New to UW Photography

Howdy all,

I'm almost 100% a DSLR user, using either a 30D or an XT. I'm going snorkeling this summer and want a camera that I can take pictures underwater with, as well as take video with. I do not plan to do any scuba. Since there is a video requirement, a housing for my DSLR is out of the running, not to mention I can't really afford a decent housing for a DSLR anyway.

So I have a few questions and conditions.

1. I'm overwhelmed by all the P&S cameras out there. I'm trying to figure out which to get. Ones that seem very popular are the Olympus SP350, Olympus C-5050 (oldie but a goodie), the newer Canon A and S series, and the Fuji F series with their great ISO performance. There's also the Panasonic compacts that are great because they have high resolution, widescreen 30fps video recording, but lackluster ISO performance at ISO400 and up.

Which do I pick? I would definitely, definitely like 30fps video, and about 28mm on the wide end. Being able to zoom while taking video would be nice too.

2. Is there like some database of cameras and underwater pictures that have been taken by specific cameras? As in high resolution pictures, high enough to gauge sharpness, etc.? I feel that nothing speaks better than actual sample pictures taken with a specific camera.

3. This is not really for serious U/W photography. If I were to get really serious, I'd be looking for a DSLR housing. This is also not going to be very frequent, as I live in Ohio...

4. I've heard that it's best to use a housing with a dome front glass versus a flat plane glass because a flat plane will introduce chromatic aberration. I've had to struggle with this when shooting through glass in aquariums, so I know how it can ruin a picture. The problem is, I can't seem to find any P&S housings with this dome glass. Or have I not looked hard enough? I've read that a dome is required for <30mm, but wouldn't it be best to have one for >30mm as well?

Thanks for any advice given

I have had good luck recently with the Sony N2. The video is 30fps and simple to use in their factory housing (MPK-NA). The only problem with the Sony is that you have to set the camera for specific photo types such as black background settings etc before you go into the water. If you are just going to shoot general snorkel shots the camera does a very nice job in the Auto and P modes as well. The color balance is great, the battery is good for about 100 plus 10mb shots and a dozen video clips from 15 to 30 secs each. A small issue for the macro flash shots is that shadow line at the bottom of the exposure which as I understand it is an artifact from the housing length over the lens area. Hasnt been a problem though as I usually end up cropping the photos some anyhow and the 10mb size allows for this with no problem. I have posted some pics recently in a thread if you want to see some.

If video is really important to you make sure to keep maximum file sizes in mind. A lot of the Canon A series takes video until your storage fills up OR until the filesize is 1GB which is only 8 mins using 640x480 30fps. Most Canon's don't allow optical zoom during video only digital zooming.

dpreview mentions the 1GB limit but it's hidden in the details. I found that www.dcresource.com reviews discuss movie mode in more detail.

Sorry, more details to be overwhelmed about :-)

Howdy all,

 

...

Thanks for any advice given

Hi

I recently decided it was time for myself to upgrade from my Powershot A70 to something else. I ruled out DSLR because I, like yourself, like to take once in a while short video clip. Right now, to my knowledge, the only compact with a 28mm lens available on the market that has an available U/W case is the Olympus SP-550-UZ. I disregarded this camera due to it's small chip that was not really an improvement over my A70.

The A640 would have been my choice if it had a 28mm lens. But I miss so much the field of view of my old MMII Ex with a 20mm lens.

I finally choose to go on the used market and got a Powershot S80. I chosse it over the Olympus C-7070 and C8080 mostly because I'm used to the Canon menus and because while visiting the Inon America website I saw that there is an adapter for the WP-DC1 U/W case allowing to use the UWL-100AD lens. If you want to see pictures taken with this lens and the Powershot S80 visit the Artist galley on this site and look for Edvin Eng...it's fabulous.

I don't know if you really need a 28 mm for snorkeling? What kind of photography are you planning..do you intend to freedive a bit? If not you will shoot from top to bottom and you will get results that you may find disappointing considering the quality of your land equipement.

I have the feeling you should really consider the A640 or the Powershot G7 considering you're already using a 30D from the Canon familly. Don't expect too much from ISO performance though the chip is a 1/2.8".

Hope this helps.

Clément

Hi Fuzzy,

Well good question. I think you'll find ISO performances lacking in any P&S. Even the ones with higher ISO settings the pictures get pretty noisy. Since you're snorkelling this shouldnt be an issue. I happen to like RAW capability because, frankly, I'm not that good so post processing the white balance has saved more than a few shots.

Later,

Gary

Thanks for the comments guys!

Since I've never actually gone snorkeling out in the wild (I have been snorkeling in the pool/diving well) I don't know if I'll actually need wideangle. I DO know that I'll be snorkeling with a lot of friends, and want to take video.

VERY good point on some cameras limiting the video size to 1GB. I'll have to watch out for that in the future.

As for high ISO, Fuji cameras and their Super CCD sensors are the best by far. Unfortunately, Fuji doesn't make a camera with this sensor that I find worthy of buying.

One interesting camera is the Panasonic TZ3:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz3/

7MP, 10x zoom starting at a wide 28mm, image stabilization, and 848 x 480 video at 30fps. Unfortunately, like all Panasonics, their noise performance is pretty bad from ISO400 and above, compared to cameras like the Fuji F30 which is still good at ISO800.

If Fuji could make a P&S camera with their awesome sensors, a 10X wide zoom, 30fps video, image stabilization (none to date), and using SD cards instead of retarded xD cards, they'd be king.

not video, but here are some pics with the Olympus SP350:

http://wetpixel.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=18473

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