So, anybody hear anything bad, good indifferent about the Sealife DC500?

[*Floater*]

I don't know how well a "snap on" macro would work. The reason I say this is that the DC500 has a zoom lens and the DC310 didn't The zoom will cause the lens to move in/out which will most likely distort the macro. Of course this is all assumption as I haven't tried it.

Yeah, but suppose you didn't use the zoom? With DC310 you just have to get the distance right for the macro shots, so I'm wondering if that would work with DC500. You probably cannot use the macro wand that comes with the close-up set, which is why sealife may say the macros are not compatible, but maybe if you drop the wand, and don't touch the zoom lens you could get nice macro shots with the 16x and 8x for appropriately chosen distances.

My main reservation about the DC500 is that it only has the 3x zoom lens, whereas with DC310 you could get up to 16x with the snap-on. For the new camera to be a serious piece I feel it should have some more macro capability, but then again I'm still waiting to see some sample pics...

 

[mike_s]

Yeah, but suppose you didn't use the zoom? With DC310 you just have to get the distance right for the macro shots, so I'm wondering if that would work with DC500. You probably cannot use the macro wand that comes with the close-up set, which is why sealife may say the macros are not compatible, but maybe if you drop the wand, and don't touch the zoom lens you could get nice macro shots with the 16x and 8x for appropriately chosen distances.

My main reservation about the DC500 is that it only has the 3x zoom lens, whereas with DC310 you could get up to 16x with the snap-on. For the new camera to be a serious piece I feel it should have some more macro capability, but then again I'm still waiting to see some sample pics...

ya know... that might work. Not using the zoom. Hopefully they were
that smart. I think the macro lens will fit, because I was told the
wide angle lens would, and they are the same "mount" size.

I don't see the zoom being of much use under water anyway as the zoom
just lets you take a pic of something far away without getting close.
Underwater, that extra distance will only deplete your available light
and run into issues with limited visibility. So, my point of view,
I don't see the zoom worth much underwater. It might be useful
topside though.

 

[*Floater*]

Sealife has now added some pics for the DC500: http://www.sealife-cameras.com/gallery/digital_gallery500.html#

Here's one:

Accessory Used: DC500 16x 3x Zoom Sea Mode
Photo: Flamingo Shell Treasure Cay
Location: Bahamas

I presume that the 16x refers to the 16x macro lens? So I guess the 8x and 16x close-up lens set may be used with this camera in some capacity. It would be nice to hear from scubaboard members who have used this camera.

 

[lstepko]

Has anyone tried it out in the store or anywhere? Is it true about no shutter lag? I wonder what kind of photos it takes.

I haven't used it yet but we sell it at our shop. My boss uses it and you can really see the difference in the sharpness of the image. It's pretty impressive. The underwater pictures are very sharp and we also use it to take certification pictures at the shop. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to buy it or stick with my Canon A85.

Laura

 

[chrish1974]

I haven't used it yet but we sell it at our shop. My boss uses it and you can really see the difference in the sharpness of the image. It's pretty impressive. The underwater pictures are very sharp and we also use it to take certification pictures at the shop. I'm trying to decide if I'm going to buy it or stick with my Canon A85.

Laura

So far, I am dissappointed with the DC 500. I took it on its first and possibly last dive trip earlier this month. There were issues with the camera not fitting in the housing properly due to inserts not being included with the housing. Because of this, the housing buttons would not work below 20 feet. The manufacturer recently sent new inserts, which do not even fit in the housing, so this is something that has still not been resolved.

 

[JulieannevZ]

So far, I am dissappointed with the DC 500. I took it on its first and possibly last dive trip earlier this month. There were issues with the camera not fitting in the housing properly due to inserts not being included with the housing. Because of this, the housing buttons would not work below 20 feet. The manufacturer recently sent new inserts, which do not even fit in the housing, so this is something that has still not been resolved.

Has anyone else had this happen with the DC500?

I'm reviewing some Underwater Cameras too, so I can make a decision about which one to buy.

Thanks to everyone who's contributed here, I gained a lot of info. from reading all the posts.

 

[Les]

I am pretty happy with my DC310. no leakage at all until the other day when removing fina and the housing popped open. no no power up on the camera. Sealife wants me to mail it to them. I did not know about the flash settings? can someone pm me about these(VaDiver)
this is my first u/w camera so I found that it took a while and still learning how to use it on every dive but pics a getting better with each dive. I want to invest in the flash link as my strobe mostly won't go off in day dives as the ambient light fools it not to be needed and pics turn out dark sometimes. night dives great. anyhow pm me about these settings as my housing has no external adjustments.
Les

 

[Bbarnes]

I bought the new DC500 Elite set for our recent trip to Coz and was VERY disappointed with the digital strobe. I am not sure if the problem is firmware, the strobe itself or the sync cord but I could get it to fire on land while in the "external flash" mode but it would not fire while underwater on a consistent basis. I wound up fiddling with the settings and could get it to fire if I set it on "sea" mode and forced the flash. I just did not get the color that I got with my DC310!!! Some of my best photos were ones that I took after I pulled the sync cord off and just used the internal flash at close range. Also, I got many longer range photos with a weird halo effect. Literally a series of concentric circles around the center of the photo. I am sending it back to Sea Life to get it checked out. I am not ready to give up on this camera. Sealife has always been wonderful to work with and I am sure that they will make it right.
By the way, my cousin also bought a DC500 at the same time (both from Leisurepro.com) and he had the exact same problem. Anyone else experience these problems?

 

[mike_s]

I bought the new DC500 Elite set for our recent trip to Coz and was VERY disappointed with the digital strobe. I am not sure if the problem is firmware,

[snip]

Anyone else experience these problems?

One of the dealers told me there is a problem with the firmware
in recent DC500 cameras. I'm sure SeaLife will fix it, but it is
very irratating not to have your vacation pictures come out
when you buy a new camera.

One thing to note.. many cameras sit around the dive shop for months
or even a year before sold, so people still might see this problem a year
from now if it's the current firmware. But it's not a lost cause. I understand
the firmware isn't that hard to upgrade if you get one with the 'tainted'
firmware.

 

[tnbonairediver]

I also had a few problems with the DC500 Camera. After I took off the sync cord it seemed to work better, but not how it should. I had lots of either over exposed or no flash at all. I also had an issue with the battery life. I might last for a dive and a half with no warning that the battery was going dead.