Opinions please?

[AssuredDisaster]

Please forgive the typos, English and I don't always see eye to eye.

I take a lot of pictures on land, and I'm looking for something that would work underwater too.


What i've got now: Nikon D300 with a Sigma 10-20. I've got a 35mm and a 50mm as well, however, I tend to use the 35 and Simga the most.

I've also got an Olympus 1030SW point and shoot, which is waterproof to 33 feet. However I hate this camera in most situations. One area of this camera that I dislike especially is the relatively short battery life compared to the 300, which pretty much runs forever on a single battery (I've got 4 though.) With the 8GB card I carry, I'd not have to open a housing up ever on a dive boat. It might even last 2 or 3 dives. The olympus might run out during a dive.

So what do you recommend? I'm looking at getting into one of those all inclusive dive internship packages in thailand, so I'll be diving a lot (hope I don't burn out!:shocked2 and I'll be diving for several months. I really think I'd like to set up a rig of some sort. However, there may be issues relating to lugging a huge camera rig around the boat on training dives. I don't know. So perhaps a small camera that can be carried at all times might be better than a huge diving rig? I'm not sure about you dive masters out here. Do you guys have to leave the camera behind when doing dive master dives? Its an "internship" that I'm doing, so my understanding is that I'll be doing stuff like that, and helping to lead dives and stuff.


So I could grab the Olympus, stuff it into a case, but of course, i've got a small sensor, and few manual overrides. Actually, none. I can change the exposure compensation. So its a fine camera when you are ripping down rapids and the camera is getting slung around and bashed into your helmet and what not, or at a waterpark, or even riding my motorcycle. But when I want to go out somehwere serious, I like to feel the reassuring presence of 300 Spartans. (ok, not serious)


So do you guys think getting a rig for the 300 is worth it then in that case, with the above mentioned considerations?

What about strobes? Are they used for "advanced pros" only or are they something that is really important. I've got an SB800 flash unit, and rarely use it. (on land that is) However, when I do whip it out and start flashing people, I start roaring with glee (all inside of course) and thinking to myself, I can't do THAT with a point an shoot. That being lighting up an entire room equally so that you really can't tell a flash was used at all, or overpowering the sun when there is a need for fill flash, etc. So is a strobe something that is highly recommended?


And finally, brands and ports/lense I was looking at Ikelite and they seem to have a very reasonably priced selection of gear. Actually, I'm guessing they are about the cheapest in the industry if the other brands I looked at were any indication about how much this stuff costs.

So I was probably going with Ikelite. As for ports, as mentioned, I've got the 10-20sigma which I think would be the lense I'd be using the most, if I was given a choice underwater. I've got a 35mm, and a 50 that I might take with me. While I could get a second port later for the 35/50 (which are virtually identical in size) I'm not sure if I would get one or not. SO which port is best for me? For the WA, the 6 inch or 8 inch? I'd guess the 8 inch.


Thank you for your replies.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Do price total cost of ownership. When Adm. Linda got the housing for her
D40, Aquatica beat Ike because Ike needed Ike cords, while Aquatica would
work with Nikon cords (and I had a bunch, and you can find single cords on
eBay cheap).

This intership looks like "turn me into a divemaster". Concentrate on that.
Photography later.

 

[sabbath999]

This intership looks like "turn me into a divemaster". Concentrate on that.
Photography later.

+1

Get a couple spare batteries for the Oly and concentrate on the diving. IMHO.

 

[dbh]

Opinions I have
I wouldn't house the D300 in your case. It would be large and heavy, take up alot of room on the boat (that the paying customers may need), and the concentration that the D300 requires will take away from "watching the flock". I wouldn't fool with the Oly either. You need a camera with manual control for shooting underwater.....period! I would find a compact that has manual controls (Canon G9 or G10). You could even pick up a used camera like an Oly SP350. It is possible to shoot without a strobe but I feel that it will just lead to frustration (and alot of backscatter). A small strobe such as a Sea & Sea YS27 would be adequate for macro & fish portraits. It won't be powerful enough for wide angle though.

This is MHO and YMMV!

Dave

 

[Larry C]

Try to find out in advance whether it's OK to bring a camera. As an SSI divecon, I know that I am never allowed to do any photography while teaching. OTOH, I've been on dive boats where one of the divemasters took pics of the tourists with fishies to sell to them after the dive. Usually it's going to be a P & S if anything. If you are going to have some personal dive time, the D300 would be great. If you're starting from scratch with Ikelite, you'll want to get their strobe(s) as well. A DS160 should start you out and then you can add one later if needed. Ask Ikelite which dome to use with your 10/20. The 35 and 50 probably won't be useful underwater as their minimum focus distance is a bit large. Most people go with either the 60mm micro for portraits and small stuff or the 105 micro for the really tiny stuff. I think the 60mm can be used in the 105 flat port with an extension tube, but again, ask Ikelite. Otherwise, as Chuck says, there are other combos such as Aquatica that will work with different strobe combos. My personal favorite is the Seatool, which is tiny and allows either sync cords or fiber-optic connections. With the right strobe, the Nikon i-ttl system will work with an optical link. I think the YS-110a is one choice. Otherwise, you could always get a budget strobe and adjust it manually as a slave.

