rossjc:
If this isn't the right forum, can you send me elsewhere?
I am in the market for a digital camera for diving and topside. I want compact, but
am torn as it appears compact means no attachable strobe to the housing (true?). Is the strobe a must? Can you get any good images without a strobe?
Please help.
First, there is a photography forum.
The answer is: How much $$ are you willing to spend, and what R your goals??
Yes, there are UW housing that allows some compact camera's to use external strobes.
No, a strobe is NOT a must.
Water filters light, starting with red. The UW stobe serves two purposes, first it provides light, but potentially more importantly, it provides DAYLIGHT (approx 5500K) and THAT is what film, and even digital camera's like in the way of White Balance.
Many Canon and Oly camera's (non-SLR) have an optional accessory housing available. This provides a reasonable solution to UW photography at depths where there is adequate lighting, and most allow the use of the built in camera stobe which unfortunately is rather tiny, but worth using none the less.
The downsides to consumer compact cameras (both UW, and above) are shutter lag, smaller LCD's, the inability to verify sharp focus, tiny built in flash, and red-eye among other things. The advantage is price, and size.
IF you are considering a more professional UW housing, IMO get a DLSR like the Nikon D70, and spend some bucks on a Flash, and higher end housing. Good UW flash support is going to run around $500 each. A UW housing for a compact camera like the OLY 5060 may cost more than the camera body. SLR's have HUGE advantages over rangefinder consumer camera.
As you may begin to realize, this is a VERY big subject for discussion, your questions R a bit to general, and I answer in kind.
I'd suggest you read the photo forums (do some serious searching), and then refine your questions based on a better understanding on what is available, your goals, and cost.
Ron
