Save my stress.. just TELL me what to do! LOL!

[NewbieH]

OK.. I have tried to give myself a crash course on underwater cameras (lol), as I've recently gotten into photographing my snorkel adventures. I'm using a crappy $24 eBay camera though and I've decided to go ahead and invest in something good. Instead of just making another "give me your advice" post, I've actually spent the last 2 days reading all the posts, articles, and advise already available! Though.. I sort of think it confused me more....lol. The lingo/technical differences are just like Greek to me! But I gotta start somewhere...

SO, to start off with, I've decided to just get the camera and housing this week. However, I plan to add a wide lens and stobe later (once I start diving). I have FINALLY narrowed it down to 2 options.. and I'm basing this on noticing a few people here have these cameras, the reports I've seen, images uploaded from those cameras, and the price! I don't want to spend more than $800 total for camera/housing.

The two options are the Canon G10 with the Canon WP-DC28 housing OR the Olympus 1030SW with the Olympus PT-043 housing. My question is.. WHICH of those two do you think is best?!? Keep in mind, I plan to upgrade/add to it in the future! I just can't bare to do anymore research!! Googling it to try and find a comparison is NOT working...lol.. it's just a bunch of sites wanting to sell me one or the other (biased opinions). SO.. the opinion of you REAL people here would be greatly appreciated!!

 

[scottfiji]

hey newbie,

congrats on your upcoming camera purchase.

Anyone considering purchasing an external strobe at some point, should get a camera with full manual controls, imho.

Many times, but especially when using an external strobe, it is very helpful to have complete control over how much ambient light comes into the camera. Although exposure compensation can be used to accomplish this to a limited degree, setting the shutter speed and aperture yourself is the best way to control the ambient light.

That leaves the Canon G10 as your better choice. The 1030SW does not have manual control over the shutter speed and aperture.

Good luck!

Scott

 

[NewbieH]

Hey Scott!! Thanks for the info... and I checked out your site!! GREAT!! I'm beat now, so I can't read it in full.. but I put it favorites and definitely will later.

 

[alcina]

No contest at all - G10 FTW.

Buy it now

 

[sylpha]

Learn to dive first!!!

the reason i say this is that it will take a bit of practise to get your bouyancy right and you need time to learn the basics & to be confident with your diving equipment. Your safety is far far more important than taking photographs.

By the time that happens given the speed changes happen in camera equipment then what you buy this week will be out of date.

do the course, then go out & get some practise in, then buy your camera.

 

[Larry C]

....or....Go ahead and get the camera and housing now, and spend time taking lots and lots of pictures topside and snorkeling and learning the controls while you're learning to dive. When you're completely comfortable with your buoyancy control, navigation and can pay attention to your computer and maintain your air supply without giving it extra thought you'll be ready to take your camera with you. By then, maybe you'll be able to afford the strobe that will allow you to take really good underwater shots. In the meantime, read stuff like Scott's articles, the Drafahl's books and posts in the tips/technical forum or on other forums such as Wetpixel. I wouldn't worry about your camera going obsolete, as I'm still shooting the SP-350 my wife bought me for Xmas 10 months after I started diving. After 4 years with it and almost 500 dives with the camera I'm still learning and will move up only when I can afford to house my DSLR. There are enough Pro's on this board getting great results with the G10 that I don't think you'll outgrow it in the near future-though Nemrod will probably pipe in with something about inadequate wide angle possibilities and tell you to buy an A570 or A590 shortly. There are LOTS of choices. Pick a good one and be happy with it. I know a guy who has been shooting UW for a year and is already on his 6th camera. Whichever one you pick, learn to use it well and get the most out of it and you'll be happy.

