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

[Deefstes]

OK, I'll tell you what to do. Forget about the Olympus and buy the G10. Do it now!

Here's a side-by-side comparison and there is just no aspect in which the Olympus outperforms the Canon.

Quick list of advantages of G10:
Higher resolution (14.7 Mpixels vs 10.1)
Better zoom (5x vs 3.6x)
Image Stabilization
Manual focus (I actually use this more often than I would have expected but that might just be me)
Better macro focus (1cm vs 2cm)
Better aperture range (lowest stop of f2.8), this is a big advantage if you ask me.
Better shutter speed range, both slower and faster
Better built in flash range (4.6m vs 3.8m)
Different shooting modes (Av, Tv etc.)
Lens thread - means you can put filters and stuff on the lens
Orientation sensor - means that if you take a picture in portrait format it automatically rotates the picture so that it is right side up on your PC
RAW shooting - This is perhaps the biggest advantage from my point of view. Very few compact cameras has this ability but it is great!
Has a view finder - on the Oly you'll always have to use the LCD screen which you'll learn to hate if you're using it in bright sunlight. I found this to be a problem with my FujiFilm Finepix even on shallow dives where the light is bright.
Bigger LCD (3" vs 2.7")
Better LCD resolution, double in fact (0.46 megapixels vs 0.23)

There are more reasons the Canon is better but these are the important ones if you ask me. Seriously, if you feel you afford the little bit of extra dough, choosing between these two is a no-brainer.

The considerations above is of course mostly from an above water standpoint but I have no doubt that the Canon will perform better underwater as well considering it has a lower minimum f-stop of 2.8

 

[Where2Next]

I am almost scared to post my opinion because I fear it is in the minority - but I am gonna stick my neck out. I think the Olympus 1030sw wide angle is the best for your situation. Here is why... It appears you are just a snorkeler right now. You will not need to buy an underwater housing since it can go down to 30 feet safely. So you spend around $250 on a nice camera for underwater photography. I agree when you are new at diving that photography is not a good mix. So I say stick with your Olympus for snorkeling and once you have around 50 or more dives under your belt then consider the whole upgrade of underwater housing, strobe, etc.

I try not to bring my camera on every dive, but really I feel I see more when I am not concentrating on getting the best shot. Damn it, if that is not when I miss the best stuff! LOL - or is it that I don't see it when I am worried about getting a good shot??? Hmmm.

 

[Blazinator]

I bought the little Oly 1020SW and as a result my diving buddies bought the later upgraded 1030SW. Both worked good for a while, and niether had manual white balance (not sure on the 1030), and niether did good macro focusing. But I loved them. Up until they both flooded in Hawaii last month.

I bought the housing for mine to go deeper, but we were both shallow diving less than 20 ft, without the housings, and they flooded, but after four and two years of good service, so not a big loss - cheap to begin with - good starter cam for less than 300 bucks. Advice to Oly 1030 users: Change the seals like they recommend after one year, or silicone them well, or get the housings.

Big, important advice here, that isn't stressed enough: Get a camera with manual white balance, and set the white balance with a white card underwater!

Now I also know where you are coming from in terms of not wanting to spend money on strobes - big price. So if you are starting out, try using a good dive light or the internal strobe initially.

There is no comparison to shots with an external strobe - way awesome and huge field of illumination, and sharp focus - you WILL want one or two, but if you play with good dive light, you can get some good shots, but will require about a 10 to 1 ratio of bad pics to good pics, but can be done.

Shot below was done with a UK D8 halogen cheapo dive light, Oly 1020 SW, no strobe:

I use a 24 watt HID ($390.00 Darkbuster) now for much of my light needs on my new Sea&Sea 1200 HD, mostly as a video lite, but bright enough (1750 Lumens vs 400) to freeze shots at high shutter speed like this one:

 

[NewbieH]

WOW.. "ask and you shall receive".. lol.. thanks for all the advice!! And great pics!! Nemrod.. love the comparison pics!! That really shows me the difference. I will definitely want a wide lens at some point... but you have to understand, there's NO WAY I'm waiting to buy this camera.. LOL! I snorkel about 3 times a week and just taking pictures of those trips is my main interest right now! The money isn't an issue (it will either get spent on a camera or shoes..lol). I figure the camera would be a better investment for this month. As far as using my camera while diving.. that will come along later, once I'm comfortable and good enough to multi-task (which may take a year). But in the meantime, I plan to continue my snorkeling and passion for learning underwater photography. I'm sure I will learn about all the options, techniques, equipment uses, etc. as I go along. I guess I'll deal with add-ons or completely switching out to something else when the time comes...

