Taken the plunge and got a new camera

There is no real point to this post, other than to say, with much euphoria, that today I got my new camera! Yippee.

In the end I went for a Nikon S3. I wanted a black one, but Nikon UK only actually import silver ones. Damn them. It is absolutely tiny. So small in fact, that I have already lost it 3 times since getting it back from the shop. Nice.

So here is the new addition to the family, with housing, sitting alongside its more established stable mates:

To finally get to the point I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has actually used this camera underwater. I will use it mainly above water, but its main job UW will be in filter development and as a prop for models.

The WP-CP5 housing is so slim it will easily fit in a BC pocket, so if you a see a Subal D2 housing lying on the seabed - you know I'll be nearby snapping away with the S3!

Alex

Wow! Nikon is actually selling the S3 - I thought they only announced these S cameras. They announced the S3 before you could even BUY the S2 in the states...

Will be interested to hear how much you like this one Alex - and if you can do a comparison vs the Canon S550 I'd appreciate it...:-)

Cheers

James

Well done on making a decision Alex.

You must take at least some satisfaction in preserving your brand allegiance!

It is actually a change of allegience for me, Anthony, as my previous compact (that I used to take the picture above) is a Canon.

This camera is really tiny.

Alex

I was expecting something looking a bit ... cooler ... but you said you wanted black ... find an air brusher like someone that does racing helmets and get them to personalise it for you !!

but good stuff alex ... this is the tiny one with the huge display on the back yeh ?

Congrats on your new toy.

Can you summaries why you picked this model at the end?

Alex, what a big lens you have.....

To answer a few questions. Yep its is very small, Giles. It is actually smaller than an Exslim. The housing is about the same size as a Sony Sports tape Walkman (a reference there, from back in the day). Display is 2.5 inches.

I really picked this camera because it is small and thin - and therefore fits easily in the pocket of my jeans! Being small and thin also means that the housing is small and thin too and easily fits in the pocket of a BC.

I chose this camera because at 6MP I can use it for snapping topside shots for articles, and I am confident that this camera will produce publishable results for 1/4-1/2 page reproduction. The brand name was of no importance to me.

Its two main uses for UW shooting are first as an accessory for my model! I really like divers doing something in my shots. The housing is small and pretty. And second as a testing camera for filters. This camera has excellent and easy to set manual WB, but it is also point and shoot simple enough to enable me to test filters for use with AUTO WB + JPG.

It is not a camera that I would necessarily recommend to others looking for a good UW compact. My other camera, the D2X, I would always recommend! Anyway I will undoubtedly post some UW images from the little camera once it has been for a swim.

Alex

p.s. Oh, and Mike is right, yes I am compensating!

Can you put a wide angle lens on that housing (not the Subal)?

p.s. Oh, and Mike is right, yes I am compensating!

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Can you put a wide angle lens on that housing (not the Subal)?

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Dunno yet. I will try later in the week. Alex

I took some better pictures of the housing today:

And with a CD for scale:

Alex