SD770 vs. S95 underwater?

[hazmat]

I just received an underwater housing for my SD770is. Although it would be a lot more money, would the S95 be significantly better underwater than the SD770? Overall, I'm happy with the SD770 in regular circumstances.

Thanks.

 

[Nemrod]

I just received an underwater housing for my SD770is. Although it would be a lot more money, would the S95 be significantly better underwater than the SD770? Overall, I'm happy with the SD770 in regular circumstances.

Thanks.

Yes.

N

 

[Nemrod]

To be more specific, take the sensor, the S90/95 have a 1/1.7 size and the SD770 has a 1/2.5 size, that is a big difference in size with the series having the advantage. The S series have full Manual exposure control and two ring/dial controls that allow user interaction without use of buttons or menus and Manual or Auto flash, the SD770 does not. The S series has RAW, the SD770 does not, another HUGE difference. The S series is a faster, more responsive, more controllable/flexible camera than the SD770.

There really is not comparison between the two, the new Oly XZ1 looks to be a winner also, faster lens, larger sensor than Canon S and G series, a 1/1.6 size.

N

 

[triggerman365]

+1 to Nemrod's RAW comment. Once you own and shoot a camera using RAW instead of JPEG you will not believe the difference. Even free photo editing programs will allow you to adjust the white balance and if you invest in Lightroom or Aperture your editing of RAW files will really give you great photos.

 

[hazmat]

Thanks, guys. It sounds intriguing. The only counterpoint to any of this I have to make is that the SD770 does in fact have manual flash control; auto, on, off.

 

[Nemrod]

Thanks, guys. It sounds intriguing. The only counterpoint to any of this I have to make is that the SD770 does in fact have manual flash control; auto, on, off.

Sorry, no go, that is not what we are talking about at all. All of these cameras have flash On and flash Off and Auto flash, what they do not have is the ability to choose Auto Flash exposure, Manual Flash exposure and then manually set a power level usually in three to five levels. Additionally and as a result, the pre-flash can be canceled.

When using a camera with an external flash it is often useful to cancel the pre-flash. Another benefit of being able to set the power level in Manual flash mode is reduced heat which reduces the tendency to fog and even better is greatly reduced battery consumption. Most modern external strobes like the Inon units trigger on IR signal and they only need the camera flash to be set to lowest power to sync up.

Another feature the SD770 is missing is Av and Tv auto modes where one selects the shutter speed or aperture and the camera selects an appropriate value for the other. The Av mode is my favorite shooting mode with the camera flash set to Manual with no pre-flash.

I am sorry if it sounds like I am running your camera down but you asked and the facts are that there is a huge difference between the more advanced S90/S95/G11 series and the essentially auto only SD770.

I may not have explained all that in the best way but nonetheless, it is that way and while on the subject, the fullest benefits of the S series or G series are not realized in the Canon OEM housings.

N

 

[hazmat]

Thanks for the additional info. That helps a lot. Now I understand what you're saying about the flash modes. Are Av and Tv aperture and shutter priority?

I have gone very slowly into the digital word, the SD770 being the most advanced camera I've had. I have a lot of experience with film SLRs, like my Nikon FE2 and Canon EOS 620. Looks like the S90 or S95 would be a nice entry into SLR-type functionality, while keeping it small enough to lug around everywhere on a trip.

 

[diver 85]

Thanks, guys. It sounds intriguing. The only counterpoint to any of this I have to make is that the SD770 does in fact have manual flash control; auto, on, off.

Since you've got the setup already, git wit it & let us see the results----

 

[hazmat]

Since you've got the setup already, git wit it & let us see the results----

Hah, nothing more I'd like to do right now, but I just got back from Hawaii. Some of the amazing things we saw there were what inspired me to finally get an underwater housing. Some gorgeous nudibranchs, flying gurnard, etc.

 

[diver 85]

Hah, nothing more I'd like to do right now, but I just got back from Hawaii. Some of the amazing things we saw there were what inspired me to finally get an underwater housing. Some gorgeous nudibranchs, flying gurnard, etc.

Ah, Flying Gurnards-------this one 'opened up' for about 3 seconds, 1 second before I took the shot, 1 second for the shot, then 1 second after the shot---I got lucky.......We saw many of them, just most were closed up or partially opened for the most part......