SO.. I guess the verdict is in.. I'm going with the majority and will get a Canon G10!

But let me give you an idea of what's going on here (and this is SOOOO completely embarrassing)... THESE are a few of the pics I have taken with my crappy $24 eBay camera.. and THEY excited me.. I was super content with just trying to get closer shots.. I never imagined that with a normal digital camera and add-ons I could get shots like y'all have (with brilliant color and clarity). I just thought that was only done by expert professionals with thousands of dollars of equipment.. lol. So now, I'm past my shock and awe.. and I'm inspired to really challenge myself to get something 1/4 as good as yours.. LOL.. Again, I'm embarrassed to show this, but here's a few of my pics...

Umm.. couldn't figure out how to put the pics in here, so I think they're going to be attachments..lol..

 

[jonix]

for reference this is what a Canon A570is does for me

Ornate Ghost Pipefish Set Slideshow

guess what a G10 can give you

 

[diver 85]

Go with the Canon---but as far as UW pics go, you may be putting the cart before the horse----get some diving experience in 1st---then go for the pics......

 

[Nemrod]

Just get yourself one of the new tuff series Olympics in their new black housing. They shoot good and are a fun and useful camera above or below the water. I hear rumblings the G10 may soon be replaced.

Older (lol) Oly 770SW in housing with Inon AD adapter and wide angle lens:

N

 

[NewbieH]

OK... it's official!! I've completely changed up.. LOL.. I'm going with........... ::: drumroll ::::........ the Canon A570!! See.. before, I saw that mentioned a lot as well... then somewhere along the line, I marked if off my list (I can't remember why). BUT, I was just lookin' for where to buy my G10 tonight, when I noticed how much cheaper the A570 is! IF I end up getting a completely new camera later on, I was thinking the A570 would be a good hold over for a much better price. I was going to come here and ask the opinion... and that's when I saw the jonix and diver 85 postings with A570 pics that are gorgeous!! That, to me, is a "sign"... LOL! SO... I'm not even going to wait for any opinions.. I'm going to buy it RIGHT NOW!! I'll deal with the aftermath later... lol.. again, it can't be any worse than what I have been using/dealing with!! Plus.. I save some money for some accessories/earlier add-ons (or shoes..lol)!!

BTW... Diver 85.. yay, geaux Tigers! I just moved from Baton Rouge to Florida last year..

 

[Nemrod]

Whoa dawg, I never told you to get a 570 which is a discontinued model which may be difficult to obtain a housing for. There was a huge sale of Canon DC-12 housings just a few weeks ago but I imagine they are all gone. The Canon 590 is the current equivalent to the 570 but Canon does not make a housing for it, only Ikelite, which, is not a problem since they make a fine heavy duty housing that should serve you well for several years while you develop your skills, diving and photographic.

Man, I am hurt, you think Diver85's pics are better than mine, whahhhhhhhhh (lol, so do I, he does good doesn't he).

http://www.ikelite.com/web_two/can_a590.html

I think these fish are on drugs, what the heck is going on with them?

I like these too:

The 590 is just as good as the 570, maybe better, and in the Ikelite housing it should do great.

N

 

[jonix]

Whoa dawg, I never told you to get a 570 which is a discontinued model which may be difficult to obtain a housing for. There was a huge sale of Canon DC-12 housings just a few weeks ago but I imagine they are all gone. The Canon 590 is the current equivalent to the 570 but Canon does not make a housing for it, only Ikelite, which, is not a problem since they make a fine heavy duty housing that should serve you well for several years while you develop your skills, diving and photographic.

Man, I am hurt, you think Diver85's pics are better than mine, whahhhhhhhhh (lol, so do I, he does good doesn't he).

Underwater Housing for Canon A580iS & A590iS Cameras

N

i'm with nemrod here. while the A570is is a capable camera it has been discontinued. you're better off getting a newer camera with better options on housing and accessories. I use an ikelite housing for my A570.

i'd also second diver85's reco to build up on experience before taking pics. that can come later and you'll enjoy photography more. without a strobe you'll need to practice manual white balance calibration before you can get pics you can smile about.