nikon 50d 70d or canon 350d

hi i am in the market for my first dslr camera. i have looked at the nikon 50d and the 70d and i think that out of those the 50d has better reviews. then there is the canon 350d which also has good reviews head to head with the nikon 50d. these reviews were all reviewing the cameras on land though. so as UW photography goes i am none the wiser. thats where you come in. have you used these outfits. what housings should i be looking at, and very importantly what lenses should i be considering. most of my previous photos are macro and i do enjoy getting in close but i do want to use all of the cameras abilities and get into wide angle as well. i have seen some bundles deals with the cameras coming with a standard 18-55mm lense. would this be ok for starters. many thanks, stew smith

Hello,

Make a search here about this topic there a numerous threads about D50 vs. D70 and Nikon Vs Canon.

The most significance difference (in my opinion) between the D70 & D50 for u/w use is the second weal that the D70 have and the 50 don't, I think it’s critical so I'll go for the D70/s.

About Housing, there are few points you need to think on: how much you want to spend, ergonomics, size/packaging, service. Great images you can shoot with all of the housings.

Lens: most of the people here start with at list two lens, one wide and one macro, the 18-55mm lens is not a very good one, if you go to Nikon try to get the 18-70 that came with the D70, it's much better lens and it produce very nice images of fishes and so but its not a macro or/and WA.

Hi,

I use a 350D and have been very happy with the results. I went with the Ikelite housing and 2 x DS125 strobes. I picked that housing primarily due to cost, and it works well. I expect the moulded alloy housing are better, but they do cost significantly more.

Lens wise I use the Canon 10-22mm EFS, 60mm EFS and 100mm. I bought the 18-55mm kit lens, however don't use it underwater and would probably not buy it again if I did it over. It is not that bad, but I just don't use it. From what I hear the Sigma fisheye and wide zooms are also very good, and a bit cheaper.

I've not used the Nikon D70, so I cannot comment there but when I bought my 350D it looked better on paper than the D70.

damien

I would suggest the D70 as the best option here. There are far more (numbers and variety) of housings available for the D70 and since the camera has been around for a few years you can easily pick up both a camera and housing second hand (as some D70 owners have upgraded to the D200).

There is nothing wrong with either of the other two cameras - but I think that the D70 is the best UW package for these reasons.

Alex

If you can find a used d70 with housing thats a great deal!

But if you plan to buy everything new I would suggest the Canon 350d with a S&S housing. I have this combination myself and I am very happy with it. It is not cheap, but then again you must realise that once you descide to make the switch do dSLR it will cost you regardless of wich camera or housing you choose.

i had a lucky win at the casino last night and woke up £600 richer. I decided to treat myself to the canon 350d. I just have to have more luck so i can get myself the sea and sea housing, ports and lenses. never mind, i am off to the Galapagos tomorrow. cheers for your views