Switching back to Canon!

I enjoyed my Nikon S3 very much - but it died on me after only a few months. I was rather unimpressed by how short it lastest. Admittedly the camera had been through the wars, but in fact had been (mis)treated no worse than my old Canon Ixus II with my brother now uses underwater. And that is still going strong.

The problem was that my sensor just stopped working - and the guys from Nikon UK said it wouldn't qualify for a warranty repair because of the physical damage - which in their view was the cause of the failure.

The camera actually died while re-charging on the shearwater - and this ended up being the last thing I shot with it:

http://www.amustard.com/temps/tiger1.mov

There are some who suggest it was scared to death. Anyway it's orbituary is here:

http://www.amustard.com/?page=kit&ext=s3&s...ge=photo&size=s

I'm not too fussed and it will still continue to function in its primary role as model's camera!

And anyway after that brief Nikon adventure I have returned to the Canon fold with a Ixus 55. Currently there is no diving housing for this one - which might also aid longevity.

Alex

As long as you have the DX2 you are still an honorable member in the Nikon community (despite a little less now B) )

Too bad for the camera. That movie is really great though. The last 4 seconds areve very impressive....

Alex (and others)

I have it on good authority from an entitiy that clicks cameras of all prices THOUSANDS of times that Canon, Sony and Fuji last longer than the Olympus and Nikon small P&S digicams.....This includes button pushing, etc.

In all fairness the thinner camera bodies, except maybe for Sony's T series are likely a bit more fragile. But as you state, I've seen battered small IXUS Canon cameras keep on clicking for years.

Hope you get a new recruit for more "broom-cam" movie shooting. I'll be copying your idea in August at Tiger Beach, likely with a Fuji E900 and Ikelite's tough little box.....

Looks like a hoot!

Dave Haas

Alex,

I'm sure your "teaser" subject line will get lots of people to open this thread thinking you've actually switched DSLR brands (which would have the potential of triggering a mass shift in brand loyalties!), rather than "just" your point & shoot camera. However, since almost all of us have a p&s that we take along on trips for topside shots, the topic as actually a good one!

I have to admit that, until I saw your uw "video rig" on Shearwater, the ability to install a p&s on a broom was never a feature I seriously considered! But it actually WILL be from now on! B)

At this point, I'm sort of the opposite of you; I use Canon DSLRs, but a Nikon p&s. I've had several Canon Digital Elphs, and really liked them, but after losing two of them in two months (one to theft, the other to a boat operator in Hawaii dropping my bag in a salt-water puddle, which rendered the brand new Elph inoperable), I bought a Nikon S4, primarily for its 10X optical zoom, which I wanted for attending my (and the Seattle Seahawks'!) first Super Bowl. Thus far, however, I'm not all that impressed with its overall performance, and it's FAR bulkier than an Elph. My main complaint (besides its size) is that the shutter speed seems consistently too slow for sharp shots in low light (e.g., indoor) situations, even with the flash.

My question: is there a really compact p&s (like the ones you use) that has an affordable uw housing available (so I can construct one of your patented "Mustard broom-cams" next time the need arises), but also actually allows user-selection of a fast shutter speed?

Fuji E900, Sony W7 (and W5) Canon A610 / 620. All have P, S, A and M modes.

Plus the Fuji and Sony use 2 AA batteries, and the Canon's use 4 AAs, With NiMH making for long battery life these compact cameras can produce really, reall good photos.....

Just don't expect RAW write times (from the Fuji) as fast as a dSLR.

dhaas

Fuji E900, Sony W7 (and W5) Canon A610 / 620. All have P, S, A and M modes.

...Just don't expect RAW write times (from the Fuji) as fast as a dSLR.

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Thanks, David. Those look like some good possibilities. I really liked the look of the Fuji...until I saw that is uses xD cards (what's wrong with those guys?!).

