Sealife DC500

[dherbman]

I also heard that the camera freezes due to a memory card that is too large. We have a 512memory card and I haven't had any problems. I love it

I've had several freezes and use a 1 GB card. Like I've been saying, the camera is crap. Glad I didn't pay for it, but I'll keep using it.

 

[ffestpirate]

I've had several freezes and use a 1 GB card. Like I've been saying, the camera is crap. Glad I didn't pay for it, but I'll keep using it.

Manufacturer does not reccomend anything over a 512 card for it. 1GB may be the reason you're freezing

 

[HowardE]

Manufacturer does not reccomend anything over a 512 card for it. 1GB may be the reason you're freezing

That's kind of limiting too... How many pictures - as uncompressed as possible can fit on a 512 mb card?

 

[dherbman]

Manufacturer does not reccomend anything over a 512 card for it. 1GB may be the reason you're freezing

It's been very intermittent. It requires I pull the battery to rest the camera. I may have to drop down to a 512. I don't know if I could even fill a 512 in a single dive, so there's no real reason for the 1GB.

I may have to RTFM.

 

[ffestpirate]

That's kind of limiting too... How many pictures - as uncompressed as possible can fit on a 512 mb card?

I can take 320

 

[steveann]

Here's my take on it, being a DC 500 owner and having researched all the other options.

The DC500 is a nice camera. It takes nice pictures. The battery doesn't last forever, sure, but I'm not out diving to take pictures, I'm taking pictures of my dives. That means I'm taking less pictures per dive than most "photo-Nazis". SO I get two dives per battery, which isn't shabby.

The housing and strobe. It's compact, easy to use, easy to understand. The buttons are close together, but then the camera easily fits in the palm of my hand (not like resting on it, more like I close my fingers over it and the thing disappears.) It's a small camera thing, and I live with it. The housing is rated well beyond what I'm rated for. Is that a good thing? I'll call it my fudge factor. I won't ever take my housing below it's limits without first far exceeding mine, therefore my diving should never be the cause of my flooding the camera.

The price range. I bought my kit, the DC500 Elite (with digital strobe) and all the accessories I'll need for it (extra batt, batt chargers) for under $1000, with NYS tax thrown in. My LDS owner, and good buddy, just bought his strobe.....for $500. No arms by the way, just the strobe. His "comparable" camera has set him back $1500 so far. Granted, he can shoot RAW, but I'll take my D70 under if I want my pinks to be pink.

On a final note. Yes, there are good deals to be had out there on other cameras. You can get some great used Ike housings and cameras for cheap. You can get some great used strobes for cheap. You can't beat the price of the DC500 for a package deal on a new camera, without cutting some serious corners. If you are looking to dive for photos, spend the bucks and get your nice camera/housing/strobe. If you're looking to take some snapshots of your dive, look into the DC500. You might just find out it's the setup for you.

P.S. My favorite feature of the rig so far is that I can close the flash over the housing, cinch it in place with the lanyard, and hang it under my arm...and not notice it there. It just floats along like those fashionable purses, right in my pit.

 

[SCOOBA PHAN]

Two Problems Are The Battery And The Card. If You Go To Bonaire And Don't Take Your Computer I Can Gaurantee You Would Want More Than A 512 Card. And Just The Fact That Canon Or Any Number Of Other Cameras Have Much Better Battery Life And A Very Good Housing Made Me Go The Other Routes. But If You Like The Dc500 You Ought To Go For It. Good Shootin'. Tom

 

[HowardE]

The price range. I bought my kit, the DC500 Elite (with digital strobe) and all the accessories I'll need for it (extra batt, batt chargers) for under $1000, with NYS tax thrown in. My LDS owner, and good buddy, just bought his strobe.....for $500. No arms by the way, just the strobe. His "comparable" camera has set him back $1500 so far. Granted, he can shoot RAW, but I'll take my D70 under if I want my pinks to be pink.

What do you mean about PINK?

Also - I bought for my wife a Canon S70 (7.1MP - with RAW) + Canon Housing + Ikelite DS-125 strobe for about $1100. Not much more than the sealife.

 

[pterantula]

I think you will find the camera nazi group doesn't understand that some of us are just starting out, and don't want to be a photojournalist who has to set settings and worry about all the other stuff.

Every segment of pursuit has its Nazi-Nerds, who have extreme and inviolate opinions about the field, but these folks are relatively easy to spot and can be ignored.

I've heard a real mixed-bag over the DC500, and would recommend a good all-around camera and a separate housing (as mentioned by some others here). My pocket cam is the Canon Powershot Elph S410, and even better models than that can be had for around $300; housings from around $175. It's a better camera than the Sealife or the comparable Sea & Sea (not just my opinion, but supported by camera shops and underwater camera shops) - though hopefully the newer Canons have faster shutters (my only complaint).

Apart from that, photography is huge for me, and I also have a full Nikon DLSR kit which has so far cost in the thousands to put together - but it's worth it for people like me who shoot an average of 300 pics a week.

Camera Nazis understand that people are just starting out. The point is... Why buy a camera that is "made for underwater" - You can buy a nice simple to use Canon P&S camera with a canon housing for $500 too. The Canon's are much better cameras all around. ... good luck with your choices, but for the money... the DC500 is nothing special

Too true. The Sealife & Sea & Sea point-&-shoots are nothing special, and you'd be better off getting a decent camera, then housing it. You'll actually save money, and Canon has a great rep (though I'm partial to Nikon on the higher-end pro stuff...).

PS - once you decide to get a good cam with a fast shutter (this is where DSLR really shines), get the best battery and the biggest card you can. I shoot mostly with Sandisk Ultra II 2gb CF cards: the write-speed is very quick, they're very durable, and 2gb seems like alot until you start chasing some fish and realize you just shot-off 200 frames in about a minute... (best professional foto advice I've ever received: "always take the shot..." - this can mean keeping the shutter depressed for several seconds at a time).

 

[RichKirby]

I have a DC500 and a one gig card and have had no problems with lock-ups (knock on wood). Maybe it's brand or speed specific. I can look at the card when I get home and post what it is if anyone is interested. I think it is a fine little camera for what it is. Are there better cameras out there that you can house for around the same amount of money? Probably. But it's appeal is to the u/w photo novice who doesn't want to spend hours and hours researching what works together. The DC500 is simple to use and has ready made accessories which you know will work together. Since I've been reading more and more on this board, and doing it over again with what I know now, I'd probably buy a Canon and Canon housing. But, as the poster said above, as a diver who takes pictures while diving, rather than a photographer that dives to take pictures, it has been fine. I have some good photos taken with it and now have a digital strobe to go with it and try out on my next dive. All in all, I've been pleased and don't regret the purchase.