Which camera should i get?

[derway]

The big problem with the canon g series, and the most digicams, is the terrible shutter lag, for autofocus. It is the most frustrating thing, to have a camera which can deliver great images, and have this wonderful shot framed, and you push the shutter, and nothing happens, and you wait, and wait, and the fish is not lined up right any more. Then click/flash, the picture is finally taken.

For great reviews of cameras, including autofocus and extra shutter lag for flash, see imaging resource:

Digital Cameras, Digital Camera Reviews - The Imaging Resource!

This review at one of the great underwater photo vendors, really nails the situation of cameras available today, and what is important to UW photo:

2011 Compact Camera Buyers Guide

The panasonic lx5 is the best performer, and best IQ, as long as you use RAW, which is a must underwater anyway. Also by far the best video mode controls.

So what I would do, absolutely, is buy a pany lx5 (which you can get for $350 free shipping at samys camera web site right now), and an ikelite housing for it, which enables you to use a ds51 wired to the hotshoe on this camera. This means you don't have to wait for the on camera flash to recycle, which can be much slower than most underwater strobes. Then you can afford a bit of a wide angle wet lens, such the nauticam wet mate dome port, which gives good image quality at the 24mm setting of the lx5

Lenses - Wet Mount : Reef Photo & Video!, The Underwater Photo Pros


ike housing $550
handles and tray 2 handle $100
nauticam WA wet lens $240
ds-51 - perhaps 2 for WA $400 X2
ike-ike strobe cable (double) $100 - $159
fisheye mini led focus light $50
ULCS balls and arms $2-300

Total $1800 - ($2200 with 2 strobes.)

The only thing you might consider other than this, is an olympus epl2, (or the not quite available epl3), and the oly housing. The housings are very inexpensive, compared to anything other than ike.

 

[PatW]

I shoot with the Canon G11 with an Ike housing and two Ike DS 51 strobes. That is about in your price range.

First off, how skilled a photographer are you? Shooting underwater is challenging. You have problems with bad light which requires strobes. You also have problems with stuff in the water which means that closer you get the better - which means wide angle.

My set up has a couple of nagging problems. It is limited on the wide angle side. Being limited on wide angle means that it is hard to get good photos of other divers. The reason for this is strobes have very limited ranges underwater so in order to have decent color, you need a pretty wide angle lens to take a good shot of another diver. There is also shutter lag but the lag is not so bad once I get the focus locked on. Even so, it makes taking photos of small fast fish like damsel fish and butterfly fish hard and a bit problematic. The trick to focusing is locking on the subject first.

Underwater photography is pretty challenging in a photographic sense. If you are not willing to fool with strobes and shoot with RAW format, you really are not going to get all you can get out of an advanced point and shoot.

Another problem is taking photos underwater is pretty challenging on the diver. You need to be able to hover in a stable fashion and know where you are. You need to be pretty at ease with your diving because other wise you will get task loaded and possibly get into trouble.

I have had some limited dealings with Backscatter (an outfit that has two retail stores one on each coast). The people there are quite knowledgeable and could well put you into a system that fits your skills and interests.

 

[Nemrod]

Off subject maybe, but, one easy to reduce the shutter lag and increase camera response speed with some advanced P&S cameras is to:

1. Turn off all auto assist options, auto assist, focus assist beams, safety focus, safety exposure etc, etc, etc.
2. Set focus to Manual and pre-focus
3. Set exposure to Manual (and preset exposure) or Av (Av seems faster than P or A in my cameras)
4. Set flash to Manual mode and minimum power level
5. Install a fisheye lens (such as the Fisheye/FIX UWL-04, Inon UFL165AD or even the new Inon fisheye macro lens)

These steps work because a fisheye lens has huge depth of field from the dome surface to 8 to 10 feet and thus I set focus to about 3 feet. Unless critical focus is required this usually gets sufficient sharpness. This only works with ultra wide and some wide angle lenses and decent f stops in the f5.6 (f4.0 sometimes) or higher.

