G7 or F31?

Hi Everyone,

I'm looking to purchase my first underwater camera setup for my holiday to the Malidives at the end of the month.

Having looked at these forums, dpreview etc I think it I am down to the following alternatives

DSLR - Ruled out, couldn't justify the cost of housing for a newbie / , and no video

Panasonic DMC-TZ3 - Looks like a decent camera, but not much feedback on use underwater, and housing hard to get hold of

Nikon P5000 -Some positive comments, but would like more than a 3.5x zoom above water for a large compact

Fuji F31 - A definate contender. Rave reviews at low ISO, would like more zoom and megapixels, but if it takes great pictures who cares? I should be able to get camera and housing for £280 i($560) n Jessops (UK photography Strore) which is great value. Might even buy their repairs cover for £35 in case it gets wet (wouldn't normally purchase this).

Canon G7 - The other contender. Would be considerably more expensive, but I would feel like I have a popper camera, I may not then be tempted to upgrade in 12 months. Downsides - could only afford the cannon housing which seems to ruleout a wide angle lens if I later decide I would like one. Low iso performance inferior to the fuji, even though it costs more. Would cost more like £400 all in.

If I had a month to think about it, I would get the new version of the F31 coming out soon, but I am going in 3 weeks. Will use the camera mostly snorkelling with some diving for non-stop use, but only 2 weeks a year realistically. Wouldn't get a strobe / lens, but would be nice to have the option to upgrade in future.

Thanks for any comments / suggestions on the above options, or any others I may have missed. I really appreciate any help, what a great site!

As an F31fd user, I enjoy its high ISO performance and responsivness. It sells for about $240, and Fuji has a $50 rebate here in the US. Aperture priority with exposure compensation provides good control. If you want a camera for available light photography (such as using Magic Filters) it's a great choice. What the F31fd lacks is the ability to dial up and down the flash output. This isn't an issue if you have an external strobe with plenty of settings, but it would limit you if you have a very simple strobe.

The G7 is a great camera, but it you're on a budget and want something with plenty of control, consider the A570is. It has full manual control, including flash output. The Cannon housing for it can take wide angle lenses.

Don't be concerned over megapixels. The F31fd has 6 megapixels, but it's resolving power at ISO 80 is almost as much as the 10MP G7. If you go to ISO 200 or 400, it's not even close. The F31fd would outresolve the G7 at those sensitivities. Battery life is excellent, too.

As for the new 12MP F50, you could probably expect good performance at ISO 80. I'll bet that higher ISO sensitivies wont' be nearly as good as the F31fd. This is really a marketing ploy for Fuji. On a positive note, the F50 will take SD cards in addition to xD. I'm not a huge fan of xD, but the cards aren't as expensive as they used to be.

In my view, G7 in Canon housing means you must use an external

strobe (since the big-nosed housing blocks the light from the bottom half,

of the frame, even when using the WP-DC11 diffuser).

Sorry to hear about prices in UK, here in former UK (aka HK) I got the

G7 and WP-DC11 for under US$700, over a year ago.

Coincidentally, my G7's frist trip was also to Maldives, some photos are

here: Ajay's Maldives pictures.

best,

Ajay.

Thanks for the thoughts. Had to make a quick decision (holiday approaching) and went for the G7. By the looks of it, either would be a good choice. We will have to wait and see!

Thanks for your comments, will save the strobe for my next holiday (can't afford it at the mo, oh to be in HK!)

Love the photos BTW!

In my view, G7 in Canon housing means you must use an external

strobe (since the big-nosed housing blocks the light from the bottom half,

of the frame, even when using the WP-DC11 diffuser).

 

Sorry to hear about prices in UK, here in former UK (aka HK) I got the

G7 and WP-DC11 for under US$700, over a year ago.

 

Coincidentally, my G7's frist trip was also to Maldives, some photos are

here: Ajay's Maldives pictures.

 

best,

Ajay.

great shot there ajay ...

did you used any external strobe?

great shot there ajay ...

did you used any external strobe?

Yes, I used an Inon Z220 external strobe with my WP-DC11.

Best,

Ajay.

