What is your take on SeaLife UW cameras vs other underwater camera brands?

[Regulatrix]

(Note: I am not posting this on the SeaLife-specific forum because I want input from users of other brands, as well.)

Why, when I go online and search for 'best underwater cameras," does the SeaLife brand virtually never come up in review sites? And yet my LDS sells exclusively SeaLife cameras. There's clearly a lesson I should take from that, but I'm not completely sure what the lesson is.

What is SL's niche, in your experience? As a brand, are they generally better/same/worse than their competitors? Where does SL fit in the UW-camera universe?

Background: We are divers who use a late model GoPro for UW video. Very happy with it for that purpose. We also have a SL 2.0 which our LDS sold us in 2018 when we were just getting into UW photography. It's not perfect, but we've captured some decent photos with it. Now, we're considering upgrading to a new UW camera. The SL 3.0 is in contention. But before we buy another SL, I want to have a better idea of the UW camera landscape. It concerns us, for example, that the SL 3.0 is 4 years old, while other brands update their cameras yearly. So, we're not looking for specific recommendations per se, but more a gestalt take on the SL brand.

Thanks in advance for your takes on the subject!

 

[Nemrod]

(Note: I am not posting this on the SeaLife-specific forum because I want input from users of other brands, as well.)

Why, when I go online and search for 'best underwater cameras," does the SeaLife brand virtually never come up in review sites? And yet my LDS sells exclusively SeaLife cameras. There's clearly a lesson I should take from that, but I'm not completely sure what the lesson is.

What is SL's niche, in your experience? As a brand, are they generally better/same/worse than their competitors? Where does SL fit in the UW-camera universe?

Background: We are divers who use a late model GoPro for UW video. Very happy with it for that purpose. We also have a SL 2.0 which our LDS sold us in 2018 when we were just getting into UW photography. It's not perfect, but we've captured some decent photos with it. Now, we're considering upgrading to a new UW camera. The SL 3.0 is in contention. But before we buy another SL, I want to have a better idea of the UW camera landscape. It concerns us, for example, that the SL 3.0 is 4 years old, while other brands update their cameras yearly. So, we're not looking for specific recommendations per se, but more a gestalt take on the SL brand.

Thanks in advance for your takes on the subject!

First para, they are a low quality point and shoot camies with water resistance.

Second para, where do SL cameras fit, well, the bottom of the barrel.

Third para, ? is there a question here? Can you get an image with a SL camera, yes. GoPro is a video platform that takes really "nice" blue cast photos of blue stuff too far away and bane videos of more blue stuff too far away. I would put a SL in that category. Kind of like what a Kodak Instamatic used to be when compared to a Nikon F. One was for birthday parties and the other for photography.

The real question is what is your goal, what type of photos do you want, do you want control of the image, what is your need and point of photography. If it is simple documentation then a GoPro or SL might do fine, if it is art or attempts at such then no, the SL camera has no manual control.

Maybe look at a TG as a better starting point.