What camera to buy?

[MNScubaSteve]

I'm leaving for a dive trip in four days and would like to take some pictures this time. My camera budget is around $500. I am thinking about a GoPro Hero 4. But after reading some threads it sounds like this is not the best for taking still pictures. However, I would like a GoPro for other outdoor adventures. Is the GoPro camera really that bad? What's a good camera for me to get? I'd also like to take photos during some night dives too.

 

[KeithG]

The GoPro's strength is video and compactness. They are not known for stills.

For someone starting out with underwater photography and not sure of where they eventually want to be, I suggest a simple point and shoot camera that will easily allow you capture interesting "happy snaps".

Olympus Tough TG-4 is a great starter camera. Stay above 50 feet and you do not need an additional waterproof housing.

If you are still happy with it after the first trip, you can extend it by getting a housing, tray, arms, strobes, wet lenses,...

 

[SCRedWolf]

I'm leaving for a dive trip in four days and would like to take some pictures this time. My camera budget is around $500. I am thinking about a GoPro Hero 4. But after reading some threads it sounds like this is not the best for taking still pictures. However, I would like a GoPro for other outdoor adventures. Is the GoPro camera really that bad? What's a good camera for me to get? I'd also like to take photos during some night dives too.

In my opinion it's not the the GoPro is that bad at stills it's that for $400 it should be better. That said, it's a video camera and it does that pretty well. I haven't taken a Hero 4 on a night dive but I can say that low light is not a friend of the Hero 3 Black. Way too much noise. I've heard the 4 is better in low light but I can't say how much. But here's a suggestion for you since you want a GoPro anyway (that's why I went that route - to mount to my motorcycle), get the factory refurb version which will take the sting out of unimpressive stills. At $275 for the refurb Hero 4 Silver you'd still have just about enough money left in your budget for a dedicated point & shoot still camera.

 

[MNScubaSteve]

is there anyway to use my iphone underwater to take pictures? Do they make water proof cases for this purpose?

 

[Jayfarmlaw]

We dove with a nurse from Maine on our last trip and she had a Cannon that was waterproof to 80 feet, but said she had gone 100+ with it and no problems. My problem with the go pro is you have no idea if you have the picture you want or not. Lots of cool features, but no way to know what you have until you are with back on the boat or back to your room. I think the cannon was a d30 but not sure. It would do video and stills but it also had a screen on the back so you got immediate feedback. The zoom was nice too and I think it had auto white adjust for being below 40 feet.

Nikon Coolpix looks to be similar and safe to 100 feet.

Good luck!
Jay

 

[SCRedWolf]

is there anyway to use my iphone underwater to take pictures? Do they make water proof cases for this purpose?

Short answer, yes.

 

[Stoo]

I second the TG-4.

 

[finewayne]

GoPro is all the way man

 

[bmbeaty]

For an iPhone case, check out the Watershot pro. On Amazon for $140.

 

[Stoo]

GoPro is all the way man

I have to disagree. A bunch of friends have them and they are great for video but they suck for stills. I've had several of them send me stills to "fix" and I do my best but they're simply terrible. Perhaps in the hands of a skilled photographer they might be better.

As I said, I don't know why they're bad since it makes sense that good video should mean good stills, but it doesn't.

On the other hand, another friend picked up a TG-4 as a spare to his DSLR on a recent trip to Roatan. He ended up using his TG-4 (housed) all week since he was getting great results.

Someone can advise better than me about this, but is there even a way to connect a strobe to a GoPro? My friends use video lights which is undoubtedly part of the problem. Stills need strobes, not video lights.