Which camera for first scuba camera?

[jfe]

I've recently bought myself a Nikon 1 J1 of ebay for $100, it's a mirrorless camera, as close as you'll get to DSLR. It has amazing photo and video quality. Nikon 1 J1 Review - DigitalCameraReview
I bought the underwater casing from B&H for $50, and they still run the same special on it. Nikon WP-N1 Waterproof Housing for Nikon 1 J1 / J2 Digital 3689
I love this setup, and have to say (without slandering any other make) my Sealife DC1400 has retired now. That leaves you with another $150 on your budget for a strobe maybe

 

[stuartv]

This is very good advice and I am hoping for recommendations for books that focus on underwater photography? The online does not work for me, plus I would like to give this as a gift to my family members. Recommendations?

Martin Edge's book, The Underwater Photographer.

 

[Searcaigh]

Have a look at Canon's water proof D30

Takes reasonable shots and video and easy to use.

My daughter took these photos with it last year when we were in North Sulawesi

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Thanks! I'm not exactly a new diver...need to update my dive count and the fact that I recently started my Tec diving cert but that being said I'm new to photography. It was nice having my buddy around. He used a sea life and it did just fine for what I would want. Will the G10 be able to accept light sources like strobes or video lights should I want that in the future?

Yes, I used mine with a focus light and dual Sea & Sea strobes. Like most cameras that fit into underwater housings, you use optical cords to slave the strobe(s) to the camera's internal flash.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

 

[mi000ke]

My wife surprised me with a ProShot underwater housing for my iPhone for Christmas, so looks like I'll be trying underwater photography for the first time. For $100, it's a not-too-expensive way to dip my toe in the water, so to speak. Not sure what the quality will be, but we have been taking our phones in drybags to the beach and when snorkeling anyway, so at least they will now be functional at the beach even if the underwater shots look like crap.

ProShot Case for iPhone 6/6s | ProShotCase

 

[mmmbelows]

Thanks! I'm not exactly a new diver...need to update my dive count and the fact that I recently started my Tec diving cert but that being said I'm new to photography. It was nice having my buddy around. He used a sea life and it did just fine for what I would want. Will the G10 be able to accept light sources like strobes or video lights should I want that in the future?

I wouldn't purchase anything that won't let you manual white balance. That one feature is the difference between night and day when it comes to underwater pictures and video. As soon as you can manually white balance your keepers go from showing somebody 1-2 nice pictures you took over 20 dives to showing 4-5 nice pictures every dive.

 

[dmaziuk]

I wouldn't purchase anything that won't let you manual white balance. That one feature is the difference between night and day when it comes to underwater pictures and video. As soon as you can manually white balance your keepers go from showing somebody 1-2 nice pictures you took over 20 dives to showing 4-5 nice pictures every dive.

SeaLife's built-in filters do a fairly decent job, esp. once you get the hang of it, but yeah: I'm going to get a small slate for the next trip just so I can try manual WB. Sealife has it and I'd be surprised if any canon/nikon other than the most basic ones did not.