IF I'm looking to get into uw photography, and I've had experience with a PaS canon which is now useless to me since I'm looking to take quality pictures, should I save and just get an SLR or take my time and get an Olympus 5060 or something first. I would probably get a DS-125 strobe so I could use it on a future SLR. I heard the D70 is a good "budget" SLR. I was willing to spend like 1800 or something on a 5060 setup. How much would various SLR setups cost me? (specifically)
SLR or PaS
- Thread starter bsvihrajr
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lee3
Contributor
slr's can be rediculously expensive. i recently bought the entrey level digitial rebel ($750). a 100mm macro lens ($450), a 10-22 WA lens ($800), the aquatica housing ($1600), the dome port ($380), the macro port plus extension ring ($430) and a inon z220 ($500). i'm using my old inon d180 in slave but if i had to buy that new throw in another $400. then add the ultralight arms and a pelican case and call that $500 because you have so much crap to store for this fun little hobby that suddenly has blossomed out of control. you can see how an entry level slr can break the bank (i forgot -you're going to want 2 slr bodies because you can't be away on a liveaboard and suffer a flood without being able to take pics, so get a spare - what's the difference at this point? as you can see it can get out of hand for an entry level camera. i tell myself that the ports and lenses can go with me to future canon slr's and aquatica housings but it's still a rediculous amount.
i would say $3k is about the absolute minimium you would spend getting an slr, housing, a lens, one port, a strobe or 2, and strobe arms.
i would say $3k is about the absolute minimium you would spend getting an slr, housing, a lens, one port, a strobe or 2, and strobe arms.
Depends on what you want and what you expect out of the hobby. Many people had great pictures taken with Oly C5050/5060 type camera. However if you are talking about absolute quality, dSLR certainly will be better, with better sensor, better lenses and more capability to shoot wider wide angle and much more magnification at extreme macro end. However this comes at a price and we are not talking just about money. The setup will be much bigger and heavier. You will be limited on what kind of pictures you can take on each dive as there is no wetmount macro/wide angle lenses equavalent to PnS camera. I dove with C5050/Ikelite housing/DS125 for about a hundred odd dives before upgrading to D70 and it did help the transition a bit easier.
Tortuga Roja
Guest
My advice, since you are brand new to UW photography, would be to take advantage of the fact that a lot of people are now moving to dSLRs and selling their old setups. There are more and more 5050s, Canon G2s thru G5s, Coolpix, etc. for sale on eBay and forums like this. I know I just sold my 5050 with a Tetra housing and strobe for a very good price. For instance, here's one I happen to know about because it is one of my students that is selling it:
eBay sale
This is just an example of what is out their.
This will get you in the door reasonably and then you can make a more informed decision about whether a $5M+ dSLR is right for you. You can always sell your used system when you are ready to move up.
Tip: Buying used is safest if you buy from someone on a forum that has a lot of posts and is well known.
eBay sale
This is just an example of what is out their.
This will get you in the door reasonably and then you can make a more informed decision about whether a $5M+ dSLR is right for you. You can always sell your used system when you are ready to move up.
Tip: Buying used is safest if you buy from someone on a forum that has a lot of posts and is well known.
britusa
Registered
I know I wasn't the "asker" of the original question here, but I think you guys have done a lot to make up my mind. I have a Digital Rebel and a number of lenses. I am also a BRAND NEW diver (heck, I don't even finish my open water dives until April).
I've been looking at all the Canon posts for the last few days - trying to figure out which housing I should consider getting for my Rebel (Ikelite, Subal, Sea&Sea, Aqutica). The prices and options are driving me crazy. But, more importantly, I was concerned about whether I could handle this kind of setup and actually still concentrate on everything I need to do to dive safely.
I think from what I've read here I should look at buying perhaps a used PnS, get comfortable with it and then, maybe in a year or so, invest in the UWH for my Rebel. (who knows, the price may come down).
Does this sound like the right decision?
I've been looking at all the Canon posts for the last few days - trying to figure out which housing I should consider getting for my Rebel (Ikelite, Subal, Sea&Sea, Aqutica). The prices and options are driving me crazy. But, more importantly, I was concerned about whether I could handle this kind of setup and actually still concentrate on everything I need to do to dive safely.
I think from what I've read here I should look at buying perhaps a used PnS, get comfortable with it and then, maybe in a year or so, invest in the UWH for my Rebel. (who knows, the price may come down).
Does this sound like the right decision?
britusa:
Well it depends but I think your plan is a good one. Generally you want to be comfortable with diving first before you start taking a camera with you. That may take 10 dives or 50 dives depending on the person. Get your buoyancy control taken care off and get comfortable with your gears etc.
Don't forget that if you are dragging a pretty big setup especially if it is dSLR you you won't have both your hands free at all time.
If you just want a quick snapshot then PnS is perfectly fine but if you are already pretty much into photography, planning to dive where photography is the major purpose, then u/w photography can become very involved even with PnS camera especially those prosumer one which let you adjust pretty much anything.
If you are looking at Oly C8080 or something similar from Canon/Nikon/Sony, those housings are not any smaller than your dSLR so I might just jump right into getting your Rebel housed.
It might be a good idea to rent and cheap PnS setup and try it out a couple of times first. Some of my divebuddy could not be bother with dealing with a camera and just wanted to enjoy their dives without the hazzle of all the equipments.
Personally, I started with Oly C4040 shooting things pretty much all in auto mode for awhile before upgrading to C5050, strobes, full manual, finally after almost 200 dives with PnS, I finally broke down and got the D70.
britusa:
I have a little different take on it. First, I echo the recommendation to get comfortable as a diver before you even start to take photos. Photography adds a whole new level of task loading that can be difficult for someone new to diving. I recently read a story about a guy who was relatively new to diving drifting very deep because he was trying to figure out something on the camera.
However, once you are underwater, a DSLR isn't much more complicated than a point and shoot (mainly because most everyone I know shoots their PnS in manual mode). Yes, the DSLR will require a strobe and ports that will increase the size (generally speaking - there are exceptions) of the unit but I don't think that is going to make a significant difference in how you use the camera.
My take, hold off for a bit. Finish your training. Get some dives under your belt to make sure you like this new hobby and to increase your comfort in the water. Then, if you are still interested in taking some photos, rent a camera for a couple of dives. If you still want to take u/w photos, then invest in the housing for your camera and lenses.
f3nikon
Guest
britusa:
The UW digital housing vendors may not like this, you could save a bunch of money by doing a bit of research. Look into ebay and find an Ikelite housing for a FILM housings, be it for a film Rebel or any other Canon, Nikon SLR. I have seen them on ebay for as low as $50 for the housing, viewfinder add-on, dome port and flat ports! Now it my take a little modification and you may not get all the "digital" control buttons, but then you really do not need all those buttons in the first place! The important ones are the shutter and aperture controls, maybe the focus control if you have manual focus lenses.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=4703&item=5560396074&rd=1
These Ikelite UW SLR film housings kept the camera dry, just as well as the new digital housings. While you are in ebay look around for a used Ikelite strobe, around $100 or less. This is a much better option than starting off with a P&S in a housing, since you have the Digital Rebel in the first place. If anything you can still use the ports on a digital Ikelite housing if you go in that direction.
Good Luck
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