Hi all, i know that will not be possible, but i will ask you as you are the most expert about it.

i looking for a set up, small enough, let's say action camera footprint, that will be good for video and photo, with max depth 60 mt, which good quality of footage.

There are trade-offs with everything.

With current technology, my wish list is: compact form with 1” sensor, 20-50mm (35mm equivalent), close focusing to at least 1:2, flash sync 1/250th with ability to do high speed sync, 10 bit 4k 60 video without cropping, minimal rolling shutter, great color science, class-leading autofocus.

The tech is out there!

20 minutes ago, humu9679 said:

There are trade-offs with everything.

With current technology, my wish list is: compact form with 1” sensor, 20-50mm (35mm equivalent), close focusing to at least 1:2, flash sync 1/250th with ability to do high speed sync, 10 bit 4k 60 video without cropping, minimal rolling shutter, great color science, class-leading autofocus.

The tech is out there!

is there something close to that available that you have eyes on it?

Phone in a case is as close as you'll get.

10 minutes ago, Grantmac said:

Phone in a case is as close as you'll get.

i guess depends which phone i guess

7 hours ago, Narced Diver said:

is there something close to that available that you have eyes on it?

Camera manufacturers aren’t putting out enthusiast photography compacts yet - more for video. I would think both Sony’s ZV-E10 m2 and Canon V1 could be better for photography. IBIS would be nice, too.

11 hours ago, Narced Diver said:

Hi all, i know that will not be possible, but i will ask you as you are the most expert about it.

i looking for a set up, small enough, let's say action camera footprint, that will be good for video and photo, with max depth 60 mt, which good quality of footage.

For good quality you will need good lighting

For small footprint:

Smartphone - Iphone Pro 15/16/17 or Google pixel 10 pro XL (Good for video or macro)

Olympus TG-7 excepcional Macro pictures, and good enough for video and pictures (easy to use, you also need lights)

For photos, other users are more expert than me but for video, Canon Powershot V1 ticks a lot features.

The Canon V1 sensor is the same size (actually slightly wider) than a Micro Four Thirds sensor. This means you get similar low-light performance and bokeh to a M43 camera, which is a massive upgrade over standard compact cameras like the older V10 or Sony ZV-1. But it's a Fixed-Lens Camera. You cannot change the lens. It comes with a built-in 16-50mm equivalent zoom lens. So it's like a modern Pana LX10 or LX100.

For video is a little gem:

• 4K UHD 24p/30p Uncropped (Oversampled from 5.7K)

• 60p: 1.4x Crop

• Full HD up to 120 fps.

• 10-bit 4:2:2: in CLog3

• Active cooling fan

• Dual Pixel AF

• Optical and Digital IS (with crop)

For underwater use you get:

• A pro alu housing

• Interchangeable N50 ports

• Macro diopters

• Wide Wet lens (wwl-c)

Long story short:

Nauticam

NA-CV1 for Canon PowerShot V1 Digital Camera

The Canon PowerShot V1 is the latest compact camera from Canon which features an impressive 1.4" CMOS sensor, Dual Pixel CMOS II autofocus system and an ultra wide built in 16-50mm power zoom lens whi

That PowerShot is now much bigger than an action camera and then you add a wet wide lens almost the same size.

This is really where the phone comes in these days.

7 hours ago, Grantmac said:

That PowerShot is now much bigger than an action camera and then you add a wet wide lens almost the same size.

This is really where the phone comes in these days.

I understand, but a kit as big as an action camera "is" an action camera. So the question would simply boil down to: which is the best action camera?

On the other hand, when you start adding lights or strobes, things get interesting because a mirrorless housing is practically neutral by nature and has greater inertia and stability.

So, before diving into the rabbit hole maybe we should know what's the intended use of this hypothetical kit?

What use is made of these videos? What is meant by compact?

There is no miracle, and the solutions have been given.
And yes, it also really depend on what you're planning to do with it.