 

[AssuredDisaster]

Thanks guys. I actually had a stunning flash of light go off in my head after posting this, and I just asked the guys on the program about the camera. They said that while there would be times it would be "inappropriate to bring any camera," there would also be times where I would have plenty of opportunity to drag along the camera.

DBH, I did look at G10 systems, and ruled those out. First, I don't own a G10. So that will set me back 400-500, depending on what I can find, maybe used, etc. I've had the G10 under consideration for quite a while for use on land actually. But I just can't bring myself to take the plunge. The price is too high for a point and shoot. Sigma and Olympus have both produced cameras with fairly large sensors (APS-C for sigma, micro 4/3 for Olympus) I feel that if I buy the G10, I'll hate the small sensor, and I'm pretty sure that Canon is very busy working on something that has a bigger sensor. G11 maybe, or something, but I really have some reservations towards the G10, mainly on account of the sensor. I could go on with other things that I'm not so happy about the G10, but the other big reason is that I priced out a kit complete with strobes for the G10, and it came close enough to the Ikelite kit for a D300 that i feel its not too much more to spend to basically have a fantastic camera, with the only set back being the size. Of course, the D300 is very expensive should it be flooded, but I also priced out insurance (DAN site referred me to an insurer) and it was reasonable. So with insurance, I'd be more willing to take the D300 out. I've got a D70 as well, which is currently set to IR, but I could swith it back to normal light. But of course, the insurance option really puts a lot of merit points back for the D300. And I'm just really familiar with the D300 I've got. I bought it over a year ago, but have about 40,000 shutter actions on it.

I see you own a D300 actually, so I suppose you do know what you are talking about. Have you any experience with the G10 for comparison? I really, really think that with all the money I'd spend on the G10 UW setup, I'd feel a lot happier applying that towards a D300 setup.

As for the strobe, I noticed you stated one would need a powerful flash for a wide angle,( or nearly stated as I read it) Just how powerful? I;m looking at the Ikelite strobes, obviously as they go with the housing. I was looking at the basic one, but is the 160 model a better choice? That's nearly twice the cost as the 59. Does anyone know if I was to buy the 59, then upgrade at a later date to the 160, would I be able to get the dual cord and use both at the same time?

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

Hi Ben, I know you and I have spoken a bit already about the diving program, but you didn't mention you were a photog, so I thought I'd offer my 2 cents as far as camera & what to expect.

We've had a few professional photographers as interns, one, in fact, who had a degree in underwater photography. They all hauled their full photo kits here (at great expense I'm told) and did shoot some great pix. I will tell you, though, that many times the camera gear stayed on land while they were on the boat.

It's not for lack of space; the boat has lots of room and its not an issue of taking space away from others.

It's also not because of intern responsibilites. As you noted, there will be lots of diving. Some days -- once you advance into DM training -- you will be expected to take customers out as a dive leader. Some days you will be assisting with courses. Some days you will be training yourself. But there are plenty opportunites for fun and photo dives.

The basic reason was that it was big, cumbersome and a lot to haul around on a regular basis. They had a point-and-shoot with housing with them all the time, but only brought out the big gear occasionally.

Hope that helps with your camera decision!

Bob

 

[scottfiji]

Assured disaster -

If you want to house your D300, go for it! UW photography is a wonderful hobby. I shoot underwater with a D300 and love it. I got used to the size right away, it's no big deal. Using the d300 with the sigma 10-20mm will be very different than using the G10. Do it and don't look back.

Regarding your strobe question - yes, you could get 1 strobe at first, and then shoot with 2 later on.

I have to respectfully disagree with Bob about the camera/housing being big, cumbersome and a lot to haul around. My entire rig weighs less than 20lbs (9kg), it's really not a big deal bringing it on a boat. It certainly doesn't take up very much room with the arms folded in.

Scott

 

[Ex-Aquanaut]

Scott -- the camera gear for the couple guys I mentioned was the size of a large suitcase. Heavy has hell too. Obviously, not everyone has as much stuff to lug.

 

[AssuredDisaster]

So Scott, bringing the camera IS or is NOT a big deal?

Thanks for your answer Bob as well. I'm probably not going to have quite as much UW camera equipment, even should I spring for the D300 UW setup. That being said, I can certainly appreciate the concern over size. Sigma and Olympus are paving the way, but unfortunately, big sensors aren't everywhere yet.

Anyway, I gues at this point I'm leaning towards the 300, since the Oly was sort of ruled out, the G10 is a bit pricey, thus directly competeing with the 300 IMO, something which really tilts things for the 300.

However, I've got to figure out exactly how much money I can spend on a camera housing, so this might make it a big challenging to set up any system right now.


Thanks for the help.


Any more comments on the Ikelite equipment? Is there another similarly priced brand out there that might be better?