Sea and Sea digital camera

[latidail]

I am new to this forum. I'm sorry if this question has already been addressed.

I just ordered a Sea and Sea DX3000 Housed Digital Camera with a YS-25 Sea and Sea digital ready strobe. It says the strobe attaches via a fiber optic sync port and an internal flash cover allowe the attachment of the strobe.

I just got back from Turks and Caicos where I completed my advanced open water certification. One of the speciality courses I took was photography. I rented a 35mm camera from the shop at the resort. The flash was attached out to the side.

Even though the visibility was not great at times, I got some really great pictures. My local dive shop owner suggested that I get the above digital camera. He said that my pictures would be amazing and I can manipulate the outcome of the pictures more efficiently.

Does anyone on this forum own this camera? I hope it is worth the money I am spending on it. I was really interested in photography in college. Now that I am so relaxed diving, I was really into this photography course. They taught me that a strobe at a 45 degree angle takes the best pictures. I was also reminded that when I take photos of something, be aware of the background.

The photos I took before the class were fair. After the course, I got some beautiful pictures with fish that were beside beautiful coral. I've got my bouancy mastered, so I can be patient and still and get great shots, instead of fish butts.

I like the idea of the digital camera so I don't have to buy film and then remember to get it developed. I hope somebody out there has this camera, and give me their opinion on it.

Thanks in Advance.
Latida IL

 

[Dee]

I don't own this particular camera and don't know anyone who does. It hasn't been on the market very long but someone may come along who can help.

BTW...welcome to the board!

 

[latidail]

Thanks Dee,
All the information I can find online about on every site I've checked has the exact same information. It talks about how great this camera is and gives the specs. I think it is the same PR release from Sea and Sea. I did not realize it was so new.

Tammy

 

[PEIDiver]

I did a little background research on this camera for my LDS a while back. The actual camera is a Ricoh manufacture, and if you do a little searching around the net for the specific model (I forget which one now) you can find some reviews, though they are not dive specific. I remember there was some complaints of the cam producing slight blue casts in images. However, there was a lot of very positive remarks on the camera's macro ability being able to focus as close as 1cm. Ricoh seemed to market the cam at the middle of the road market for people who do not want to spend the money on a prosumer product. All in all it sounded like it was a good value for its cost as land based system.

Hope this helps,
Steve.

 

[latidail]

Thanks Steve, since I haven't gotten my camera yet, that information really helped. I ordered the camera from the dive shop on Friday. He said it would take a maximum of 6 days for him to get it in for me.

Thanks to your information, I found out the actual camera is a Ricoh Caplio RR30. I downloaded the user's guide, so I know information about how the camera works, etc.

I never saw what brand of camera it was on Sea and Sea website.

Thanks again. I am going to Cozumel on May 21st and I'm taking the camera with me. I'll be sure to give everyone my opinion of the ease of use, size, quality of photos, etc. when I return.

Tammy

 

[PEIDiver]

Glad I could be of some help. I'm sure everyone would love to see some pics when you get back. I have some friends who are thinking of ordering this camera and seeing some results would really help with the decision process.

Steve

 

[Dee]

Please do give us a review when you return. As you can see, so far we have no references and people are starting to purchase them.

One thing I can offer....PEI mentions the macro focusing at 1cm. The Oly C-5050 also has a super macro feature and one thing I've heard is it's very hard to light the subject that close to the camera. The internal flash really overexposes the shot that close and the lens barrel is also in the way.

The S&S may be different but it's something I would look into if the macro is a big reason for your purchase.

 

[latidail]

Hi Dee,
Have you ever experienced slight depression after returning home from a diving trip? It seems to always hit me the week I get back. I guess I look so forward to going to a breath taking island that it keeps me excited for a couple of weeks.

I know everyone on this site knows the exhilaration of diving. To me it is kind of like when the runner's high kicks in after running several miles. Only running is kind of like hitting yourself in the head with a hammer, it feels good when you stop.

Diving on the other hand feels great the whole time and I still get the "high." It is even harder coming back to the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Believe it or not, here it is April, and we are expecting 3 to 6 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow morning!

The only thing that is slowly raising my spirits is my May 21st trip to Cozumel for 10 days with a group of my girlfriends. I was just looking over past trips photos of our yearly trips to Cozumel with my friend and it definitely gave me a boost.

You know what else amazes me about diving? It is the different types of dive operations and dive masters. We just got back from a beautiful resort called Beaches (owned by Sandals) in Turks and Caicos. We took our 4 children and renewed our wedding vows. That part was wonderful.

Fortunately, but somewhat unfortunately, the place is geared for wealthy familes with pampered private school children. There were tons of kids just completely their open water training that had the same Sumto Cobra air intergrated computer I own, their own BCs, regulators, etc. How do the even know if they will love diving? Their parents spend thousands of dollars on all this brand new equipment that most people accumlate after diving year after year.

They had so many rules that it really took away from the diving. I understand they have to be on the conservative side because it is such a family place. We would go on a 2 tank dive in the morning and the crew did not do one thing to help you with your gear or set up your equipment. They did not really seem into their jobs. It seemed more like a grind than a passion. I guess it gets that way when you have a lot of inexperienced children divers.

I'm not trying to sound snobby, but I am on vacation. We rented 2 Presidential Suites with our own Concierge. I expected that I wouldn't have to lift a finger on the boat. That was definitely not the case. You set all your own gear, and switched over everything to another tank for the second dive. I was so unhappy with the service as were many other divers, our Concierge advised me to try an outside dive operation called Caico's Adverture.