 

[Nemrod]

....or....Go ahead and get the camera and housing now, and spend time taking lots and lots of pictures topside and snorkeling and learning the controls while you're learning to dive. When you're completely comfortable with your buoyancy control, navigation and can pay attention to your computer and maintain your air supply without giving it extra thought you'll be ready to take your camera with you. By then, maybe you'll be able to afford the strobe that will allow you to take really good underwater shots. In the meantime, read stuff like Scott's articles, the Drafahl's books and posts in the tips/technical forum or on other forums such as Wetpixel. I wouldn't worry about your camera going obsolete, as I'm still shooting the SP-350 my wife bought me for Xmas 10 months after I started diving. After 4 years with it and almost 500 dives with the camera I'm still learning and will move up only when I can afford to house my DSLR. There are enough Pro's on this board getting great results with the G10 that I don't think you'll outgrow it in the near future-though Nemrod will probably pipe in with something about inadequate wide angle possibilities and tell you to buy an A570 or A590 shortly. There are LOTS of choices. Pick a good one and be happy with it. I know a guy who has been shooting UW for a year and is already on his 6th camera. Whichever one you pick, learn to use it well and get the most out of it and you'll be happy.

Whatever.

Shot at about eight feet without wide angle lens:

Shot at about one foot with wide angle lens:

Shot at about 10 feet without a wide angle lens:

Shot at about four feet with wide angle lens:

Shot at about one foot with wide angle lens, sorry, he was fast moving and I did not have time to clear the bubbles or switch to manual:

About one foot from his nose with wide angle lens, ripping current gave me two quick shots and I was gone, no time but to frame and shoot:

Taken without wide angle lens:

Taken with wide angle lens at about one foot:

Bathtub experiments, first one without wide angle, camera lens at widest 35 mm equivalent:

Same camera with wide angle lens:

Wide angle is useless underwater, I suppose, I just go on about useless stuff nobody cares about. I don't care either, one legged people get along well enough but two legs are undoubtedly better. If you want to be crippled underwater, choose a camera that cannot adapt easily to wide angle, surely you will get along just fine with fuzzy, splotchy, blah pics.

N

 

[Larry C]

Very nice illustrations of WA capabilities Nem. The illustration, Newbie, is that closer is better and that with an add on WA lens and a camera that will support it you can both get closer for better pictures and take in a larger area to give you the "seascape" background that is desirable, and because you're closer to both you get the advantage of less change in white balance from the water between camera and subject and more effective strobe coverage due to increased light available at closer distances. Feasibility of an add-on wide angle lens is certainly an important factor in choosing whichever camera you decide on. As you've perused previous posts, you may have considered this already, but since you're not diving yet there's time to decide. Make sure however that if this impacts your decision, the camera and lens choices are still out there and available as the options change constantly. One thing that has affected those choices lately is the proliferation of longer and longer tele-lenses with less and less manual control. In the three years since my camera went out of production, Olympus has yet to replace it with anything similar but better. With longer lenses come longer ports and it becomes increasingly difficult to adapt wide angle lenses for close focus/wide angle photography. In fact, since the original C5050 that some people are still seeking out for UW photography it seems Olympus has gone steadily downhill. In that respect, Canon has offered more choices, though those seem to be dwindling as well. Hope your headache goes away soon.

 

[jonix]

G10 gets my vote as well.

 

[Nemrod]

Seriously and sarcasm aside, don't buy anything now. I believe the dwindling number of manual control P&S and pro grade rangefinders types such as the Oly 5050 is a trend that will continue as the camera companies insist upon forcing serious photographers into high profit, bulky, clunky, mirror slappers. WTH does a digital SLR need a mirror for God's Sake? Why do they insist on me buying a camera as big as a watermelon that still retains the shape of a film camera but yet does not use film, WTH?

There is here and there a ray of hope, the new Olympus Micro 4/3 system may give us miniature cameras with full size function and capability if they will get their head out of their a------.

Wait until your diving is second nature and then shop for a camera, perhaps by then there will be decent stuff again. Meanwhile, the Canon 590 with Ikelite housing is one of the few simple P&S remaining with full manual control, white balance, compact size and works well with wide angle lenses and if you must have RAW it will accept the RAW CDHK hacks. Also, Consumer Reports once again rates the A590IS as a best buy, the descendant of the formerly best buy rated Canon A570IS. For a cheap camera it has a lot of capability.

Looks like this:

Packs like this:

Shoots like this, this fish is as big as a VW:

Reef tormentors:

I liked these:

N