Well, it isn't that it does not work without a wide angle lens, it is just that you cannot preset the focus, set and pretty much forget it. Of course, even with a wide angle lens, if you are trying to shoot right up to the port then you will have to adjust the focus. The front ring control on the S series allows this to be done fast and easy.

N

 

[hammerhead man]

On this board you will find lots of "favorite camera systems" from lots of photographers. However, my experience is that the quality of the pics you get is strongly related to the individual taking the pictures rather than the camera. I have seen amazing pics taken from old cameras that have been out of production for years, and have also seen pics that were just acceptable that were taken with expensive DSLR systems. I would also suggest that before you start taking underwater pics, you make sure that you have excellent buoyancy control.

I currently have a DX-2G system and am completely happy with that. You can get complete systems (camera, arm, strobe, and wide angle lens for around $2200). I have used the DX-1G camera for several years and it took great pics. I recently purchased the DX-2G and used it on my Great Barrier Reef trip and am completely happy with the results. The camera can be used as a point and shoot camera or it can give you full manual control. Since you will be a new underwater photographer, I would suggest you use it in the point and shoot mode first just to get a feel for the challenges you will have taking pics underwater. Eventually, you will want to shoot in manual mode. The Sea&Sea camera will grow with you as your skills improve, and you can get several wet lenses that can be used underwater (wide angle, close-up, and even a fisheye lens).

If you click on my photos link in the left hand window of this post you can see the pics I've taken with the DX-1G.

Regards,

Bill

 

[muzikbiz22]

However, my experience is that the quality of the pics you get is strongly related to the individual taking the pictures rather than the camera. I have seen amazing pics taken from old cameras that have been out of production for years, and have also seen pics that were just acceptable that were taken with expensive DSLR systems. I would also suggest that before you start taking underwater pics, you make sure that you have excellent buoyancy control.

Amen !

 

[wtcreaux]

STIVAN ---- NICE pictures

 

[MauiScubaSteve]

As A former Oly user I can say that the Fuji F series cameras exihibit not only better battery life but a wider color gamut than the Oly C series I've used and like the Oly and Canon I still know nothing about warranty or service. One thing I have noticed is similar level Fuji P&S cameras are nearly always available for aproximately 25% less than comparable Canon & Olympus offerings.

I am still not convinced that there is/was a P&S comparable to the Oly C5050, underwater; I still have one and I will still use it, underwater.

 

[stivan]

STIVAN ---- NICE pictures

:cool2::cool2::cool2:

someone who might sell stuff around 2500,- will not comment pics that were taken with such cheap second hand point and shot stuff.....

 

[johnboywalton]

Most of these replies read your OP as "I have a budget of $2,500" and not "I don't want to spend $2,500."

I'm not really looking for a professional setup for $2500 but i dont want a setup that will be a waste of money.

So, I'm going to assume what you want is reasonably priced, but workable.

If you are looking for a PAS (point and shoot) camera, and that is what I think you are implying, it depends on how elaborate you want to get. If you want a sturdy, inexpensive PAS camera and aren't interested in accessories, then the Intova IC14 is about as cheap as you can get while retaining decent PAS functionality. That will run you a few hundred bucks.

However, if you want a PAS camera with some growth potential, such as adding a wide-angle lens, a strobe, etc., then you should shell out several hundred bucks or a thousand bucks and go for the Sealife DC1400. The core camera and housing are better a degree better than the IC14, and Sealife's range of accessories is wider and deeper as well.

 

[johnboywalton]

Amen. It's easy to go overboard on camera hardware, if you have the budget. But frankly, unless you are shooting for National Geographic, the diver matters much more than the camera, unless the camera in question is a complete piece of crap.

On this board you will find lots of "favorite camera systems" from lots of photographers. However, my experience is that the quality of the pics you get is strongly related to the individual taking the pictures rather than the camera. I have seen amazing pics taken from old cameras that have been out of production for years, and have also seen pics that were just acceptable that were taken with expensive DSLR systems. I would also suggest that before you start taking underwater pics, you make sure that you have excellent buoyancy control.

Bill