Greetings all,
We need help choosing our next camera system for an ongoing monitoring study of the biology and bleaching of the Caribbean coral reef barrel sponge. You can learn more about our study at this web link:
http://people.uncw.edu/pawlikj/xmuta.html
Twice a year we photograph >500 barrel sponges at depths from 40 to 100 ft. We have only a few days to visit 12 transect sites that are 16 meter diameter circles on the reefs off Key Largo. The pics are used to document cycles of bleaching, and to determine growth rates of sponges. These are the variables:
(1) pics have to be taken quickly, with fast camera response time -- divers may be rocking in surge, so a slow response time can be a big problem.
(2) image size and memory must be balanced to maximize the number of pics per nitrox dive.
(3) battery time same as (2)
(4) the camera and housing should be easy to handle.
To date, we have used only natural lighting and after-the-fact adjustment of light and color balance using photoshop.
To date, we have been using Sony cameras. Most recently, we've used a SONY DSC-F828. Response time on this camera is good, but it is very bulky, and we don't use any of the fancy features or zoom. Before that, we used a SONY Cybershot DSC-S70, which had a very slow response time, but was less bulky -- we also had crisper images with this camera than with the most recent (but because of the response time, the image was often not properly framed).
It's about time for an upgrade, so we would like to find a workhorse camera for an ikelite housing that has a fast response time, has excellent auto focus, is not bulky, and has lots of memory and battery time. We do not keep up with the latest technology, so we're putting this out for suggestions. What do you think?
Thanks,
Joe Pawlik
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