Sealife DC800

[FlyinV]

What do you think about the Sealife DC800 as a starter camera?
First without the external flash and then if things go well I would add it later.

What I am looking for in a camera
- Dead simple to take some pictures (IE hopefully a lot of automatic settings)
- Small and lightweight - I would like to clip it on my BC or put it in a pocket.
- Can also take some video

I don't expect magazine quality photos, mostly due to my lack of skills taking above water picks -- I just want something that can take a decent photo of some creatures in semi shallow water.

 

[deeper thoughts]

Check the forum for sealife, there is a whole thread on this excellent camera

 

[Miller64]

I have one,good camera,takes all the pictures at good quality that I will ever need,easy to use,well built.Its not a $5000 pro setup,,,but for easy recreational picture taking,its great.Nikon makes a good one around $250,,a friend has one.

 

[seaducer]

What do you think about the Sealife DC800 as a starter camera?
First without the external flash and then if things go well I would add it later....
I don't expect magazine quality photos, mostly due to my lack of skills taking above water picks -- I just want something that can take a decent photo of some creatures in semi shallow water.

Where do you want to take your photography? If you plan to get serious, I would not spend the money on the DC800 as a "starter", but get the 500 or 600 for less money. This will teach you UW photgrpahy without thousands of dollars invested. If on the other hand you are looking for a good camera and do not see yourself upgrading to a serious kit with a DSLR, etc, then this may well be the camera for you.

I would recommend the external flash though. The internal flash is barely sufficient, the ext. flash is worth all the money.

And you can expect magazine quality pics. I have the DC500, which is a few stops below the DC800, and every now and again I screw up and get a brillant, sharp, colorful photograph that looks like someone else took it. There is not enough resolution in my camera to blow things up big, but I get good quality prints up to 8x10.

keep in mind that photography adds a level of complexity in diving, and is also very addictive.

 

[FlyinV]

Thanks for the advice!