I've got the F30 with Fujifilm housing and love it. Here are some examples of what can be done:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13608096@N02/?saved=1

Here are my humble observations on what will help you to avoid a lot of my early mistakes:

Please note that I do not proclaim any particular expertise. On the contrary I'm merely an enthusiastic beginner that has taken enough shots and had them reviewed (ruthlessly) by a few photo pros and now can take a decent pic here and there.

So, with that said, here are "the basics of underwater photography - with a decent compact camera and manufacturer's housing). They are JUST the basics, barely. if you want to know more then truly I don't know enough to help :-)

1. Use a LOW ISO. Regardless of how really nice your camera works on land, the rules are different underwater. 100 is preferred. I only use 200 now if my shutter won't get fast enough to avoid blur. If I can't use 200 or better then I just skip the shot.

1. I knew from experience that my Fuji F30 was GREAT in low light and I could take some really decent shots at 800 so that's what I started on ... OUCH - these rules don't apply underwater and I have a lot of shots that could have been wonderful but for all that nasty grain.

2. Use manual white balance (also known as custom white balance). Hopefully your camera supports this. Even if it does, it may not be possible to set while in a housing - some Sony's are like this (need to use stylus to access this feature)

2a. To set white balance, get a nice PADI or similar underwater photo slate, and keep it clipped inside your BC, preferably with some kind of extender so that you have easy access and can't lose it.

2b. Let's say that you'll be shooting between 35-45. Do your white balance at 45. If you are shooting at 30 but shooting downward ... do a balance at 40-45.

2c. Custom WB is so very important - especially if you wish to avoid any PP work (I am too lazy (and don't know how) to apply some kind of red filter afterwards to my shots - I'd rather just try and get it right up front).

3. If possible, try to shoot horizontal or slightly upwards, not downward if you can reasonably help it - use that extra ambient light

4. Feed the fish :-) Just kidding

5. Avoid using flash - suppress that flash! If you have a good WB then the shots will have a lot of really nice color in them. This will also prevent the backscatter effect of particles in the water.

5a. This advice is for people like me with a small compact camera setup - not you folks with all your wonderful external single/dual strobe setups, etc - you know what you're doing much more than I ever will.

6. Macro is your friend! Macro photography underwater is very rewarding. You will be able to take a much higher percentage of very keepable shots. It's also great when the water isn't so clear ... like when Hurricane Dean decides to swing by and really stir things up.

7. Use Full manual mode (it is really pretty easy - camera does the heavy lifting)

7a. Start at 5.6, let the camera choose the shutter speed. As you get closer and go into macro, then try dropping your F stop from 5.6 down to 2.8 in stages and play around with depth of field

8. Take LOTS of shots of anything that you want to get. Many times a shot that looked really good to me on that little lcd wasn't all that good at all on my laptop screen later that day. So long as my subject is willing I try to take at LEAST 5 shots of anything that looks interesting. Many times I'll take 7-10 shots to get one that I really like. Memory is cheap ... and so's my advice ...

9. Get close to your subject! You are really not as close as you think you are!

9a. Get CLOSER to your subject.

10. Many subjects underwater are skittish by nature. After all, much of their time is spent eating (and avoiding being eaten). So, it's useful to pre-focus your camera on something with a halfway depression of your shutter - like that piece of coral over there - then keep holding the the shutter halfway, turn back to your ultimate goal, compose your shot to include that fast mover with the bright colors then depress the shutter to completion.

11. Turn your camera off when you are not actively using it. This will really really help keep the case from fogging up right in front of your lens. I keep my auto-off timer on 2 min just in case. 5 was definately too long for me and I fogged up once. This was the only time I fogged up in an entire week and 25 dives.

12. Be VERY careful if you use silica gel inside your camera case while diving. If the slightest bit of the cloth/paper gets caught in your o-ring it will wick water right in and goodbye camera. I don't use them while diving - but I DO keep them in the empty case when I'm downloading shots off the camera. And I DO keep them in the case w/ the camera inside - over the LCD screen - while the gear sits overnight in the hotel room, just to try and keep ambient moisture down.

I hope that these observations and notes will be useful and that others will add their own thoughts so that this might become a consistent thread that we can all contribute to and learn from.

My gear: Fuji F30 w/ Fujifilm housing.

My future gear: Inon wide angle lens for the same - these are AWESOME - the photo pros at the resort had them and they totally rock. Great value at $250 and can be used on land as well.

Regards,

Jeff