SeaLife Reefmaster Mini ... Yes or No?

[muddiver]

Bigfrog and ScubaSteve772: Have you guys used the Olympus 710/720 with the underwater housing? I am not sold on the ReefMaster Mini because the housing is the camera body. Like the old Nikonous I/II/II/etc. I would expect that the extra setting for underwater shots does not out weigh the danger of flooding the camera if the seal leaks.

I only consider the Olympus because it is a water tight camera in a watertight housing. Basically redundant seals on a digital point and shoot.

 

[ScubaSteve772]

No I have not tried the olympus. I have dove with my brother-in-laws cannon G7 though.

I fully admit that having a full manual, full function camera with housing is the way to go for most. However, they are a bit bigger (although with strobe on a mini that advantage goes away) so you cant stuff it in a pocket, and I was much less worried about the mini getting banged up.

The housing is very solid, there is one O-ring and a very secure latching system. I was quite a bit more concerned about the G7 housing leaking than the mini. The Olympus you listed is water resistant, so could probably take a little water in the housing, but not sure it could take a major flooding at depth or for more than a few minutes.



Not sure what issues RoyN has had that have caused it to be returned, but that would concern me a bit also. All I can say is that I have had no issues at all and it has been pretty reliable on the 8 dives I've had with it.

 

[Paco II]

Reviving an older thread here, but wondering if those who have the mini are 'disappointed' at all that it only does video at 320x240. I was a bit surprised at the low resolution when looking at the specs.

 

[RoyN]

I would suggest getting a good camera like a Canon or Sony and get the housing because those companies make the housing for it too. You know Paco 2, I bought my canon on Craigslist from a guy in San Francisco for $250 both housing and camera and here are some samples for it.





And here is one from my old reefmaster mini.





And yeah, thats one heck of a big differences!!

So in either case, I think in the long run, it will be cheaper to buy the camera and buy the housing rather then buy the Reefmaster. I can't tell you how many things I've seen and when taking pictures using the reefmater, all I got was backscatter about 97% of the time and when I switched to the Canon, all the backscatters were gone when taking in Macro. Anyways, hope this helps and hope to see you sometimes in Monterey!

Here is the rest of the gallery, a quick note, the pictures from August 25 and 26 were taken from my canon and the rest is from the Reefmaster.

http://community.webshots.com/user/RoystonJN?vhost=community

Cheers, Royston Nguyen

 

[Paco II]

I'll definitely check craigslist. My concern is just about spending a lot of money on a camera and housing that will quickly be out of date. THat is how it is with my old digital elph. At the time it was $400 + $200 for housing. And already it is no good. I can pick up a Reefmaster Mini for $216, so it is a tough call.

BTW, what canon did you get on craigslist?

 

[RoyN]

PM sent because Ebay links I read on the rule isn't allowed....:confused2

 

[alcina]

Paco - Frankly I wouldn't worry about things going "out of date" - it just isn't a real issue.

Yes, models get superseded. Yes, new technology comes out. No, your camera doesn't stop working

You say that's how it is with your digital Elph - "it's no good". Why? Is it broken? Elph's aren't the choice I would put first on my list for underwater as they lack manual controls for aperture and shutter, but I love 'em for land stuff (I adore my Mom's 400) and even uw they are capable.

I still have and use the venerable Olympus 5050s and two old technology Canon A series (A20 and A75). All of them still work and still are capable of great images. They might not have everything a newer model will have, but they have served me well and I never felt that they were "outdated" when new model came out...of course, I love to shop, so buying something new is always fun! Just not necessary.

Every camera out right now will be "out dated" when the big manufacturer's release the next round (about March usually), so don't let this bother you. Just buy something that suits your needs now and lets you grow a bit as your skills develop.

 

[Paco II]

alcina, thanks for the comments. You are quite right.

 

[RoyN]

Agree with Alcina said, technology goes fast :11:, they got a 12 megapixel camera out there now and only 4 years ago my dad got a 5 megapixel camera and the whole family was like "WOW" We got style , and now look at it. its old and discontinued. Even that canon S50 I showed you the link on Ebay through PM is now discontinued completely, if I had money, I would have bought something better, but as a poor college student, I got to make due with what I have. Do yourself a favor Paco 2, and just give yourself time and happiness. But don't go for that Reefmaster mini camera. Great innovation but not perfect camera at all. We've warned you.

Cheers, Royston

 

[Paco II]

Thanks to all for the comments. I've decided to skip the mini.