What Camera/Housing/Strobe for this budget?

[ZiggyS]

Hi All

I've been diving for over 17 years but have only very recently started taking pictures of all the great stuff I see and I'd really like some advice.

I've currently got the most basic of P&Ss (Canon SD1100) with the appropriate small housing and am looking to upgrade to something that I can have a little more fun with.

The purists among you will probly jump up and down when I say that I'd like the camera to be able to take decent video clips as well as take good pictures but I think that's what I'm looking for at the moment . I was considering the G10 but a review said that the zoom was locked in video mode which put me off. Also...I think the G10 with accessories may blow my budget but I'd be ok with buying used gear if it's in good condition.

With a budget of $1,000 - $1,500 what camera, housing and strobe combination would you suggest?

Thanks in advance for any advice/help!

Ziggy

 

[scubagoldmc]

My wife and I both have G10s. It is not the zoom that is locked in video mode it is the focus. Can be a little annoying at times but if you can plan ahead you can do quite well.

Mike

 

[oly5050user]

Hi All

I've been diving for over 17 years but have only very recently started taking pictures of all the great stuff I see and I'd really like some advice.

I've currently got the most basic of P&Ss (Canon SD1100) with the appropriate small housing and am looking to upgrade to something that I can have a little more fun with.

The purists among you will probly jump up and down when I say that I'd like the camera to be able to take decent video clips as well as take good pictures but I think that's what I'm looking for at the moment . I was considering the G10 but a review said that the zoom was locked in video mode which put me off. Also...I think the G10 with accessories may blow my budget but I'd be ok with buying used gear if it's in good condition.

With a budget of $1,000 - $1,500 what camera, housing and strobe combination would you suggest?

Thanks in advance for any advice/help!

Ziggy

For $900. you can get a sealife camera/tray/wideangle lens/strobe package new..after that you go into the higher cost gear. a g10 set up with an ikelite housing/wideangle domeport/tray/ds160 strobe can run $2,000.without the camera.

 

[shoturtle]

intova has a strobe for 150 at LP.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Hi All

I've been diving for over 17 years but have only very recently started taking pictures of all the great stuff I see and I'd really like some advice.

I've currently got the most basic of P&Ss (Canon SD1100) with the appropriate small housing and am looking to upgrade to something that I can have a little more fun with.

The purists among you will probly jump up and down when I say that I'd like the camera to be able to take decent video clips as well as take good pictures but I think that's what I'm looking for at the moment . I was considering the G10 but a review said that the zoom was locked in video mode which put me off. Also...I think the G10 with accessories may blow my budget but I'd be ok with buying used gear if it's in good condition.

With a budget of $1,000 - $1,500 what camera, housing and strobe combination would you suggest?

Thanks in advance for any advice/help!

Ziggy

Some options ...

At the low end of your budget ... Olympus T-6000 package

At the high end of your budget ... Sea & Sea DX-2G package

The person who owns the linked website is a member of ScubaBoard, is active in this forum, and is known to me as someone who provides good advice and excellent customer service. He may be worth contacting, as he probably can work with you to provide a package you'd be happy with ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[SailNaked]

for starter cameras I love my sealife 600, cheap, easy, video, still no problem. I am about to upgrade however because I have outgrown it I think. I can not seem to take great pictures below about 25ft. I do not have a strobe so maybe that would be my first step towards better pictures. I am looking at the G11 as the next step up since they no longer make housings for my Nikon 70s.

 

[bvanant]

You can go the Canon G11 route. Camera is $450, Housing from Canon is $175, Inon s2000 strobe is $400, and the bits and pieces (arms, cables etc) will get you in at around 1000. The S90 is how I would go, same pricing for camera and housing and you get more flexibility with add on lenses.
Alternately, you could get a nice used SLR system for $1500 if you shop around a bit.

Bill

 

[bvanant]

One other option is that if video is your main interest, most competent video cameras today take remarkably nice still pics (not frame grabs) and that would be another option. No strobe needed but you will need video lights.
Bill

 

[ZiggyS]

Thanks all! Some really useful advice here...I'll be contacting Optical Ocean to see what they suggest as well. The Sea & Sea Package looks interesting but then I'm also partial to Canon so the S90 looks good too...decisions decisions!

 

[bvanant]

The Sea and Sea camera is a Ricoh and I am not sure that the IQ is comparable to cameras made by either Nikon or Canon. That being said, you can get very nice pictures with any of these systems.
Bill