Ok... don't take it from us "UW photog newbies..." -- listen to what an expert has to say: http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/sea-and-sea-dx8000g-review/
sea and sea dx-8000g
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deeper thoughts
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BKP:
Thanks for posting the review
Oh.... in your initial post you wrote "high end." If the A620's "high end" then I guess you can get in on the cheap for the camera. If you can find one (it's discontinued).Cecil:
Now where is that $200 Ikelite housing for it? I'd like to bookmark the site for future reference
Rick
I think you got me confused with Cecil, but since you asked...deeper thoughts:
My opinion is that you can do some very good work with almost any camera, so long as you know its limits and capabilities. You can reduce any image to technical specs - dpi (lpi for film), pixels, color sat, exposure stats etc, but ultimately the photographer makes the shot, and if your objective is to share the underwater world with others then technical excellence of a photograph, although it contributes, isn't nearly as important as the image's impact on the viewer.
My own background as an amateur nature photographer goes back to my teen years and Daddy's Nikonos, through my own F2 and F3 with big mirrors & such. My first underwater was one of those little Ikelite Aquashots that held the little Kodak cardboard box cameras... here's a sample from that rig-
Technically nothing fancy; but it's one that folks enjoy and say "Oh... I'd like to see something like that!"
Bottom line - the DX8000G looks to be a very nice setup indeed, certainly capable of capturing dramatic images in the right hands. It's short shutter lag is particularly attractive to me. If I didn't already have a housed C8080 I'd consider it as a strong contender.
Rick
Can those of you who have the 8000DG post some images, too? I'd love to be able to add this as a link in the Getting Started sticky - but only if we stay on topic and don't start slagging off
There is no "right" system for everyone - that's why there are so many options!
There is no "right" system for everyone - that's why there are so many options!
deeper thoughts
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Rick Murchison:I think you got me confused with Cecil, but since you asked...
My opinion is that you can do some very good work with almost any camera, so long as you know its limits and capabilities. You can reduce any image to technical specs - dpi (lpi for film), pixels, color sat, exposure stats etc, but ultimately the photographer makes the shot, and if your objective is to share the underwater world with others then technical excellence of a photograph, although it contributes, isn't nearly as important as the image's impact on the viewer.
My own background as an amateur nature photographer goes back to my teen years and Daddy's Nikonos, through my own F2 and F3 with big mirrors & such. My first underwater was one of those little Ikelite Aquashots that held the little Kodak cardboard box cameras... here's a sample from that rig-
Technically nothing fancy; but it's one that folks enjoy and say "Oh... I'd like to see something like that!"
Bottom line - the DX8000G looks to be a very nice setup indeed, certainly capable of capturing dramatic images in the right hands. It's short shutter lag is particularly attractive to me. If I didn't already have a housed C8080 I'd consider it as a strong contender.
Rick
I am sorry but thnx for the info
No sweat. In fact, you gave me the excuse to go ahead and post the "it ain't the camera, it's the photographer" message, which is important whenever anyone's buying a new camera.deeper thoughts:
Thanks for that.
We tend to get wrapped around the axle shaving numbers and dollars when it's much more fun to get in the water and start shooting!
Rick
Added the link to this thread in the Sticky
rjsimp
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alcina:
Here are some shots I took in June with the 8000G. I had the wide angle adapter also for 3 of these shots. The camera works okay with a few issues that may or may not be issues for someone.
The first issue is when you "preview" the picture in the LCD. When you are shooting in manual and crank down the F-stop and increase the shutter to get the nice dark blues, it is VERY difficult to see the subject because the LCD tries to give you a "real-time" view with the settings taken into account (it doesn't realize the strobe will fill the image with enough light). There is no way (as there is on other cameras) to have the LCD view an uncompensated image with all available light.
Another real issue I found was (despite the review referenced earlier in this thread) the picture noise was not acceptable to me. Even at ISO 100, the noise was very noticable in the blues and in other areas of the photos (you can click on these I posted and see what I mean). ISO 200 was not even an option really, so you are really limited and the quality of the image is going to suffer.
The flash/write speed is really slow. It may have a fast shutter speed, but the write speed was pretty slow and the flash did not recharge until the write was finished so it would take even that much longer. You wouldn't believe how many shots I missed because it would take too long to recharge.
Finally, and this wasn't a huge problem, but the "RAW" format is some sort of special TIF image that many programs have issues reading. The noise was still present in the TIF so it made no difference to me and I didn't use it.
All in all, the camera was pretty good for someone wanting to take beginner pictures, but if you wanted something higher quality and be able to shoot 100+ pictures on a dive, then it probably won't work for you. I ended up getting the D200 as my new camera to replace that 8000G and I LOVE it.. of course, that is a totally different animal.
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