I called them and the next day they picked me up at the hotel. Everyone on the bus was laughing comparing all the spectacular places that they had been on dive trips. When we got to our dive boat, the crew would not even let us get our own gear out of the van. They loaded everything on the boat, immediately set up our equipment, started the music, and it was only uphill from there. They divemasters were fun. They danced and told jokes on the long boat ride to places that Beaches would not even go.

When it came time for the dive report, they got very professional and provided excellent information. They respected us as divers and wanted us to have the best time possible. The maxium dive time at Beaches, no matter what depth, was about 30 minutes. With this dive operation my first dive time was 49 minutes and the second was about an hour. I still had well over 1800 psi after both dives.

At Beaches, I would come up with 2100 psi. That is when I decided since I was paying for dives I wasn't taking, I would go for my advanced open water certification. That is what saved me. I had a one on one instructor for all my training dives, and we could stay down as long as our computer would allow.

Of course, big mouth me said what most of the other divers were whispering. When the Captain said start setting up your equipment, I said I thought the crew did that for us. The Captain said, "You must have us confused with a different dive operation." I said yes I did, every other one I had been on except Bonaire." The other divers were all quietly agreeing with me.

We paid about $22,000 for this trip. When I go to the Scuba Club in Cozumel, I may spend $1,500 for my room, diving and food. I never eat there though. I like to experience the nightlife. The rooms are fair, basically for hardcore divers. No TV, phone, safe, or even a Consierge.

BUT THE DIVE OPERATION IS THE BEST. You are so pampered. I would leave my dive bag by the dive shop, and the guys were tripping over each to carry it for me. I would get my BC and regulator out and lay them on a tank, then head up top to work on my tan. When we got to the dive site, all of our equipment was set up. The even helped us put it on.

Our divemaster would give the greatest dive plan and what we might expect to see. He would take us through these tiny swim throughs in this massive coral mountains, but you always knew he was watching everyone closely. When people got low on air, they would signal him that they were going up, but the rest of us got to stay down the maximum allowed time. It was drift diving so the boat followed us, and was right there after our safety stops.

I love diving so much, I would rather stay at this moderate Scuba Club, than that 5 star luxurious resort if my goal is strictly diving.

Forget about it if I am not diving. I want a full spa, beautiful suite, and luxury. My husband dives, but he doesn't love it like me. He went on one dive in Turks and Caicos. I went on 18. He uses too much air, and if we can't drive straight to the dive site and jump right in, he get sea sick with the boat rocking. That means 2 tank dives are out for him.

That's why the annual trip to Cozumel is so much fun. All of the group of girls I go with breath very efficiently and we all act silly. We get to keep the same divemaster the entire trip too. So he kind of becomes part of the group and acts silly sometimes too.

Well I did not mean to go on and on, especially on the photography formum. I will give a full report on my camera when I return.

Tammy

 

[Dee]

I hope We paid about $22,000 for this trip. was a typo!!!! ut:

Yes...I certainly do get the dive trip blues. It usually starts on the way back home! Other than the actual diving, the next best part of the trip is right now, within a week of leaving for a trip. The anticipation because it's our favorite place and we know we'll be treated like kings and queens and have excellent diving. The week will go fast and the memories of it will have to last us until next year.

You'll soon learn through experience that the operations that do not cater to all inclusives or to cruise ships are usually the better choice. For one thing, they depend return business and word of mouth advertising so they go out of their way to make sure you have a great experience. The others have a ready marker provided for them by the cruise lines or the hotels, there'll be another crowd tomorrow, next week, whenever, so why should they do anything for you, you'll probably never be back. One of our favorite DM's has worked both sides and according to him, this is how they are told by their bosses to deal with customers.

Now...I'm gonna go finish packing and look at some more CCV pictures and dream of departure....5 days, 0 hrs, 10 min. but who's counting!!

 

[latidail]

Hi Dee,
No, the $22,000 was not a typo. We took all four children. We rented two connecting Presidential Suites. We had our Wedding Vows renewed with a sunset sailboat cruise after the ceremony. We had professional photos made. The spa was not included, and believe me we used it. I had hair and makeup done twice to see if they could do it better than I could for the wedding photos, I got a massage and seaweed bodywrap. My husband had at least five 90 minute deep tissue massages. Of course both my daughters had to have the hair done. Then before we left, our 9 year old got all of her hair braided in cornrows. She looked adorable. If you count all the new Scuba equipment we bought, including open water certification courses for our two oldest childen, in which the 16 year old princess blew off, all the new clothes we bought I think $27,000 is an understatement. Including our purses, the customs officer counted 21 pieces of luggage we brought with us.

It was a special trip mainly because the kids all loved it. And our combined children were not in our real wedding. It was in Jamaica at Couples, no kids allowed.

You know as I was thinking back on all the diving I have done, with the exception of The Scuba Club of Cozumel, you are right. I do have a much better time with independent dive operators. With a big exception in Aruba.

The Scuba Club is all-inclusive, but you do all the tipping at the end of your stay. At Beaches there was no tipping allowed.

I love luxury resorts, but really I prefer them not to be all-inclusive. I prefer to eat at local restaurants and experience the island. Forget about cruises; I hate them.

I hope you have a great time on your trip!

Tammy