What to do?

[gkyetes75]

Hello all,

I'm not yet a diver, but I will be very soon and since I enjoy taking pictures as a hobby, I'm sure I will want to take my camera underwater once I become comfortable with my diving skills.

Right now, I've a Nikon D200 / 18-200 / 50mm / 8-16. I also have a Sony DSC-H5 which I will replace as soon as possible (I love this camera, but I'm tired of replacing the shuter button and the control block because of a faulty factory design).

I don't think I will want to invest in an expensive housing and accesories for my D200.... so I'm thinking about replacing the Sony H5 with a nice camera and in the not so distant future, buying a housing to take this new camera in our divings.

After reading some posts I found two cameras that looks good: the Canon G12 and the Panasonic LX5.

So, my first question: is there any other quality compact camera I shoud consider? (I'm taking Sony NEX out of the equation because I want something simple and portable to replace my Sony H5)

And the second question: what housings are available for these cameras?

Only one I know is the ikelite for the G12, but if I understand right... it only allows for an accesory to restore the camera's full wide angle range when underwater.
And the ikelite for the LX5, which seems to accept accesories, but if using the wide angle lens accesory it need to be zoomed to avoid vigneting.
I'm not considering a Canon housing because I read somewhere that some people had some problems with it.


Any and all your comments, suggestions and opinions will be welcomed..

Thank you so much

 

[Gilligan]

1. Many of the point-and-shoot cameras will have some vignetting when using a wide angle lens, depending on the the zoom length.

2. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the Canon housings. I have two of them, one for a G10 and one for a G12. They have oval lens ports and are not the best choice for add-on lenses, especially wide angle ones.

3. You can't use a Canon or Ikelite housing for a G12 without an external strobe because the length of the lens tunnel on the Canon housing blocks or partially blocks the internal strobe and the large lens port on the Ike housing blocks it.

4. Consider the Olympus XZ-1 and PT-050 housing in your possible choices. However it will also require some zooming to eliminate vignetting. The Olympus housing has a threaded lens port for wet mount lenses. I am not sure if you can use the housing without an external strobe. The camera has a pop-up flash like the Canon S95 and is not as obstructed by the housing lens tunnel as with cameras like the Canon G series.

5. The Canon S95 is probably the most popular point-and-shoot camera used underwater at this time. It is very compact and has all the manual features as well as RAW. IMO you should not buy any camera that does not have RAW capability for taking non-strobe shots. Housings = Canon (under$200.00), Ikelite (about $325.), Fisheye FIX (about $1100.) and Recsea (about $1100.). The Canon housing has an oval shaped port so not the best choice if you want to add wet-mount lenses.
The S95 can be used without an external strobe in the Canon housing as the lens tunnel on the housing does not obstruct the internal flash as much as with other models. The FIX and Recsea are expensive housings but are very popular with the S95 when it comes to adding wet-mount lenses.

Here is a Canon G housing and an S housing showing the difference in the length of the lens tunnels when it comes to the obstruction of the camera's internal strobe:

 

[cardog]

1. Many of the point-and-shoot cameras will have some vignetting when using a wide angle lens, depending on the the zoom length.

2. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the Canon housings. I have two of them, one for a G10 and one for a G12. They have oval lens ports and are not the best choice for add-on lenses, especially wide angle ones.

3. You can't use a Canon or Ikelite housing for a G12 without an external strobe because the length of the lens tunnel on the Canon housing blocks or partially blocks the internal strobe and the large lens port on the Ike housing blocks it.

4. Consider the Olympus XZ-1 and PT-050 housing in your possible choices. However it will also require some zooming to eliminate vignetting. The Olympus housing has a threaded lens port for wet mount lenses. I am not sure if you can use the housing without an external strobe. The camera has a pop-up flash like the Canon S95 and is not as obstructed by the housing lens tunnel as with cameras like the Canon G series.

5. The Canon S95 is probably the most popular point-and-shoot camera used underwater at this time. It is very compact and has all the manual features as well as RAW. IMO you should not buy any camera that does not have RAW capability for taking non-strobe shots. Housings = Canon (under$200.00), Ikelite (about $325.), Fisheye FIX (about $1100.) and Recsea (about $1100.). The Canon housing has an oval shaped port so not the best choice if you want to add wet-mount lenses.
The S95 can be used without an external strobe in the Canon housing as the lens tunnel on the housing does not obstruct the internal flash as much as with other models. The FIX and Recsea are expensive housings but are very popular with the S95 when it comes to adding wet-mount lenses.

