humu9679

Aloha and welcome @McSweaterson !

Aloha and welcome @PomInOz !

Aloha and welcome @Rinjani

As we contend with multiple variables, we are doomed to live in a tangle of equipment. So much simpler if we limit what we do. I have a dive buddy who takes only an Olympus TG and a dive light. He looks for the tiniest things. Simple system and actually pretty versatile. I do wish for a new version with a larger sensor and bit more in the way of manual controls. I use a DPV pretty regularly, and I hate hauling it in and out of the water for mostly shore diving. I’ve mounted an Olympus TG, on top of which I’ve mounted a GoPro, plus strobes or video lights. Really unwieldy until you’re in the water, and then you have to repeat the process. Lately, I’ve just gone with an action camera and a single 10k lumen video light while using a DPV. For stills and no DPV, it’s a subject matter decision for me. Macro or wide? Here in Hawaii where I live, shooting fisheye means you won’t have many chances at very skittish wildlife. I’ve lately come around to thinking that a kit lens and wet optics may be the best solution to shooting a variety of things.

Aloha and welcome Fred!

That’s a wonderful niche project. If your budget prioritizes image quality, how about the the Fuji GF series? https://www.nauticam.com/products/na-gfx100ii-housing-for-fujifilm-gfx100ii-camera

Aloha and welcome @Airintheocean

This very topic pops up frequently, and here’s a recent thread on it:

Aloha and welcome Alexey! Just a thought: full frame camera and lenses are great, but if you’re planning to travel, you might consider smaller sensor cameras as the lenses (and ports) are oftentimes much smaller. Unless you really need the large file sizes, you might find that APS-c or M43 will suit your needs. More to think about, yes, but we are here to help you spend your money. Best, Craig

Wow!

Aloha neighbor!

Aloha and welcome @blobsthediver

Aloha and welcome @Francy1505

I was about to add that the Backscatter's HF series is small, great battery life, and that you may use high speed sync with the right flash triggers. Great for macro, and some have used it pretty successfully on larger subjects (see Phil Rudin and Dave Hicks forays into using these flashes). The OM-1 ii I believe already has an x-sync speed of 1/250th, which puts it right up there with most. A couple of other things to note - again, lens size! Many APS-c lenses are sized right for their systems, but oftentimes the lenses are large which happens with Canons and Nikons. It’s like hauling around full frame cameras with their added size and weight. Also, I was thinking about your desire to have a monitor. They are nice to look at, and I like having one to shoot video topside, but have you considered just composing on the standard screen? I have also tried using 45 and 90 degree viewfinders - great in some instances - but again, these add bulk and, in my view, are a throwback to film and DSLR days when live view was horrible.