I've got all these CF and SD cards (and even some memory sticks!), and I'm not really excited about adding yet ANOTHER card format to the old corral!

And no, I don't expect dSLR write times (or shutter response). I just want a tiny little camera that works when I need it to!

Bruce,

I know the Canon A610 / 620 models do not do RAW. But for this style / size camera Fine / Large JPEG may be plenty. Sony, I'm not sure but bet if you read the review on Steves Digicams it will tell you.

The Sony or Fuji will require xD (get type H, higher speed write times) or Sony Memory Stick. So you may find yourself with muliple memory formats anyway Just get a 1GB or 2 GB and be done with it...

The convenience and size for certain photo ops will be worth it.

Hope these choices helped!

Dave Haas

Funny

I have been disatisfied with mine since I got it.

And recently the images have been white washed out, so mnuch so the sky in the caribbean here.

I have just started my process of getting my canon back to and want to sell my S3, and it will go cheap.

My choice was between the SD20 I used to have a loved

Now a bargain on Amazon.

I am going for the Red so I don't loose it so easy as the Midnight Blue One at my Xmas party in a dark restaurant.

I was close to going for the SD30 at BH for $100 more but I can only see a improvement of a 2.4x optical zoom which the SD20 has none. Doesn't effect me in a compact too mmuch.

I had a Canon SD400 and LOVED it. I also had the SD10, but for some reason switched to the SD400 -- I think it was because it has a higher-res movie mode.

These days, I use a Fuji Z1, which excels in low light. It's in general a worse camera than the SD400 is, but 90% of my P&S shots are taken inside in low lighting, so it's more useful for me. Here are some comparison shots:

http://echeng.com/journal/2006/01/15/fuji-...d400-low-light/

I also have a Pentax Optio WP, which alex could have used on the swim-step without a housing. I use it on dive boats because it's waterproof to a few feet. Images are fine. Again, the Canon SD series is better, but the Optio can be submerged in salt water.

The Pentax and Fuji use the same rechargeable battery, which is nice, but the Fuji uses xD, which is lame.

I have the Canon SD550.

I love how small it is. the images are good, and the digicam function is awesome.

I just took some vids on the Manta Ray dive in Kona. Definitely worth the money.

I prefer the SD400/450 over the 500/550 because the 400/450 is so much smaller.

But the 500/550 do have a housing for them . . .

So do the 400/450:

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controlle...nderwater_photo

Oh yeah? Yeah! Oh yeah? yeah! . Actually, I should have been more specific. The SD500/550 have underwater housings while the SD400/450 do not. The ones for the SD400/450 are "AW" (all weather) housings, good to 10fsw, not "WP" (waterproof) housings good to 40m.

Panasonic has a new camera, the DMC-FX01. It has a 28mm lens and image stabalization. It's roughly the size of the Elph cameras. If only the housing would arrive in the next month. I'm going away in June and want to take something small with me.

Panasonic has a new camera, the DMC-FX01. It has a 28mm lens and image stabalization. It's roughly the size of the Elph cameras. If only the housing would arrive in the next month. I'm going away in June and want to take something small with me.

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Another new option is the Sony DSC-T30. It also has image stabilization and is similarly sized, but with a few more (7 vs. 6.3) megapixels. And it will have the inexpensive Sony Marine Pack (good down to 120ft) available for around $200. Unfortunately, it requires memory sticks (the "Pro" type), rather than SD. And because the camera is so new, its price is still around $450-$499 most places, whereas the Panasonic DMC-FX01 is available everywhere for under $300.

I've got a DMC-FX01 on order at Beach Camera (probably my LAST purchase from them - poor service, and I ordered it 2 weeks ago "in stock" and it still hasn't shipped. I need to follow my own advice and only order from B&H if I'm going to buy from NYC dealers...)

Check out Olympus' new "mju:" 720 SW, which is waterproof to 10' without a case. ( I have the Pentax Optio WP, which is similar (but not quite to 10') ):