Here is a Canon G housing and an S housing showing the difference in the length of the lens tunnels when it comes to the obstruction of the camera's internal strobe:

The Xz-1/PT-050 can be used without an external strobe and while shooting in macro as long as you have the diffuser attached. It also does not require any zoom to eliminate vignetting...

 

[gkyetes75]

Wow Gilligan!! Thank you so much for taking the time.. I think FIX and Recsea are out of my price range. I will research on the ZX-1 and then decide between the 3.
Gilligan, I just visited the website on your signature. I wonder if the photos there were taken with the G12.
Thanks again!

 

[Gilligan]

Wow Gilligan!! Thank you so much for taking the time.. I think FIX and Recsea are out of my price range. I will research on the ZX-1 and then decide between the 3.
Gilligan, I just visited the website on your signature. I wonder if the photos there were taken with the G12.
Thanks again!

The photos taken under the "Latest" category are with the G10 and the Sea & Sea YS-27DX strobe. The photos under the other categories were taken with both the G10 and my extinct Olympus C-4000Z.

 

[Gilligan]

The Xz-1/PT-050 can be used without an external strobe and while shooting in macro as long as you have the diffuser attached. It also does not require any zoom to eliminate vignetting...

Thanks. That's good to know.

 

[scuba e]

I have been shooting since I was a kid. We used to use this stuff called film!
underwater was a new game for me. The basics apply but the medium is completely different. The biggest difference is floating while shooting. You stated you were going to wait until your SCUBA skills improved and thats great news. This will be your most important tool for shooting. You need to get good at diving and then really focus on buoyancy skills. When you can hover an inch off the sand and spin without contact then you should think photo. And then when you get a camera you will find you are sucking 2x the air you were. This will pass but I still do better on air without the camera.
Dont get me wrong, this is part of the reason I love shooting underwater. It forces you to master your diving skills. That is a great thing.
I started with point and shoot and think it's a great move. You can get some great images with modern P/S packages. Add good strobes to create even better images and then when you make the jump to DSLR you can reuse your strobes.
Congrats on getting into diving. You will love it. It changed my life. Good luck to you.

 

[gkyetes75]

Gilligan, your pictures are fantastic! It's good to know that the camera is not a limitation. But on the other hand, now I won't be able to blame the equipment if I can't get as good results as yours lol

I researched a little more and I'm really inclined towards the G12. The fact is that we will use it more on land than underwater and I really apreciate the 28mm wide angle. I almost don't shoot beyond 70mm so the lack of zoom power of the G12 won't be a problem.
When comparing to the S95 I found that the S95 takes almost 0.6 seconds to shoot while the G12 is faster. I'm used to my D200 so this delay scares me :shocked2:

Going the G12 route, if I'm not wrong, I will be able to buy the Ikelite 6146.12 housing and install the WD-4 Wide Angle Convesion Dome 6430.4 when needed and an inon macro lens using the ikelite adapter #9306.82. All this while underwater. Is this correct?
Is it possible to go wider using the ikelite housing?

Is it possible to go wider using other housing?

I still have to read about the zx1. I will in a few minutes.

I also found another posibility, the Patima G12. Not as expensive as the Recsea and the Fisheye. Do I have better possibilities of going wider angled with this housing instead of ikelite?




scuba e: thanks alot for your advices! I really enjoyed my 3 very short baptism dives so I'm sure I will enjoy even more when I get the certification



Thanks!!

 

[Mark Derail]

At first I wanted to try a housing for my Nikon D90, and using a housing for Aquatica (a Quebec, Canada manufacturer).
However, at over 2k$ !

To me, having tried the toyish Panasonic Lumix TS2 to some 30-40 feet in "pristine" conditions, the cost & effort were not worth it. Money wasted.
On vacation, many outfits have underwater pros for video or pictures, worth it to buy it from them.

That said, I'm considering foregoing pictures, and just going video with a 1080p GoPro. I can always get a still capture, and 1920x1080p is a nice-enough size to re-work it in Photoshop (or use free Paint.Net).

My biggest worry is where to mount the GoPro as a scuba diver, when I dive in Maui, HI this October. Thanks Giligan for the info.

Aquatica now has a housing for the more-or-less Micro 4/3 that Sony made. IMO they should have also made a housing for the Olympus 4/3.

Aquatica Digital - Featuring an extensive line of underwater housings for Nikon and Canon digital cameras Link to the AN-5 for the Sony DSLR-less.

 

[gkyetes75]

Ok. I finally bought the G12.
I will need a little more help with the housings... but I will post on a thread about G12, housings and lenses.
Thanks alot for your help!!