Sealife DC500

[Hutchel]

Well I bought one before I read everything on this board - oh well.

I took it to Cancun a couple of weeks ago. It takes decent pictures. I would rate myself as a serious hobbiest - I still like a real 35 MM SLR (I have several lenses and leave my camera on MANUAL) I do not make a living selling my pics though.

The battery life was a HUGE dissappointment. There is a battery indicator but it goes from full to low battery in a couple of pics - i.e. after I've been using the camera for an hour or so. I expected something that would provide some sort of linear decay on the indicator.

BTW the battery is not dummy proof. MAKE SURE YOU PUT IT IN RIGHT - I.E. turn the camera on BEFORE GETTING IN THE WATER!!!!! that wreck was really neat - too bad I didn't try the camera before starting the dive!

Definately get the external strobe. The internal flash did OK for near objects in decent lighting conditions. We did the CENOTES (cavern diving) the last day of diving. The pics were very dissappointing.

Latency. I am too used to instant results with my 35MM. Even in "shark mode" I have more than a few pics that the fish is swiming towards me than what I set up to take the picture. The lag is HORRIBLE.

Memory/ freeze ups. I used a 1 GB card (ultra) and had no problems. Came home with about 300 pics (8 dives - 6 with the camera on - battery issues on the other 2) that I shot at 5 mPix with fine (medium setting) - that's 1.2 mb per pic if you are keeping track. Still had over 500 Mb on the card free.

Final thought - I used this camera to replace an old CruiseCam (I think it was a vivitar) - 35 MM. I hate to say this but the pics are comperable - other than the DS500 is digital - limited by memory vs film and will go deeper.

Given the other comments, I probably would have opted for the Cannon.

For those that care the pics (good and bad) can be seen at http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/hutchinsel/album?.dir=/71d3re2&.src=ph&.tok=phQGANFBT6kPVoum

Lee

 

[desiredbard]

FBP
Seems you either hae or love this camera, there seems to be a firmware upgrade needed reg the flash though but that should not be to much of a problem.

Where can I download this firware upgrade??

Camera has come down to 539 now (with the external flash) and the latter is interchangable with other housings.

Is there anyone who has been able to get a separate charger extra battery.
I recently bough a general sony charger for €80 whilst sony charges 110 for a camera specific one ) Spare battery is always handy.

 

[desiredbard]

Howard,
the only reason I would know for using raw is editing; iaw saving without compression loss. (For those who do not understand: Try opening a JPEG in photoshop or paint shop pro and save it about 20 times under a different name and compare with the original picture)

Sony has this habbit of dicontinuing as well and the parts are hardly or not available (and overpriced). Now I have no experience in dealing with canon, but the fact that you say your partners camera range has been discontinued...... makes it a nogo for me.

Th Cybershot DSC P100 I have does reasonable good pictures, its slow from time to time especially under 5m in irish waters on a usual (overcast) day. I have a flash problem: a shade of the lens especially on macro images, that is annoying the ****e out of me. I might be able to reduce this by diffusing the internal flash ...but guess i cant even buy something as simple as that.

At least macrolenses and filters for the sealife seem to be interchangable. Please correct me if I'm wrong ASAP since I am about to have my brother in laww buy the thing in the states within the next 4 days. And the flash is said to be usable with the sony as well.

I would love a 1000-2000 but appart from parting with a lot of money it means parting with my wife as well, since i cannot justify an expenditure like that. Its a hobby not making a living.

Now photo-nazi might be a strong word (but I had to laugh) but its not badly chosen.
I have to surface photographers at work one semi-pro and one hobby-nazi. Only the first gives quality-use-budget advice where the other is top of the range latest of the latest. OK each to their own but the semi-pro gets better shots made then him....

Photographing is technique and having an eye for it.
OK the batterylife is a drawback, a serious one at that, but I do not see the problem with swapping cards and batteries between dives. Actually I rather like it.
I had a dive not long ago where someone cracked his housing and flooded it. .... this was dive number 4:
Housing gone...bummer
camera gone .... ****e
400 photographs gone...utter disaster cause you ve got nothing to show anymore.
(20 shots of a frog-fish gone and they are far and few between)
Having changed or emptied your sim would at least have given him the shots.