Canon V1 is a very capable modern compact, but like most compacts if video is the focus it will need to be souped up with floats, hence killing the compact form.
Compacts are bricks in the water. For photos or the odd short video clip, yes, you can use it as is, if you're ok with a very negative rig. Just to give an idea an LX10 in a Nauticam housing is over 1 kg negative in water by itself (before adding lenses, lights, clamps, coffee maker....)

Phones rigs I've seen tend to be quite big given how unpractical ergonomics are for dedicated use...

Your best bet is a TG series camera. It's light, already waterproof like an action cam (meaning you can use a light polycarbonate housing, and it's neutral), it does great macro stills and video with an integrated flash (just add a small light or get creative with a dive light, it's macro after all).
It also does very average WA (for which you'll need a lens).
Footprint is slightly bigger than an action cam.

Edited 15 hours ago15 hr by bghazzal

Hi @Narced Diver

Thanks for posting! It's a great question.

I always used to shoot solely with compact cameras up until about 2 years ago when I started dabbling with both Go Pros and Smartphones for my underwater photography and video work. It's safe to say that I've been obsessed and have written for magazines using images captured with them (The Guild of Photographers and the Marine Conservation Society) just published a book using mainly these two. I have also given talks for the Royal Photographic Society to show how to get the best results from them this year.

I've been using both a Go Pro Hero 12 plus an Insta Ace Pro for both stills and videos as well as an iPhone 13 and 16 Pro Max using both a Sealife Sport Diver and a DiveVolk housing.

There are cheaper housings which you can buy for a Go Pro from both Amazon and AliExpress which have delved to 80ms and have survived.

Isotta make beautiful sturdy underwater housings for Go Pros which are depth-rated to 200 metres. You can add Backscatter's Flip Filter system which is great for attaching their MacroMate Mini Lens system, as well as Backscatter's Sharp Wide Lens Pro or AOI lenses to create striking wide-angle images and footage.

https://www.backscatter.com/Isotta-GoPro-HERO9-Underwater-Housing

Another brand which I've just stumbled upon is this:

https://www.flex-arm.com/en/housings-smartphone-action-camera/underwater-housing-gopro

As for quality, I regularly sell prints captured with both my smartphone and my Go Pro. I create and sell canvas prints which measure 92 cms x 40 cms captured with my iPhone and you honestly wouldn't know that they weren't shot with a larger camera system. The quality of image you capture really knuckles down to what your subject is going to be, the shooting conditions you are likely to be facing (deeper and darker will mean lights are needed too), what your equipment is and whether you are shooting for competitions, agencies or just for yourself and social media.

Being able to add accessory lenses onto both Action Cameras and Smartphones is a complete gamechanger to create compelling imagery and video with smaller systems.

Always happy to help if I can. I could chat about these systems forever :)

I've attached to help:

1. A local wreck image captured with my Go Pro Hero 12 using a Basic Amazon Purchase of a Telesin Dome Housing

2. A grey seal captured with my iPhone 13 Pro Max using a Sealife SportDiver housing

3. Swanage Pier captured with my iPhone 16 Pro Max using a DiveVolk housing.

You can see more of my work which is purely using my Smartphone and Go Pros/Insta 360 on my Dorset Underwater Facebook page.

3 hours ago, bghazzal said:

There is no miracle, and the solutions have been given.
And yes, it also really depend on what you're planning to do with it.

Canon V1 is a very capable modern compact, but like most compacts if video is the focus it will need to be souped up with floats, hence killing the compact form.
Compacts are bricks in the water. For photos or the odd short video clip, yes, you can use it as is, if you're ok with a very negative rig. Just to give an idea an LX10 in a Nauticam housing is over 1 kg negative in water by itself (before adding lenses, lights, clamps, coffee maker....)

Phones rigs I've seen tend to be quite big given how unpractical ergonomics are for dedicated use...

Your best bet is a TG series camera. It's light, already waterproof like an action cam (meaning you can use a light polycarbonate housing, and it's neutral), it does great macro stills and video with an integrated flash (just add a small light or get creative with a dive light, it's macro after all).
It also does very average WA (for which you'll need a lens).
Footprint is slightly bigger than an action cam.

Your LX10 has the French Roast drip feature? I always wanted that.