concerned with the lights setting off the sensor and triggering the strobe?

 

[Hetland]

I'm happy with the Canon housing for my G11. I like that the S90 has a faster lens, but in a cave, while using a strobe, that may not be an issue worth considering. If you were using available light, then the f2 would come in handy.

Keep in mind the internal flash on either camera is unlikely to be of much use in a cave, especially if the water has any suspended silt.

Agreed.

With the s90 and ikelite, its a slave strobe. Since I'm diving with lights, should I be concerned with the lights setting off the sensor and triggering the strobe?

It happens, but if you have a good strobe, then it should not be a huge concern if battery life was your worry. Slave, Auto and sTTL strobes can be fired with a fiber optic cable that you can get pretty cheap. That would solve the problem with either camera, and most strobes.

 

[dhuskins]

I am a longtime owner of Olympus cameras and did my time teaching photography at a college. I, too, wrestled with selecting a new dive camera.

After eliminating all the Nikons, Olympus, and others, I was reduced to G11 or S90. Price and versatility were significant factors for not getting another dSLR.

Here's what I came down to:

S90 has one more F-stop, is smaller, and overall cheaper. G11 has a closer macro and is easier to handle on land (out of a housing). The extra F-stop is no big deal for close up flash work. Ease of use on land made no impact on me either. So, smaller/cheaper versus closer macro work.

I decided on the S90 for me. Your decision is up to you.

As for strobes, I am seriously considering the Sea and Sea Y110a. The other item I considered the Z240s. In either case, I will fire them off optically.

 

[JackConnick]

One added feature of the s90/Ike combo is that that housing accepts 67mm filters and add-on lenses. There are the Fantasea lenses for he G10/11, but that's it. Lots more to choose from for the 67mm mount. In a cave W/A is more important.

One other factor that might be of concern is that the s90 has a smaller battery. So factor in a second battery into your system cost.

Jack

 

[highdesert]

In the process of making the same choice, G11 or S90, but having never actually held the S90, what does it mean in practical terms that the rear control dial is not accessible on the Ike housing? And is it accessible on the Canon OEM housing? And what about access to WB settings in both housings?

 

[dhuskins]

The back dial can be duplicated using the up/down/left/right arrow keys for many situations. Depending on the shooting mode, you can assign different functions to the two rings (back and front). As I tend to shoot RAW+jpeg, I am less concerned about using the back ring much.

The one time it matters most is in full manual mode. The front ring controls the aperture and the back dial controls the shutter speed. If you want to see all the combinations, download the pdf version of the manual from Canon's website and turn to page 99.

I often read the manual of something before buying it. It's amazing what is mentioned in the manual/troubleshooting guide that fails to get mentioned in the sales brochures.

 

[jbb]

Looking for honest opinions (from people that have used them) and reasoning, rather than rants about how, since you own it, it must be the best and everything else is crap!
I'm buying a new camera, housing and strobe. I've narrowed down my choices to the G11 with the Canon housing or the S90 with the ikelite housing. The cost is roughly the same.
I have an obsession with overhead environments (caves and wrecks), so I'll be taking pics in a dark environment. As well, I dive the West coast of Canada (emerald green, 30' viz). Warm water I'm not too worried about, because I'm sure both cameras would perform very well.
Portability is also a concern. Being a cave diver, I travel with lots of gear but I hate paying extra baggage fees. That's why the ikelite g11 housing doesn't appeal to me (plus the extra $350 msrp)
So with that in mind, which of the two would you recommend?

O.k. I don't have the G11 but I still use my old G7 underwater and recently purchased the S90 for above. My canon housing (buttons) are beginning to stick now after about 3 years and I will attempt my own refurb. An Ikelite would be easier to get service or perform your own service on. As far as photo taking the G11 will be much better at macro. What kind of photos would you be taking in caves? Will the S90 flash work in the ikelite housing or would it work better in the canon uw case? If you get external strobes you really blow the gear reduction.

I just got back from a tropical trip with all my dive gear, 1-strobe(z240), 1-focus light(big blue), G7 canon case and an S90. I had to cheat a bit getting all my precious gear in carry on and get my check on under 50lbs. NIMH rechargable batteries are heavy and so is my reg.

 

[Nemrod]

Example using Inon S/D2000, rated GN20 (meters in air) at ISO100.


GN = f stop X Distance

S90 with Inon S2000 (GN20@ISO100 air):

GN (20) = f2.0 X 10 meters

G11 with Inon S2000 (GN20@ISO100 air):

GN (20) = f2.8 X 7.14 meters

Essentially the S90 gives you three more meters, or does it, now you have to correct for the water since the GN20 rating is in air. I usually use 1/3 (or 1/2) so if that is the case, the maximum distance you might get a "correct" exposure (whatever that means) with the G11/S90 combo is 2.4 meters and for the S90/S2000 combo it is 3.3 meters.

I may have screwed that up, I am lazy now and don't figure GN anymore, but you get the idea. BTW, adding a second strobe does not double your effective GN, it only increases the area of coverage.

Oh, the only thing is that rules are just guides in this case, that is why they call it a "guide" number.

Oh, another thing, I think you can see the idea of going to ISO200 or 400 setting etc. to increase effective range. Now the improved sensor of the G11 and S90 (vs the G10) with lower noise at high ISO should make a difference in dark water, caves, wrecks and anyway you look at it in this example, the S90 beats the G11. The lens is a full stop faster, the S90 can get the same shot at ISO100 that the G11/G10 has to go to ISO200 to accomplish.

N