Photo / HD video flexibility (camcorder or camera??)

[weinerr]

Looking for a camera or camcorder that will allow me to take both pictures and HD video. I currently dive with a Sea & Sea 1200HD that allows me to go back and forth between between photo and video with the push of a button. Unfortunately my 1200HD has focusing issues. I need the flexibility to capture a photo of a tiny creature and at a moments notice video a passing whaleshark (as happened to me in the Galapagos). Budget is not an issue as I am willing to pay for the photo/video flexibility, but hoping to keep the entire system including UW housing to <$4000-5000. Since I am a novice photographer I am also open to a non-SLR camera if the video quality to close to that of a camcorder.

 

[danvolker]

With a canon 5d mark II in Aquatica housing, using the 16 to 35 mm lens, you can use the 35mm to get quite close up , but it is not a nudibranch lens...it IS fine for frogfish or blennies or shrimp...and obviously fine for whalesharks at either 16 or 35mm directin, depending on what you want....and this camera takes awesome videos....here is one I just shot with this setup, of ScubaLab testing BC's in Palm Beach.... YouTube - &#x202a;Scuba Lab testing BCD&#39;s in Palm Beach, Florida&#x202c;&rlm;

 

[Doubler]

You can get the same quality as Dan mentioned with the Canon T2i for a lot less money and be within your budget. The T2i uses the same lens as the 7d. Both take awesome photos and 1080i HD video. There are a lot of cameras out there that will meet your needs I just happen to be a Canon guy.

 

[danvolker]

There is a big difference between 1080I and 1080P if you want to burn a video to BluRay, or play it as an avi or other real 1080p format....If all you will do is make videos for YouTube, then I would absolutely agree that 1080I or 720P is all you will want.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Which is your primary focus, video or stills?
I use a Sanyo Xacti with an Epoque housing and WA lens. It's an HD video that also shoots 10MP stills. There's a still picture button and a video button. And it will shoot a still while it's shooting video, although depending on the exact settings being used this may require a pause in the video.

 

[weinerr]

@Dirty-Dog
Unfortunately that's my problem. I don't have a strong preference for video over stills. I love them both and I am a novice at both.

 

[Dirty-Dog]

Me too. That's why I went with the combo I have. It's great for both. 10 mega pixels is enough for fine stills (I'm not blowing anything up to poster sized...) and the HD video is also excellent.

 

[doctormike]

Looking for a camera or camcorder that will allow me to take both pictures and HD video.

Modern DSLRs (like my Canon 7D) take such good video, that many production companies use them now instead of dedicated camcorders. This is especially true since the lenses that they use are generally much better than those on video equipment of a similar price range.

I need the flexibility to capture a photo of a tiny creature and at a moments notice video a passing whaleshark (as happened to me in the Galapagos).

Not really possible at this level of gear. When you go with a quality DSLR and high end glass, you can't expect to do great macro and wide angle with the same lens. Many point and shoots, and some of the newer larger cameras that have wide range zooms may let you cover a fairly wide range, but you will always be giving up something in terms of quality for that flexibility.

Yes, you can jam a wide angle lens close into a small critter and with a lot of megapixels, crop it down to a reasonable image, but it will not be anywhere near the quality of the image (in terms of focus, background separation, sharpness, etc...) that you would get with a macro.

Budget is not an issue as I am willing to pay for the photo/video flexibility, but hoping to keep the entire system including UW housing to <$4000-5000. Since I am a novice photographer I am also open to a non-SLR camera if the video quality to close to that of a camcorder.

That number might limit your choices somewhat if you decide to go DSLR, but if you might do it if you pick an Ikelite housing (at around $1400, it will be about half the cost of comparable metal housings). Using a lower cost camera body will save you some money (say, the Rebel series). Remember to save room in the budget for at least one and preferably two good external strobes. They will add more to the quality of your still images than almost anything else. If you are shooting a lot of video, also budget for video lights - some strobes will do both, but again, the quality of the video is much more dependent on the quality of the lighting than it is on the resolution of the chip...

Have fun!

Mike

 

[FlyingPig]

I asked myself that same question all the time.....stills or videos?
I may never find an answer to that question.
Here is what I know about myself. Diving 20 times a year isn't going to develop any skills on taking underwater photos. So an SLR and a point and shoot won't be all that different for me. In fact, point and shoot might help me more.
So, my last purchase was done based on the objective of
1. being able to take mostly video clips of about 3 minutes (30 minutes if I feel like to
2. very easily take stills
3. have underwater casing, from manufacturer preferred (yes, I like having lower budget)

I got Canon Vixia HF M300 and Canon Powershot SX230. After some testing, I decided to take SX230 with me.
Yes, I know all you SLR lovers who thinks a cmos sensor is not kosher....well, it worked perfectly fine for photos. The sensor was great in low light condition. That bodes well for deep dives, caves and night dives.
Videos, however, can't take advantage of that for some reason (why canon, why??), so for video, what you see if what you get. It records at 1080P, but it's only at 24 fps (a lot lower than the M300...but you just can't compete with a real video camera)
I find 24 fps to be enough for underwater videos. Things just don't move fast enough to make a difference.
It has 14X optical zoom, but seriously, you'd be using up to 3X in the water (5X at most). 14X will come in handy when you are on dry land.
There is a GPS chip inside. Geotagging can be fun.
Best of all, I can shoot, adjust setting all with one hand.

Of course, new models are coming out every other month. I'm sure a better candidate that fits the description will be out soon.

I hope that helps.

 

[FlyingPig]

Oh I forgot to mention that SX230 has a dedicated record button for videos, so you can switch to video and record all in one button click. That's what I meant by one hand operation. You don't need a hand to hold the camera, another hand to monkey with the settings.

Here are some amateurish clips from my last trip....
1. cenote (cave) [video=youtube;gOYraCtec5M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOYraCtec5M[/video]
2. quick shot of a reef [video=youtube;ST1rB1-pNJE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ST1rB1-pNJE[/video]

Cancun area's water isn't that clear. It's not exactly a dive destination, but I shot and uploaded a bunch of clips in 1080p, so check it out and see if it fits your bill.