Help to decide which set to buy for a manatee project

For a budget of US$2,000-2,500 , which camcorder/housing is the best combination .

The purpose of use is for a project study/census about the manatees of La Hispaniola ( Dominican Republic/Haiti) .

Sometimes the water were manatees lives is murky , so good auto-focus or manual focus control is desired also good performance on low light conditions and the capability to make stills for i.d. purposes.

Any help will be greatly appreciated . The Antillean manatee is critically endangered ( the total population in our island is estimated in around 50 individuals ) and this study will be the base for a conservation campaign.

Very important project but few funds available , as usual . So if someone know about a manufacturer or institution that could help with some equipment donations , we can present them the project .

I would suggest you look for a 2nd hand Sony VX2000/2100 with any housing that has a manual focus control. You may want to consider the housing with a wide angle adapter.

Good luck in your project.

I do stills, not video but if I were you I would see if any of the operators in Crystal River, Florida are "unloading" their video gear - end-of-season or out-of-business.

Bill at Bird's Underwater is probably not getting rid of any of his but he might be most helpful in letting you know of someone he thinks is getting rid of their video equipment.

He might also be able to get you in touch with Bob Bonde (US Geological Survey) who might know of an organization to help you.

Bill's email is:

bird@birdsunderwater.com

Good Luck, how many manatee do you estimate you have in Dominican Republic/Hati?

Best, Carol

Thanks Drew and Carol

I already have a wide angle lens from my old Amphibico housing for the Canon Optura that i will borrow to the project , if they receive enough funds to buy an Amphibico housing.

I'm only involved in the project as volunteer for field surveys and as photographer .The first stage of the project is to stablish a bank of I.D. images and try to census the population . Actually the estimated population is around 50 individuals in the D.R. side of the island , probably they are not present at Haiti already.

Thanks Carol for the contacts , i will pass the info.