SeaLife DC1200 or Sea&Sea DX-2G

[plok]

Hello All,
I am about to buy the new camera, need an advice. I consider myself an advanced amateur in photography, but very little underwater experience. Diving mostly tropics. SLRs with custom housing are out of my range and I had bad experience with fairly good for land mode Canon point-and-shoot camera. So, I narrowed down my selection to two cameras: SeaLife DC1200 and Sea&Sea DX-2G.

Looking at specs they are in the same niche. Both have some pros and contras. Both are 12 Megapixels. One has wider angle lens, another wider zoom (though it is not very useful underwater as I understand). One has RAW format available and some manual control, another features four underwater modes (are these really useful?). Can you list most important, decisive points for the underwater camera?

SeaLife DC1200 looks to be more popular among users of this forum. Sea&Sea DX-2G seems to be somewhat better on the paper. I need to justify to myself much higher price of the DX-2G.

I would appreciate those who have experience with either of two cameras or both of them to share it and express their thoughts. Opinions of beginners, advanced users and professionals all do matter. Post sample pictures with brief description of conditions and camera setup, if you can.
Thank you All responding to this.

 

[didi440]

I shoot a DC1000 camera underwater and uptop I shoot a Canon Rebel Xsi. I like the SeaLife cameras -- this is my second. I do not have any experience with the SeaLife. However, when I upgrade my camera for underwater shooting I will definately be going to a camera that will shoot RAW. I am currently considering the Canon G11 as my next upgrade.

Back to my experience with SeaLife. I dive in the NE and use heavy gloves. The housing has been east to operate with the gloves. I get some great pics (some are on my profile). I like the ability to be able to shift from macro to wide angle on the fly just in case that whale shark comes cruising by. I use the external wide angle lens with great success in capturing reef scenes and larger critters. I have been playing with keeping the camera in macro mode with the wide angle on to play with "wide angle macro". I have the ability to adjust both my aperature and shutter speed when shooting in external flash manual mode. My complaints about the camera and set up are the lack of RAW and the shortness of the strobe arms.

When I do change cameras, I will stick with SeaLife, if they have added the ability to shoot RAW and lengthened the strobe arms or give me that option. Being able to shoot RAW is very important to me because it's as close as you can get to film. That way when you photoshop your pictures, you have more pixels available to work with than a compressed format such as JPG. Also, each time you open a JPG file, it will loose come of the data which can create issues if you are editing pics over a period of time. If you don't overwrite the RAW format, you always have an "original" to work with. In fact, I always work on copies of my pictures and have a backup hard drive with "originals" stored on them in case I make an oops. I will also look at things like the sensor size, whether it's full frame or not, and the availablity to be able to adjust settings and modes on the fly. The next thing I look for is easy of operation under the water, as I wear gloves. Price is also a consideration and for me, at this point the SeaLife Cameras are a good price.

Both SeaLife and Sea&Sea make good cameras. It all comes down to what you want to do with your photography and how easy you want it to be.

 

[deeper thoughts]

You are right. I too have the sealife and the strobe arm is really a pain.

 

[plok]

Thank you, didi440.
As for the G11 (though it is out of topic), it has few dials on the top of the camera. I would be concerned how the hosing lets you operating them. Also if there is a housing that allows attaching a wide angle lens; 28mm – is it wide enough?
I also would prefer the camera featuring RAW format. That’s where DX-2G tops DC1200. However, neither this, nor longer strobe arms, which seem to be complain of quite a few users, are not featured on the DC1200. Looking at pictures the housing in general didn’t change… well except of piano keys.
What did you mean by “full frame” sensor? If you want the sensor to be as big as the 35mm film frame, then it is another camera price range – should be way more expensive…

 

[didi440]

A full frame sensor in the digital world is the same exposure that you would get if you were using a 35mm film camera. Most digital cameras use a smaller sensor and for wide angle you have to apply a crop factor. As a result, if you are using 35mm lenses on a camera, you need to figure in the crop factor to give you the true exposure and depth of field of the shot. Also, a full frame camera gives you more pixels to work with. So full frame + RAW is a good thing in my mind. However, the cameras and housings are more expensive and I want to get more practice with both of the cameras I am currently shooting before investing in one. I don't anticipate upgrading for at least another year, but am doing my homework so I have my list ready when I am ready to change cameras.

