Too many choices!

[mako1]

forget the 2000.00 limit, i now have a 4000.00 budget, had to sell my bass boat!
i can afford the canon xti and ikelite housing with one ds-125 strobe one lens and port.
total around 3400.00 to start. what lens should be my onyl lens? warn clear diving only, i like to shoot fish and moreys more then coral and shrimp.

then reading more i could get the nikon d80 for about 300.00 more or the d40 for 600.00 more what would yall recommend? are these worth the extra money?

and thanks to Alcina "the goddess" for all her help so far!
mike

 

[alcina]

I'd get the Xti (actually, what is the price on that? I'd also be seriously looking at the Canon 40D with the incredible prices on it at the moment as long as it didn't blow things out on the housing end, but that's just me).

I think the 60mm macro would be a great lens. Good for fish portraits, good for tiny stuff, great for morays, can do divers.

The other contender for me would be Sigma's stellar 17-70 macro, but it will need a dome port and that's probably slightly more expensive. This is pretty much the best all-rounder lens out there so you can do fairly wide scenes and big guys (I use it for whale sharks and mantas) as well as fish, divers and smaller stuff like nudibranchs, crabs etc.

 

[Diver Dennis]

I agree with alcina about the 60mm. Terrific all around lens and no dome port to buy.

 

[jdcpa]

I would also look at the 40D. There are rebates on it at the moment and it is under $1,000. The Ikelite housing cost difference should not be too much either.

While I agree the Canon 60MM is a great lens, the field of view limits you quite a bit.

I like the idea of the sigma 17-70, or even the Sigma 50MM Macro.