Urgent Help Camera Choice.

[russ0670]

I have an Intova CP-9. Nice little PAS. I like it but basic, it feels like a 10GBP camera with a 90GBP housing . Major problem no manual white balance or UW mode though.

I am a newb at this but I like photography and have a instructor in Sharm show me a few tips with his ixus90 (i think). I liked the camera and user interaction. Way above the CP-9 standard.

At home i do mainly wreck in the Med so no coral or marine life but i like to do an annual trip to Sharm for some wreef and major marine life. my CP-9 was good but not great for this and took allot of blue removal in photoshop to compensate.

I need to purchase today (Need to order today to get in time) a new camera system.

The two i am looking at is the

Ixus 130 camera
Ikelite housing full function.
400GBP

or I have on another shop a special offer of a Intova package

Intova IC14 14MP Digital Camera.
Intova IC14 Underwater Housing.
Intova ISS4000 Strobe Flash Head.
SSFL Stay Arm and Flex.
PX35 Fibre Optic Flash Cable.
2GB SD Memory Card.
Spare Camera and Housing O-Rings.
Camera Care Kit.
SB-AB Hard foam Camera Bag

380GBP

I really cannot decide.

The Intova package seems great but i am concerned about the quality of the camera due to the experience with the CP-9 (looked at all the features and they are similar ish both with manual WB).

I like the Ixus for quality and have experience in a similar model but it does not come with any extras. I know the canon will likely be much higher quality camera but is the extra strobe and stuff with the intova a reasonable tradeoff??

Can anyone help sway me from one to the other as i keep changing my mind.

I just got new reg's, PDC and tanks so am not going to be in a position to spend any more after this purchase for some time (i'm married ). So this will need to do for a long while

Thanks anyone for helping.

 

[HollywoodiversImaging]

Definitely go with the Canon/Ixus 130 option and the Ikelite housing. Will you be getting any lighting with your camera?

 

[russ0670]

no thats the problem,

I dont have any budget over the 400 so its either the Canon with no lighting or the Intova with everything.

 

[Viz'art]

Sorry I posted the Aquatica press release in the wrong post, but for what its worth, I would still go for the Canon in the Ikelite housing (even if you still have to beg, borrow or steal some lighting for this trip)

 

[Viz'art]

oops, wrong post section, wanted it in the video section sorry, but hey! its good general info anyway!

 

[Interceptor121]

buy a Canon Ixus 220 HS with ikelite housing focuses at 3 cm so you can shoot macro with the internal flash and has manual white balance for bigger things
A set up costing 400 pounds complete of lights can't be nothing else than crap dont' bother

Once you take decent shots with this set up you can start thinking about strobes

 

[russ0670]

Thanks guys for the great advice.

Confirmed what i was thinking, but the Intova kept calling with the extras.

But as suggested a decent camera is a decent camera and so i went for the Canon in the end. Arrives in a few days looking forward

 

[russ0670]

Just a follow up. used the camera loads now and I am so glad I went for the Canon 220HS in the end. Thanks Interceptor121 for the recommendation.

 

[Interceptor121]

Hey I like when people come back and say thank you! But even better is good to know you are enjoying it