Recommendations re: Canon S3 IS

[aquajude]

Hey everyone,

I'm looking at upgrading my crappy little 3MP compact for both u/w and on-ground shots.

I'm no professional photographer but - like most in this forum - I would say I'm very interested in photography, and there's a chance I may want to pursue it further in the future (particulary u/w).

With the future in mind, and the fact that I want a good camera for above ground shots as well, I'm looking at the semi-pro type options. I'm currently steering towards the Canon S3 IS with Ikelite housing and have a few questions if anyone can help...

1. Is the ikelite housing as huge as it looks?
2. I've never dived with anything more than a compact which can neatly hang from my wrist/D-ring. I'm assuming diving with this setup will make the dive ALL about the photography.
3. Anyone had any experience using this setup underwater?
4. Any other similar cameras that you would recommend?

your expertise and advice greatly appreciated...

 

[Mel.B]

Hi Aquajude,

I looked at this camera setup when I was considering upgrading. Two things put me off it...

1. Price of the ikelite housing is around $700 I believe. For this price, you can get a complete E900 or SP350 setup (housing and camera)

2. When playing with one, I had difficulty getting it to focus properly. The owner of the camera had no trouble so it's obviously a learning curve thing, but I took probably 40 or so macro shots and not a single one of them was in focus.

In the end i didn't upgrade and stuck with my Oly 5050. My Oly 5050 has dual strobes, so while it's a 'compact' camera the entire rig is not compact. The dive is what you make of it. I've had dives with the camera where I've taken 200 shots and I've had dives where I've taken 10 shots, so it doesn't matter what size the camera is, it's what you decide to do on the dive.

Alcina has a great link in her signature with info about current cameras so check that out.

HTH,
Mel.b

 

[aquajude]

Thanks Mel b. You've got me thinking about a C5050 now.

 

[alcina]

There are some 5050's for sale here...

 

[the_cat_keeper]

1. Is the ikelite housing as huge as it looks?

It is about 17cm x 14cm x 11cm, excluding the view port. The housing sits on a 2-handle tray and is quite bulky. I normally unscrewed the tray for storage/ luggage space.

3. Anyone had any experience using this setup underwater?

I have this set up with an Inon strobe, 2 macro lens and a wide-angle len. I haven't really tried out wide-angle shots yet and so far had focused on macros. A few thoughts...
1. The supermacro function works (flash comes on and manual focus is possible) but you can't use the zoom. When I stacked 2 macro lens, I need to zoom a little otherwise all the photos come out with a "ring" around it. Same problem as Olympus c7070. Not sure about other model.
2. Zoom is possible on macro function but not with manual focus.

Because of the above, I don't use either functions underwater. I used to have a S1 and the S3 is a vast improvement over the S1. My main complaint those days were the resolution of S1 and its lack of macro function. The S3 took care of both so I'm quite happy with the camera. The only flipside is not so much the bulkiness but the weight of the setup, especially after adding on the various lens.

My underwater photos are posted on scubaboard. All the photos were taken using S1 (some with strobe and some with additional len) until April '06. The photos during my trip to Bali in Oct '06 and to Gorontalo last week were taken using S3.

 

[Willar]

I love my S3IS for land use, great camera! I still use my S30 for UW but am looking to replace it. The Ike case for the S3IS is so expensive that I can buy the A710IS or SD800IS AND the Canon WP case for less money. And I'll have a smaller more manageable setup for traveling. IMHO.

 

[the_cat_keeper]

I love my S3IS for land use, great camera! I still use my S30 for UW but am looking to replace it. The Ike case for the S3IS is so expensive that I can buy the A710IS or SD800IS AND the Canon WP case for less money. And I'll have a smaller more manageable setup for traveling. IMHO.

The S3 certainly ends up more expensive than the other Canon models because of the housing. So a few of my friends have bought the G7 (Canon makes the housing) instead. They have not taken the camera diving yet but I am looking forward to seeing how the photos turn out.

 

[randini]

The S3 certainly ends up more expensive than the other Canon models because of the housing. So a few of my friends have bought the G7 (Canon makes the housing) instead. They have not taken the camera diving yet but I am looking forward to seeing how the photos turn out.

The G7 has caught my eye as well (as has the A710 since I could just about get the camera an dthe housing for the smae price as the G7). The only UW pics I've seen from the G7 are HERE (the guy used a canon husing with the camera set in UW mode, no strobes or filters). HERE is a link to his post in another forum where he talks a bit more about his setup.

If I decide to go with the G7 (it'll be my first camera) I want to get the canon housing to start out with (I won't have the money for the ike anyways). Then, if I decide to add some strobes and get more serious I'd probably get the Ike housing later since it has TTL through the hotshoe (the canon housing does not) which will increase my strobe options.

I'd still keep the canon housing to have something more compact to take the camera with me when I'm actually working or doing something else underwater.