 

[desiredbard]

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.

$1100 not much more than $540 ????

 

[dherbman]

$1100 not much more than $540 ????

You aren't going to get an Ikelight strobe with that for $540. In fact, you won't get a strobe.

 

[Mafiaman]

I've owned one for about a year (close anyway) and have taken close to 1000 shots with it. here are my pros and cons
Pros
small in size making it easy to handle, about the size of two packs of cigarettes together. It will fit in most BCD pockets.
the fish mod auto adjusts color saving a lot of auto correct time.
@ 5.1 mega pixel it akes some good shots, but like any camera it depends on you. But put a 500 meg card in it and you can snap shops like a mad man and delete the uglys.

Cons
Battery life, 1 hour tops. So buy a second battery and swap beteween dives.
You must update firmware or it will lock up on you.
Color, the black case means, Davy Jones gets it if you lose it in poor visiblity or rough seas.

In conclusion, I would buy it again if I had it to do over.

 

[desiredbard]

I will get the strobe: http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/SLFDC5P.html.
OK its not a digital but light is an analog signal anyway, and landbased there is no real difference between the flashes unless your pro.

 

[alcina]

The SeaLife camera is designed so that a newbie can pick it up and go diving with minimal fuss and still take good pictures to preserve those memories. The Canons and Nikons are great, but not as easy for a novice who's never taken a camera u/w.

Sorry, gotta disagree. I see a ton of different cameras come through with a wide variety of diver skill level and photo skill level on an almost daily basis. As I am always interested to see what others shoot, I spend quite a bit of time looking at the images and talking with the shooters.

Hands down the best images in the hands of totally inexperienced shooters and novice divers come from rigs such as the Canon A or S series in the Canon housings. Without external strobes or lenses for the most part.

An external strobe is not a magic pill for making better shots as it can actually screw up what would have been a perfectly good shot. It's all about learning whatever rig you are going to use and finding a way to make the best of the strengths and weaknesses. Then getting out there and practicing!

FWIW - it looks like you can get strobes for under $540 http://www.reefphoto.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=4&zenid=e667b8a85693a43b1493edf24a549cc3

I haven't read the whole thread yet so not sure where that number came from but it looks like there are some good prices on Ike right now.

Happy shopping and have fun

 

[dherbman]

I will get the strobe: http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/SLFDC5P.html.
OK its not a digital but light is an analog signal anyway, and landbased there is no real difference between the flashes unless your pro.

Wow, that is a good price. I've enjoyed mine, so far. That battery is a pain, but I've taken some decent shots.

 

[alcina]

Cool, thanks for the info Pterantula.

But just one last thing to clarify, would that Inon D-2000W be something I could figure out on my own without having to resort to finding some experienced photographer to hold my hand through it?

There is a learning curve with any strobe. Strobe placement - getting the light to go where you want it to - it vital and takes a bit of getting used to...and even those who shoot tons of images underwater screw it up now and then - another reason to love that digital

All strobes are easy to use in their most basic form. Those little dials on the back actually make it easier, in my experience, to get good exposures as they let you control the output of the strobe. So if you shoot a frame and it's all white, you know you need to turn your strobe power down. Without those little dials the only way to really control your strobe output was to move the strobe head closer or farther away to your subject. Far more error there!

I say buy the best strobe you can afford once you are sure uw photo is what you want to do as a hobby. That way the strobe will grow with you and if you decide to dump it, your used market is wider. But I don't think a strobe is necessary right off the bat (although if you have the cash it's very nice!)

As with anything, do your research, ask lots of questions and weigh the feedback you are given. There isn't anyone out there who can tell you the perfect system for every person - but there are those whose opinions have a wider knowledge base and who may be able to narrow your choices down a bit.

Whatever you buy for a camera or a strobe - have fun! There's no "right" answer!