What kind of camera to purchase?

[OSUscubagirl]

We are currently looking to upgrade our underwater camera (We just have a Sealife DC310 so no bells and whistles). I was interested in getting either the C7070 or C8080 but have since learned that both of which have been discontinued. Some things we think we should look for: autofocus, 8.0 or more megapixels, manual white balance, RAW/tiff capabilities, macro/wide angle, little to no shutter lag, quick power on/off, quick sleep to taking pics, little to no delay between pics.

We would appreciate any feedback on types of digital cameras/housings you would recommend!!! Also, any other features we should look for???

Thanks so much!

 

[alcina]

If you are commited to Oly then you'll have to go with a model that has been discontinued or look at the Evolts.

If you are open to other cameras, let me know and I will move this to the main photo area where you may get more responses from a wide variety of users.

Welcome to ScubaBoard

 

[SuPrBuGmAn]

Welcome to ScubaBoard

You can still find both cameras on several online shops, the Oly 7070 is 7mp, so if you are stuck on an 8mp cam, the 8080 is your only option. The jump in megapixels won't make too much of a difference between 7 and 8 though.

 

[OSUscubagirl]

We were originally leaning toward Olympus, but we are open to all suggestions/recommendations so feel free to move it. I don't know much about the evolts.

 

[LavaSurfer]

In my opinion you have described an SLR and the evolt is nice and fairly reasonable. The downside is the housing will about break the bank.

I have an evolt and love the camera. I am not sure I would take it underwater though.
I am looking at the Sealife DC500 for underwater use. 5MP and cheap with Manual WB

Are you looking at professional photography?
If not, 8MP might be overkill.

 

[Blitz]

I shoot with a 5MP camera and it works great. Good shot quality and I get really good 8x10s.

 

[LavaSurfer]

I shoot with a 5MP camera and it works great. Good shot quality and I get really good 8x10s.

Yep, even a 3.2 MP will do good 8x10's

I use my 8MP for things that I want to eventually sell as touched up and printed via giclee and large prints.

 

[OSUscubagirl]

The camera that we have is a 3.3 megapixel. We weren't able to blow up our pics without making them blurry. Someone on our last dive trip had a D70 (I think it's a 7 or 8 mp). I figure that soon there will be 10mp (if there aren't already) and we plan on keeping this camera for a long time, so if we buy a good one now, we will be satisfied with it much longer. She didn't even really know how to work the camera, but her pics were so much sharper than ours. We had some great shark photos that we were hoping to frame, but weren't able to do so. We'd like to take photos that we can blow up to at least 8X10. So what brands do you guys recommend?

 

[Halthron]

If you know what features you want, you can filter through the current models at http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

7mp cameras can now be had for under $300 but while the resolution is nice, it's not everything. I like the really close up 1cm macro focus almost as much as the resolution. If you plan on photoshopping your images, you may want to ensure the camera can save in an appropriate format.

 

[alcina]

I would recommend Canons. Nikon (and Fuji) also has some great offerings though there seem not to be as many users (non-dslr). If you are heading to dslr and you have lenses for a film slr and like them, stand with that brand. Olympus has some nice choices, too...

I have, and still use, a Canon A75. I have blown up images to 8x10 after light cropping and had fantastic results. Higher MP to a point will help, but taking a well focussed shot in the first place is the best bet (as you know).

I really like the Canon A & S series. I see a lot of cameras of all budgets and in the hands of all experience levels come through our shops. These models by far produce the best images day after day. Nikon has some really nice optics but they simply aren't that popular for whatever reason - they may be elsewhere and the ppl who use them adore them, so think they would be a good option.

I would not recommend Sony. I just don't like the results I see when I compare. Again, there are users out there who love them so if you are thinking Sony try to find some users and talk to them about the pros and cons for first hand info. That's pretty across the board advice, too!

Have fun!