As for the G11, one of my dive buddies has the G10 and FIXX housing. So far, it has been incredibly easy to operate underwater and she has taken some great shots with it. There are levers that operate the dials if they can be operated underwater.

The DC1200 uses the same strobes as my DC1000. The arms are very short. They do bend and you can try to angle them to give you better lighting, but they really should be longer so you can get side lighting rather than just front lighting. If you look at the pictures on my profile, you can see on the white sand in Mayaguana where the light actually hit in the grouper and conch pictures. Ultralight makes longer arms and trays for the SeaLife Cameras and I'm in the process of converting my strobes to the Ultralight Arms and Trays.

I have the external wide angle lens and it's a help when I'm trying to shoot reef scenes and larger critters. However, the number 1 rule in underwater photography is get close and when you think you are to close, get closer. A lot also depends on the conditions you are shooting in. If you shoot in the NE, the viz is no where near as far as the Caribbean. We rejoice when the viz is 40 feet. That's a bad viz day in the Caribbean. So for me, the wide angle is helpful, especially when I'm doing shark dives off Montauk.

The biggest changes for the DC1200 have been the increase from 10 to 12 megapixels and the redesign of the camera and housing. The 1200 uses the piano keys. My 1000 uses the buttons. However, the changes to the 1200 were not enough to make me change from my DC1000 as it is a relatively new camera for me, less than a year old.

 

[hammerhead man]

Hi Plok, I own the Sea&Sea DX-1G and really like it. I think that the 1200D and DX-2G are quite different. The DX-2G offers greater capability than the 1200D is strictly a point and shoot camera with the capability of shoot HD video, the DX-2G can be used as a point and shoot camera but also has full manual setting capability that gives greater flexibility when taking stills. It offers more choices for focusing, strobe settings, white balance, shutter speed, and aperture settings. It can also take JPEG and RAW images.

My belief is that if you want to primarily shoot video, buy a video camera that gives great video but can take still photographs; however, if you want to shoot stills then buy a camera whose strength is taking photographs.

I also found that once you get into underwater photography you will want to shoot using a manual mode and continually add items to enhance your photographs (strobes, wide angle lens, close-up lens, and fisheye lens) and the DX-2G allows for all these accessories.

If you click on my "photos" link in the left hand pane you can see some pics that I've taken with the DX-1G.

Regards,

Bill

 

[plok]

Thank you hammerhead man, video is not a priority at all for me; probably nice to have, but not a decisive point.
What manual settings/adjustments do you use most frequently? What focus mode is helpful, but is missing on the DC1200? Do you use manual focusing? White balance shouldn’t matter, if you shoot RAW.
I realize that the DX-2G is having many optional and very attractive accessories, but that comes with the price. The price of the basic setup of the camera and strobe is high already, and the camera is still not an SLR – it belongs, in my opinion, to somewhat advanced point-and-shoot category. Am I missing something?

 

[eScubaGuru]

The Sealife DC1200 is one of the easiest cameras to use and setup. Best value for taking great underwater pictures.

 

[Paula Schi]

Hi plok,

the big question is- what do you want. Do you want a camera which takes pictures where you are in control of the camera or do you want the camera to do the work.
If I had to choose; I 'd definitely take the 2G. Yes- it is more expensive, but you will soon realise that you can grow with this one and have fun using it for a long time. I bought the 1G in 2008 and have really learned to use it.
Question is also- what is a good picture for you? In my opinion, sealife cams are ok- but since you are already shooting topside with a dslr, then it is definitely not the cam for you.

My pics with the 1G, YS110a flash, closeup lens and wide angle lens: SEA&SEA DX-1G camera

Good luck with you decision

 

[scottfiji]

Plok, here's a review on the Sea & Sea DX-2G. I consider it one of the top choices out there for a compact underwater camera. Like Hammerhead man said, I think you'll find it's in quite a different class than the SeaLife. Nothing against the Sealife, it's just the DX-2G is quite a good camera.

hope this helps,
Scott