Thoroughly confused - Which Camera to Buy?

[badmrchris]

I’m leaving for a diving excursion to Australia next month, and after putting it off for some time I have realized it’s time to buy an UW camera. I am a novice in all aspects of photography, other than using my Olympus and HP digital point and shoots for everyday shots.

I have a budget of $1,000, and I want to get the best setup for that amount of money. Originally I was going to buy a SLR and add a strobe and housing and all the other goodies, but after actually researching the $$$ I realized it was WAY out of my budget. Then after talking with someone at my LDS I was going to go for the Sea&Sea package w/ a strobe, but the camera had horrendous lag between the push of the button and the actual execution of the picture, far worse than the 3 yr old el cheapo HP I have. Plus most of the scubaboard reviews have not been to kind to the Sealife’s and Sea&Sea’s.

The brand does not matter to me. I simply want the best bank for my buck.

Thanks all!

Chris

 

[alcina]

Welcome to the money pit

I'd look at the Canon A series and Canon or Ikelite housing. Expect to spend more on a good strobe than you will on the camera and housing

If you haven't already, check out the Sticky at the top of the forum for some ideas on how to get started in making your choices. You can get there via the pink link in my signature, too.